Living LEGO - a sculpture

Author: Brett Thomas
Published: 4th June 2007

"I AM ALIVE!" - LEGO bricks take on a whole new life in this sculpture exhibit.

It's not very often that we see something so unique as to warrant a news story when it doesn't even have a passing relationship to technology. However, this one (as most of these do) definitely has a passing relationship to utter geekdom: The Lancaster Museum of Art in Pennsylvania is running a LEGO sculpture exhibit.

The exhibit is filled with the work of Nathan Sawaya, a self-proclaimed "LEGO Artist." What exactly does that entail, you may ask? Well, it means he gets to play with LEGO bricks - while getting paid. According to his interview on CNN, that's the major difference between the hobbyist and the artist. The interview is full of great insights about turning a man's dream into his job.

Sawaya is certainly an unusual bucket of bricks, having left his job as a lawyer in order to play with everyone's favourite building blocks. Apparently, his work isn't going unappreciated, either - the Lancaster exhibit saw thousands of visitors from all around the nearby area. It's done so well that Sawaya is actually going on a national tour with his creations, in a traveling exhibit known as "The Art of the Brick". It's next stop will be the Discovery Center in Illinois.

It just goes to show that with a little grit, determination and a whole lot of geek-spiration, you can make just about anything into a job. If you're interested, you can check out a gallery of few more pieces on Nathan's site.

Have you got a thought on the LEGO creations? Do you see a mod in the making? Perhaps you just want to shove a mainboard in one of these things and bring it to digital life? Tell us about it in our forums.