【Art & Design English-14】Lego Art (樂高藝術)

Lego Art There's something just natural about the way two Lego pieces click together. It just feels right. For that moment those two things are perfect and they're meant for each other. With the lego you can create art, you can create films, you can create models. You can make something functional. You can make something that you can wear. Everyone has snapped together a Lego brick at one time or another. It's such a great feeling to hear that click. Lego has always been a big part of my life. It's something very tangible. It's less austere than an oil painting or a bronze sculpture and because of that it connects with people in a way that I think art is supposed to. If you look at a computer screen it's just a bunch of colored squares if you zoom all the way in. And so I thought, well, you could do that with Lego bricks. You can create a mosaic, so I decided that I was going to take this to another level. I've done portraits of a mother and child together or a father and a child together and they're so powerful because you can see the bond between a parent and a child. I need to make it special to you. I need this to reflect what's inside of you and then somehow get that onto the canvas. I suppose an artist working in any medium has this challenge but then I only have thirteen colors to do it with. Recently I put together an exhibit that's touring botanical gardens around the United States that's showing kids plants, insects, and birds in a new way. And I created twenty-seven larger-than-life sculptures that use almost half a million Lego pieces. It took my team and I five thousand hours to put all of these sculptures together, some of which are as huge as an eight-foot-tall hummingbird all the way through to a life-size polar bear. Now you've got kids wandering around botanical gardens that would otherwise never be at a botanical garden which is also really great. Whether it's the message of what my particular piece is saying to you or simply the connection that you have with the piece because of your connection with Lego, suddenly you've bonded with this in a way that you may not have if it was perhaps the same story told in a different medium. That is really special. It helps bring people out who otherwise might not be looking at art and then speaking to them in a special way. Every little thing you can think of, Lego has a means or a way or a shape and a color to create that if you so desire. I went to college for film but I realized there were a lot of limitations to shooting live-action film. So the legos are just a medium for me to get what I want to create across. I really really love the video game culture and I made a film called Bricks of War, based on Gears of War. So I made a two-minute video basically emulating what it was like to play Gears of War; the behind-the-shoulder view, the cameras zoom in. So whenever I'm setting up a shot I look at every little aspect of it; the lighting, the camera movement and I build custom dollies to move the camera. When I saw Call of Duty, three coming out, I took their launch trailer and I said hey, let me try to recreate this. It was a lot of fun because it gave me so many things to work with. We have a train car rolling in a subway system and I had to represent different countries. Right now I've been using cotton balls to make explosion effects and things. The little characters have pivots, they have joints and you can really get across not only movement but motion, too, with the Lego. It's almost perfectly made for stop-motion animation. There are films where I make it up beforehand or there are even times where I make it up as I go. Every film is different and it'll take anywhere between six weeks, and sometimes it'll take three months. Lego opens up all possibilities. I can literally create anything I want, and I love everything about it. People can relate to Lego because they have this connection to it; they have it at home. I think there's something about that. I really wanted to create sculptures that hadn't been seen before, you know, almost take the Lego element out of it. There's a sculpture called "My Boy" which is a figure holding a small child figure in its arms. When I debuted this sculpture at a museum, a woman started crying. She was not seeing this as a toy, she was just seeing it as art. When I get to follow my passion and create art for myself, it is a lot of art that's about metamorphosis. It's about transition, it's about liberation. There's a piece called "Yellow" where this figure is tearing his chest open, and lego bricks are spilling out all over, and people have said, Is this about agony? What is this piece about? For me, it's about opening oneself up to the world. "Red" was a piece I did about transition. You see this figure and it's emerging from this pile of bricks is he reaching to the sky or is he sinking into the bricks? I actually don't reveal its meaning, I want the viewer to decide when they're looking at the art. I was trying to put my emotion into my work, really create these sculptures that really had something to say. The fact that it's made out of Lego, opens the art world up to this whole new audience that may never even think about taking a Saturday and going to an art museum, and yet because it's made out of Lego, they're drawn. There's nothing you can't create with Lego toys and so every day is something new, something different, something fun. How many toys can you really say that you can say I can create anything? It just has that broad span of all spectrums. We're really seeing a Lego art movement that's emerging. More and more artists are using Lego as a traditional medium and I think it's amazing. References (optional) Links 【Art & Design English- 02】What is Art For? Toy Art Discussion Questions (Art) How great is your interest in art? What’s the best art gallery you’ve been to? Do you like modern art? What do you think of installation art? Do you ever think a lot of art is not really art? Do you have a favorite artist? What kind of art do you like – paintings, sculpture, ceramics, etc.? What is art? Does art change the way you think or feel? Do you think anyone can be an artist or do you need a special talent? Do you think all children should study art at school? Do you think children should learn the history of art? Do you think a painting can really be worth a million (or more) dollars? Do you think today’s artists are as good as those from hundreds of years ago? What was the last painting/poster/piece of art you bought? Why did you buy it? Describe the pieces of artwork in your house. What kind of art is your country famous for? What kind of life do you think an artist’s is? Do you have any artistic talents? How would the world be different without artists? Discussion Questions (Design) How would you define design? How do you know if something is designed well? Do you think design is important? Why? Have you ever designed anything? What are some well-designed products? What are some poorly designed products? Are there any designers you admire? Have you done any interior design in your home? What are some examples of good design that you appreciate? Why? How does design influence our daily experiences and interactions with products and environments? Can you think of any iconic designs or designers that have made a significant impact on society? What are some key principles or elements of design? How does cultural and historical context influence design aesthetics? Can you describe a design project or process that you have been involved in or observed? How does user experience (UX) design contribute to the functionality and usability of products and services? What role does sustainability play in design? Share examples of environmentally conscious design practices. How can design be used to solve social and humanitarian challenges? What are some current trends in design that you find interesting? How does technology influence the field of design? Discuss the impact of digital tools and software. Can you think of any examples of design that have sparked controversy or provoked discussions? How can design be inclusive and accessible to people with diverse abilities and backgrounds? Can you share any examples of designs that evoke specific emotions or create a particular atmosphere? How does design differ across various disciplines, such as graphic design, industrial design, or interior design? What are some ethical considerations in design? Discuss the responsibility of designers towards users and society. Can you think of any design failures or instances where poor design affected the user experience? What lessons can be learned from them? How can design thinking be applied beyond traditional design fields to problem-solving and innovation? What skills and qualities do you think are essential for a successful career in design? How has technology influenced the field of graphic design in recent years? Can you think of any examples of design that successfully blend form and function? Explain why they are effective. How does cultural diversity influence design aesthetics and the portrayal of different cultures in design? What are some key considerations in designing user interfaces for mobile applications? Can you describe a design project that aims to address sustainability or environmental issues? How does typography contribute to the overall design and message of printed materials? What are some effective ways to gather user feedback during the design process? How can color psychology be utilized in design to evoke specific emotions or convey certain messages? Can you think of any examples where design played a crucial role in shaping a company’s brand identity? What are the main differences between designing for print media and designing for digital media? How can design be used to improve accessibility for individuals with disabilities? Can you describe a design trend that you find intriguing? Why do you think it has gained popularity? How does packaging design influence consumer perception and purchasing decisions? What ethical considerations should designers keep in mind when creating advertisements or marketing materials? How has social media influenced the field of design and the way designers showcase their work? Can you think of any innovative design solutions that have improved people’s lives in developing countries? What are some challenges in designing for virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) experiences? How does design impact the gaming industry, particularly in terms of user interface and user experience? Can you describe a famous architectural design that has become an iconic landmark? What makes it significant? How do cultural symbols and icons influence design choices, especially in international contexts? Discussion Questions (Art Culture) How often do you go to art museums? Do you consider yourself to be artistic? What do you think about modern art paintings? How many forms of art can you name? What is your favorite form of art? Is graffiti art? Why or why not? What is the most famous statue in your country? Who is your favorite artist? Why do you like them so much? Do you think that art is important to society? Why? Have you ever tried drawing, painting, sculpting, or something else artistic? What is the most famous painting in your country? What is traditional art like in your culture? What country do you think is the most creative? Why is art so expensive? Do you think it should be more, or less, expensive? Do you have any artistic friends? What kinds of art do they create?