Trash Turned To Treasure In Museum’s New LEGO Exhibition
Image: Relics: A New World Rises Exhibition at the Australian Museum
With the chilly weather quickly advancing the Australian Museum (AM) will shortly be transformed into a winter wonderland, with eight programs that should entice families to attend.
The Relics: A New World Arises exhibition should prove to be the family favourite owing to its association with LEGO, once called ‘building blocks’ but now more aptly known as ‘a line of plastic construction toys’, manufactured by the LEGO Group.
Over the years LEGO has not only mesmerised young children, but also adults. The exhibition opens on August 16 and record-breaking attendances are foreseeable. The good news is that the waitlist for first release tickets is now available on the AM website.
At the helm of this mammoth, fantastical, immersive and futuristic exhibition with a sustainable edge, are Perth duo Jackson Harvey and Alex Towler, long-time friends and former Channel 9 LEGO Masters champions who have playfully transformed LEGO into an artform. They have tirelessly spent two years with a team building this exhibition for visitors to enjoy and also continue to improve on it.
The year is 2530 and life on Earth as we know it has ceased to exist owing to the depletion of natural resources, pollution and basically the total neglect of the environment by humans. Most of what is manufactured today will outlive the humans that created them centuries earlier.
But there are new beginnings – amongst the vintage waste life is blossoming. Miniature communities of LEGO madcap minifigures are thriving on the waste that humans left behind centuries earlier – a juke box, piano, jet ski, cupboard, fridge and a Volkswagen Beetle, just to name a few. There are close to 2000 minifigures which are regarded as the heroes of the exhibition, as they’re the ones telling the story.
The exhibition consists of objects which were found at secondhand stores, antique stores, salvage yards and the Volkswagen Beetle was retrieved from a sandy pit from a backyard in Perth! Somebody’s trash was Jackson and Alex’s treasure which they would incorporate in this remarkable and inspirational exhibition.
“It’s really exciting for us to take an object that to most people would look like trash and give it a whole new life.”
There are 14 immersive displays combining vintage objects with intricately detailed LEGO worlds.
Interactive play space is also included where big kids and little kids can build and display their own LEGO creations.
To add to the fun there will also be a custom scavenger hunt with different versions for children and adults.
Does humanity and planet Earth have a future, or will collective human abuse destroy our planet?
The Relics: A New World Arises exhibition is an enjoyable experience but more importantly is educational as it sends a relatable message; we must collectively stop producing and consuming at unprecedented rates – and be more thoughtful as to what we toss away for the sake of future generations.
Come along and be spellbound by the artistry and passion instilled in this extraordinary family friendly exhibition. It’s also mandatory attendance for regular viewers of the high rating Channel 9 LEGO Masters program and for adults who as young children, or even now as adults, have a hands-on fascination with LEGO.
What are some of the other winter exhibitions?
Tails From The Coasts: Nature Stories of Singapore is now on at the AM. Explore the William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings which showcases 36 impressive 200-year-old watercolours. Free exhibition.
Birds of Australia: A new immersive and interactive exhibition inspired by the work of John and Elizabeth Gould, enjoy this unique digital experience presented on a 3D storytelling cube. Free exhibition.
School Holiday Exhibitions: There are many adventures awaiting with free exhibitions, bird illustration workshops, and a brand-new Scientist for a day experience where children will work with a friendly Library team exploring through scientific discoveries. The popular Controlling Colour program is also back owing to popular demand and the Dinosaurs exhibition is always a must for every visit. For people interested in geology the Minerals Gallery has a radiant display of 80,000 specimens of rocks and minerals – one of the largest in Australia.
The Relics: A New World Arises exhibition opens on August 16.
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