Sunday, September 28, 2014

LEGOS in the garden

Years ago (okay it's been decades) we took a month off and booked round trip tickets to London.  From London we flew to Copenhagen to begin a tour of northern Europe.  At the time it seemed Denmark was all agog for a place called LEGOLAND and I remember wondering how an entire theme park could be based on a plastic brick.  I began to get the idea of just how flexible those blocks could be a few years later when a LEGO store opened in the mall near our home in Virginia and featured awesome constuctions of local landmarks and Star Wars vehicles.  Now there is even a LEGOLAND in California.

Recently I had an opportunity to see what an artist can do with LEGOS during a visit to the San Antonio Botanical Garden's display called Nature Connects: Art With LEGO Bricks featuring 27 sculptures made with almost 500,000 LEGO bricks by artist Sean Kenney.  The LEGO sculptures are built on a structure of steel rods and plates for stability.

The tour begins with an Eastern Swallowtail near the entrance to the gardens


A nice size, it's probably about four feet high or 1.2m.



Hummingbird on a trumpet flower.



The lawnmower was quite realistic and the information sign encourages visitors to consider reducing their lawn.



A rose in the rose garden of course




These Finches feeding looked almost real from a distance.


The objective is to encourage guests to visit the far reaches of the garden and view this dragonfly in the lake.  The Cypress "knees" are so cool.


LEGO sculptures even turned up beside the old log cabin



A gardener uses a LEGO hoe to work his plot


This guy is about eight feet tall if he stood upright.


The most impressive of the LEGO pieces in the garden...



...is this life size bison made of more than 45,000 bricks.
 

The little Hereford calf is so cute



A birdie doing whatever it is they do up there.  In Texas it's usually a dove.



That head!



I took lots of photos of this one and it goes without saying why I liked it so much!



A bit risky sticking my camera through the security wires.


Still stalking that bunny



It was an interesting circuit which took me through the entire gardens including this bee in one of the conservatories which I usually skip because glass houses can be quite hot here most of the year.



The LEGO Lily pads were fascinating


I went up the steps for an overhead shot.


Let's not forget the gift shop where LEGO lamps by the same artist are available.  Sorry about the pork butt.  


The exhibit will be in place until January 4, 2014 so there's plenty of time to check it out.

15 comments:

  1. "Sorry about the pork butt"...words I never thought I'd read on a garden blog.

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    1. Just so no one thinks I was sending a message. I was with friends so it was snap and go.

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  2. Very impressive works, the details are amazing!

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  3. Shirley what an incredible display...this takes such talent.

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  4. Hahaha. I too was taken with the "sorry about the pork butt" remark. You need NEVER apologize to me about pork butts lady. I'm a fan. That said, those LEGO sculptures are so striking! Thanks very much for touring us via your camera and footwork. I think you might be forcing me to plan a trip to SA to visit the BG. I really wasn't aware of how extensive or wonderful those spaces are and with pleasant weather in the mix for a while, it seems it might be prime time to tour!

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  5. Amazing! It takes lots of creativity and patience I am sure. I would not want one in my garden however!

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  6. Those are so great! As I scrolled through and read, I was thinking: "Oooo! I think that's my favorite. Oh, no, that's my favorite." I was never much of a LEGO maven--I certainly admired those who can create, so well, sculptures from those little pieces of plastic. I've been to the LEGOLAND in Great Britain--so amazing, but I may have to pop down to SA to see something similar. Great post!

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    1. I'm impressed with all the curved shapes they can do with only rectangular pieces. The LEGO parks are popping up everywhere now.

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  7. AMAZING! We are super excited to take the kids to see this. I love the vivid colour of the fox!
    Thanks for sharing your tour. :) BTW there is a Legoland in Grapevine now...we took the kids last year...it was great! Although not like a theme park like I hear the one in California is like...it is small'ish. But super fun, and our speed.

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    1. The kids will love it and the route will take you on a tour of the entire gardens. I did not realize there was one in Texas now too.

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  8. How fun. This is a good way to get families into the gardens. I'll be making a trip sometime this fall with my daughter, who is past the Lego phase but still, I know we'll enjoy it.

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  9. The creative mind is a pretty amazing thing. These have that pixillated look of early computer images or a Chuck Close painting.

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  10. Wow, that is really fun! I wonder what the animals think about the Lego creations. They almost look alive from a distance. Some people are so talented and creative! Thanks for sharing!

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  11. This is great! I've never been to Legoland but I'm always impressed when I see pictures of what can be done with those little plastic pieces. They're truly works of art - and engineering. The link to the garden setting was very imaginative. Too bad it's unlikely I'll get to San Antonio to see it but maybe it or something similar will show up here one day.

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  12. So creative! Legos are awesome until you step on one. Then they are pure torture. I love all the engineering and thinking that went into each piece. :)

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