Religion and Lego
September 7, 2009, 11:41 am
Posted by Celia Wren
Those who didn’t make it all the way through Nelson D. Schwartz’s 2,700 word article on Lego in yesterday’s New York Times Sunday Business section may have missed this gem of a factoid: Among the thousands of blogs and websites that cater to the toy brand’s grown-up fans is GodBricks, a blog about Lego creations that depict religious imagery. (“Blogging at the intersection of Lego and religion” is the blog’s tagline.)
I couldn’t resist: I Googled GodBricks, which currently features a model of Paris’s Notre-Dame cathedral and a diorama of the murder of Thomas Becket, among other truly remarkable feats of Lego art.
on September 7th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
And don’t forget The Brick Testament! The bloodstains in the Thomas Becket diorama are truly artful. The Brick Testament creators use a similar technique in their Revelation illustrations.
on September 7th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
Hey,
I’m the author of GodBricks and wanted to thank you for noting my blog. I’d invite anyone with an interest in religious issues to check it out. Personally I’m a Presbyterian, but I try to cover all faith traditions. As I noted today on my blog, I’ve been on hiatus for a while as we’ve been busy packing to move to a new home and I’m starting teaching at a new college, but now we’ve moved and the term has begun, so I’ll be back to blogging regularly this week – particularly since the mention in the NYT will surely be bringing me new readers.
Bruce, aka Brick Tales
on September 8th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Just want to note that those who don’t have sons/grandsons/nephews/neighborhood boys of a certain age may not know that Lego’s aren’t just another product in the toy aisle at Target – they’re a way of life! The shopping area that I usually frequent when I find I must hit a mall has a Lego Store (easily the most crowded retail esetablishment in the building) and, across the road, Lego Land, which, for something like $30 per adult and $20 per child, immerses the visitor into the entire Lego experience. Legos also breathes new life into film series franchises like Star Wars and Indiana Jones – there are Lego-character-populated games of these series for PlayStation and siimilar gaming platforms that are, I believe, best-selling titles. It’s unbelievable.
There is a Lego convention annually at a hotel in the area. When one attends, one learns that there are a lot more men and women who spend an inordinate amount of time building with Legos than any of us ever imagined.