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PROJECT DETAIL
A sturdy and proud construction worker rooted in a concrete pillar, firmly holding the company's hexagonal emblem in front of him against his chest. Spare bricks lay scattered around his waist, suggesting anyone could start building on the spot if they wanted, so the company's catchphrase "We construct with/for you" comes into play as well.
This sculpture emerged indirectly from the Corsari gig late 2013, when I was asked to build two LEGO beers, so talkshow hosts could say cheers live on national television to Nathan Sawaya, who was embarking on his European premiere with his "Art of the Brick" exhibit.
Earlier that day I took the liberty to toast with our CEO at the office ( LEGO is not my fulltime job, I work for a general contractor in construction ). About one month later we crossed paths in the hallway when all of a sudden he interjected : "Well, there is still some space in the lobby, give it some thought will you ?" That was a big deal... and within a week I did a very quick concept sketch, some doodling on a tiny piece of paper. Subsequently I digitized, enlarged and illustrated this drawing and explained my vision on what was to be my very first original LEGO artwork. The obvious link of being in construction and having a brick-built sculpture works like a charm.
The goal when making this sculpture was to maintain mobility even after it was finished, so it could make its appearance at a convention when the opportunity presents itself.
First and foremost I had to resort to cutting a 32 by 32 studs baseplate in the exact shape of the base layer of bricks. This took quite some time with a small precision saw and especially the 4 x 4 square hole for the imaginary vertebra took a while to achieve. In the end a hollow aluminum profile of 1800 x 30 x 30 mm would function as the latter, holding the torso firmly in position and running from head to toe through the sculpture.
Concerning the build itself, the outside shell is five to six studs thick. To ensure stability throughout, I provided a fully built floor for every ten layers I gained in height. Lots of 2 x 4 bricks were used in a masonry pattern but mostly leaving imaginary gaps of 2 x 2 to build parallel walls inside the sculpture. Eight studs of space were left open between adjacent walls to save time, weight and bricks. The general direction of these walls would alternate in a perpendicular fashion after each "tenth" finished floor. All this resulted in one of my heaviest builds in comparison to perceived volume and shape.
To relocate the sculpture, first the head has to be severed and two tall persons are needed to lift the torso all the way over the top of the aluminum profile. Including the pillar on wheels and helmet the statue is almost 2 meters tall !
"MBG is a general constructor specialized in turnkey and renovation projects. The projects vary from buildings (offices and shopping centers, residential projects, schools and public buildings, car parks, industrial plants) to immense public infrastructure contracts (bridges and tunnels, wind power, water treatment and energy storage, jetties and quay walls)."MBG is a subsiduary of CFE and my fulltime employer.