Pens, pastels and oil paints were cast aside when James Bailey set to work on his GCSE art project, instead he chose to create a sculpture from Lego.
The 16-year-old Holbrook Academy pupil said: “My art teacher was quite surprised when I arrived with the bust. We were asked to create something around the theme of identity and I used music as my inspiration. I like a band called The Protomen and that is how it came about.”
Lego has been a childrens’ favourite for generations, regularly appearing in the list of top 10 toys at Christmas. But when you build on the scale that James does, it is far from childs’ play.
“I have to keep my bricks organised in drawers for quick access when building, otherwise it can take ages looking for the piece you want among thousands of bricks,” said James, who lives in Bentley with his parents, brother and sister.
He continued: “I have been into Lego since I was a child, it is all I have asked for at Christmas for the last six or seven years.
“I have been given some brilliant sets like Dr Who and the Trolls Mountain Fortress, but I also like to create my own projects.”
He is part of a growing community of Lego enthusiasts who share photos of their builds and offer tips, as well as constructive criticism, on one another’s designs.
“I get a lot of my inspiration for projects from the online community,” he said
“Something that is helpful when getting specific parts is Bricklink, a specialist website similar to Gumtree, where people buy and sell individual bricks. I use it to buy interesting pieces, having planned my creations in advance.”
James hopes his passion for the tactile plastic bricks could lead to a career as a Lego designer in the future, with his work already attracting much attention.
He said: “A picture of my dragonfly was published in the book Beautiful Lego 3: Wild by Mike Doyle.”
Later this week, an exhibition will be unveiled at Moyse’s Hall Museum in Bury St Edmunds featuring replica models of some of the county’s most famous landmarks.
Both Moyse’s Hall Museum and Abbey Gate will be built in 1:40 scale for the Brick City exhibition, which opens on January 16 and runs until April 24.
The exhibition will see 60 famous landmarks from five continents around the world recreated. The Bury buildings will be built by Lego artist Rhys Knight.
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