The American artist told how to make masterpieces of art from plastic cubes.
“Farm”, “Zoo”, “Amusement Park”, “Fire Station” … There was no such variety of construction kits in my childhood. Ordinary bricks – do whatever you want.
Soviet teacher, one of the founders of the early development methodology Boris Nikitin – one of those who promoted designers to the masses. He said that finished toys deprive the child of the opportunity to create himself.
“We often see the following picture: a child has a lot of toys, but he doesn’t play with them? The main reason is that the toys have already exhausted themselves. The element of novelty has disappeared, “Nikitin wrote in his educational games manual.
The constructor is another matter. You can build many more toys out of it. Moreover, the child creates himself, he is already a creator, and not a consumer who plays with what he was given.
Now the set of parts for the designer is much more diverse. The wheels are already screwed on, the planes and ships are built. What and where to attach is carefully described in the diagrams. All options were thought up for the child.
Nikitin noted: the more combinations can be made from parts, the more interesting and useful this toy is for development.
“Pyramids, mosaics do not encourage children to intensified mental activity, do not require significant stress from them, do not outstrip the child’s development, and at best satisfy only his momentary needs,” the teacher said.
Does this mean that ready-made Lego sets limit the child’s imagination?
American artist Nathan Savaya became famous all over the world thanks to the designer. The exhibition of his sculptures “Art of Lego” was included by the leading media in the top ten most spectacular and must-see. Statues “David” and “Venus de Milo”, paintings by Leonardo da Vinci and Munch – Nathan reproduces all this with the help of Lego details.
“When I was growing up, the designer was in the standard rectangular shape,” Nathan says. – I still use it – this is my favorite form. The magic of my sculptures lies precisely in the fact that ordinary bricks are used to create the shape. If you look at them closely, you can see all the corners, but move back a distance, and the object will take shape, become more natural. However, pre-made kits also give the child the chance to explore different approaches to creating shapes using specialized parts. I don’t think they limit a person’s fantasy. Sometimes I look at specialized parts and start thinking myself how I can use them, where I can fit them in my sculptures.
In addition, the sets can be mixed, because the Lego parts are universal. True, the prices for the constructors of this brand are quite high. On the other hand, the parts are durable, and most importantly, they will not leave traces around the house, like plasticine or clay.
“A designer is a very affordable material for creating art objects,” says Nathan. – The first step is an idea. I draw them from travels, from meetings with interesting people. I write down all ideas. Later, a concept is formed in my head, which I express on paper – I make sketches. And then I start creating. Building brick by brick from the bottom up. I have to glue the constructor together in order for the figures to withstand touring the world. Therefore, you need to be sure of what you collect.
But what beauty can be made from an ordinary constructor. See the photo gallery from the exhibition “The Art of Lego” in St. Petersburg.