Some of the world’s most iconic landmarks and masterpieces made exclusively from LEGO are on display at Auckland Museum.
If a picture’s worth a thousand words, what about an arrangement of Lego?
Warren Elsmore and his team spent 45 hours and 1500 Lego bricks creating a model that is now bringing a historic slice of Napier to the world.
The Edinburgh-based brick artist and the brains behind BrickCity, which is currently touring internationally, decided the city’s Art Deco charm would provide a perfect update to his long-running exhibition. Mitchell Hageman reports.
Only the shell of Napier’s Brazen Head pub remains visible on the corner of Hastings St, but one talented Lego artist has made sure it will stay in memory and even travel the world for years to come.
A certified Lego professional with 12 years experience, Edinburgh-based Warren Elsmore first created streetscape city models and launched a book showcasing them in 2013.
Since then, his Brick City exhibition has travelled the world and is now on show at the National Building Museum in Washington DC, but he told Hawke’s Bay Today there was always one thing missing.
“We realised that Australasia was very under-represented in the exhibition. We looked at a variety of possibilities from New Zealand but decided on Napier because of its Art Deco style.”
Lego artist Warren Elsmore is bringing a slice of Napier history to the world.
He hadn’t used the unique architectural style in his work until then, but a 2020 update gave him and his team the perfect opportunity.
The 1500 brick model features an almost identical representation of the Harston’s, Ringlands’ and Barry Bros Ltd buildings, which were all rebuilt post-1931 Hawke’s Bay Earthquake.
While tenants have come and gone, the popular Music Machine store is still a fixture.
“When building our model, we wanted to capture a general Art Deco feel rather than any one building,” Elsmore said.
Despite having been to Napier on his 2006 honeymoon, he took to technology to help him craft the brick version.
“Although I have been to Napier, I never saw the buildings in real life. We started with easily accessible resources. In this case, I think it was Google street view.”
A virtual “road trip” around the city led the team to the current streetscape and search for image references.
“With the references ready, the first thing we start with is the most recognisable parts. In this case, it was the upper floors and the windows.
“We realised that we needed to get that right, and then the rest of the building would follow. I decided to add the tour bus as it’s so unique and not one I’d seen anywhere else.”
Many of the buildings he’s based his models on have since evolved or changed over time.
“It can sometimes feel good to have a model of something that has since changed or moved. It can represent a specific point in time and immortalise a place in some way. In some cases, I do go back and update the model, but I don’t usually. I feel it adds something to the history of the model and the building.”
After another 18 months in Washington, the Napier model will tour as part of the Brick City exhibition for the foreseeable future.
“It was almost 10 years until we updated the original models, so I think it’s got a long life yet,” Elsmore said.
A Lego version of Art Deco Napier's Hastings St surprises exhibition visitors in the US.
He’s also had people interested in bringing another one of his exhibits to New Zealand and encourages stakeholders to get in touch.
“The whole exhibition fills a shipping container, though, so realistically, we need more than one booking to make it happen. But if we can do that, I’ll definitely be back in person.”
And with a glowing review of the city, could there be any other Napier landmarks earmarked for a future brick treatment?
“I’m sure that a lot of the local architecture would look fantastic in brick, but I don’t have any plans just yet.”
Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in January 2023. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community. He has a particular love for stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
