Can Lego be considered art?

- Boing Boing

http://boingboing.net/2011/12/01/can-lego-be-considered-art.html

DESKTOP VIEW

FEATURES

REVIEWS

VIDEO

SCIENCE

GWEEK

SHOP

Can Lego be considered art?

BY JOHN BAICHTAL AT 1:02 PM THURSDAY, DEC 1
Do you currently own a mobile phone? Yes No

9%

In The Cult of Lego, my co-author Joe Meno and I devote a whole chapter to art, both works created with bricks as well as art using more traditional media featuring Lego as the subject matter. Despite the success of museum exhibitions such as Nathan Sawaya's nationally-touring "Art of the Brick", inevitably some people claim that Lego is not a serious artistic medium. While I don't see how someone can look at Sawaya's amazing works, or those by such mainstream artists as Olafur Eliasson and Douglas Coupland which feature the bricks, and not agree it's art, nevertheless there are doubters. Enter Lego fan and philosophy professor Roy Cook, who wrote an essay contending that yes, Lego can be art. From The Cult of Lego:

Underground Toy Emporium and Spaceship Parking: Incredible art by Randy Regier Moving House, sweet picture book about a house that lobbies to keep its family from moving out Gweek 028: The Amazing Adventures of

As Lego makes its way into galleries, its sure to provoke a reaction from visitors

1 of 4

2/12/11 6:15 PM

Can Lego be considered art? - Boing Boing

http://boingboing.net/2011/12/01/can-lego-be-considered-art.html

who dont think it belongs there. Conversely, the artists featured in this chapter obviously disagree. Who is right? Unfortunately, theres no easy answer. Scholars have debated the concepts definition for centuries and continue to do so to this day. However, most theorists agree that art involves three criteria: form, content, and context. Roy Cook, a Lego fan and professor of philosophy at the University of Minnesota, wrote an essay arguing that Lego, by this definition, can clearly be called art. He uses the following criteria: Form refers to the medium and the skill used to manipulate that medium, Cooks essay explains. A work must typically display masterful technique to be considered art. Surely numerous models demonstrate a high level of skill. As with any technically demanding medium, there will always be works that stand out as being exemplary. Content is the statement the piece makes or the meaning behind it. Even if this message is so obscure that only the artist can grasp it, there has to be some sort of thought behind the piece. It seems like a given: If artists desire to make a statement with a Lego model, they can do it. Context refers to the culture and artistic tradition into which the work is placed. Andy Warhols soup cans outside the context of Pop Art probably would not have been considered art. As Cook points out in his essay, there is no widespread artistic tradition surrounding Lego. Just as novels were considered trash literature in the 18th century and graphic novels battle for legitimacy today, Lego simply doesnt have the acceptance it needs to be

Phoenix Jones

Paintwork: cyberpunk++ stories of killer augmented reality mechas and QR code graffiti writers

THIS IS AN AD THIS IS THE HARD-WORKING STAFF

Jason Weisberger Publisher-at-Large Ken Snider Sysadmin Dean Putney Developer Antinous Lead Moderator Avram & Felton Moderators Eric Mittleman Video Editor Terry Thurlow Finance Ed Szylko Insurance John Battelle Partner

Future of Science 2021

2 of 4

2/12/11 6:15 PM

Can Lego be considered art? - Boing Boing

http://boingboing.net/2011/12/01/can-lego-be-considered-art.html

considered legitimate art. That doesnt mean that Lego cant be art; there simply is no longstanding body of formal, accepted Lego art to place a model within. [The photo at the top of this post depicts art by James "AME72" Ame, whose work may be found in The Cult of Lego.]
TAGS: ART AND DESIGN, LEGO

"A Multiverse of Exploration: The Future of Science 2021" map from Institute for the Future. Posted by David Comment

Like

15

27

FOLLOW US: TWITTER AND FACEBOOK SUBSCRIBE: DAILY EMAIL AND RSS CONTACT US FAQ POLICIES

JOHN BAICHTAL

John Baichtal is a contributor to MAKE magazine and Wired's GeekDad blog. He has also written for legendary tabletop gaming magazines Dragon and Dungeon, as well as Kobold Quarterly and 2600: The Hacker Quarterly. He is the co-author of The Cult of Lego.

Previous post!

Next post!

Where not otherwise specified, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution. Boing Boing is a trademark of Happy Mutants LLC in the United States and other countries.

3 of 4

2/12/11 6:15 PM

Can Lego be considered art? - Boing Boing

http://boingboing.net/2011/12/01/can-lego-be-considered-art.html

4 of 4

2/12/11 6:15 PM