Brick Journal 64 (November 2020), which will be available from 23rd September 2020, will contain a full feature about the current display in the LEGO House Masterpiece Gallery, with interviews with each of the AFOLs who have built the models. Here is a sneak peak of my section.
On Being Selected for the Masterpiece Gallery:
I’m a member of the London AFOLs RLUG in the UK. In late January Richard, my LUG Ambassador, asked members for links to photos of our work, as the LEGO House was looking for new exhibits. I sent him something and thought no more about it until a couple of months later when he asked me for contact details to pass on. So I knew something was afoot. I assumed it was going to be that they wanted one of my smaller builds to go in an AFOL Showcase, perhaps in the Blue Zone near City Architect, as I’m known for my microscale architectural builds. When the email arrived inviting me to Denmark to install a selection of my Micropolis modules into the Masterpiece Gallery, I could hardly believe it! A mixture of excitement, disbelief and shock is probably the best description. I had to read it several times before it even began to sink in just a little bit. I had visited the LEGO House in late February and seen the then-current exhibits in the Gallery. I thought they were all incredible, but I was particularly captivated with the work of Rocco Buttliere, which I had seen online, but never in person. As a fellow microscale worker, it was a great inspiration to see his amazing buildings. But I never dreamt that I would ever follow in his footsteps, let alone a few months later!
Setting up at the Gallery:
While planning my trip to Denmark, I decided I would drive my models from the UK, rather than enduring the stress of taking them by plane and worrying how many pieces they would end up in! It also meant I could take more models to display at the Skærbæk Fan Weekend after setting up at the House. So that was an adventure in itself. 2.5 days after leaving home, I arrived in Billund. The LEGO House team (Stuart, Mike, Birte & Søren) were lovely and could not have been more accommodating. We were given VIP treatment throughout our amazing day, and it was great to meet the other talented AFOLs from around the world. It was wonderful to see their incredible models in person – many of which I had already admired in photos on social media. It is a huge privilege to see your own work on display at the Home of the Brick, and I’m delighted to have been given this once in a lifetime opportunity to share my MOCs with its visitors.