The Contortion

Name of Model: The Contortion

Created by: Nannan Z.

Found at: http://mocpages.com/moc.php/55660

Details: This clever abstract sculpture tries an unusual twist on the many-angled-bricks-can-make-a-curvy-line trick by using 2x2 corner plates to make minifig-scale paths. Some supports are used for sturdiness, but I suspect that similar designs with solid tops wouldn't need supports. Hmm, I guess I sound silly talking about these things before sharing my own similar models. It should suffice to say that watching your center of gravity while trying these techniques can lead to some surprising freestanding results. Of course, there are some other things here I haven't tried, too - making a curve switch directions, and the use of black Martian-arms pieces for the spindly curves near the center (for those of you only familiar with the current "Mars Mission" line, there was another Mars-themed line with an unrelated storyline called "Life on Mars" a few years back, and that's where that part was introduced. Of course, that part has since gone on to do a variety of surprising and awesome things, but they were fairly boring arms when they first came out). Using one of those clear mosaic baseplates to make the bottom look like it's not really the end of the paths was a good idea, too. Oh, and if you don't mind poking around on YouTube, there's a panaromic video too. Beyond that, though, all 15 photos that are appearing on the various photohosting sites are the same ones posted at the MOCPages link above.

Periscope Sculpture

Name of Model: The Red Brick

Created by: SciSKEW Collaborative

Found at: http://peoplesarchitecture.org/brickbybrick/sciskew.html

Details: ArtAsiaPacific and People's Architecture have teamed up for Building Asia Brick By Brick, a series of presentations of original architectural LEGO models. The models are currently on a tour of sorts. Click here for dates and locations of the presentation. The models are being exhibited and soon will be auctioned to raise awareness about architectural presentation in Asia. To make designing the buildings a bit more of a challenge, the creators of the models have been primarily limited to standard white LEGO Bricks. Today's pick from this exhibit is this periscope sculpture - which has been designed to make people think about the viewing process from both a child's perspective and an adult's perspective. You can judge for yourself how effective it is at that, but you have to admit that it's one heck of a sculpture. I love how this one combines more architectural elements (The boxier upper section and arch) and more abstract elements (the whimsical lower section). Some cheating was used here for lighting and the periscope's mirrors (at least, I think that they're cheating there - there's always that off chance that DUPLO mirrors are being used there, and I suppose those could be LEGO lights too...). This model can currently be seen in Shanghai, and it will be there (along with the rest of the Building Asia Brick By Brick presentation) through August 4th. The exhibit will be on display in Beijing from August 16th to September 1st, Shanghai from September 6th to the 9th, and Chengdu from the 13th to the 25th.

Escher's "Relativity"

Name of Model: Escher's "Relativity"

Created by: Andrew Lipson

Found at: http://andrewlipson.com/escher/relativity.html

Details: Mathematician and knot theorist Andrew Lipson is famous for his reproductions of abstract minimal surfaces in the form of LEGO sculptures. ...but let's be honest, most people have a hard time following that sort of stuff, and would rather see his recreations of famous Escher images. I'll be featuring some Klein bottles and cross-caps here soon enough, but for today, Escher's "Relativity" is exciting enough. For obvious reasons, much of the "studs-not-on-top" (or SNOT) building technique is used here. Fairly thorough documentation for this model, along with more pictures, can be found at its webpage.