LEGO® bricks shape State Library Bricktoria

State Library Victoria today becomes State Library Bricktoria as it kicks off a month of LEGO^®-inspired activities in partnership with The Brickman, Australia’s only LEGO^® Certified Professional.

Thousands of LEGO^® bricks will be used to re-create the much-loved building, with The Brickman and his team creating a two-metre-long LEGO^® brick model of the Library as fans watch on.

The Library LEGO^® brick model is inspired by the award-winning architecture of the actual building as well as by the stories and rituals of its visitors.

Once complete, the structure will depict key features of the iconic building like the La Trobe Reading Room (aka the Dome) as well as vignettes of activity taking place inside, with LEGO^® characters acting as librarians, protesters and even ghosts. The finished model will then be on display for two weeks.

President of the Library Board of Victoria Christine Christian said she is looking forward to welcoming families and LEGO^® enthusiasts of all ages to engage with the many activities.

“We’re so excited to bring some colour into the CBD this summer and invite all Victorians to come and join us at State Library Bricktoria,” Ms Christian said.

“For 165 years, State Library Victoria has sought to inspire learning and creativity, the key tenets that underscore playing with LEGO^® bricks. State Library Victoria and LEGO^® both reward curiosity, both help build a narrative, and both support the community.

“The model of the Library shows off the things that make this place so special – from our wonderful librarians to the students and researchers who draw from the collection, kids playing in the Pauline Gandel Children’s Quarter, as well as those who make the forecourt their playground.”

LEGO^® Certified Professional, Ryan "The Brickman" McNaught said he can’t wait to recreate such an iconic landmark.

“It’s going to be a fun challenge for the team, and I look forward to meeting many building buffs and novices,” The Brickman said.

“State Library Victoria is part of the fabric of Melbourne’s cultural landscape, and I am honoured to have the chance to recreate the heritage building.

“It’s a place where old meets new, where the latest tech sits alongside ancient books and artwork, and that was designed during Victoria’s gold rush era. To be able to contribute to its ongoing story, is a dream come true.”

Over the coming weeks, there will also be the chance to see LEGO Masters 2021 winner Gus building the Library model and party at an adults-only Bricks & Beats event with The Brickman.

Almost half a million LEGO^® bricks will be used throughout the Bricktoria program, which includes:

• State Library Bricktoria: Building the dome: watch the live-build 10–23 January; view the model 24 January – 6 February
• State Library Bricktoria: Welcome to Country mosaic: create and add a tile 10-16 January; view the mosaic 17 January – 6 February
• State Library Bricktoria: Bricks & beats with The Brickman, 3 February
• State Library Bricktoria: Marginalia Mystery Mosaic, 4–6 February
• State Library Bricktoria pop up café at the Russell St Welcome Zone.

For more information go to slv.vic.gov.au

-ENDS

About State Library Victoria
Established in 1854 as the Melbourne Public Library, State Library Victoria is Australia’s oldest public library and one of the first free libraries in the world. As the custodian of Victoria’s history, each year the library adds more than 70,000 physical and digital items to its rich collection of articles, artworks, photographs, manuscripts, books, journals, artefacts and much more. In 2021, the Library launched a new membership program offering tailored benefits to families, students and culture lovers alongside its flagship free Access membership.

About The Brickman
Ryan ‘The Brickman’ McNaught is a LEGO^® Certified Professional, one of only 14 in the world and the only one in the Southern Hemisphere. In 2019 he joined Channel Nine’s new hit TV show LEGO Masters Australia as the main competition judge alongside host Hamish Blake. Originally from the corporate world, a Chief Information Officer, Ryan’s creativity was limited and bound by the constraints of his job, however the ability to express and create through a unique medium offered him an amazing opportunity; the ability to create something that both children and adults alike can be inspired by.