Two-time LEGO Masters winners Jackson Harvey and Alex Towler have brought their famous brick-inspired exhibition Relics to the Canberra Museum and Art Gallery. Photo: John Lomnicki.
Two-time LEGO Masters winners Jackson Harvey and Alex Towler have brought their incredible building skills to Canberra with their new block-inspired exhibition, Relics: A New World Rises.
Relics is built on the premise that humans have been missing from the world for a long time; the reason is up to interpretation. In their place, LEGO minifigures have risen and built civilisations in the remnants of the past.
Examples include a Volkswagen Beetle that has become a town square, an ATM that has become a bank, and a jukebox that has become a diner for the figurines to hang out and enjoy each other’s company.
Now open at the Canberra Museum and Gallery (CMAG), the exhibition will be on display until 31 January 2027.
Creators Jackson and Alex said they want audiences to enjoy the exhibition’s overall story, as well as the tales of each one of the more than 2500 individual minifigs.
“This exhibition grew from a much smaller version that we did in Perth a few years ago,” Jackson said.
“We really wanted to build something that brought LEGO into more of a fine arts context by contrasting the bright, colourful worlds of LEGO with the old, dusty antiques in an interesting way to tell some cool stories.
“The story is really important in Relics. That’s the core of it.
“It started with that sort of broad concept of what the minifigures would do if we were gone and all of our stuff was left behind.
“We thought about how they would use each individual object, right down to the minute details of the individual minifigures.”
RELICS co-creator Alex Towler. Photo: John Lomnicki.
LEGO ice world inside a refrigerator in Relics: A New World Rises. Photo: John Lomnicki.
Studz Diner jukebox installation, a vintage jukebox housing a LEGO world. Photo: John Lomnicki.
Studz Diner jukebox installation, a vintage jukebox housing a LEGO world. Photo: John Lomnicki.
LEGO minifigures in a town square in Relics: A New World Rises. Photo: John Lomnicki.
Alex and Jackson said they mapped out which relics they wanted to use, including bookshelves, pianos, arcade games and even a jet ski, before working on how the scenes would work out inside.
“The big bin, for example, we found that on a street corner near where I live, and we asked the local council, ‘Hey, can we have this for this weird art project that’s going to be in museums all around the country?’” Alex said.
“They said, ‘Yeah, okay,’ And they delivered it to our workshop, all clean and ready to go.
“Other things, like the jukebox, we searched on marketplaces for months until we found the right one with the right amount of wear.
“We then looked at how we could integrate scenes and figurines into each of the relics.”
LEGO band on stage in Relics: A New World Rises at Canberra Museum and Gallery. Photo: John Lomnicki.
Shortlisted Design Your Own Relic entries on display at Canberra Museum and Gallery. Photo: John Lomnicki.
Build Their World interactive area in Relics: A New World Rises. Photo: John Lomnicki.
LEGO movie posters including Anthropocene Park in Rellcs: A New World Rises. Photo: John Lomnicki.
LEGO short film presentation at the entrance of Relics: A New World Rises. Photo: John Lomnicki.
Six years after winning the second season of LEGO Masters, and only several months after winning the all-star season earlier this year, LEGO Masters: Bricktacular, Jackson and Alex are still pinching themselves at where the show has taken them.
“We definitely didn’t think this was where it was going to go. I mean, we applied for that show as a bit of fun, as a sort of novel experience, a bit of an adventure,” Jackson said.
“We never saw this as the end goal. It’s just been a really fun journey to get here, and we wouldn’t change a minute of it.”
As CMAG visitors begin to visit the exhibition, the pair are encouraging people to take part in the scavenger hunt and really dig deep into each piece of work.
“Firstly, we want people to walk away inspired,” Alex said.
“We want people to walk away more playful in their own lives, and secondly, we want people to look at the things that they’re throwing away and look a bit more into the potential lives these objects will live once we’re gone.”
Relics: A New World Rises runs until 31 January, 2027. Tickets for the exhibition can be bought online or at the museum.
