One by one, colourful Lego bricks are stacked on top of one another under the meticulous hands of builders. When it was first started, like jigsaw pieces, many had a hard time telling what the work would end up looking like. But as the shades of blue, yellow and more blended, we began to see how the bricks slowly morphed into a portrait of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
In remembrance of the late monarch, the Lego portrait is now on display at Siam Paragon as part of World Playground 2017: Play It Forward. Aside from the mosaic art, there are models depicting his Royal Initiative Projects, all made from Lego pieces. The exhibition has been organised for the week of Children's Day.
It took Pijarn Charoensri, president of the Thai Lego User Group (T-LUG), and his friend two months to complete the 60-inch portrait of King Rama IX. The Lego mosaic art is made up of approximately 40,000 building blocks of 19 colours, and valued at over 120,000 baht.
This is the second time Pijarn has worked on a portrait of the monarch. In 2011, he worked on a famous portrait of the king receiving flowers from an elderly lady. Come this year, he simply chose a picture of the King smiling, which he hopes people will be happy to see.
The work is of a much smaller scale for Panya Parinyanont, another member of the group, who made a model of the late king's Chang Hua Mun project. It consists of a building, a car, and the iconic balanced scale with potatoes in it -- utilising 1,500 pieces of Lego.
"King Bhumibol has always sacrificed for his people. And his royal projects really help us, especially those in agriculture," said Panya, who hopes his work can become a platform for telling stories of the late king's achievements. Lego, he said, is one medium that could grab children's attention easily, and it shouldn't be too hard for them to understand what King Bhumibol has done, via the Lego interpretation.
King Bhumibol's portrait made from Legos. Photo courtesy of Siam Paragon
For generations, these Danish building blocks have been a staple of children's toy collections across the globe. But it's not the kids alone who enjoy playing with the colourful pieces. Adults do, too. Around the world, there are Lego communities full of working adults who meet and show off their latest creations. Artists like Nathan Sawaya and Sean Kenney have made their names from Lego caricatures.
In Thailand, according to Pijarn, there are two established Lego clubs that are accepted by the Lego Co. One of them is T-LUG, which has been around for close to a decade.
"We started out with just four members, and that was back in 2007," said Pijarn. Currently, the group has grown to 53 members, though Pijarn said only 15 of them are active members. He admitted that it is quite a small number, but that's also because the group prefers to have members that can meet up regularly.
T-LUG normally meets on the third Sunday of each month at the NSM Science Square in Chamchuri Square. Sometimes, members compete in Lego building challenges, or set out a theme and get everyone to build a structure accordingly. Or they would discuss the company's latest models and decide whether it's worth buying or not.
Pijarn said that he was just like "any other boy" who played with Legos when young but later grew out of it. His interest was rekindled when, during his PhD studies, he visited the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and UC Berkeley, where he was surprised to discover that those schools had their post-grad students playing with Legos.
"I remember asking why they were playing with toys. But they actually view Legos as a tool that can quickly turn an abstract idea into something concrete," Pijarn said. As a university lecturer, he has been collecting and building with Legos ever since, incorporating the bricks into his own classes. But the plan didn't turn out so well.
"Thais are still attached to old ideas that ruled Lego out as a child's toy. I eventually ended my attempt to use the Legos in class and just play with them for leisure," he said.
Social media, said Pijarn, has helped boost Lego's popularity, as it can reach different population groups. There are many Lego model builders in Thailand, from amateurs to serious pros. Still, most just choose to play with it in their home and are not too vocal about it. There is social pressure, he concluded, as most Thais deem Legos unfit for adults.
"I wish people could be more open-minded," he said. "Lego, like other hobbies, may be perceived as child's play, but it can help with the developmental process. They stay focused, know how to follow steps and, most importantly, get to be creative. For adults, it creates a platform for interaction. We have a club where we can socialise over our mutual interest. Some have built a career from Legos. Senior citizens can use them to improve their Alzheimer's condition, and even use it as a tool to socialise with their grandchildren."
Pijarn added that he likes Legos because they allow him to create anything from different pieces of the blocks.
"And if you don't like it," he said, "just tear it down and build another as many times as you like. If you want a boat today, build it. Tomorrow, you can take the pieces apart to make a plane."
Panya said he has been playing with the bricks since he was six years old. He is in his 40s now.
"Back in my day, there were no video games, so I played with building blocks. The possibilities of the creations I could conjure are just limitless," he said, adding that playing with Legos has given him more than hours of fun; he has also gained philosophical lessons from them.
"As everyone has a role to play in our society, so do Lego pieces. If one is missing, a project cannot be completed. It teaches me that everyone matters equally, no matter how big or small their roles seem to be," said Panya.
King Bhumibol's Lego portrait and the models of his Royal Initiative Projects will be on display at the Fashion Hall at Siam Paragon, 1st floor, until Sunday.
Chang Hua Mun Royal Initiative Project as depicted by Panya Parinyanont. photo: Panya Parinyanont
