The creativity and humor of Lego lovers will be out in full force for BrickCon, Oct. 6 and 7 at Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, where thousands will file through looking at the amazing things that people can build out of Legos — and many will stop at the build tables to conjure something of their own.
This year’s theme is Hidden Worlds. Among the displays: a Ninjago city, a StarCraft battle, a 16-foot winter village, and a World War I battle scene.
“They’ve been working on the trenches and they are very realistic,” says Steve Walker, BrickCon’s display and artistic director. One thing that makes a difference: a new kind of Lego tile that looks like wood paneling.
Much-loved local builders, including Alice Finch (best known for elaborate, fantastical displays of places such as J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth Elven realm Rivendell and Harry Potter’s alma mater Hogwarts) and Iain Heath (best known for ingenious pop-culture sculptures) will be back with new creations on display.
There will be fighting lego robots in the BattleBricks contests.
“We’ll have a Lexan BattleBot cage to keep pieces from flying into the crowd,” Walker says.
BrickCon Seattle is the nation’s biggest Lego convention in terms of attendance. Other places have it beat for size. The Seattle Center Exhibition Hall hasn’t gotten any bigger since the first BrickCon in 2002, but it has become a lot more tightly packed.
The appeal of Legos comes from two things. First, it’s an art medium giving people the power to create in three dimensions. Second, there’s a whimsical culture: A Lego Star Wars scene won’t be all melodrama, for example.
“You may find a hidden room with the Star Wars stormtroopers sitting in a hot tub.”
The one essential stop for every kid: the build tables. Walker says he’s seen overstimulated kids transform when offered a chance to dip into the big pile of bricks: “When you turn them loose in the kid build area, they settle down.”
Walker’s main advice: buy your tickets in advance, online. The event sold out last year, and likely will do so again.
