Lego Oddities

Photographic Ingenuities Using Lego And A Big Imagination

Michał Kulesza makes his living as graphic designer, but is passionate about photography. Living in Bialystok, north-east of Poland, he has captured the imaginations of his fans by delving into the mundane aspects of life with a twist: Lego. Displacing the Lego from being childhood playthings and recreating them is part and parcel here. “It’s all about putting Legos in everyday situations,” he tells us.

Having created these funny photos for 2.5 months now in a daily, ongoing project, Michał doesn’t have to bother with all the fuss that comes with using real-life models or naturally changing landscapes. He simply imagines, constructs and realizes. Some of the most comical images can be found in the donut, with red Lego bleeding from its wound, or a white mug that seems to projectile vomit little clumps of Lego out into the open. Or a beer mug, filled to the brim with yellow Lego, and even white Lego for the head. It’s quite ingenious, really. A simple idea, turned into a funny and clever concept.

We had a chat with Michał for some of his insights:

The Plus: What’s your background with photography?
Michał Kulesza: I tried many different photography types. Landscapes, portraits, nightscapes, events. I really like to experiment and put a little humour into my photos. I want to make people smile when they see my pics. For more than a year now, I’ve been running a 365 project. I finished my first year and started another one. It motivates me to use my camera every single day. I do have many dreams and plans associated with photography. In my spare time I also try to make videos. Have fun with GoPro and a drone.

TP: What was the inspiration to use Lego for this series?
MK: This was a very spontaneous project. I took one Lego pic in April, 2015 but it took me a while to see the opportunity for the whole series. Before the Lego project my photos were completely random: some nature photos, a few portraits, capturing every day moments. Sometimes my ideas are unexpected. Other times I need to think hard to come up with an idea. I had a situation once when I had a dinner with my girlfriend I had to suddenly get up without a word and quickly grab my notebook and write down my two new ideas.

TP: What do you love about Lego?
MK: I love the unlimited possibilities. You can build absolutely anything. Starting with a simple building all the way to the complex machines that actually work. I think this is the best toy ever made.

TP: What are the ideas behind the images?
MK: Those photos reflect how I felt on that particular day I took the photo. For example this one – I was ill at the time. There’s also a bit of abstract involved. For instance, in one of the photos I have flat, green Legos instead of money, or peeled banana turns out to be made of Legos. I wanted to surprise visitors with some unexpected and weird ideas.

TP: What would you describe your sense of humour as?
MK: Sometimes my sense of humour is clever, sometimes weird. These come across naturally in my work.

TP: What’s next for you?
MK: It’s simple – learn a lot from those who are better, practice a lot, gain experience and keep trying to do my best.