From the creative minds of LEGO Masters winners Jackson Harvey and Alex Towler comes a LEGO book like no other, A New World Rises: Tales of a LEGO Future.
Good Reading caught up with one of the authors, CRISTY BURNE, to ask where her ideas come from and how the book came about.
ABOUT THE BOOK
THE YEAR IS 2130. Humanity’s reign has ended but the world is recovering – one brick at a time.
LEGO minifigures have risen from the debris to craft intricate civilisations inside discarded objects – each one inspired by the relic they now call home.
Taking LEGO storytelling and artistry to new heights, A New World Rises explores an imagined future, one that might not be as far removed from reality as we think. Step into the future. Discover the past. And inspire your own LEGO worlds.
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What made you come on board as the writer?
A book that celebrates imagination, creativity, storytelling and discussions about our society and our future, all done with LEGO®? Yes please!!
When Fremantle Press contacted me with the concept, I was already a huge Jackson and Alex fan. I’d worked with them before, love what they do, and love the amazing role models they are for young men in particular.
Plus I’m a huge LEGO® fan – we have bricks in every room in the house (mostly on the floor, some on display, some stuck in the window sills).
And double-plus, I’m passionate about creativity, and there was just so much creative freedom in where I could take all the dozens of stories.
As soon as I saw the first spreads (designed by the incredibly talented Dani Lurie from Balloon Dog Studio)(when you see the book, you’ll want to send her roses), I knew we were onto something really special. It’s just so visually sumptuous and clever and it rewards reading and re-reading over and again.
There are jokes on every page, incredible design elements, thought-provoking ideas and all with the glorious photographs from Jackson and Alex’s incredible LEGO® worlds from the Relics Exhibition. The photography takes you right inside these worlds, in a way that just isn’t otherwise possible. It’s stunning.
I’ve just realised I’m gushing.
But seriously.
Where did your ideas for the book come from?
We wanted to include a huge variety of different documents and styles, so each Relic world felt like it really existed. There are newspaper articles, text message exchanges, gig reviews, patent applications, community noticeboards, incident reports, holiday brochures, café menus, job ads, diary entries and so much more.
To start the process, I compiled a huge list of what these document types could be.
Then I looked through a massive library of super-detailed Relics images, searching for stories that were screaming to be told. Each Relic world has its own ethos and community spirit, and the stories I told needed to match this social commentary. So, with Alex and Jackson’s meticulous world-building as backdrop, I uncorked my creativity and let rip.
What can readers expect from the book?
You’ll laugh. You’ll marvel and wonder. You’ll think twice. You’ll laugh some more. You’ll connect the dots. You’ll go through wormholes. You’ll come up smiling.
You’ll probably want to create something (like a story or a LEGO® invention or a wedding cake with a leprechaun in it).
You’ll probably want to buy copies to gift to your friends and family so they can feel what you’re feeling.
You’re a science educator as well as a creator of fiction and graphic novels, what are the STEM tie-ins you see in the book?
We need our human beings to be resilient and confident and capable and strong.
To tackle huge problems, we need hope. We need creativity. We need to know that together, we can do hard things.
This book is a commentary on so many things, from sustainability and recycling to the role of super-high-tech futures versus the grass roots of looking after what we have right here.
We need more engineers, we need more creators, we need more problem-solvers, we need more people who are brave enough to look at a situation and think their own thoughts and devise their own path forward. And yet we still need to be able to work together.
I think A NEW WORLD RISES is a great example of what can be achieved when we move away from silos and collaborate. It’s art, it’s science, it’s photography, it’s creativity, it’s design, it’s chaos. It’s magic.
Who do you think the book is for?
This is a true unicorn of a book. It’s glorious to look at, it’s clever, it’s funny, it’s thought-provoking, it’s creative. Plus it’s LEGO®, so it’s about imagination and inspiration and the freedom to play and make and do.
It’s a true cliche, but this book is for everyone. Old and young, LEGO® fan or LEGO® vacuumer, everyone is going to love looking AND reading through.
Each spread works on so many levels: it’s such a classy piece of art-meets-science-meets-creativity-meets-book. (I realise I’m gushing again, but once you hold a copy in your hands, you’ll feel what I mean.)
Younger kids will love looking at the photos, discovering the hilarious min-fig expressions and the outrageous situations they find themselves in
Older kids will love the humour, clever builds and behind-the-scenes inspiration from Jackson and Alex (my thirteen-year-old read it and immediately got out the LEGO® to start creating).
Adults are going to laugh out loud at the satire, marvel at the builds, and be absorbed in the immersive pleasure of fun, creativity and play. (And don’t we all need it!)
Plus if you’re an educator, teacher, librarian, STEM educator or creative practitioner, A NEW WORLD RISES is a goldmine for discussion starters and creative prompts around storytelling, technology, future thinking, the role of the media, innovation, sustainability, community, creativity and more.
And of course, if you just want to own something beautiful and put it on your coffee table do you can remember every time you look at it that tiny people could be living in your recycling, this is the book for you.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ABOUT THE AUTHORCristy Burne loves reading and weeding.
She is a professional communicator, scientist, speaker, author and adventurer.
Renowned for her high-energy, hilarious and highly engaging events, Cristy helps future-proof organisations and leaders with science, soft skills and fun.
Cristy has:
Lived in five countries
Completed four degrees*
Edited three magazines
Performed in two science circuses
One precious life, so she’s making it count!
Bachelor of Science (Biotechnology), Graduate Certificate of Professional Writing, Graduate Diploma in Science Communication, Masters of Professional Communication(!)(She’s a lifelong learner!)
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