A new world rises: Tales of a Lego future by Jackson Harvey, Alex Towler & Cristy Burne

The year is 2130 and human civilization is a thing of the past, giving way to a world where Lego® minifigures have colonised discarded relics to build new societies. Strange and varied, the minifigures have adopted aspects of the items they have built in, giving each a distinct character, like the Storytellers’ Nook in an old bookcase, the New World Credit Union in an ATM machine and Cryolife Resort and Wellness Centre in an old fridge. Originally developed for an exhibition in a rustic Perth gallery, the Relics exhibits now form part of a touring international museum circuit which is in the National Museum in Sydney until the end of January 2026. The excellent photography zooms in on the detailed dioramas creatively nestled in the various items left by humans and the whole is animated by news articles and interviews, scripts, notes, posters and more, alongside “Relicapaedia” entries adding commentary and humour. Messages of sustainability, recycling and resilience informed the project from the start, using huge quantities of second-hand Lego® bricks as well as the objects to be relics of the human past like the rusting Volkswagen Beetle and an old jetski. At the end of the book are insights into the workshop process, encouraging readers to be creative and explore their own imagined worlds. This glossy book will be popular in any library and could be used as a discussion starter on recycling and consumerism for primary and middle school students.

Themes: Lego® minifigures, recycling, design, resilience.

Sue Speck