Life

Man behind Lego's Brick Wonders has seven-year-olds' dream job

Professional Lego modeller Warren Elsmore at the Lego exhibition in Derry's Nerve Centre
Professional Lego modeller Warren Elsmore at the Lego exhibition in Derry's Nerve Centre Professional Lego modeller Warren Elsmore at the Lego exhibition in Derry's Nerve Centre

WARREN Elsmore is a man who never grew out of Lego. The Edinburgh man’s actual day job is every seven-year-old’s dream – building plastic brick creations and shipping them around the world for people to gawk at in awe.

The eternal kid has brought his Brick Wonders exhibition to Derry’s Nerve Centre for the next 12 weeks where people can gaze upon, among other things, miniature versions of the Pyramids in Egypt; Niagra Falls; the Great Wall of China.

The seven Wonders of the World are among the many unique and intricate Lego designs featured in the 70-piece exhibition that includes 100,000 pieces of Lego, the bane of shoeless parents the world over.

The Lego interpretation of the International Space Station hangs from a starlit sky and Lego jumbo jets sit awaiting take-off on a massive Lego airport. An elaborate Chinese pagoda takes pride of place at the exhibitions as does a medical Lego operation in progress, complete with a Lego surgeon removing a Lego liver.

Building such intricate and expansive pieces is no joke at times, says Warren, whose wife Teresa is one of the team who help him create his masterpieces. However, the artist, who claims he can build a standard Lego set in about half an hour, without even needing to look at the instructions, says it’s the best job in the world.

“There’s nothing worse than standing on a piece of Lego,” says Warren. “When we are building the pieces we have to wear protective clothing – shoes, hand, elbow and knee pads, hi-vis vests. It’s a dream job, yes. But it’s a job like any other job, except my desk is covered in Lego.”

The exhibition, secured by Derry City and Strabane District Council as part of its Science and Innovation Programme, will be hosted at the Nerve Centre until May 2, 2016. Tickets are on sale via the Nerve Centre box office on 028 71 260 562 and www.nervecentre.org.