This photo frame of a bus stop and scenery commemorates an anniversary for my client and their partner. The design is inspired by the place where they met their partner.
This scene is of a bus stop located in Brazil, which is particularly meaningful to my client. They used it to commute while studying – my client studied in a college located in one half of the city, and their partner in a college from the other half. This was the place where they found each other and started to build a married life together.
A challenge for me was that I have never seen the place myself, and it’s not as straightforward for me to go and view it since I’m in a different country. I used photos from my client, along with Google Maps, to get a visual understanding of the location.
Places change over time, and this has happened too – for example, the bus shelter is now gone. I used historical photos to help me design the right scene, such that it is closer to the picture my client remembers.
The background of the location itself is very urban (a little greenery, but mostly buildings) and would not have been too interesting to create out of bricks! A printed background seemed better, and from there the idea emerged to make it into a photo frame.
The model was initially designed in two different sizes – one that took a photo of size of 5×7 inches, and another that took 4×6 inches. In the end we chose to go with the 4×6 version since it was an appropriate size for display. The main design concern was to ensure there was enough space to set the scene, and that the background scenery did not get too busy and crowded.
The final model uses a total of 210 parts, and has a size of approximately 10 x 19 x 14 centimetres (Width x Height x Depth).
Reflections
The story was my motivation to take on this commission. I was honored to be trusted with such an important memory.
It has been really nice to observe the piece become a conversation starter. People around are drawn in by the model, and want to learn more about the story from my client. This shows the amount of curiosity that is generated through my work.
I also received a nice little compliment, “Who would have thought something so sentimental could be created out of Lego?” – a bit of feedback to indicate I’m on the right path for myself here.