Cortes opens ‘Creatives Exhibition with LEGO Bricks’

The Creatives Exhibition with LEGO Bricks was officially opened by the Minister for Culture, Dr John Cortes, on Monday evening at the John Mackintosh Hall.

During April, the Gibraltar Cultural Services launched a lockdown challenge asking for expressions of interest from individuals or organisations who might wish to exhibit their creations made out of LEGO bricks.

“I am well accompanied today,” said Dr Cortes, gesturing to his grandson, Ryan, and granddaughter, Lea.

“This idea was hatched during lockdown and these two children, Ryan and Lea, are adept at LEGO and they had so many LEGOs at home and a lot of them at my home place as their grandpa. “

“They thought, and we discussed it together, that it would be great to show them off to the public and to have an exhibition.”

Dr Cortes proposed the idea to Seamus Byrne from GCS who together with his team made the concept a reality.

“It is a great pastime,” said Dr Cortes.

“And I remember doing Lego when I was a child, I still have some of the bricks I had.”

“A lot of people get a lot of pleasure out of making it and viewing them. As Seamus has said, we are hoping that this will be an annual exhibition and that we can encourage more and more people to do this.”

“I think it is very creative seeing young children develop from the little Duplo blocks all the way to making these wonderful things.”

“The dexterity, the organisation, the interpretation of the instructions and the plans into reality and the creativity when they do their own thing has so many educational sides.”

“As minister for education as well as culture, I think these come very good together.”

Mr Byrne joined Dr Cortes and thanked Bone [Stephen Jones] from the Gibraltar Lego Group for helping them curate the event and that he hoped it would be the first of many events they would work on together as they become an official cultural association.

Dr Cortes also noted that the exhibition was given the approval of Lego itself.

“I have also to thank Lego because the Chief Executive of Lego, Niels Christiansen, and particularly his director for government and media, Claire Thwaites, who I have been dealing with all this time and have been extremely supportive,” said Dr Cortes.

He noted that while the event is not an official Lego exhibition, the company gave permission to use the word Lego and assisted GCS with designing the posters to promote the exhibition.

It is open to the public at John Mackintosh Hall until Friday December 4 between 9am and 7pm, Monday to Friday. Entrance is free.