Middle Eastern megacity is a triumph of LEGO collaboration and creativity

Every day we see incredible LEGO creations built from one person’s imagination and collection of bricks. When builders come together for collaborative LEGO builds, not only are we blessed with scenes of incredible scale, but the mix of builder styles harmonize to create to create something truly special. One such collaborative project debuted at BrickFair 2024. Organized by George Hawes and Michael Willhoit, the “Medinat Al Musawrah” collaboration depicts a fictional Middle Eastern walled megacity.  The other contributers are Brian O’Leary, Intense Potato, Detroitika, Evan M, Renobricks, Ryan K, Skooby C, and Zach Bean.

This impressive scene captures the sort of 80s urban sprawl that inspired sci-fi works like Blade Runner. (Fittingly, many of the collaborators also participated in last year’s truly epic New Hashima cyberpunk collab at BrickWorld Chicago). But it’s real-world cities, like Cairo, Algiers, and Kowloon that inspire the grounded sense of place.

The talent on display on display is incredible, mixing an eye for the details of urban life with thoughtful recreations of Arabic architecture, such as the mashrabiya screened bay windows and a prominent minaret. I love the use of tiny Modulex letters on the menu board and the yellow tubing twisted into ornate arabic scripts.

Laundry hanging from windows, rickety scaffolding, and cracked plaster give the city a truly lived in feel. Pops of color like an orange storefront or lone blue window make the busy scene a joy to explore. And for the LEGO hardcore, it’s fun to spot creative parts usage, like an old Fabuland door above a trinket shop.

Seen from above, one can better appreciate how deep the display goes and how detailed each building is from every angle.

The entire city was rigged with lighting, which must have made the collaboration incredible to see in person. Here you can see the glow above the entrance to a cavernous bazaar that reminds me of travelling in cities like Fez and Cairo where a cavernous entrance allows an escape from the desert heat into a cool maze of shops.

For those who weren’t lucky enough to visit the display in Virginia, the collaborators are planning an even bigger iteration for next year.

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