A Lego frog eyes Indianapolis Zoo visitors

INDIANAPOLIS — How would you like to get close to a polar bear? What about a seahorse or sea turtle? While you can’t get close to the real thing, you can certainly get close to a Lego® creation.

The Indianapolis Zoo is presenting a Nature Connects® exhibit that is open until Sept. 5.

There are 12 sculptures in total and many of them are life-sized. You can see how big a rhinoceros or a wildebeest really is.

Artist Sean Kenney creates each design and then pieces each sculpture by hand. A polar bear and her cubs took Kenney more than 1,000 hours and 133,263 Lego® bricks to complete while it took 564 hours and 88,516 bricks for a coral reef and two seahorses.

Carla Knapp, who handles public relations for the zoo, says that some of the sculptures have astory built into them.

For example, the Whopping Crane that stands on its nest has white dots that represent a crane that was remaining on Earth at the time that Kenney created the crane.

Knapp says, “[It’s an] addition that’s unique and engaging.”

The award-winning artist refers to himself as a “professional kid” and hopes to bring light to what is happening to the wildlife and their habitats.

“People grew up with Legos, so it’s fun to showcase people’s memories and childhood,” says Knapp.

The exhibit is included with the price of admission and is located in the DeHaan Tiergarten of the White River Gardens. In the Family Nature Center, you can explore and come up with your own conservation piece out of Lego® bricks.

Plan your trip here.

Source: WTHR