I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am about the Australian Museum’s latest exhibition, RELICS: A New World Rises. It combines two of my favourite things: history and LEGO! Of course, we had to visit on opening weekend to explore the exhibition ourselves.
Hands up if you’re kids love LEGO Masters. It’s amazing, right?
The morning of RELICS opening, I had the absolute privilege of meeting up with LEGO Masters champions Jackson Harvey and Alex Towler and talking all things LEGO, curbside collections and more (our full interview is coming soon). RELICS is their brainchild, and they have totally reimagined the traditional museum experience, creating an immersive LEGO experience where familiar everyday objects have morphed into something much more.
Passionate about both LEGO and storytelling, Jackson and Alex have brought to life a future where the world is overrun by minifigures (and devoid of humans). Their powerful vignettes subtly explore the bigger picture of environmental decline and the consequences of our actions in our disposable, consumerist world. It won’t come as a surprise that Alex is an environmental engineer by trade.
When you arrive, make sure you grab the ‘RELICS Scavenger Hunt’ map (there’s a version for kids and a version for the ‘young at heart’). I spent two hours inside the exhibit exploring the 14 large-scale displays at length and attempting to find all the hidden ‘Easter Eggs’. The map will challenge you to look closely and will ensure you see each display from a number of perspectives. Think “a lost penguin has wandered into this scene, where it hiding?”. Alex and Jackson minifigures are also hiding in every single display. Genius!
There was so much to see. Some of my favourite finds were the Houdini escape scene, cryogenic Elvis and Han Solo, the garbage production line and the EFTPOS vault heist, to name just a few. So very clever!
Kim McKay, the Australian Museum Director and CEO, said that “RELICS invites visitors into a world where the closer you look, the more you see! Not only will it spark conversations about our wasteful world and the future, but it’s also a fun way to discover the power of creative storytelling. Jackson and Alex’s exhibition combines a heady mix of nostalgia, sustainability and future-facing creativity, and it’s unlike anything we’ve exhibited before.” I think she was spot on.
No doubt the exhibition will fuel your kids’ creativity, and they will start to imagine the creation possibilities themselves. Behold the interactive LEGO build zone, where they can bring these imaginings to life AND display their creations in the exhibit zone. Magic!
EVENT DETAILS
What: RELICS: A New World Rises exhibition
When: now until 27 January 2027
Where: Australian Museum, 1 William St, Sydney NSW
Tickets: Adult: $29.00, Concession: $25.00, Child 4-15: $19.00, Child 0-3: Free
Audio guide available: Download the free accessible audio description guide to your device before arriving and remember to bring your headphones for the best listening experience
Don’t forget to check out the LEGO stores to visit in Sydney
