There's this great international Lego art project at http://www.dispatchwork.info/ that I stumbled upon last year. Started by a German artist, the concept is that you "dispatch" yourself to go out and fix a wall in need, with Lego. The task is to use Lego and only Lego. No glues or adhesives; just the tension of the bricks as they're wedged into the space to hold them in. The final products are stunning and they are all over the world. The minute I saw this I knew I wanted to do it. I have my own personal love for Lego but it will always be overshadowed by my son Isaac's love for Lego. He's a genius at it. He's my king of spatial thinking and I have marveled many an hour at how he can whip things together. For me, just following the directions on the boxes marked 12+ are a satisfying challenge.
So, London and Paris are two cities already taken among the long list of cities throughout the world that have received Dispatchwork. I wasn't sure when I'd be able to travel abroad again after my transplant. I knew that Morocco was my only chance to travel for a while. So Isaac and I grabbed a pile of Lego, stuffed it into a suitcase, and off we went to Morocco.
When we got to Morocco, nothing on earth could have prepared us for the giant distraction that is Marrakech. It's amazing. All I wanted to do all day was peruse souks, gawk at people and colors and food. Although we saw a lot of good walls that needed patching along the way, we never had the Legos with us.
Finally, it was down to the wire. On Sunday, we were leaving to fly home in an hour and a half. Isaac and I ran out of the villa where we were staying in search of a wall! First, we came across a sheepherders farm. The sheep were so sweet and excited, bhaa-ing as we approached. By the time we had inspected all the walls, (which were immpecible by the way, everything had already been fixed), the shephard came out, and in a dance of mime I tried to explain what we were doing. I soon realized I obviously failed, because he picked up Isaac and put him on his donkey for me to take a picture. He and Isaac were about the same size, which made the whole thing really funny. I took the picture and we ran off. Time was ticking. I felt badly I had no money on me to give him. We were just a running flurry of good-byes.
We searched on and finally found this long, clay brick wall with one square right in the middle, missing. No time to be picky. We quickly started building and realized right away, it wasn't going to be easy. The Legos slid around on the powdery clay left behind. A big piece needed to built first, with the right configuration, and then it had to be wedged in with tension in order to stay there. It never would have happened if Isaac wasn't there. I was chanting, "Isaac! Build! Build! Build!" Total time constraint.
And then all these really cute kids started coming around and watching, along with a couple of adults and finally a dad who spoke French. I explained the project as best I could. Although I think he taught that we were German artists? But anyway, I got some great pictures, and the whole thing actually came together! We gave them all the unused Lego and thanked them. I think they were half amazed and half thought we were crazy.
We ran back and everyone else was freaking out. They couldn't find us and were afraid we'd miss the plane. I felt really bad doing that to them, but honestly, I wouldn't have missed that experience for the world. Check out the pictures. The children's faces. Maybe this was the first time they ever saw Lego. But they were all so receptive and respectful of the project. Morocco is so full of art and design everywhere. These kids are growing up with this matter-of-fact sense of it. "Of course art belongs here. Of course! Colors are a part of our lives..."
So, thanks to Isaac for helping me cross one off my bucket list. That was incredibly fun! xx
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