LEGO® DOTS: The Guitar Project (Ukulele) | MOC by Leslie Araujo

There is no better way of preserving culture than by sharing it with others. The Philippines is a country rich in history, culture, and tradition. From the colorful regional festivals to the mouth-watering cuisine, there are so many ways that we preserve and celebrate various aspects of our culture. One way is by creating DIY projects that incorporate Filipino Designs and motifs into our musical instruments. As an AFOL, we are proud to showcase our "Guitar Project" with various Filipino elements and accents - a project that is fun, and an easy way to imbue accessories with Filipino culture. Aside from having a unique piece of art using LEGO® DOTS, we are keeping Filipino culture alive and thriving. 

Traditional Filipino music speaks of how we perceive time. In creatively building LEGO® DOTS, there were no seconds that made up a minute, no minutes that made up an hour, and no hours that made up a day. We don't think of time as something that should be divided into small components, but assume it as something whole and fluid. Our musical heritage is rich, colorful, and vibrant, just like LEGO® DOTS and the people who create it. 

The guitar was customized by Mr. Leslie L. Araujo, PinoyLUG Ambassador; it comes with a range of colorful tiles that are uniquely created on the guitar's surface. 

"Philippine Flag", symbolizes liberty, equality, fraternity, peace, truth, justice, patriotism, and valor. The three "stars" represent the three major islands Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. While the "sun" with 8 rays represents the eight provinces that courageously revolted against their foreign invaders. 

"Mabuhay", is a traditional greeting of Filipinos which carries various meanings including "cheers", "long live" and "welcome". The "Guitar Project" also symbolizes "Welcome to the home of the country's finest guitars". 

Lastly, the word "PLAY" is reminiscent of play or design with LEGO® DOTS or play fun and beautiful music. Because play is something every child/adult, everywhere in the world can do. 

This project is a fun way to encourage creativity and self-expression. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cq-WRuRNE00/?hl=en

The ukulele/guitar was also featured along with other LEGO® DOTS projects (@ben.cossy @playwellportugal @australien_bricks and @pijarncharoensri) on a post/reels at the official LEGO® Instagram account last April 13 for - "Redesigning your living room? LEGO® DOTS might be the answer!" 

#LEGO #DOTS #DIY #PinoyLUG

PinoyLUG: "Building with Passion and Pride"

The acronym in PinoyLUG stands for "LEGO® User Group" - but perhaps only LEGO® enthusiasts would be aware of that. LUGs are informal hobby groups who share the same interest in LEGO® and meet at certain places to connect with each other and visit LEGO® exhibits and conventions if there are any. Some LUGs formalize their group and establish regular meetings where members can have more interactive activities as LEGO® hobbyists. There are only two RLUGs (Recognized LUGs) in the Philippines and one of them is PinoyLUG. It started with a few core members back in 2014 and its numbers have grown steadily through the years especially after it was recognized by the LEGO® group as part of its global network of RLUGs. It's founding President, Leslie Leshen Araujo remembers the difficulty of holding the group together without a permanent meeting place - "we communicated mainly through FB group chats to plan sporadic meet-ups or visit LEGO® displays and other events."

PinoyLUG's Project AMORsolo

The Order of National Artists (Orden ng mga Pambansang Alagad ng Sining) is the highest national recognition given to Filipino individuals who have made significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts; namely, Music, Dance, Theater, Visual Arts, Literature, Film, Broadcast Arts, and Architecture and Allied Arts. The order is jointly administered by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and conferred by the President of the Philippines upon recommendation by both institutions.  

The country had its first National Artist in Fernando C. Amorsolo. The official title “Grand Old Man of Philippine Art” was bestowed on Amorsolo when the Manila Hilton inaugurated its art center on January 23, 1969, with an exhibit of a selection of his works.

#PinoyLUG in partnership with the Cultural Center of the Philippines and Fernando C. Amorsolo Art Foundation, Inc. proudly present Project AMORsolo; a unique and original concept of PinoyLUG transposing three great works of Fernando Amorsolo into remarkable masterpieces in LEGO® bricks mosaic art. The exhibit is part of the CCP’s commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of Amorsolo’s proclamation as the first National Artist of the Philippines in Visual Arts.

Project AMORsolo: PinoyLUG - Living the Legacy

Not all things that happen unexpectedly turn out to be unwelcomed. For instance, when our country was drawn into the Covid-19 pandemic and people were rendered clueless about what to do and how to go about their lives; families became closer and more in touch with one another. The period of great uncertainty, when one may expect death to knock on his door at any moment, became an opportunity for families to look back together, and remember those whom they have lost in the past. This much we are able to do to ensure that memories of our lives on earth will go on through the recollections of those we leave behind. We all want to be remembered. Even pre-historic men left drawings in their caves as a record of their history and culture, and to let people know that they have been here. 

LEGO®lizing Amorsolo

Life came to a halt in March of 2020, and people stayed home for the first time to reconnect with their past and brood over things they had failed to do when their minds were pre-occupied with work and the humdrum of daily living. It certainly hit Leslie Araujo of PinoyLUG, the first Asian Ambassador of the Adult Fan of LEGO® (AFOL) in the Philippines, to do a privileged visit of the LEGO® House in Billund, Denmark for deserving RLUGs (Recognized LEGO® Users Group) seven months before it was opened to the public. The pandemic brought back to life a dream that haunted him from that visit in March of 2017. Leslie delighted and visualized a PinoyLUG display in the famous House of Brick someday, for all the world to see. As to what LEGO® display that would be, however, was a furtive idea waiting to be discovered. 

PinoyLUG's Project AMORsolo - Dalagang Bukid

This LEGO® bricks mosaic was executed by an all-female team from PinoyLUG. Inspired by Amorsolo’s idea of a beautiful Filipina – one with a “rounded face, exceptionally lively eyes, and clear skin like that of a blushing girl”. The mosaic is a reflection of what a Filipino woman can bring to our homes with her free spirit and joyful demeanor. Amorsolo iterated his painting several times through different generations and now, PinoyLUG has turned it into a bricks mosaic for the LEGO® generation.

PinoyLUG's Project AMORsolo - Bayanihan

Each member of the PinoyLUG team that worked on this project practiced the “Bayanihan Spirit” in building the mosaic together without expectations - only the realization that they have actually re-created a great masterpiece from the “Grand Old Man of Philippine Art” who brilliantly portrayed the bayanihan custom of coming together in times of need, creating a sense of nationhood that is vital in the Pilipino’s continuing formation of his own national identity.

PinoyLUG's Project AMORsolo - Early Traders

The biggest and most challenging LEGO® Bricks Mosaic Artwork in this exhibit is patterned after an anecdotal painting that depicts the trade between the West and the Philippine Islands through the Spanish Galleons. PinoyLUG similarly experienced Amorsolo’s course in creating one of his rarest works which involved extensive research, attention to detail, and several preliminary studies before completion.