Bart De Dobbelaer
About you
What is your name?
Bart De Dobbelaer
Which country are you from?
Belgium
How old are you?
47
About your LEGO passion
How did you get into building with LEGO bricks, especially building your own creations?
I started playing with LEGO at a very young age, practically growing up with it. I only ever wanted LEGO as a toy, so I had quite a collection as a kid. Mostly Classic Space and Castle themes. I dabbled in Technic for a bit, but didn't feel that inspirational click I had with the other themes. Even at a young age, I had a lot of imagination, and I built my own spaceships and moon bases.
At about age 16, the first computer entered our house, and I lost interest in the bricks in favour of computer games. It was only years and years later, when my kids got LEGO sets as a present, that I came back into contact with it. I helped them build sets, but did not have the trigger to build my own stuff, yet.
Not until 2010, with the release of the Atlantis theme and more specifically the Gateway of the Squid set. That was such a wow factor to me, all that underwater stuff: the characters, the ships, creatures, just everything worked for me. Since then, I have been building my own creations.
What kind of creations do you love building the most, and why?
Subconsciously, I of course rely on my long interest in Science-Fiction and Fantasy in books, games, television, and movies. Those inspirations are quite clear to me and everyone looking at my creations. Over the last couple of years, I discovered digital artwork from non-LEGO artists, which triggers my imagination regularly. I keep a collection of artwork handy, sorted by genre. If inspiration is low, I browse through it, combine elements from different artworks, and form my own interpretation. Sometimes I even build a LEGO replica of the artwork itself if it is so perfect that I don't want to change anything.
It's not only Science-Fiction or Fantasy themes, Horror makes up a big chunk of my creations, too. I love to build very organic things like creatures, monsters, and insects, and put them into a more structured environment. These things come purely from my imagination, with little to no artwork to inspire me. A lot of times these builds come very naturally to me: I start out with the design of a small part of it, like an eye, mouth, or claw, and from there the rest of the thing grows organically. As I'm building, I see where it brings me and what comes out of it. It could be that I continue the same way the next day, or I take something that was an eye the day before and turn it into a mouth. I really enjoy those free builds, as those are in great contrast with the structures and architecture I use for my backdrops.
If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring LEGO builders, what would it be?
Dream big and let your inspiration guide you. Don’t be afraid to embrace LEGO as an art form and share your creations with the world. You will be welcomed by a warm community of similarly-minded enthusiasts.
How does it feel to have your work exhibited here at LEGO House - Home of the Brick?
I’m deeply honoured to have my work exhibited among the other great builders out there. I already get a fair amount of recognition through online media, by fellow builders and fans, but getting acknowledged by the LEGO group itself is truly another level! I sincerely hope to have my unique building style showcased and viewed by the LEGO House visitors, young and old, and get inspired, too, as I was all those years ago.
What’s next for you in your LEGO journey—any upcoming projects or dreams?
I always have multiple ideas in the pipeline. Depending on how the mood strikes, I go for Science-Fiction or Fantasy themed builds. I do try to mix things up by focusing on a smaller creature or scene in between mega builds. It's no exception to have 10 to 20 thousand parts used only for the non-visible superstructure of these large scenes. It always gives me a sense of well-being if I succeed in using all the other colours of my collection as well, even if none are visible.
Do you have a personal LEGO portfolio website or social media profile that you can share?
You can find my art at:
- Flickr: https://flickr.com/photos/46599983@N03/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bart.dedobbelaer/
About your LEGO creation(s) on display
Title
Mion H8 space farm
Can you describe your model and what it represents?
Mion H8, the water planet, embraced vertical farming as a progressive method for crop growth. Native insect species were instrumental in the crucial task of pollination, contributing to the planet's sustainable and ecologically balanced agricultural practices.
Although I like working with minifigs, none were included here to allow the viewer’s own interpretation of the model’s scale. The absence of a base containing water is also on purpose. Not having that visual limit allows the viewer to imagine a vast ocean with these towers emerging from the waters.
How long did it take you to build?
This build took between two and four weeks to complete. Initial superstructure design for the towers and iterating through variations took the longest. The original model actually had L-shaped towers, as the back was not visible in the photo. For this exhibit, the towers were fully redesigned, both to be stronger and to have a visible back side.
Approximately how many LEGO elements did you use?
The number of LEGO elements is always a wild guess, but the internal structure alone is made from about 4000 parts, and the plants alone consist of 8000 parts. The Science-Fiction texturing in light bluish grey takes up my entire collection of this color.
Are there any hidden details, Easter eggs, or techniques used that fans should look out for?
This entire build was triggered by a single part: the yellow flexible wing from the Ben 10 set Jet Ray (2010). I really enjoy working with obscure and older LEGO parts that seem to only have a single purpose. Being able to find a nice use for these parts is both inspiring and rewarding.
