This floating Lego sculpture will blow your mind (honestly)
Is it sorcery? No, it's tensegrity.
In these strange times, we all need a distraction from the daily onslaught of the news every now and again – and for us today, that has arrived in the form of a simple yet confusing, yet mesmerising video of some Lego.
Reddit user Killpill01 shared a post (below) simply titled 'This Lego design I saw online' along with a fifteen second video of what can only be described as utter sorcery. One moment the abstract lego sculpture is lying in a heap on the floor, the next it lifted into a floating position with the help of some tiny plastic chains (and, apparently, an absence of gravity). We've been staring it for hours trying to work out how it works – and we're big Lego fans (check out our list of the best Lego city sets).
This Lego design I saw online from r/Design
Okay, it isn't sorcery. It's called 'tensegrity', which dictionary.com describes as: "the property of skeleton structures that employ continuous tension members and discontinuous compression members in such a way that each member operates with the maximum efficiency and economy". We knew that.
It turns out the video comes from a longer tutorial (below) by JK Brickworks, whose Lego inventions (including this one) are all self-designed. The tensegrity sculpture tutorial has received over a million views in just over a week, and by and large, the comments match our own feelings. The top-rated comment pretty much sums it up: "I hate this damned thing every time I see it because I simultaneously know how it works, but still don't know how it works."
It seems we have something a Lego celebrity on our hands. "JK Brickworks is legit the most amazing lego builder I've ever seen. He is a master," says one Reddit user. As if the mind-bending tutorial video wasn't enough, JK Brickworks also offer a parts guide for anyone who wants to have a go at making their own.
There are also countless amazing official sets available, from Lego space sets to Lego sets for adults (because as we all know, Lego is not just for children). Check out the best deals below.
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Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of art, design, branding and lifestyle tech (which often translates to tech made by Apple). He joined in 2020 after working in copywriting and digital marketing with brands including ITV, NBC, Channel 4 and more.