Ideas and Engineers

How does your artwork depict the contribution of engineers to a better world?

The artwork shows energy, travel, and space exploration which have been major contributions by engineers to help make a better world. The background shows a lightbulb representing that these are all engineering ideas. Renewable energy, like windmills and solar, is better for the environment. Bridges provide fast and easy transportation over water. Space exploration could lead to more natural resources and more places for humans to live.

Describe how you think viewers from at least two different audiences might view or interpret your work.

It is possible to interpret the artwork differently. One audience might see the light bulb as the sun. The lightbulb represents the ideas that engineers create, which could be lost if it is seen as a sun. Another audience might see it as engineering time points in the past, present, and future. The space travel section could be in the past when humans first landed on the moon and the present could be represented by renewable energy. The bridge could be seen as the future because the cars appear very modern, but they are just that way due to the scale of the project.

Briefly describe the materials you used and the process you went through to create your piece.

The artwork is made of Legos. I made three engineering scenes and then I needed to think of a way to present it. I decided on creating a background of a lightbulb to represent the ideas that engineers create. The process of building it was time consuming because it needed good symmetry, detail, and stability. I had to improvise with different bricks to make sure I had enough pieces to complete it.

Explain anything you learned from the process. Ideally include any failures you experienced along the way. Failure and subsequent improvement are critical to engineering design, so please tell us how you failed, how you dealt with it, and how that influenced your submission.

I learned how to express my ideas by using engineering and design to create a custom Lego build. I had several failures along the way while building the artwork. I miscalculated the size of the base and had to start over three times to get the correct proportion. I had trouble keeping it stabilized and had to prevent it from falling over. I also was running out of bricks and used different types of pieces to improvise to finish the lightbulb in a few sections. I was excited to create this artwork using Legos because it is a hobby that is fun and I have enjoyed for many years.