[MOC] Galaxy Cliff Lighthouse

[RoxYourBlox]

My latest creation, Galaxy Cliff Lighthouse, reflects a desire to create an autobiographical MOC to share joy and pain non-verbally. It was inspired aesthetically by Split Rock Lighthouse on Lake Superior, thematically by Voyage of Life (1842) by Thomas Cole, and structurally by Obelisk Overpass, Boulder Dam, plus an early draft of River Wheel (featuring pirate ship gondolas rather than lumber). In fact, the 96 x 96-stud plot vacated by the dismantled River Wheel fed my drive to combine structures absent from my Lego city—a bridge, dam, and Ferris wheel.

As you may imagine from the photos, a hilltop lighthouse teeters over an ocean, beneath a collection of galaxies spiraling through the nighttime sky, while a shooting star passes overhead. The light and dark figurative sailboats represent positive and negative memories, while the logarithmic spiral of galaxies in the sky is reflected in the earth below by the failed attempt of humankind to overcome the nature of life itself.

Stats

• 26400 pieces
• 75 lbs (34 kg)
• Footprint: 96 or 128 square studs
• Volume: 156 x 156 x 176 studs

Timeline

• Phase 1
  • Idea conceived: January 2020
  • Digital design: 8 weeks total
    • Wheel: 2 weeks
    • Lighthouse: 2 weeks
    • Bridge: 2 days
    • Cliff: 4 weeks
  • Shipping: 13 weeks
  • Building: 2 weeks
• Phase 2
  • Digital design revision: 1 week
  • Shipping: 4* weeks
  • Building: ongoing

*Multiple international part orders in October never did arrive and had to be repurchased domestically.

 

For more, follow me on flickr, instagram, or ideas.

 

[AFOLguy1970]

Truly wonderful!  This is also a great way to show my sons that math is important after all!

[JintaiZ]

Nice one! I really like the building techniques.

[paul_delahaye]

I can clearly see you have many many hours of love and passion in this build but I don’t get it.  Structurally it’s impressive, and the weight of the wheel cantilevered over the lighthouse on the wave must have been a challenge and it would be good to see how the other end is secured but I don’t get the art side of the model.

I had similar issues when I visited the art of the brick exhibition in NYC back in 2013.  But always good to see how someone else is using the media of bricks.

 

 

 

 

[RoxYourBlox]

On 1/2/2021 at 12:36 PM, AFOLguy1970 said:

Truly wonderful!  This is also a great way to show my sons that math is important after all!

Thanks! And yes—I’m always using a calculator for trigonometry while I design.

On 1/2/2021 at 2:40 PM, JintaiZ said:

Nice one! I really like the building techniques.

Thank you!
 

12 hours ago, paul_delahaye said:

I can clearly see you have many many hours of love and passion in this build but I don’t get it.  Structurally it’s impressive, and the weight of the wheel cantilevered over the lighthouse on the wave must have been a challenge and it would be good to see how the other end is secured but I don’t get the art side of the model.

I had similar issues when I visited the art of the brick exhibition in NYC back in 2013.  But always good to see how someone else is using the media of bricks.

The end of the bridge is free-floating and not secured: 

 

[Tierce]

Not going to lie, I do not really understand it either. But it looks really amazing and unlike anything I have ever seen. Can you elaborate on the backstory?

[RoxYourBlox]

13 hours ago, Tierce said:

Not going to lie, I do not really understand it either. But it looks really amazing and unlike anything I have ever seen. Can you elaborate on the backstory?

Thanks for asking so politely!

Originally, I intended to make 16 vignettes on boats depicting memories that formed who I am today. Then, as an introverted person, I could just have those scenes out there with anyone left to wonder what I meant to say or to strike up a conversation with me to ask. Unfortunately, physics and gravity stood in the way of that goal, forcing me to simplify the intent into 2 boats, one light and one dark.

I am still deciding whether to add vignettes-on-boats to the sea below.

[CopperTablet]

I like the scale of the model, it's impressive.  One thing I would note is that the grass is all one color- you could add some dark green or olive green to make it look more organic.  The shading effect on the water can also be accomplished with trans-light blue tiles.

[RoxYourBlox]

18 hours ago, CopperTablet said:

I like the scale of the model, it's impressive.  One thing I would note is that the grass is all one color- you could add some dark green or olive green to make it look more organic.  The shading effect on the water can also be accomplished with trans-light blue tiles.

Thanks for the suggestion! As you probably could tell, availability and cost were criteria for the color palette. But I do have plenty of trans-light blue tiles and pieces for foliage. 

[Tierce]

On 1/4/2021 at 2:26 PM, RoxYourBlox said:

Originally, I intended to make 16 vignettes on boats depicting memories that formed who I am today. Then, as an introverted person, I could just have those scenes out there with anyone left to wonder what I meant to say or to strike up a conversation with me to ask. 

I just cannot wrap my head around what these memories and moments could be. Seems so abstract to me. Like out of a science-fiction movie. But do not mind that, it is alright.

On 1/4/2021 at 2:26 PM, RoxYourBlox said:

I am still deciding whether to add vignettes-on-boats to the sea below.

I can imagine that will give more variety regarding parts and colors, I definitely would try that.

[CopperTablet]

Lego gives us a chance for a three-dimensional glimpse into someone else's mind.   There aren't too many mediums that can do that.