Legos-Not Just for Kids: Jesse ‘Dean’ Graves Designs Unique “Child’s Play” Turntable

Legos-Not Just for Kids: Jesse ‘Dean’ Graves Designs Unique “Child’s Play” Turntable: "

photo courtesy of Chip Chick

I used to joke with my (tragically gone now) brother-in-law–20 years my junior–that if the world was actually built of Legos, I would probably be a mechanical or civil engineer.

I love Legos, and have since I was but a wee bairn’. I think they’re awesome, and I’m of the generation that actually used a lot more of the “standard” bricks to build interesting stuff, then these new-fangled, pre-designed, packaged dealies that you are only supposed to use to create a TIE fighter, or the Empire State Building, or whatever. Yes, it is quite impressive when that Empire State Building is done, but then what? (Of course, in the case of my boy, the answer is, “Why, you combine that set with several other sets, and create some truly amazing things that Michael Bay would probably pay good money for to use in his next Transformers movie.” But I digress.)

Anyway.

Anyway, just because I’m (nominally) an adult now doesn’t mean that I don’t still find Legos fascinating, because I do. And Jesse ‘Dean’ Graves has tapped into that fascination with his creation of a Lego turntable. Yup: using Legos to create a simulacrum of a piece of obsolete tech–two iterations obsolete, as Bill Maher noted a few months back!–that looks (let’s face it!) really cool.

So if you’re a Lego nerd like me, even though the display is over, you should check it out, don’t you think?

Further information below.

Leave it to Jesse ‘Dean’ Graves to transform the Lego from a classic childhood toy into the centerpiece of his freshest design – a DJ turntable for Pioneer DJ’s Art Mix that is equal parts art, music and nostalgia. This design innovator and musician, who mixes a wide range of genres, has taken his knack for modifying and reworking musical and electronic instruments with his own style and utilized it to create the one-of-a-kind Lego turntable.

Graves’ Lego art was developed as part of Pioneer DJ’s Art Mix – a unique project that brings together music, art and community to benefit the VH1 Save the Music Foundation. For the project, Graves, along with 11 other popular urban artists and DJs, was given a Pioneer CDJ-2000 turntable to use as a “blank canvas” to showcase his style and influences.

The resulting work of art is bold and bright, blending modern DJ technology with a childlike whimsy. Graves incorporated a fire-engine red Lego slate where records can be placed, a Lego-block audio extension, and quintessential Lego figures for the ultimate “play” experience.

Jesse’s art piece will be on display this Thursday, July 21 at the free Pioneer DJ Art Mix pop-up gallery at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA LA. Beginning August 2, music and art fans can bid on his piece via online auction site charitybuzz, with all proceeds going to benefit VH1 Save the Music.

Tags: Offbeat and Off Topic

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