Mother polar bear and cubs

Watching videos of polar bears with their cubs, I was taken by how almost-human they seemed and wanted to capture this aspect of their lives. This piece invites viewers to experience that connection, offering relatability to a creature that might otherwise feel so very foreign. And, through that, a reason to care.

Collection

Nature Connects: Splendor

CREATED

2015

Dimensions

73" x 55" x 69"

materials

LEGO bricks, aluminum

EDITION

No. 1 of 2

Themes

Families and children, Nature

I was touched to learn about the relationship that a mother Polar Bear has with her cubs; she raises them, teaches them to hunt, and together they have a very visible and strong love. Watching videos of polar bears with their cubs, I was taken by how almost-human they seemed. I wanted to try to capture this aspect of their lives.

The process

This was the largest sculpture I’d created by this point in my career, It weighs 625 pounds (285kg) and contains over 125,000 LEGO pieces. It supersedes my previous record, also a life-size Polar Bear (2010).

The sculpture took about 4 months to build.