Design Portland is pleased to present an exhibition that invites designers, architects, and the broader creative community to reconsider play not just as a childhood precursor to design, but as an essential, lifelong methodology. By bridging the gap between tactile prototyping and serious architectural and design practice, this exhibition highlights how the simple act of connecting blocks can unlock radical new visions for our shared physical spaces.

This exhibition features the concept of tactile exploration within a fixed system, both through legos, and architecture. LEGO bricks serve as both constraint and catalyst: their geometric rules demand creative problem-solving, while their infinite reconfigurability mirrors the realistic capabilities of modern design.

Architectural design and LEGOs deal in joinery and the activation of small systems. The adaptations within the systems can be what makes both beautiful. The articulations differ, but the fundamental viewpoints are the same:

How does one achieve their vision with the parts they have? Can one make new parts from existing parts? 

Featuring a variety of work from PDX, each artist explores these questions with their own  methodologies and interpretations.