Organogenesis / Duman

“Organogenesis as a concept was born out of my continued attempt to cope with my mother’s fast-progressing dementia. I struggled to comprehend the notion that her brain was gradually breaking down, almost piece by piece, brick by brick, and I needed to create something to help me come to terms with it,” – Andrei Duman.

“Each of the LEGO bricks that appear to be in movement in the images were photographed individually, to make the final image look as real as possible,” writes Heather Elder, Duman’s agent.

“In addition to the patience and precision that Nathan practiced during the construction, the photography was an intricate process. I wanted consistency in lighting and angle, even though I had to wait for different organs to be completed over the course of some months before photographing them. This meant ensuring that my studio setup remained the same throughout the project. Shooting the individual [LEGO bricks] separately was another challenge,” – Andrei Duman.

He captured thousands of shots of individual bricks, which were later integrated into the final images. The post-production process included Duman, Sawaya, and Recom Farmhouse; every detail was fine-tuned collaboratively.

Recom Farmhouse were involved throughout the production of the images - we helped design the flow of the Lego pieces, sketched out flow drawings for each one to see how the lego should flow around the object, and hand placed every piece.

The project took more than 220 hours to complete.

"In the end, these images blend science, art, and philosophy, provoking thought and reflection on existence, and the delicate balance between life and decay. It's a testament to how art can spark conversations about complex subjects."
– Heather Elder, Duman’s agent.

The series premieres at Nathan Sawaya’s “ART OF THE BRICK®” exhibit in Paris, opening on November 29.

Read more in the in-depth article in Petapixel.

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