‘Greatest human endeavours’: LEGO blocks rise at SA Museum
A new exhibition at the South Australian Museum features one LEGO space rocket creation that took 563 hours to design and build. See the pictures.
South Australian Museum’s latest exhibition will showcase giant LEGO models representing breakthroughs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Dubbed CURIOSITY: Building Breakthroughs in LEGO Bricks, the exhibition has been designed by the Southern Hemisphere’s only LEGO Certified Professional, Ryan “Brickman” McNaught, alongside his team of more than 30 people.
The ticketed exhibition would include a 7.5-metre-high replica of the NASA Space Launch System rocket, which took McNaught and his team 563 hours to design and build.
McNaught said there were about 50 models in the exhibition, including everything from a life-sized model of the Mars Rover “Perseverance” on display for all to see in the South Australian Museum’s foyer.
There will also be models of the solar system, a periodic table of elements and a display recognising the achievements of women in science.
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McNaught said the exhibition focuses on “the amazing things people can achieve when they let their imagination run wild”.
“Behind every model is a story of someone who asked a question, had a big idea or wanted to see if something was possible,” he said.
“For me, curiosity is that spark we all have as kids—asking questions, experimenting and seeing what happens. I call it education by stealth.
“Whether kids are building bridges and testing them against an earthquake or simply problem-solving with LEGO bricks, they’re learning without even realising it.”
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CURIOSITY includes five interactive build zones exploring different STEM subjects, with visitors invited to build homes designed for Mars, space vehicles, a bridge, or to contribute to a large-scale “mystery” mosaic.
Another highlight is a life-sized model of the Mars Rover “Perseverance” on display for all to see in the South Australian Museum’s foyer.
Melbourne-based McNaught has been working as a professional LEGO model creator since 2008, saying he loved playing with LEGO as a kid but never thought he good turn it into a career.
“For me, it happened by accident. I was doing some work on the technology side with LEGO, and fortunately that led from one thing to another, and it just grew from there,” he said.
McNaught said each model starts with “lots of drawings and sketches” and involves “a lot of hours, blood, sweat and tears”, with the CURIOSITY exhibition taking more than 3500 hours to build.
Asked why LEGO is a good tool to represent scientific and mathematical achievements, McNaught said it was “very physical” and “versatile”.
“If you think of a plain old LEGO brick, one minute it could be a tree, the next minute it could be a racing car, it could be a house, it could be a skyscraper, it could be a cloud – it can actually be anything your imagination desires,” he said.
McNaught said his favourite models in the exhibition include the planets, which were “challenging” but “really quite fun” to create, as well as the optical illusions, which took “a lot of interesting equations to figure those out”.
South Australian Museum director Dr Samantha Hamilton said CURIOSITY “transforms complex STEM concepts into engaging experiences that encourage visitors of all ages to explore, experiment and imagine what’s possible.”
“From towering rockets and interactive experiences to spectacular LEGO models, this exhibition invites visitors to think like scientists, build like engineers and see the world through the eyes of a curious explorer,” she said.
CURIOSITY runs at the South Australian Museum from December 19, 2026, until May 9, 2027.
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