The galaxy is a musical score. If you gaze closely, you will hear the Celestial Jazz!
Continuing the cartoon-like style for the third year! My family has since named this style 'Q-Framing' because the build process is similar to how you draw a Q. It begins with the backdrop or the frame and proceeds to the foreground elements that jump outside and break the frame, just like how you start a Q with a circle and then break it with a line. As a bonus, it works nicely with my name!
Celestial Jazz is the third in a series of space-themed Q-Framing builds, following Backyard Blastoff and Reach for the Stars. I knew pretty early in brainstorming that I wanted to create another space-themed build because it would form a complete trio with the previous ones, but that would depend on finding a good concept. It was becoming difficult to think of an idea that would cover a similar sense of scale and perspective like the previous two. After several days of brainstorming, concepts and failed attempts, a question popped up that sparked what eventually became Celestial Jazz. How are stars created in the night sky? Why, the answer is simple! A brave astronaut goes up to space and makes them by blowing bubbles that form into stars (one of the early concepts). Or maybe he plays an instrument? There is no air in space and therefore no sound, so what happens to instruments in space? Stars look like musical notes scattered across the sky, so naturally that means playing an instrument in space creates stars. So our brave astronaut goes into space to play his saxophone solo and creates a breathtaking starry night sky for Earth below.
I especially like the correlation between music and the galaxy in this MOC. The galaxy at first glance can seem a bit chaotic and random, but on closer inspection you begin to see that all the celestial bodies have a beautiful sort of pattern and rhythm in the way they move in relation to one another. There is an indescribable beauty in this, very much like music. The galaxy really is a magnificent musical score, written for us and waiting to be heard.
Like the previous models from other years, I prioritized using parts specifically from the LEGO Classic set 10717: Bricks Bricks Bricks to make part sourcing both simpler and more economical. Unfortunately, that set isn't in production anymore and has been replaced with 11717: Bricks Bricks Plates. Still a great set with the same parts as before, but the retail price is 10 dollars more for the four baseplates. This year I started using parts from 11011: Bricks and Animals in combination with 10717 for a wider selection. Plus, 11011 has the same excellent price per brick as 10717.
This was my entry into the 2022 LEGO House contest on LEGO Ideas. It was selected as a winner and made it to third place in the Musical category with a grand total of 203 votes. Huge thank you to everyone who showed their support! It is truly an honor for Celestial Jazz to be among all the fantastic entries into this year's contest.
This model will be going on display for a year at the LEGO House near the end of 2022, so be sure to look around for it if you happen to be visiting! And if you do happen to see it, look closely... and you may hear the Celestial Jazz!
You can visit the original submission on LEGO Ideas here.
