Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi has launched a new interactive exhibition that uses Lego bricks to explore everything from the origins of the universe to life on Earth.
Natural Brickstory, which runs until November 8, combines the museum’s scientific collections and natural history stories with building activities.
Spread across a series of themed zones, the experience takes inspiration from Earth’s history, wildlife and the cosmos. Visitors are invited to take part in collaborative builds while learning about the scientific ideas and specimens featured throughout the museum.
Large-scale Lego creations are positioned throughout the exhibition, ranging from dinosaurs and present-day wildlife to an astronaut and models inspired by minerals and the natural world. There is even a detailed Lego recreation of the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi itself.
A hands-on way to discover
Children are invited to gather around the larger builds before moving into play areas where they can make their own creations such as flowers and small buildings.
The exhibition covers 13.8 billion years of natural history, but rather than looking at models, visitors can build and be creative as they move between activities.
The exhibition includes excavation-style areas where children can dig and examine objects. Trails and workshops are also part of the programme, and further activities are expected to be announced soon.
“Play is fundamental to learning and discovery,” museum director Peter Kjaergaard tells The National. “It sparks curiosity, fuels imagination and nurtures creativity, the very qualities that drive scientific exploration.”
Among the museum’s headline specimens are Stan, one of the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons ever discovered, and a fragment of the Murchison meteorite, which contains material formed billions of years ago. Other displays examine Abu Dhabi’s prehistoric past, present-day biodiversity and the future of the planet.
Natural Brickstory is designed to sit alongside those galleries rather than operate as a separate attraction. A child whose interest is sparked by a Lego dinosaur, animal or space model can then move into the wider museum and encounter the science, specimens and stories behind those subjects in greater depth.
Alia AlHammadi, the museum's acting partnership and commercial department director, believes the collaboration with Lego can "inspire people to see familiar places through a new lens" and invite visitors to experience the museum in an "entirely new way".
The exhibition reflects the museum’s wider focus on combining collections with interactive experiences and community science programmes. The 35,000-square-metre building, designed by Dutch architecture firm Mecanoo, also contains research facilities supporting work in areas including palaeontology, earth sciences, biodiversity and conservation.
Natural Brickstory is included with standard museum admission. Tickets cost from Dh70 for adults, while entry is free for visitors under 18. UAE residents receive 30 per cent off admission until September 30.
Natural Brickstory runs until November 8
