Dublin: A cafe in is experimenting with a LEGO pop-up event to encourage adults to improve their mental health through play.
In honour of World Mental Health Month, the LEGO Brick Cafe is being trialled at the Hen’s Teeth in Dublin for a two-day experimental event. The aim is to offer adults a space to be able to relax, play, and let their creativity flow.
Organised by the LEGO Lead User Lab and Irish creative agency Boys+Girls, the goal of the LEGO Brick Cafe is for adults to experience the mental health benefits that play can bring. The LEGO Group has often backed the importance of play for children’s development, but now this seeks to offer the same effects for adults.
Visitors to the cafe will be able to choose from a range of both sets and bricks to play with as they like. In addition, there will be facilitated workshops on offer as well for those who want more guidance. These will cover topics related to LEGO, including stop-motion animation builds, mindfulness builds, expressive mosaic builds, and open-canvas self-expression.
“For generations, children and adults alike have used the LEGO System in Play to challenge themselves creatively,” Genevieve Capa Cruz, audience marketing strategist at the LEGO Group told the Independent. “We know there are many adults around the world who are also keen to experience the joy of building with LEGO bricks, yet are unsure where to start.
“With this new type of open innovation experiment, we want to explore fun and engaging new ways for adults to start experiencing the joyful focus of building with LEGO bricks through new channels we haven’t explored before.”
Play is essential to life, according to Kris Clarkin, creative director of the Boys+Girls advertising agency in Dublin. It can aid in memory enhancement, creativity stimulation, and stress reduction. As Lego enthusiasts, we were aware that Lego was the ideal company to inspire more adults to play.
The toughest challenge was creating an environment that wouldn't be seen as a place for children. The goal of the Lego Brick Cafe project was to create a place of inspiration where like-minded individuals could get together, have fun, and exchange ideas. In an environment like this, I'm interested to observe how people would interact with and react the brick structure.The Lego Brick Cafe is initially being tested in Dublin for two days at Hen's Teeth in Blackpitts.
