Families and automotive enthusiasts around the UAE were recently invited to Atrium 7 in Dubai Design District (d3), a multinational artistic district, to see a series of rare photos capturing the LEGO car collection. LEGO creates toys made mainly of interlocking plastic blocks.

The photographs, each set against a background of different locations around Dubai, were created as an ode to Dubai and its iconic landmarks by Polish photographer Tomek Makolski. Families searching for an exciting ride are led into Wonderland by superimposed snapshots of a variety of the LEGO Group's famous car builds. Makolski is a commercial and fashion photographer from Poland who attended Berlin's Neue Schule für Fotografie. He is a GoSee Awards finalist and the country's most promising young photographers.

He started experimenting with the concept of superimposing LEGO builds in 2017, when he created a series of atmospheric night photos of Warsaw featuring the LEGO Technic Porsche 911 GT3 RS, motivated by a strong desire to create content that leaves a lasting impression. Because of professional camera work and the use of innovative post-production methods, the results were eye-catching, whimsical shots that attracted public interest. In 2020, he traveled to the UAE for the first time, where he clicked photographs of the LEGO Technic Porsche 911 RSR that filmed the desert's stunning light and dry landscapes.

As he returned to Dubai in 2021, he used the chance to add to his series of quirky automotive images by collaborating with LEGO Middle East for its “Drive What You Love” initiative. The collection of static and action images is briefly stored in a curated display area for new and current LEGO fans to experience in partnership with d3, a beating heart of innovation. Motorheads were also able to enjoy a showcase of vintage cars that were introduced in d3.

Makolski is regarded as a filmmaker who uses Lego and a mirror to alter people's views. He needs his inventions to allow us to stop in our fast-paced modern culture, where most pictures are only cherished for a few seconds. In one of his previous works, he took a series of scenic night photographs of his hometown of Warsaw before superimposing an almost life-size Lego 911 GT3 RS onto the photos in 2017. The concept ignited the public's interest since its combination of deft camera work and inventive post-production methods resulted in compelling and playful images that stuck apart from the more common tropes in automotive social networking.

Makolski, a keen racer himself, attends track days daily and isn't afraid to travel ten hours to revisit his favorite alpine routes. He always had a fascination for Porsche.

Despite a packed career calendar that includes portraiture, design, food, and lifestyle photography, Makolski has a special spot in his heart for the automobile industry, and while he is not collaborating with Formula 1 teams and major car manufacturers, he is eager to experiment. He leaped at the opportunity of doing something new when Porsche and Lego unveiled the new 911 RSR. He traveled to Dubai and filmed in a variety of environments that would both complement and improve the RSR, such as the desert's stunning light and desert landscapes.

“I love the notion of manipulating people's perceptions,” he says. The end effect is a series of still and motion images, coupled with motion blur and the occasional flutter of unburned fire. Among the dried dust and hot black asphalt, the defining feature of all the photographs is the authentic illumination that Makolski worked so hard to replicate.

“I shot the car in the studio in Warsaw and did all of the lightings there,” he explains. Before proceeding into post-production, it was important to recreate it exactly as it was on stage. We bring it all together there, plus the extra blur and flames.” The RSR now lies on a shelf behind him in his bedroom. During the lockdown, he designed it and considered the operation oddly comforting. Makolski is adamant about continuing down this path of photography, where the physical and the imagined meet almost effortlessly. He is presently looking into the possibility of developing the concept even further.

“Images nowadays only appear for a few seconds until they are overlooked; so I want to grab the viewer's interest and make them pause for a moment, to evaluate the photo as if it were in a museum or gallery. Ole Kirk Kristiansen formed the LEGO Group in Billund, Denmark, in 1932, with the name based on the two Danish words LEg GOdt, which signify "Play Well." Its goal is to use the power of play to empower and grow the builders of tomorrow — today's children. With its base of LEGO bricks, the LEGO System in Play helps children and enthusiasts to create and recreate everything they can visualize. The Group is a family-owned business based in Billund. Its goods are distributed in over 140 countries.