The LEGO Group unveils ‘Launderette of Dreams’, an installation by artist Yinka Ilori that celebrates how children use play to rebuild the world around them

• The installation reimagines a community launderette as a vibrant, interactive play space using over 200,000 LEGO® bricks.
• Children from Yinka Ilori’s former school, St Jude & St Paul's C of E Primary School, inspired the playful design which features kaleidoscope laundry drums, mural walls and hopscotch tracks.
• The installation is open to the public from 28th October to 6th November 2021 in Shoreditch, London.
• The Launderette of Dreams forms part of the LEGO Group’s Rebuild the World campaign that celebrates children’s creativity.

London, 27 October, 2021: The LEGO Group and award-winning artist and designer Yinka Ilori have unveiled the Launderette of Dreams, a free, interactive art installation and play space inspired by the creative optimism and resilience of children.

The installation draws on Ilori’s childhood memories of visiting the local launderette on Essex Road, North London, with his family. It was during these trips that he first remembers embracing his imagination to make the most mundane everyday routines more playful.

Ilori used over 200,000 LEGO® bricks to gamify the machines and decor usually found in a laundrette, turning them into interactive play experiences that feature the artist’s signature bold graphics and colourful style.

The design was inspired by children from Ilori’s former primary school, St Jude & St Paul's C of E. On a visit to a local launderette, Yinka asked the young students how they would rebuild the space for the better and bring people in the community together. Their playful ideas shaped the transformation of elements typically found in a launderette from the banal to the extraordinary.

From kaleidoscope laundry drums and giant mural walls to colourful hopscotch flooring and vending machines that dispense LEGO toys instead of soap, the space demonstrates how children use play and their creative problem-solving skills to turn everyday experiences into adventures.

“Like Yinka, children are brimming with amazing ideas for how to rebuild the world around them for the better and use play to transform the mundane into a magical experience. Their creative optimism inspires us every day, and we hope the Launderette of Dreams shows how fun and playful the world around us can be when approached with a bit of childlike imagination and joy," commented Alero Akuya, Vice President of Global Brand Development at the LEGO Group.

Recent research from the LEGO Group showed that 85% of kids say they have fun ideas for how they would solve problems to change their world for the better, with over half (58%) saying they love coming up with ideas to make the world more fun and less boring. Children also say they feel happy (70%), confident (48%), and intelligent (47%) when they overcome challenges in their everyday life[1].

The Launderette of Dreams features a number of interactive experiences such as a giant mural wall that can be built, unbuilt and rebuilt by visitors. The installation invites people to come together to play, encourages them to rebuild their own world using LEGO bricks, and highlights how LEGO play can help children develop life-long skills such as creative problem solving, communication and resilience.

The Launderette of Dreams will be open to the public from 28th October to 6th November, 2021 at 133-135 Bethnal Green Rd, London, E2 7DG, and will be free to enter. Advanced tickets have been fully booked, but limited walk ins are available for each time slot.

Yinka and other hosts will be running a limited series of workshops in the space. The workshops will invite families to rebuild the world around them using LEGO bricks and show the joyful possibilities that come from approaching the everyday with the playful optimism of a child. As more workshops are added to the schedule, they will be available to book here.

Known for using vibrant colours and bold patterns, Yinka Ilori’s work injects joy into everyday spaces and tells stories inspired by his British and Nigerian heritage. This installation follows a number of celebrated recent commissions including a series of pedestrian crossings in central London and the City of London, a basketball court in London’s Canary Wharf, set design and statuette for the BRIT Awards, a playground at Cannes Film Festival, and a courtyard design at Somerset House, London.

Ilori said, “The Launderette of Dreams is a very personal project for me because I spent a lot of time during my childhood at the launderette. It was where I could dream about the things I wanted to achieve. We often forget about the mundane spaces which play an important role in bringing the community and people from different cultures and backgrounds together, as well as providing an opportunity for kids to meet, play and share ideas.

“Community launderettes are essential to the fabric and DNA of many communities. I hope the Launderette of Dreams inspires both adults and children to believe they can dream and create anywhere. LEGO bricks are a powerful tool to help bring this imagination to life by offering the creative freedom to build any structure or object that you can dream of.”

LEGO play has long been the ultimate platform for creative problem solving, providing the tools for children to build anything they can imagine. Now in its third year, the 2021 Rebuild the World campaign celebrates the creativity of children, inspires them to imagine a better world and shows how LEGO play helps them develop the skills they need to be successful in it.

Launderette of Dreams

Address: 133 - 135 Bethnal Green Rd, London, E2 7DG, United Kingdom
Dates: 28th October – 6th November, 2021
Opening Hours: 10:00am - 6:00pm BST

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[1] Research conducted in 11 countries in August 2021 among 6,500 children aged 5 – 12 years old.