We’re used to seeing some weird and wonderful buildings from Pan Noda, from the quirky to the downright fantastical. So imagine my surprise when I found that their latest build is of a real house! This depicts a residence in Kitano Ijinkan – a historical district of Kobe, in Japan. Many of the buildings here are built with more non-Japanese flair than traditional influence. Pan’s build, though, is of their usual high standard!
This is the ‘Hilltop House’, which apparently used to serve as the Chinese Consulate, among other things. There are a pair of ‘komainu’ guardian lion statutes just inside the gates, and rumour has it that walking past them will lead to success in your love life. I don’t know if there’s any truth to that, but I do know that I love Pan’s LEGO recreation of these statues!
Pan Noda is an accomplished builder of fantastical buildings, but this represented the first time they attempted to recreate a real site. The builder recreated every interior space that has been revealed in public photographs. Through Pan Noda’s lens, even real spaces take on aspects of the liminal.
From the immaculate brickwork (why use a brick when you could use a stack of 3 plates?) to the ornate entrance, Pan Noda demonstrates an eye for patterns that is heightened by the monochrome palette.
