Massive magnetic MAGNA-TILES mosaic breaks record at Florida science museum

The Museum of Discovery and Science in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA is now the home of a record-breaking mural created entirely out of the magnetic building toy MAGNA-TILES®.

Towering over visitors near their Science of Guinness World Records exhibit, the giant wall was unveiled on 1 August as the result of teamwork between the museum and The Original MAGNA-TILES® company (both USA), as well as dozens of dedicated staff members, volunteers, and community partners.

The groups spent over a week preparing and placing 4,500 of the colourful, geometrically-shaped pieces into an intricate design, presenting a stained-glass effect throughout the 26.38 m² (283.80 ft²)-tall depiction of a sunny Florida beach.

They undertook this massive effort as a way to draw visitors into the record-breaking experience, as well as to claim their own title for the largest magnet mosaic (image) in history.

Earlier this month, the museum invited families from around the world to come witness the grand unveiling of this spectacular art installation, in addition to taking part in all the joyful experiences that they offer inside.

Children – as well as their parents – flooded into the building to play with the MAGNA-TILES® on site and stare at the huge exhibition, which stood above the room as a giant source of geometric inspiration.

“[We wanted to create] a recognizable image that celebrates our community's coastline, and serves as a symbol of creativity, education, and collaboration,” said the Museum after the attempt.

They later explained that it took two days to install the galvanized steel sheets into the wall, as well as an additional six days for a team of 50 employees to assemble the mural. With some helping hands volunteered by partners from Bank of America and representatives from Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital, they were eventually able to unveil the piece just in time for the celebration on 1 August.

Read more stories about record-breaking mosaics in our dedicated Arts and Entertainment section!

Also present for the event was Guinness World Records Adjudicator Amelis Escalante, who was in attendance to ensure that the measurements of the mosaic were correct and that the teams met all the record guidelines in place for mosaic artwork.

Reviewing the materials, she confirmed that none of the tiles overlapped and everything was obtained from commercially available materials – so that other MAGNA-TILES® fans out there have an equal chance to claim this artistic title.

Finally, she was able to announce in front of the excited crowd that the Museum of Discovery and Science had met all the record specifications, and they officially accomplished the tiled title.

The room filled with the sounds of thrilled cheers, and families excitedly swarmed to the exhibit to take photos in front of the mosaic and explore the other MAGNA-TILES® and Guinness World Records objects on display.

So congratulations to everybody that helped create this magnificent, magnetic mosaic – you are all Officially Amazing!