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Grant Proposal for Burning Man 2006
Love and Dragons Sean Sobczak Los Angeles, CA Auralfixasean@yahoo.com http://www.sandmancreations.com |
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| My proposal is for a piece of mobile art called “Love and Dragons.” A brief history: 2001 was my first burn. In the process of trying to give something back to the denizens of Black Rock City the next year, I discovered at the age of 30 that I was a sculptor. That discovery changed my life's course. In 2002, I was one of the founding tenants of the Abundant Sugar art space in Los Angeles. There I worked on Love and Seahorses… a heart shaped chariot lead by three large glowing seahorses and 8 smaller babies. I also brought a second project to the playa that year, a life sized wire sculpture of a mermaid that was at the entrance to our camp, Spherocity. In 2003, I joined Linda Graveline's “No Diving” team, bringing out the video projection of a swimming pool for the playa floor. In 2004 I went to Greece instead of Burning Man. In 2005 I returned to Black Rock City as part of Patrick Shearn and Josh Flemming's team for their 80 foot tall flower, “Miracle Grow.” In addition to helping with the construction of the flower, I also designed and built the ten foot long caterpillar that sat on the base. This year, I'm taking the lead on another project of my own. Hope and Fear? Love and Dragons. Description: Similar to Love and Seahorses, this piece is based around an updated heart shaped chariot, driven from above the vehicle. Liquid ripples will trail through the hearts. A fourteen foot long, nine foot tall leafy sea dragon will be leading us, glowing with 2,200 points of light, the flickering electricity of plasma ball eyes and five hundred feet of el wire outlining its leafy tendrils. Four radiant dragonflies, each five feet long and wide, buzz along just out of reach of the passengers riding atop the heart. And finally, soaring above and slightly behind the heart, with a nearly 20 foot wingspan, will be a 25 foot long dragon, illuminated by 3,500 lights, with laser eyes penetrating the night sky. Though the full length is 45 feet from the tip of the sea dragon's snout to the tail of the dragon, it has only a 27 foot long footprint. The dragon's wings are the highest point, at 25 feet. The sculptures consist of wire structures wrapped in fabric, and are all illuminated from within. Purpose: My life was completely altered by specific pieces of art my first year at Burning Man. The next year I brought out Love and Seahorses and saw its effect on others, firsthand. My goal this year is to do the same… alter people's realities and ways of thinking, by sheer, unadulterated beauty, created solely for them. I've chosen a mobile piece again this year for numerous reasons: it allows for interaction with other mobile as well as static art installations, the art finds its viewers, rather than the other way around, and finally, the most prevalent reason being simply that mobile art has been my favorite aspect of the event since my very first night on the playa in 2001. Mobile art is alive. Though I will be able to transport upwards of 15 people, this is no party barge. This vehicle is about the art. My goal is to steal at least one breath from everyone on the playa The theme… Hope and Fear - The Future: We move through this life on waves of love (heart). Lead by the grace and gentle beauty of our hopes and dreams (sea dragon), we're also being pursued by our fears (dragon). However, these fears of the beast behind us also drive us forward in our life's journey, helping to set our course. Like the dragonflies, we skim along the surface, the reflection of ourselves, between the hidden depths of our inner beauty and the limitless possibilities of the open sky above us, moving ever forward into our future. Progress to date: The leafy sea dragon has been completed. The base vehicle has been acquired and will be moved to my workspace. The vehicle was donated by other burners who have brought it out to the playa three times already as a giant pink Ganesh. Design of the dragonflies is completed, based on a previous sculpture. Structural design for the dragon has already begun. A team has been assembled and is growing day by day. Impact: The car has no oil leaks and will undergo a tune up and any necessary repairs for it to “leave no trace.” When parked in camp, it will have canvas and tarp underneath it, as a precautionary measure. Clean up: All parts are essential to its design. There is nothing to burn, everything we bring is coming back with us. It is designed to be easily assembled and disassembled by people of any skill level. It will take 4 to 5 people one day for set up and one day for break down. The crew has been secured. |
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