Rope Lights

The rope lights work! How cool is that?? At Burning Man I'll be using controllers that allow the option of turning these lights on full time, or they can "chase" or I can have them be sound sensitive, pulsing when people talk or to the beat of music - that might be fun.

You can see in the photo that the top portion is shaping up. It's mostly done. It took quite a while to get the proportions right but I think it looks pretty good now. I welded the base drum today. A few more days of smaller tasks and then I can begin sewing the cone and drum covers....

Stay tuned!

Friends Save Artist's Sanity!!

Seems like whenever I get bit overwhelmed with this project someone lends a helping hand! Deedee came over Monday and spent the whole day, painting poles and a wonderfully creative cobra on the generator enclosure. And Carla has finished the cobras that will wrap around the anchor straps - great job Carla! Or someone contributes to the finances and my spirits lift. Deedee says self-doubt is just a normal part of the artistic process: wondering why you put so much time and energy into something, particularly something as ephemeral as Burning Man. But it's that very ephemerality that makes the event so special - blink and it's gone, so plunge in and experience it all, because it will be gone tomorrow.

Above is a picture of Carla with a few of the dozen cobras she sewed and of Deedee painting the generator enclosure.

welding and cutting and brazing - oh my!

Have been so busy welding and cutting and brazing lately that I haven't had time to post a blog entry. Burning Man has the reputation of taking over your life, at least if you do it well, and Vishnu's dream has been no exception.

At this time the top cone sits in the driveway with struts and straps and tubing flailing about. A big challenge was getting everything plumb and leveled so that when it is reassembled on-playa I won't have to take any time  aligning anything - it should all fit together like a pop-up tent and everything will be color coded and numbered which will make reassembly easier.

Welding and brazing have been the biggest tasks to date. Friend Bruce Vaughn helped weld a few weeks ago.  Another friend called Bruce a "tool whore." I thought that was a compliment, after all he has a very cool welding rig that made quick work of the support poles and anchor stakes. Bruce is great for doing male bonding things like creating sparks with tools that can cause explosions or burn down your garage. How cool is that??! Actually Bruce has a little welding shop that he recently built that is as nice as my house. I'm totally jealous...

Assembly of all the parts has been both fun and tedious. Things are fun when you successfully braze together the first tubing socket. Then you realize you have 23 more of these to do! And dozens of other similar tasks.

Hope to finish the cone next weekend then I can try out the camera obscura mechanism and see if the concept actually works!

The Model

Here's a picture of the 1:24 scale model I built of Vishnu's Dream. It's big! The disk is about 30 inches in diameter and the model is about 14 inches tall. It is not only for getting a sense of the art and colors and proportions, it is also a "proof of concept" model in that the dimensions for the cone and the dome are sized and formed exactly so that I can order the right amounts of materials and know how to assemble it when I go to 1:1 scale. In other words I want to be sure everything is sized correctly and well thought out before I start welding and sawing and cutting!

CONSTRUCTION OF VISHNU'S DREAM BEGINS!

Hey Kidz!

We're back! Back from Bali, actually where Deedee and I spent three wonderful weeks immersed in the warmth and hospitality of the beautiful Balinese people, seeing temples, relaxing on the beach, and buying sculptures and wood carvings and batik sarongs. Actually, my sarong will be good attire for Burning Man! For lots more on Bali you can check out Deedee's blog at www.deedeehampton.com/blog

After finally integrating all my body parts back in this hemisphere, I'm ready to get started on the construction of Vishnu's Dream! Burning Man declined to fund the full scale version of Vishnu's Dream (248 grant proposals and only a dozen or so new artists funded) but I got the impression they were at least intrigued AND they are paying our way there by giving us free tickets to the event! 

The final version of Vishnu's Dream will be a bit smaller than the grant proposal: 27 feet high, 12 feet in diameter at the base, and 40 feet total diameter. This will be a bit less intimidating to build and about half the cost. I have already purchased many of the supplies including the electrical conduit struts, lighting, nuts, bots, straps, buckles, etc. Almost everything else has been researched and sourced.

Part of the fun is figuring out ways to get this built for a reasonable cost. For example, I needed a rear projection screen for the camera obscura, but commercial screen is $4 a square foot. That would be about $400 for what I need! The solution I came up with is...... a frosted shower curtain... for $6. Lots of research on the web and lots of planning, but it will all pay off when it comes to the final cost.

This weekend I'll start on the camera obscura mechanism and the lotus petal windmill for the top. If you're passing by Fish Creek Road, stop in and say hello!

Off to a Great Start!

Another cold, windy night in Estes so I'm looking forward to the playa and 100 degree heat! Too bad I'll have to wait until August for that...

In the meantime lots has transpired for Vishnu's Dream. Early support has been very enthusiastic! We have had discussions with Christine at The Artist's Nook in Ft. Collins and with Linda at the Cutural Arts Council of Estes Park on possible presentations on the art of Burning Man and our project. And we have talked to artist Jill Powers in Boulder about doing a presentation as an adjunct to her Earth Art Class in February and March.

The really amazing news is that we have already raised $845 for the project! Thanks to all who have contributed already - your generosity is most appreciated! We'll be having several other fund raisers in the spring and summer to bring this dream (madness??) to fruition so check back here or at our website for more information. We're hoping to raise $2,000 so we're already 42% there!

Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to buying some materials and getting started. First task: build a prototype of one of the lotus petals to see if the design really will hold up to the wind storms that pummel the playa on occasion. Getting a good wind for the test won't be a problem!

Make the Dream Real!

Vishnu's Dream is an ambitious project! To make the dream real, there are many ways you can contribute. We'll be looking for help to build the frames, sew the fabric and paint the murals. These tasks will take place this spring and summer and we will welcome your help!

In the meantime you can help with a financial contribution. Check out our PayPal Donation link below!