2018 SDCAP Granted Art for Burning Man!

SDCAP is excited to share with you the projects headed to Burning Man that have been awarded grants so far in 2018…and almost all of them are destined for YOUtopia as well! We will be adding to the list as more grants are awarded so be sure to scroll down to read about each one – maybe, just maybe, you’ll be inspired to help build one or more 😉

UNFOLDING HUMANITY

For centuries, the work of the mathematician and the visual artist are viewed not only as incompatible, but held in tension. Mathematics is attributed to Platonic notions focusing on abstract ideas and theoretical structures. The visual artist, on the other hand, is relegated to works of the hands, dealing with the concrete and the tangible. In trying to bring these worlds together, we should be wary of easy shortcuts to a complex issue, valuing both true artistic vision and rigorous mathematical sophistication.
And so we ask: how can vibrant, contemporary art be produced that deals with vibrant, contemporary mathematics? Unfolding Humanity, a massive, interactive sculpture, is one attempt in answering this question.
Unfolding Humanity alludes to Albrecht Dürer’s 500-year-old unsolved problem: can every convex polyhedron be cut along some of its edges so that it unfolds flat into one piece without overlap? Every attempt to do so has resulted in a positive answer, but mathematicians are still divided over whether this is always possible. Our exhibit offers an example of such a positive answer, by allowing participants to unfold a dodecahedron in a way that satisfies the unsolved problem.

At roughly 10′ cubed, this dodecahedron will be built of pentagonal acrylic faces on top of a metal interior framework. Hinges connect some of the faces to give the structure the ability to interactively unfold flat, using a series of engineered torsion springs, cables and winches.
Exterior faces are dark green acrylic etched with characters illuminated by trailing LEDs invoking the iconic Matrix animation, whereas interior faces of reflective acrylic mirrors create a kaleidoscopic image of people and lights. The frame and the pentagons themselves are illuminated by light from LED strips on the outside and inside. When unfolded (40’ x40′ x10′), the metal dodecahedron framework is still standing while the panels are arranged as petals of a flower along the ground below it.
To allow for interaction and teamwork, cables feed from each of the 5 furthest pentagons, through pulleys on the metal framework, to instantly locking brake winches which are specifically designed for lifting. This holds the structure in place in any configuration between fully open and fully closed.
LED lights will form an outward facing layer for each pentagonal face. The exterior faces will be dark when the dodecahedron is folded open, coming to life as each face is closed to the metal skeleton. When a face closes onto the frame, the falling character animation from the Matrix will come alive, indicating that a further step in the enclosure of a human participant has taken place.
When completely closed, the acrylic mirror faces on the interior of the structure will remain unlit, to allow the light from the frame to create intricate patterns in the many reflections.
Unfolding Humanity is the initial project of San Diego Geometry Lab, a growing collective of mathematicians, engineers, artists, and burners spearheaded by Diane Hoffoss and Satyan Devadoss and supported by Lee Hemingway, Gordon Hoople, Quinn Pratt, Sydney Platt, Elizabeth Sampson, Christiana Salvosa, J. Good, and D.D. Latimore. San Diego Geometry Lab has been created to bring the public to the edge of the mathematical unknown.
Final Update

The idea for the sculpture began with University of San Diego mathematics professors Satyan Devadoss and Diane Hoffoss, who were interested in communicating to the world the nature of research mathematics in a beautiful and accessible way, and in finding ways for their students to connect abstract concepts to physical form through art. With a conceptual design in mind, the artists / mathematicians reached out to faculty and students across the University of San Diego and to community members at large to participate in the development and creation of this project. In all, the sculpture was conceived, designed, and built by at least 78 volunteers: 5 faculty members, at least 19 students and 2 former students, and at least 52 members of the larger community. An estimated total of 5500 person-hours was invested in this project by our volunteers.

Costs for the project were around $45,000, which was funded by grants from SDCAP, Fletcher Jones Foundation, University of San Diego Humanities Center, and crowdfunding donations. The work took place jointly at the University of San Diego and at CoLab. The sculpture was initially unveiled at Burning Man 2018, with a subsequent installation at San Diego Maker Faire 2018.

Ocean Tunnel

Ocean Tunnel is a 200-ft-long walking tunnel conceived by a group of ocean scientists and enthusiasts.  In this structure, participants walk beneath a painted canvas and among hanging sculptures that create an underwater experience of the open ocean. The artwork reflects changing ocean conditions:  a pure blue ocean filled with schools of big fish transitions to a green, gelatinous soup. Participants push through a thick curtain of suspended jellyfish at the end. Just outside is an atrium filled with lounge areas, information, and open canvas space on which participants are invited to draw and write their reactions and ideas.

The primary intentions of the piece are to:

1) cause a tangible and impactful experience of mankind’s effect on the ocean

2) inform and spark conversations about altering the predictable future, and

3) provide a platform for sharing reactions, thoughts, and ideas with a worldwide community.

Ocean Tunnel is intended not only to communicate that climate change and unsustainable fishing practices are dire problems for people everywhere, but also to generate a sense of hope in the face of a challenge. Every year Burning Man and its regional events inspire thousands of humans with a feeling that anything is possible through communal effort. Ocean Tunnel bis intended to generate that feeling around the issue of climate change, leaving participants who interact with the piece and with 

one another feeling connected, engaged, and empowered to collectively cause a brighter future for our planet’s greatest resource. (**Architectural Drawings: Derek Lange.)
 
Final Update

17 Build team members; 17 tear down hands (7 people served on both). 14 spur-of-the-moment Burner angels stopped by to lend a hand at some point.

Our lead team grew to 10. Each amazing lead spent between 50 and 200 hours  coordinating and producing aspects of the piece.

10 muralists produced the artwork for the 8 sections, but that doesn’t include the 15-20 volunteers who contributed some work to the final “jellyfish” section.

And again I don’t have true count, but I estimate that 40-50 others came to help sew, grommet, prime canvas, test install, and generally get shit lined up for the big event. So many new faces and friends–thanks to Colab for being the hub where collaborative art brings people together. 

Ocean Tunnel as it appeared at Burning Man 2018 was a 220-foot-long, 8-foot-high series of 8 tunnel sections, each with a mural of ocean life produced by a different (group of) artist(s). The murals depicted the progression of conditions in the open ocean over the last 200 years (and into the predictable future) due to climate change and overfishing. The two sections at the center of the series were covered by a larger (17′-tall) shade structure arch that also housed a lounge area. The lounge contained benches, platforms, and the key and prizes for a cypher puzzle whose clues were posted on each section of the tunnel.

Our intention with creating and bringing Ocean Tunnel to the Playa was to create a tangible experience of mankind’s impact on the Ocean, and to generate a sense of hope in the face of the huge obstacle that is climate change. What we got was all of that and SO MUCH MORE. Thousands of people biked through the Tunnel with wonder and curiosity every day, many people engaged with the cypher and discovered new facts about our oceans in the process, weddings (yeah, weddings!?) were held in the lounge area, and the conversations our team had with the participants at BRC were filled with a sense of gratitude, shared responsibility, and hope. 

The Ocean Tunnel team is incredibly grateful to all those who gave their money, their time, and their encouraging thoughts and words. We needed all of it and couldn’t have done it without the HUGE community that came together behind this grand project. We can’t wait for next year’s project!

Beast dé Religiosa: “Zap”

Zap ia an idea born out of the deep, dark, tree-covered hills of YOUtopia and a desire to artfully play with participants at a distance (and varying states of sobriety). Imagine frolicking along a dark path in the middle of the night’s adventures with anticipation for what might happen next. Out of the corner of your eye you see a flicker in the woods…or did you? You don’t think too much of it as you continue…but wait, there it is again!? As you strain to get a better look all you see are two red dots…”are those eyes or is my mind playing tricks on me???” you think to yourself when it happens again. YOUtopia inspires a lot of art based in camps, but rarely do we play with the surrounding terrain and we hope to change that by planting the seed. There is also a vision of creating a new piece every year that can be placed in misc. locations around the event with a focus on the critters that call Palomar Mountain home.
Zap is a Praying Mantis with a frame of lightweight metal designed to be in a typical upright stance with four walking legs on the ground, arched thorax/head and raptorial forelegs in “praying” position, her midlegs will be adjustable to raise or lower the body as desired. The abdomen will be made out of expanded perforated metal to allow for interior visibility with misc. repurposed metal objects randomly dispersed (keys, door knobs, hinges, chain) to create artistic detail. The forelegs will be articulated, allowing the tibial spines to be raised from the control panel. The wings are designed to expand or collapse depending on space limitations wherever installed. The metal will be treated with a chemical so that the color permanently oxidizes to green with hints of blue and brown.
We are incorporating two visual elements for nighttime display: lighting and fire (the LEDs will be situated in such a manner that both elements can be used simultaneously when desired).

• Lighting: LEDs will be run to accent the frame and programmed for numerous effects. When installed at a distance in the woods the lights will flicker almost like when a bug zapper is triggered. When installed in a more visible location the lights will be more colorful and playful  while the abdomen will glow from the inside. The eyes will be a steady red.
  
• Fire Element: Depending on placement and safety there will be two fire elements. A low flame will glow from inside the abdomen and the tibial spines will be poofers when they are raised. The poofers will be activated by buttons on the control panel allowing for passersby to interact with Zap.
  The goal is for Zap to make her debut at Burning Man 2018. Depending on completion date we are interested in displaying her at the Pride Village, Figment and Maker Faire while also making an annual appearance at YOUtopia. Zap’s home will be at CoLab to stand alongside the Man on the roof and be accessible for loan to the community for other events in the same way.The design team consists of Curt Benedetto, Stephanie Cucurullo, Dominic Leone & Samantha Richman. All are welcome to come participate, learn to weld and play! We will update the SD Burner FB page with learn/build days.

Final Update

Burning Man 2018 has come and gone and Zap was a fiery part of the magic!.  She brought inspiration, joy and delight to literally thousands of people and we are both humbled and proud, exhausted and re-invigorated by the whole adventure.

We are deeply grateful to SDCAP for supporting this project through its grant program.  You were instrumental in making Zap a reality through the gifts of both your financial support and build space at CoLab.  We literally couldn’t have done it without this support – thank you, thank you, thank you!

As a fairly small project Zap had 4 “core” build team members – 2 leads.  Our leads each put in well over 500 hours (to date) coordinating, building and installing the project and the other core members each contributed about 200 hours (to date).  In addition over 20 volunteers contributed almost 200 hours in ways large and small (e.g. lighting design and production, antennae creation and all manner of arting, on-playa-crew etc.).

We love building at CoLab and this was an excellent build season for collaboration and cooperation between the teams.  The Ocean Tunnel, Unfolding Humanity and Zap teams were all active fairly consistently throughout the season and the cross-pollination and mutual support was simply awesome.  This year we had a unique opportunity to co-host a mixer at CoLab with the Maker Faire team. It was a great event with over 50 attendees and proved to be great for outreach with a number of folks returning to volunteer on various projects.

Our intention in building Zap was not just to make a collaborative project for Burning Man.  We wanted to work in a new medium (metal) and learn new skills (welding) and share it all with as many people as possible.  We’re thrilled with the outcome and with our installs at Pride Village and Burning Man with Maker Faire and Youtopia to come.  We’re grateful for the opportunity.

Do You Trust?

It always comes down to this question. Whatever your circumstance in life, dire or blessed, do you have faith that things are just as they should be or do you believe that the source in its infinite intelligence has made a mistake?