2008 THEME ART INSTALLATIONS
Babylon
by Philip Raiser
Babylon is a 100-foot tall tower of dreams, its shimmering sand-colored surface reflecting the images and imagination of the Burning Man community, and the American melting pot beyond. The structure envelops an innovative steel structure in a reflective mesh screen on three sides that will be used throughout the night. On one face of the tower, participants' full-length photos are divided horizontally into thirds and randomly mixed with two other people's photo sections to form a composite. On two other sides, participants, responses to the question, "What is your dream?" will be translated into two random languages and projected onto the full height of the structure. The result will be an evanescent, ever-changing, thought-provoking creation that will reflect the spirit of the American dream.
URL: www.babylonatburningman.com
Contact: phillip (at) raiser (dot) com
Drowning in the American Dream
by Patrick Plummer
A blackened pool represents the fears and delusions the American advertising industry uses to manipiulate consumers. Nearby, the seven sins of television lead the charge with a hypnotic 24-hour bombardment. We are all drowning in the American dream of consumptio. CAUTION: No lifeguard on duty. Danger of drowning.
Contact: aplummer (at) ix (dot) netcom (dot) com
Native American Temple
by Ronald Cincinnati
The Native American Temple embodies a convergence of history, architecture and spirituality at a crossroads where indigenous cultures confront the American Dream.
The teepee and the log cabin homestead are simultaneously evoked by a sculpture of stacked lumber rising and twisting from the ground. Sunlight filters through the open framing to throw patterns of shadows on the desert floor. Material, form, and space harmonize to shape a transcendental sanctum for contemplation and reconciliation.
The Native American Temple convokes the divergent aspirations of conflicting societies at a moment in our collective past when new world Manifest Destiny confronted the ancient ways of life of Native Americans.
Contact: peppascroni (at) comcast (dot) net
Playa Estates
by Christine McCaull
Welcome to Playa Estates, Black Rock City's very own gated community. Enter through a perfectly trimmed facade and discover, in statistics and images, the world within- what secret lives are lived within the America Home? This commentary invites you to consider how order, ego, perfectionism, safety, isolation, celebration, consumption, and social ranking fit into the Amercian Dream.
Contact: xtinemccaull (at) hotmail (dot) com
Reality BMTV
by Richard Wells
A TV screen is the heart of a dark and cozy family room; this optical illusion can only be viewed from a certain angle. Through the television screen we can see the outside world and those who are present in the landscape. The idea of 15 minutes of fame, a popular American Dream, is realized through reality TV.
URL: richwells.weebly.com/
Contact: richwells (at) mac (dot) com
The $hrine
by Alice Bain
The $hrine is a structure that incarnates the American dollar. Three golden dollar signs reflect the sun by day, and at night shine out across the playa . The $hrine is participatory, and the interior features stickered sentiments sent from collaborators the world over. The $hrine will burn on Friday, sending all sorts of funky financial karma into the ether.
Contact: albain (at) gmail (dot) com
Third World View
by Kirk Marcroft
This is the Third World View of the American Dream.
URL: richwells.weebly.com/
Contact: albain (at) gmail (dot) com
Trash Fence
by Bob Noxious
A large American Indian tipi is adorned with every nation’s flag, Old Glory flying high above the rest. Every dream is as individualistic as the dreamer, however, the collective dreams of Americans contain a common element: freedom. Freedom is not without sacrifice; for every freedom realized another is given up. The tipi and all its flags will be burned, but two unadorned tipis will remain, at one with the spirit of native Americans, where freedom is not sacrifice.
Contact: rfclarkson (at) aol (dot) com
U.S. Nuclear Test Images 1945-1962 Greatest Achievement/Greatest Horror
by Douglas Robertson
A ceramic and glass exploration of America's above ground nuclear test images. Reflections on the byproducts of our achievements.
Contact: playasnowflake (at) gmail (dot) com
Visual Oasis
by Todd Pinkham
A 32’ geodesic dome is clad with colorful images - from the iconography of presidents and monuments to the fantasy of flying saucers and fictitious heroes - which swirl and intersect, creating strange connections and interrelations of truth and myth.
Contact: PINKHAM (at) cup (dot) edu
