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Free Range Animal Automata: Burning Man 2017

We will be bringing a collection of large, colorful animal automata to the playa powered by people.

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Free Range Animal Automata: Burning Man 2017

Free Range Animal Automata: Burning Man 2017

Free Range Animal Automata: Burning Man 2017

Free Range Animal Automata: Burning Man 2017

Free Range Animal Automata: Burning Man 2017

We will be bringing a collection of large, colorful animal automata to the playa powered by people.

We will be bringing a collection of large, colorful animal automata to the playa powered by people.

We will be bringing a collection of large, colorful animal automata to the playa powered by people.

We will be bringing a collection of large, colorful animal automata to the playa powered by people.

Edward Crell
Edward Crell
Edward Crell
Edward Crell
1 Campaign |
Sonoma, United States
$902 USD 8 backers
15% of $5,750 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal
Choose your Perk
featured

Dog Automaton Sticker

$10 USD
Est. Shipping
June 2017
0 out of 250 of claimed

8x10 Free Range Automata Photo

$25 USD
Est. Shipping
October 2017
2 out of 100 of claimed

Automata T-shirt or Hat

$50 USD
Est. Shipping
June 2017
0 out of 50 of claimed

Animal Automata PlayaPhotobook

$100 USD
Est. Shipping
October 2017
0 out of 25 of claimed

Artist Sunset Playa Party

$250 USD
Est. Shipping
August 2017
0 out of 10 of claimed

Wooden Dog Automaton Model

$500 USD
Est. Shipping
October 2017
1 out of 8 of claimed
Overview
We are bringing a menagerie of six large animal contraptions (automata) to the Playa. Powered by humans, these colorful animals represent centuries of human fascination with animated mechanisms. Our goal is to awaken your childhood spirit with these colorful, interactive animals that will roam free on the playa. This campaign is to supplement the cost of construction materials and transportation from Seattle and Sonoma to Black Rock City.

Summary

We will be bringing together a collection of interactive animal automata to the playa. Ranging in height from 7 to 10 feet and powered by humans, these animals will represent over 2,000 years of human fascination with animated mechanisms. A barking dog, a pawing cat, a chomping dinosaur, and others yet to be determined, will make up the playful bunch that will awaken your childhood spirit!

Just like the golden spike that marks the location of Burning Man, pounded in to the ground year after year, automata show the simple nature of a ritual. With one rotation of the lever, the machine follows a predetermined sequence of operations. The dog barks as the tail circles; repeat, repeat, repeat. Nothing changes over time; the dog’s gestures remain a tradition, rooted in its wooden design. This is the basic principle behind the Free Range Animal Automata Menagerie art installation we are bringing to Burning Man 2017.

Our idea was inspired by a selection of toy automata collected by the late uncle of one of our artists. They were recently distributed among his brothers and sister, unearthed when grandpa downsized in to a new apartment. This collection continues reigniting the child-like happiness we get from operating these toys.

 As a way to remember and pay tribute to family, the dog, which is the simplest automaton of his collection, is the first to be constructed on a larger-than-life-size scale. It is in his memory, and with great joy that we bring this piece to life in BRC.

But w​hat is a menagerie without a few other animals to accompany him? We are asking you for your help to make this menagerie a reality. Help us bring the animals to life on the Playa!

Artists 

 Jon Geiger (from Seattle, WA) and Ward Crell (from Sonoma, CA) are returning to BRC for their 4th year, eager to contribute this project to the desert. In 2015, Jon created the Chariot Bar Cart, which hosted friends and wanderers to an afternoon of martinis and socializing near the trash fence on the west side of BRC. Made entirely of wood, not a single nail or screw, this chariot was sturdy enough to carry a person and be pulled behind a bike. 

 

What We Need & What You Get

Our goal is to construct up to six unique animals that will huddle together on the playa. We are hoping to raise $5,750 to supplement the cost of construction materials (including wood, paint, LED lighting, etc.) and animal transportation from Seattle and Sonoma. The more money we raise, the larger the menagerie!

Each artist group within the Carnivore Collective will construct separate automata, celebrating individuality and the chance to represent their unique ideas in an overall joint project. The automata will converge on the desert and be arranged so that they interact with each other when operated by a rotating lever. This menagerie will bring to life and poke fun at the radical rituals of animals, of their rivalries and playfulness, and of the circle of life.

 Automatons, or automata if there are more than one, have been around for centuries. The art of animating human or animal form has fascinated mankind since before the birth of Christ. The mechanical principles behind them go back thousands of years.  It has been a ongoing ambition of mankind to emulate living things throughout the ancient world. It is our ambition to supersize them and bring them to life on the Playa! 

Perhaps Pindar, an ancient Greek Poet from around 500 BC,  says it best in his seventh Olympic  Ode:

The animated figures stand
Adorning every public street
And seem to breathe in stone, or
move their marble feet.

Check out the great perks we'll be awarding during our campaign! All funding will go towards the construction and transportation of our animals to the Playa where they'll be free to roam, even if only partially funded, and that would be sad :( 

Risks & Challenges

We are driven towards delivering our menagerie no matter what could be thrown at us.  Despite our resolve, the Playa environment could be the source for the biggest risks.  Incredible wind and rain storms have been known to occur, and when they do, all things come to a complete stop.  However, we are veterans of the playa and know how to deal with the wind, water, and heat. If Burning Man is open for business, the playa will have a menagerie of animal automata.

Other Ways You Can Help

If you like what you see here, please get the word out and make some noise about our campaign! We are greatly appreciative of all your support and enthusiasm!

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