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SEE BELOW AND PERKS SECTION FOR SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY TO BE SCULPTED FOR THE R-EVOLUTION INSTALLATION!

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ARE YOU READY?  

Wow what a year we had!  With all of your help, we were able to raise enough money to complete Truth is Beauty and bring her to Burning Man in 2013.  We are so gratified by the response she received on the Playa - even we were amazed at how she looked from different angles, at different times a day, and OH! the light shows - 6 different shows thanks to Ka-Ping Yee, our uber-talented lighting engineer!!  Take a look at fire night here:

We felt awe witnessing the impact on people as they read the inscription around her base: "What Would the World be Like if Women Were Safe?"  There was Playa magic when Truth is Beauty replaced the "I" in BELIEVE after it fell down in the pre-event windstorms and when she held a rainbow or the sun.  There were the hundreds of people who stopped us to tell us their own personal stories of how they were affected when they saw her, and thousands who wrote their feelings and opinions down in the books we provided.  We handed out nearly 10,000 "Together We Stand" wristbands, calling on those who wore them to take active responsibility for the safety of their sisters; each a unique opportunity for a personal connection and conversation.  It was such a success, we are working on how to bring this campaign to the wider world!

Here is one of our favorite photos from the night of our event:

Thank you...Thank you...Thank You...for opening your hearts and minds to the messenger and the meaning!!

 What's Next?

I have started work on R-Evolution, the third sculpture in the Bliss Project series.  I recently finished the 15 foot clay sculpture  - the first stage in the process - and plan to start the mold to cast the pieces from which the steel structure will be built in the next week or so.

Our plan is to debut her at Burning Man 2015.  Why not this year?  These sculptures take thousands of hours to build and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.  It simply cannot be done in one year.  So, we embark on another two-year build, but we really need your help because we not only need time, we need funds as well!  Through a combination of this campaign, grants and generous individual donors and foundations we hope to be able to raise all of the money we need this year to get R-Evolution where she needs to be so that we can complete her in time for her planned debut.

To meet our goal, we will need to have her torso and calves complete by August.  To do this, we need to be able to purchase the steel, and all of the ancillary welding materials as well as the rust-treatment on these pieces.  Of course we will also have to cover operating costs such as rent, utilities, insurance, certified welders, engineering and labor for those who will be working full-time.

What is R-Evolution?

Another collaboration with Deja Solis , R-Evolution is different than Bliss Dance and Truth is Beauty. There is no overt action in her expression; she is not dancing in the face of danger, she is not reaching to meet herself and find her own truth.  In R-Evolution, Deja explores and expresses what she feels like when she can just be...a whole person... a woman, radiating her energy into the world. 

As this energy radiates from R-Evolution, we plan to reinforce and sustain it with the help from some of our sisters.  I plan to sculpt ten women of all different shapes, sizes, ethnicities, etc., in the R-Evolution pose (lifesize sketches) over the coming year and a half.  These sculptures will be cast in plaster to be displayed with R-Evolution at Burning Man and beyond.  Right here, right now we are offering the very first opportunity to be a part of R-Evolution as a perk for donation to this Indiegogo campaign.  If you are interested, please see perks for more information on this opportunity.

                     What the world will be like when women are safe.

My Inspiration

The story of R-Evolution and The Bliss Project began when I was 7-years old and my best friend was a 9-year old little girl.  One day I was told, in way too much detail for a little boy, that she had been raped right outside of my house.  It was incomprehensible, horrible, I never forgot, I never understood...it still haunts me.  I thought...that man couldn't have realized my friend was a person...if he really could see her, this wouldn't have happened.

I grew up in the Bay Area in the 60's and 70's, in the philosophical revolution and turbulence of those times.  I learned to deeply appreciate feminine energy, influence and strength…and realized that the objectification of women imprisoned women and also men.  I also saw first-hand that one person, or a small group of people, can start a movement that can make a difference and change the course of history.

In my 20s I discovered sculpting, and in particular, the joy of seeing and then sculpting women; of the healing energy and power that I saw when women were not afraid...when they could be present, when they could be themselves, speak their minds...and the heroism it takes to do this in the face of real danger in their daily lives.  For more than 25 years I have been sculpting women.  At first glance, they appear to be classical figurative nudes, but they are not.  They are radically modern...revolutionary.  These women are safe, present. Look at them. They have chosen their own expression, so you will see the actual woman, the person, her energy and spirit.  It is my intent that these sculptures exude this healing energy and inspire us to take action; to finally say enough is enough.

Watch this video about the Bliss Project:

The Bottom Line

Art can illuminate the human condition and be a catalyst to social change ...My hope is to expand human consciousness and inspire men and women to take action to end violence against women, beginning a healing process that will make room for women’s voices, thus allowing all of us to live fully and thrive! I am asking you to stand with us!

Thank you to everyone for the incredible support you have provided in the past, and to everyone who is considering supporting R-Evolution. There is just no way projects like this could happen without you!

Marco and the Bliss Dance Crew

Please Join Us in Making R-evolution a Reality, Donate Now, Spread the Word!

P.S.  We have some great perks, including pendants, mini-sculptures  - 6 inch versions - experiences., etc.  Plus, everyone get's a Together We Stand Wristband.  Check it out!

P.P.S We can't resist sharing a photo of Bliss Dance!  Visit her now on Treasure Island, San Francisco ; )