UPDATE:

Hey Everyone,

We want to thank you again for supporting our Carousel Project.  We apologize for the length of time it took for us to get out this update and appreciate your patience.  We are currently working to complete all of the pieces for the project and will be sending a complete update in a few weeks letting everybody know exactly when you can expect product from us.  

Thank you again and we will be in touch soon.

Please feel free to contact us via email with any questions....

Best,

Shorebird

What is Project Carousel?

Project Carousel a multimedia initiative to raise, much needed funding and awareness for the Looff Carousel at Crescent Park in East Providence, Rhode Island. We have put together a dream team of our friends to create a series of art that will truly honor the history of Charles I.D. Looff and his showcase carousel. This includes: illustrated visual art by award winning (multiple Caldecott, MacArthur Fellowship, etc,) author and illustrator David Macaulay, multiple albums (12" collections of songs that are being exclusively written for this project) by Volcano Choir, the amazing Mark Kozelek (Red House Painters, Sun Kil Moon), unreleased music by the late great Jason Molina (Songs: Ohia, Magnolia Electric Company – curated by Chris Swanson, founding partner at Secretly Canadian), and our inaugural short film here at Shorebird. These collections are limited to 3500 copies each and are only available through this indiegogo campaign. Once they're gone, they're gone. 

BUYERS OUTSIDE THE US: please add $10 to your order for shipping. 

What is Shorebird?

Shorebird was launched by two die-hard music and visual art fans with a shared vision and love of telling/sharing stories through music and film. Our purpose is to serve as an outlet for the release of, what we believe to be, meaningful multi-media works that combine film, fine art, and original musical scores into one beautiful package.  As a film and music label, we aim to allow creative freedom and the ability to dream and grow in an environment that is both supportive and progressive.

Why?

A letter from project producer David Silva at Shorebird:

The Crescent Park carousel is a very special place to not only me but to the thousands of people that have enjoyed the ride over the last 120 years.  The carousel was built in 1895 by Charles l.D. Looff.  Looff's story in itself is an inspiration and truly is an example of how anything is possible when one sets their mind to it – it is one worth sharing.  Born in Denmark in 1852, Looff immigrated to the United States at the age of 18. Settling down in Brooklyn, New York, Looff worked by day as a carver for a furniture factory. By night he would transform scrap wood, from the factory, into these magical carousel animals. These initial figures eventually became Coney Island's first carousel. Looff went on to become one of the worlds most notable carousel builders, completing close to 100 before his death in 1918 – all five of his children worked for him, with one of his sons becoming a notable rollercoaster designer. After being pushed from his land in Brooklyn by the New York State Government, Looff moved to East Providence, Rhode Island, where he setup shop on the site of his carousel at, the widely known, Crescent Park. This carousel, was one of his largest and most elaborate, and eventually became his showpiece for prospective buyers – it is the only Looff carousel remaining today in its original building with the original organ.

Crescent Part for me represents so much more than an amusement.  I enjoyed the carousel as a little boy and was recently reintroduced to its magic when my own children were born (Ruby, who is 1, and Mia, who is now 4).  To look at the carousel from the eyes of a child again was quite a moving experience for me.  This project came about for multiple reasons.  One was a desire to help restore this nationally registered historic landmark so future generations can enjoy it (these will not last forever and the carousel is in serious need of help).  The second is that after working nearly two decades in the arts as what I call the grease between the artist and fan (in both a label capacity and as a publicist), as an artist myself, I have been longing to have a piece of myself in a project – a cathartic experience if you will.  With the help of my colleagues (notably Ed Vail, David Macaulay, Chris Swanson and Brendan Harney) we put together an amazing collection of work from some of my favorite artists that by itself, is well worth the support (especially to the many fans of these artists).  IF you add the fact that the support will help raise awareness and restoration to restore the magic for future generations, it seemed like something that we would be crazy not to do.

The project series that is only available here and limited to just 3500 copies each, come with a set of illustrations by David Macaulay with a 12" collection of exclusive songs from each artists and serves as the first part in a two part experience leading up to the film, which is called "Sixty Two Horses".  Each will focus on one of the three intrinsic aspects of the carousel experience: light, sound, and motion.  Again, these are only available here and will not be available in stores anywhere – ever.

We appreciate your support.

Thank you,

David Silva

What will the money be used for?

All profits from this campaign will be split 50/50 between carousel restoration and the production of our film, Sixty-Two Horses.

Carousel Restoration:

Over the last 120 years, the carousel at Crescent Park has been enjoyed by millions of people. Many came as children and then returned years later with their own children, to share with them the magic that Looff left by the sea. But, years of rough love have worn the carousel down and it is finally beginning to show it’s age. As a National Historic Landmark, there are very high standards that must be upheld in any and all restoration work (this specialized work gets very expensive) and with a starting yearly budget of only $40k, the City of East Providence’s Carousel Commission is not capable of making many of the repairs that are necessary to bring the carousel completely back to it’s former glory. Our goal with Project Carousel is to make sure that this masterpiece will be able to be enjoyed for at least another 120 years, but this can only happen with YOUR help.

Did you know?

The starting cost of repairing a single Looff horse is anywhere from $2500 to $4500?

There are 345 light bulbs on and around the carousel. These need to be replaced regularly. 

The Carousel is the only one in the country that it still in the original building that was constructed to house it. Regulations by the National Historic Registry require specially licensed persons to do and and all painting. The Carousel has been quoted at over $70,000 to paint just the building!

The Film

The emotional context of Sixty-Two Horses is focused around the innocence of childhood and the fleetingness that we grow to acknowledge as adults. It's a story that's supposed to be experienced through each viewer’s own personal lens and extract those memories that they cling to as they continue their journey through life. We consider the carousel an orrery of life, a tangible representation of the story who's first words are written with every new birth. We step onto the platform and we associate ourselves with a creature that we find awe in, we look up to it, then the platform begins to spin and your idol begins to go up and then down. There's no way to get off, you're moving too fast, so you surrender to it, and you love it. This is that story. Life is an amusement, as much as our daily struggles may try to convince us differently. 

As children we look through kaleidoscope eyes (I forget who coined that), everything is wondrous and colorful and one beautiful thing can be manipulated into countless other beautiful realities. For many, growing older means the colors begin to fade and they are left with an out of focus picture of what they used to see magic in. The music becomes noise and the motion becomes sickening. This story is our chance to give those people the chance to grab the brass ring and win another ride and to see the colors and hear the music. 

If you're ever feeling lost, just go and find yourself at the carousel. 

Films are not cheap to make and the Shorebird team has already put a lot of private money into making this film because we really see the magic in it. We need your help to pay for cast, crew, and equipment. Our team has years of experience in indie music and film and know how to get the most of out a small budget. 

What you get!

We have put together a very special exclusive collection as a thank you for your generous support to this project.  The illustration series will only be available here and will not be available anywhere else for purchase.  The series will come with a set of illustrations by David Macaulay that are paired with a collection of songs on, limited hand numbered, 12" vinyl with a digital download card of the music.  These come beautifully packaged and each will focus on one of the three intrinsic aspects of the carousel experience: light, sound, and motion. 

About David Macaulay:

"Macaulay sees the world with a writer's grace, but with an engineer's clarity." —The New York Times

"There is a sense of wonder in David Macaulay's work. It's fresh and genuine." —The Washington Post

"What David Macaulay draws—churches, cities, pyramids—he draws better than any other pen-and-ink illustrator in the world." —Time magazine

Macaulay is perhaps best known for the award-winning international bestseller The Way Things Work, which was expanded and updated and renamed The New Way Things Work. This brilliant and highly accessible guide to the workings of machines was dubbed "a superb achievement" by the New York Times and became a New York Times bestseller.

David Macaulay's detailed illustrations and sly humor have earned him fans of all ages. His books have sold millions copies in the United States alone, and his work has been translated into a dozen languages. His many awards include the Caldecott Medal and Honor Awards, the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, the Christopher Award, and the Washington Post–Children's Book Guild Nonfiction Award. He was a two-time nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Award and received the Bradford Washburn Award, presented by the Museum of Science in Boston to an outstanding contributor to science.

Recently he was awarded a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship, given "to encourage people of outstanding talent to pursue their own creative, intellectual, and professional inclinations." As "an individual of distinction in the field of children's literature," Macaulay delivered the esteemed May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture, an honor bestowed on him by the American Library Association. David Macaulay lives with his family in Vermont.

THE PACKAGES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

"Sound" – illustrations by David Macaulay and music by Volcano Choir (limited to 3500 hand numbered copies): 

The aural experience derived from a carousel is by far one of the most memorable and thematic. The Andreas Ruth und Sohn Style 38 band organ that accompanies the Crescent Park Carousel is no exception. In fact, after multiple noise complaints, several ranks of pipes from the organ had to be removed (this is one powerful instrument).  This series of illustration will breakdown the organ and how it works in a way that only David Macaulay can do.  The music will be a collection of songs by Volcano Choir exclusively written and recorded for this project!  The package will be beautifully packaged in a custom gatefold that houses the illustrations and the vinyl.  The 12" vinyl will come in various colors depending on the package that you choose and will be pressed on high quality vinyl and hand numbered.  Each package will also come with a full digital album download.  Thanks to the fine folks at JagJaguwar, we also have a limited version LP of Volcano Choir's "Unmap" (which received the coveted "Best New Music" by Pitchfork) pressed on 180 Gram white vinyl – this is limited to 1000 copies and is a Project Carousel exclusive.

"Light"- illustrations by David Macaulay and music by Mark Kozelek of Sun Kil Moon (limited to 3500 hand numbered copies):

In a time when electricity was not the norm, Looff had to develop a structure that could harness the power of nature to add to the magic of the carousel. The light illustrations will deconstruct the structure that Looff strategically built to house his showcase carousel.  The music will be a collection of songs by Mark Kozelek exclusively written and recorded for this project!  The package will be beautifully packaged in a custom gatefold that houses the illustrations and the vinyl.  The 12" vinyl will come in various colors depending on the package that you choose and will be pressed on high quality vinyl and hand numbered.  Each package will also come with a full digital album download.

"Motion" - illustrations by David Macaulay and music by Jason Molina of Songs: Ohia (limited to 3500 hand numbered copies):

The most obvious piece of the carousel experience is motion. A carousel is able to take riders, of any age, on a journey that returns them to reality in a different place than where they left it. These illustrations will deconstruct the mechanisms that, ultimately, make the carousel the experience that riders expect.  The music will be a collection of unreleased songs by the late Jason Molina exclusively being released for this project! This is very special and we would like to thank Chris Swanson at Secretly Canadian and Jason's widow Darcie for making this happen for us and for allowing this to happen.  The package will be beautifully packaged in a custom gatefold that houses the illustrations and the vinyl.  The 12" vinyl will come in various colors depending on the package that you choose and will be pressed on high quality vinyl and hand numbered.  Each package will also come with a full digital album download.  As a special treat, this package will also come with a 7" vinyl LP pressed on green vinyl with Jason performing two Townes Van Zandt tracks (these are also unreleased).

These collections are only available through this Indiegogo campaign and will not be available anywhere else, ever!

Shipping: 

Shipping is included for all perks BUT if you are ordering from outside the United States, please add $10 for the extra postage cost. 

All donors will be added to the list of thank you's on projectcarousel.com and will receive regular updates on the status of the project as it progresses. 

videos by: Paul Chiera

video music by: Wheat