Here is my latest deployment of the “Illuminations”. They were hung under a corrugated awning in the backyard of Sancho Gallery in Echo Park, Los Angeles for the “Dark Echo Park” show. The space was approximately 10′ x 15′ and seven of the Illuminations were hung by fishing line so that they appeared to float in space.
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This show also included seven of my original paintings that were displayed thusly:
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This is a photo of the award, certificate and medallion, that was presented to me by the “Necklace Factory” at Burning Man 2010 in recognition of my “Illuminations” installation at the Festival.
On the night before the Burning Man festival I was introduced to the folks at the Black Rock City Post Office (they are a real post office with a USPS cancellation stamp that sends and receives mail at Burning Man!). My assistant, Damo, had made friends with them over the course of several days we had spent putting the installation together. After making their acquaintance they came as a group to see my installation, and then after a brief while they began to say to me, “We want you to come into our tent for something. It will only take two minutes, and then it will last for eight minutes after that.” I was quite apprehensive about this invitation and kept deferring. I suspected that they wanted to give me DMT to smoke, since it sounded like they were describing the short acting hallucinogen’s effects, and I was not in the mood for taking a powerful drug like that. They kept persisting, however, and so I acquiesced at last.
They brought me into a teepee like tent of modest size that was well appointed with oriental rugs, embroidered cushions, antique trunks, and other quaint furnishings that seemed to evoke Sir Richard Burton’s lodgings on an expedition to Arabia. I thought the DMT pipe was to be produced at any moment, and was nervous, and so it was to my great relief that they produced an award for me (pictured above).
My understanding is that the Post Office’s legacy is intertwined with something called the Necklace Factory that provided people the facilities to make necklaces to exchange as gifts at Burning Man. At some point the Necklace Factory started giving awards to their favorite artists at Burning Man. Every year they create a different certificate and medallion and present it to artists. The award I received was 173 out of 350. Damo also received one for helping me with my project. Since many Burning Man projects involve large numbers of collaborators, potentially many awards are given to single projects.
I am very honored to receive the award. It is in fact the first award or prize of any kind I have received since I won an art contest when I was in high school – 25 years ago.
The Illuminations by night
The Illuminations show for Burning Man was a real challenge for me to produce. It seemed that I was besieged with setbacks and insecurities of every kind, yet throughout the project friends, collaborators, and associates came through for me with great support and/or excellent work.
This page is to thank and credit all those people:
Printing:
Dynamite Digital (Large Vinyl Prints)
Boon Peng/ Mach Print Go Go Go (Acrylic mounted Illuminations)
Frames:
Construction/Rigging:
James “DAMO” Coldsnow
P.K.
Financial Support:
Fred Adler
Micah “Micxz” Love
Dale Ice
Dean Mermell
Publicity:
Rebecca “Sugarbunni” Lippert
Jacquelene Sena
I also wish to thank individuals within the Burning Man for making the show possible:
Center Camp Cafe’ Administration:
Marcia Crosby (Cafe’ Director)
Jonesy Jones (Cafe’ Art Curator)
Cafe’ Crew:
Cory
Helen
Merritt
Jimmy
Apollo
Moral Support:
Larry Harvey
Michael “Flash” Hopkins
Lady K & General Purpose and the BRC Post Office Crew
Nome & Ina
Brother Peter
Last but not least I thank members of my family for their assistance and endless patience with and interest in my effort:
My wife:
April Lelia Naftalin
My mother:
Kathryn Ballentine Shepherd
My Step-father:
“Illuminations” hanging in the Center Camp Cafe at Burning Man 2010
This is documentation of my installation of “Illuminations” at Burning Man’s “Center Camp Cafe”. The Cafe’ is one of the primary “institutions” of the Burning Man Art Festival. Located in the center of “Center Camp” it is at the heart of the event. The structure of the cafe‘ is a 250′ diameter dome that stands 20′ tall at it’s apex. This spacious shelter anchors the western end of the “Promenade”, and as such sits on an axis with the effigy of “The Man” (see map). In addition to serving coffee, the Cafe’ displays an extensive art exhibition of paintings and sculptures, also there are two stages hosting a continuous cavalcade of music; theater; and poetry. Not only that but Cafe’ society endlessly amuses itself with juggling, acrobatics, massage, and body painting. It’s a very popular spot!
View of the Cafe’ taken from the towering pedestal where the effigy of the Burning Man was mounted (the Cafe’ is the sprawling dome in the center of the photo).
As can be seen in the photos in this blog post, the paintings were hung between the posts that support the Cafe’ dome. This was a placement of ultimate prominence at the festival and I venture to guess that nearly everyone who attended the festival this year saw the work. Many people assumed that these were original paintings due to the high quality of the printing, however these were actually framed double sided large format prints on vinyl (standard advertising material). I chose vinyl for it’s light weight and translucency since I needed something that would emit light through both sides, and not be too heavy. The frames were essential to give people the sense of looking at paintings instead of . . . um . . . “banners”. These were hung at precisely the point where the dome’s tension cables connect to the posts (8′) so that the artwork integrated harmoniously with the dome’s architecture.
A total of six paintings were displayed in the show:
Additionally a set of smaller Illuminations framed and mounted on acrylic sheets were mounted along the perimeter of the dome as decorations in the dome’s alcoves (photos forthcoming).
Many people were crucial in making this exhibit possible. I am thanking them here.
Here are a couple of panoramic photo-montages of the installation:
Below are a series of photo galleries showing the exhibition during different events and conditions at the cafe’:
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“Illuminations” in the Cafe by day. Notice sunlight illuminating the prints as it streams through the oculus of the dome.
Nighttime photos of the installations
More night photos. These photos show the ambience of the cafe’ during various performances.
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These are photos of an aerialist suspended from the structure of the cafe’. Unfortunately, I do not know the acrobat’s name, but I am pleased to show her performing in conjunction with my art display.
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These photos show the Illuminations in the midst of a waning dust storm with dramatic effects of light and atmosphere.
If you have more or better photos of the pieces and the exhibit please contact me.
Drawing showing placement of the prints between the posts of the Cafe’ dome’s central structure.
A little more info about this on my calendar page.
A sign-maker might call describe an “Illumination” as a double-sided light-box using LED light strips to edge-light an acrylic sheet and to illuminate back-lit print media.
What that means is that there are strips of high intensity, low wattage LED lights mounted in the frames. These strips abut the edges of the acrylic sheet that the frame is holding. The acrylic transmits the light through its surface. Adhered to this surface is an inkjet print of the painting that has been made on media specially manufactured for backlighting. This media picks up the light from the surface of the Acrylic and radiates it outward.
It is a simple effect, but it is dependent on an array of sophisticated technologies: LED light, Acrylic Sheeting, Inkjet Printing, Synthetic Fabric.
If you are interested in purchasing an Illumination please contact me. I will make them to order.
The Illumination series is comprised of images from my current oil paintings. The Illumination series shown above are what I call “Medium Illuminations”. These are on average about 2′ x 3′, and are modest enlargements of my small paintings. The “Medium Illuminations” are a limited edition series of 25 each painting. Each one comes with a notarized certificate. The cost is $1800.
In essence what you are getting is two prints in a custom gilded frame. The prints light up on both sides. The quality of the inkjet printing is exquisite.
This video shows the installation of my “Illuminations.” The illuminations are a series of prints that are “self-illuminated.” This installation of the complete series (to date) was recently exhibited at “Finder’s Creepers” gallery in Des Moines, Iowa. The Illuminations hung in the center of an 18′ x 25′ gallery room located in a windowless basement. The only sources of light were the artworks themselves. Unlike ordinary painting exhibits where the work hangs on the walls, the Illuminations hang in the center of the room and can be viewed from both sides. To shoot this video I used a steadicam to create the impression of walking around in the exhibit and viewing the works from different angles.
Panoramic photomontage of the “Illuminations” installation hanging in Finder’s Creepers.
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Above are more images from the Des Moines show.
Displaying my work in this way breaks up the typical gallery routine. The division of space and the dark environment discourage viewers from crowding in the center of the gallery to socialize while neglecting the art. In the Illuminations installation the viewers attention is dominated by the art – it cannot be ignored.
We are conditioned to look at glowing pictures. Televisions, computer monitors, billboards, and more naturally draw our attention. Presumably it is behavior that goes back as far as the human use of fire, i.e.; it has always been irresistibly fascinating to stare into the fire. The Illuminations mesmerize people to stare into an alternate, glowing world of mythic satire. People say they have never seen anything like it, but actually they see it all the time, but always in a commercial context. Fast food restaurants, airports, bus-stops, and more are aglow with “light boxes” – a staple of the sign-making trade. My “Illuminations” are an application of a commercial signage technique to a fine art purpose, however the change in context is so profound that people do not recognize it for what it is – a standard signage technique reinvented. Because of this appropriation of an advertising technique I consider the work to be “Pop”, that is to say, fine art that uses an advertising technique. Yet, it also partakes of a stained glass like quality, in so much as the Illuminations are like glowing windows, and in this way they invoke a sacred atmosphere. The ambiance is that of the hinterland between the sacred and profane, an effect that I would call “Crassicism”, i.e.; something that is at once “classical” and “popular”.
Illumination of “Chemical Imbalance” in the window of “Gallery13″ in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The above picture shows a different deployment of an Illumination. In this case “Chemical Imbalance“, was included in a group show at Minneapolis’s “Gallery 13″. Display in the window took advantage of the Illumination’s stained glass like characteristic, and also acted as night-time signage for the gallery.
The photo above shows the Illumination from within the gallery. Afternoon sun is lighting up the print from behind. Back-lighting the Illumination in this way creates deep, saturated colors reminiscent of a black velvet painting. In these photos from Gallery13 you can clearly see the frames. The frames are custom milled and gilded with variegated metal leaf.
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