DrTikiWiki/EffigyProposal
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Burning Flipside 2008 Effigy Proposal
Dr. Tiki, the Hula Girl
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Description
Dr. Tiki, the Hula Girl, is an interactive sculpture whose design is based on ideas from the effigy charette held November 27, 2007 at the AAR LLC warehouse. The 2008 Flipside theme, "Dr. Tiki's Combustible Medicine Show", invokes visions of early modern science, steampunk, traveling snake oil acts, and the tiki culture of the pacific. Dr. Tiki, the Hula Girl explores these themes by combining the aesthetic of the tiki culture in its central anthropomorphic figure - the Hula Girl. Approaching Dr. Tiki, there is a perimeter consisting of 10 totem poles, within that is a circle of five "wagons" outside the base of her skirt. Our collective cultural imagination associates wagons with the traveling snake oil salesmen. When participants gets closer to Dr. Tiki, they will see that she is a giant steampunk machine. The participants won't just interact with Dr. Tiki, they will be able to control her. While controlling her, though, they will also be controlled, as very specific actions must be performed to cause Dr. Tiki to react. This exchange of control, in which those who are actively causing a reaction are forced to perform particular actions based on the structure with which they are engaging, explores the ways modern science can force us into structures of thought and action. There will be several different ways to turn the wheels that cause Dr. Tiki to move, but all the methods (each more complex than the last) will simply cause wheels to turn.
The base for the structure is composed of a series of platforms arranged in a spiral configuration. Each platforms supports has a network of gears and pulleys which take a user input (spinning a basic hand crank) to internal gear work which controls the movement of the dancer. The upper structure of the design is a marionette either made from wood or from copper (preferred) pending consult with safety team. The gears in the base will operate guy wires attached to the upper body of the dancer. The overall effect of the piece contrasts the rigid linearity and chaos of the gears with the smooth motion of the wispy marionette.
The overall illusion of the Dancer is somewhat goddess-like, representing society's incessant development of new technology to cure the ills of humanity. Each new technology simply finds an new way to do the same thing (turn the crank) without ever questioning why the wheels need to be turned to begin with.
The Structural Design
The central structure is a very simple series of platforms, much like last years ramps but much smaller. These are arranged radially around a center mast which will be used to control the "marionette", which consists of the upper torso, arms and head.
The Platforms:
Each Platform is shaped as a trapezoid to allow them to fit together quickly on site and allow participants to climb up into the Tiki Dancer. They will have handrails and be covered (loosely) by the dancer's skirt (bamboo).
The Central Mast:
The central mast will be braced within the spiral by twenty 4'x8' plates of gears which drive the marionette. The mast extends above this in the form a pipe which hold all the control cables. At the top of the central mast is a X connection which provide the mounts for the pulleys.
Last year we spent an unexpectedly large amount of the build time on building structural components with odd angles etc, which left us with little time for the refinements we wanted. We aim to remedy that this year by simplifying the core structure, allowing the bulk of build time to be spent on creating a honed and finished piece.
Operation of the Marionette
The fundamental interaction with the hula dancer is turning her cranks. Through a chain of gears & pulleys, every movement of each wheel will alter the position of the marionette. This is intended to be extremely convoluted, the participant knows his actions have consequence, it's just not entirely clear what these are. One must have faith that the technology will produce the desired results.
Functionally, the marionette will be controlled by a number of offset crankshafts at the top of the structure. As the shaft turns the amount of slack in the guy wire oscillates sinusoidally. This should give a natural smooth motion to the marionette. All the guy wires run through the central mast before breaking out at the apex and fanning out to the various appendages.
The marionette is suspended by thin guy wires to give a floating appearance. The appendages will be made from thin copper sheet, which makes the whole marionette assembly very light. The goal is to have an almost floating feeling to the body, like that of an ethereal goddess or spirit.
The Marble Machine
An aural effect omitted from the tiki dancer is created with the marble machine, which adds to the chaos of the whole apparatus. Two to three hundred 2.5" diameter wooden balls will roll through a maze of tracks, jumps, drops. These will make tons of racket and produce the effect immersion in chaos. The balls are recycled using a ball pump which returns balls back to the 20 ft rim, where they cycle back through the tracks.
The Gears
Wooden gears are a main component of this years proposal. They will be cut from either ply or MDF using templates available from www.woodgears.ca. We have had good luck with gears made from ply and think MDF will also work nicely. Individuals at church night will design, cut, assemble, test their drivetrains, letting more people be involved in the design of the product. You can see examples of wooden gears that Kaleb has been making at the warehouse.
The Totems
The central effigy will be encircled by ten 9' totems crafted from stacks of 3 iron industrial 50-gallon barrels. The typical barrel will be topped with a self-contained, gas-fed incendiary torch, providing ambient light enhancing the main field. The secondary barrel is reserved for visual effects equipment that may be coordinated to enhance the main burn. The lowest barrels serves as storage area for equipment, small-volume fuel, & ABC fire extinguishers. The stack will be plasma cut into totemic representations by individual or group artists. The designs in the stacks will be enhanced using the ropelight left over from last years effigy. Projections screens strung between the totems will be available for use by the community. Projections emanating from the effigy, visible to the outside of the ring, will add to the ethereal atmosphere. A ring of 10 totemics signify the flames of creativity that burn forth from our previous gatherings. Individual and groups will be asked to design and fabricate individual totemics (within specifications) instilling connectivity to the event as well as providing high-profile artistic diversity.
The Main Wagon
The central wagon for Dr. Tiki will be a 20' x 32' structure composed of 20 4'x8' platforms raised 1' off the ground. The wagon will reach 13' at its highest point. The structure will be bound by short 3' walls supporting large bamboo arches. These arches will be covered in muslin that has been painted by members of the community with various interpretations of the theme "Dr. Tiki's Medicine Show." The rear third of the structure, a 12' x 20' section, will be raised one foot higher than the rest of the structure's floor. This will serve as a stage for medium- and large-scale performances within the central wagon. This wagon can also serve as a large dance floor, an area for gathering, spontaneous activity, and a comfortable shade structure during the heat of the day.
Setup Plan
The design is modular to allow for easy setup. Almost all of the gears will be pre-mounted in frames which span axially from the spiral to the center mast, greatly simplifying setup.
- Platforms are layed out in spiral
- Gear frame mount axially inside the structure
- Center mast is erected
- Marionette is attached and raised.
- Setup Wagons and decorate with ball tracks/ extra gear /contraptions
Wish List
There are always additional things that we would like to do, but may not have the time or money. That said if we have the opportunity to do the following things we will:
- Spinning hula hoop
- Colored fire for the burn
- propane fire atop each totem
- Color changing lights inside the totems
Team
We anticipate enjoying the company, labor, and thirst of almost all of the core DaFT crew from Flipside 2007. We anticipate church nights to continue to be a source of new blood, inspiration, and learning for all. We do our best to nourish this critical portion of our outreach, and spread empowerment both within and outside the build.
LNT Plan
We project clean up running much like last year. Ashes will be removed using metal barrels, and magnetic rakes will be employed. We would like to use a roto-tiller again to restore the earth to an optimal condition and to facilitate wild grass plantings after the event. We can pull from experienced community members to assist with LNT.
Inspiration
For more inspiration please visit the you tube links given here. Listen to the sound of the machines, the cacophony, the chaos. Imagine this on the scale of an effigy. Imagine being immersed within the machine. It could really be stunning.
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