Category: Art news
Flipside 2018 Art Spotlight: Glass Cascade
1. What inspired you to create this art?
I have been doing mosaic stained glass art off and on for almost 15 years. I got into it in college when I moved into a house where the previous occupant left me a giant box of glass cuttings. I tried the Tiffany style copper foil method, but it involved way too much planning. I then started making tables and lamps that were built organically–often based on the shapes of the materials or patterns in the glass/stone. In the last few years, I’ve also gotten into programmable LEDs run on Arduino using the FastLED library. I’ve never combined the two hobbies before, and this seemed like a good time to try it out. I also have some sweet glow in the dark rock that I’ve been looking to use.
2. What do you hope people get out of your piece?
I hope they enjoy it at all different light levels. My hope is that it will have a wholly different feel during the daytime and at night. Who knows how it will ultimately turn out, but my plan is to use mostly opaque glass with lots of reflective nooks and crannies to have the max enjoyment during the day when it isn’t backlit. I’m then hoping to focus the led lights on creating movement in the ungrouted negative space between the tesserae (fancy word for the individual pieces that make up a mosaic). Also, I have intentionally shown next to nothing in the teaser. That little sun will be there though. For the rest of the image, there will be a waterfall/river cascading down on a left to right diagonal across the window. It will end in a pond of glow in the dark rocks. The top right third will have a mostly pink sunset with some wispy clouds. The bottom left third will be some sort of forest, most likely one that is on fire.
3. Are there any stories/lessons learned that came out of the creation of this piece? (For example, I learned not to wear flipflops when using a wood router.)
It is incredibly hard to find time to do this stuff when you have small children. Especially when you don’t have an easy work area where it’s ok to have tiny shards of glass all over the place. I’ve still got a long way to go before finishing, but I think I will appreciate the limitations in scope I placed on this project. I’m not trying to get fancy, I’m just trying to get done.
Flipside 2018 Art Spotlight: The Very Small Effigy
Hi this is Chickenmoon talking about wee burn and The Very Small Effigy.
I really love the way imagination, play, and general ridiculousness thrives at Flipside. I get so much joy at seeing people doing their thing, together, it’s amazing. Wanting to make basically a I-love-you-so-much-Flipside valentine back to the community led to a last minute idea… making Wee Camp, which came out two years ago as an unofficial piece. Much love and gratitude to Glam for letting our small first silliness happen by them!
The Very Small Effigy idea came out of Wee Camp thinking about events we could offer to the community, as a legit theme camp. In SF I’d seen the incredible sculptures the artist Scott Weaver makes out of toothpicks… and laughed out loud at the idea of Wee Camp using toothpicks to build a Very Small Effigy. Which we’d need to then burn, obviously. Registering last year’s unicorn sculpture as burnable art was immediately hilarious, safety felt like our project was obviously going to be pretty safe (“if it’s not going to be more than two feet tall. Is it?”) and while I’ll leave the details to those that were there the Very Small effigy burn had some amazing support and I think we shared a hilarious and beautiful thing. To thank the folks involved would give too much away in case this year will be your first wee burn but they know who they are and I think we’re all still laughing. Omg. THANK YOU.Something I learned… wow, the power of community. Making a crazy thing that is completely accepted and loved by this community is an amazing experience. This is for everyone. Wee love you.
Wee burn is back again, Saturday night at midnight, in the road in front of Wee Camp. This year wee burn the shadow!
Flipside 2018 Art Spotlight: Bunnies Dream of Synesthesia
1. What inspired you to create this art?
The project started from a desire to create a recognizable landmark to help me find my way home. Along the way, it has evolved into something more interactive by watching how people experience the piece. At the end of the day, though, I love when light and sound harmonize and hope I’ve created a canvas that attracts other visual and sound artists to come create.
2. What do you hope people get out of your piece?
For me, I’m constantly amazed by the possibilities available to an artist with our current technologies. However, to the casual visitor, I hope they gain a sense of wonder and joy, and that the piece becomes a piece they want to return to to see what happens next; whether they simply walk by and watch all the colors dance around or they step inside to be transported away for a moment as their senses are enveloped by the display.
3. Are there any stories/lessons learned that came out of the creation of this piece?
I’ve learned that there’s no such thing as starting a project too early, but I’m working hardest on accepting when something is “good enough” that I can move on to the next task. I’ve also found that no matter what you intend to be the function of your piece, if you want to discover the best way to interact with it, watch a 6 year old experience it for the first time – and do what they do.
Get Yourself on Island Time
Not to be missed, The Island is only across the bridge or down the river path, but occupies a parallel universe.
Hosting a gallery of Flipizen’s art, shady spots, and cool(er) breezes off the river, The Island is worth repeat visits to discover the scope of the Art and the variety of experiences they offer.
Come check it out, and find a chill spot, out of the swirl of Flipside. And, if the Art gets you all worked up, one of our favorite beaches is just down the path! It’s a win, win!
Got questions? Contact JadeRumour, aka Jane Clarke, ameliasretrovogue@gmail.com
We looking forward to hearing from you!
Flipside 2018 Art Spotlight: Pretty Perilous
Hi! I’m Ste. Michelle, Patron Saint of the most dangerous, small, stationary, art project that doesn’t involve fire, Pretty Perilous.
It all started by my strong desire to gift a village at Burning Man with something heartfelt, but also terribly dangerous for no good reason: a bunch of uncapped rebar (it was going to be labeled “Rebar Garden” and just appear overnight). That didn’t happen because I over booked myself to my first big burn, so for year two I decided I should make it pretty, by attaching jagged edged cut metal flowers to the rebar. And someone in that village wanted to create a safe space that was stupidly dangerous to get to, and so we worked together and it would have been great if we had our shit together, but we didn’t, so it was merely mildly amusing.
THEN, Misty said she wanted a Metal Garden, and I was all, I’ve got a dozen metal flowers on rebar that I would like to actually install somewhere, and where better than Flipside’s 20th year. So, kismet.
What I most want people to get out of the art is not tetanus, not impalement on uncapped rebar, and not arterial spray from the sharp edges of the flowers. A girl can dream.
During the nearly three year process of getting this art installed somewhere, I’ve learned the same lesson I always learn at burns, you can’t really schedule stuff at burns that involves someone else. So if you want something to happen, bring everything you need to do your shit, even if they don’t show up. Also, that copper is pretty flexible, but it’s not as flexible as paper, so making a copper whirly gig is virtually impossible without actual real instructions from somewhere, and maybe better tools than I have.
Flipside 2018 Art Spotlight: Crank Baby
The Art Spotlight is intended to highlight our community’s artists and provide a tease for the pieces they are bringing to the event. The countdown to Flipside is on! Start getting excited about the ART!
Mitch ‘Giraffe’ Hoffman – Crank Baby
1. What inspired you to create this art?
This piece has been bouncing around my mind for a few years now, and it seemed like the time! I love bicycles, mechanical shit, loud dissonant noises, and interactive art! Crank Baby is the fusion of these things.
2. What do you hope people get out of your piece?
Laughter and satisfaction!
3. Are there any stories/lessons learned that came out of the creation of this piece? (For example, I learned not to wear flipflops when using a wood router.)
When consulting experts in machining and high-tolerance moving parts, I learned that there isn’t much crossover between the art world and the industrial world! I’d love to change that!
Also, 7/16″ is not actually that close to 1/2″.
KFLiP DJ sign-up is NOW!
Broadcasting to our dozens of fans for over 10 years now, KFLiP offers a bewildering mix of music and news from our own camp DJs and the community at large! This year, broadcasting in stereo! Come by our monkey hut for some homebrew and spread your pearls of wisdom and colorful language with your own PSA, or better yet sign up for a DJ slot and inflict your eclectic tastes on everyone too lazy to change the station.
Also new this year, extended broadcast hours! Slots from 8am to 3am are available. If you want something in the dead of night, let me know; we can probably work something out. Want to perform live? No problem. Got a band? We love it when bands play live on the radio! If you want to DJ, best sign up now. Slots usually book up completely before we get out to the grassy playa.
Sign up here:
https://sites.google.com/a/moldybison.com/k-flip-radio/
If you can’t make it, let us know as soon as possible so we can find someone else to take your slot.
We look forward to celebrating over ten years of light jazz and darkcore with you. And everything in between!
Barbie Goes to Flipside, the Screenplay
All vehicles (golf cart, modified lawn mower, Fisher-Price Jeeps, etc.) must meet Mutant Standards to be licensed for usage at Flipside! Here’s the link to the Mutant Vehicle Details to see if your vehicle meets those standards. Register your art car before the event, and we’ll let you know if your ideas are Mutant Vehicle worthy, before you spend your time, money, effort, etc. If it’s not 100% human powered, Register it.
Still here? Okay, uh, here’s a screenplay I’ve been working on.
Barbie Goes to Flipside, the Screenplay
INT. TOY STORE
The pinkest, most Barbie centric aisle in the toy store. Barbie is there, soaking wet, washing her car. Enter Ken, sauntering in a Ken-like fashion.
KEN
Hey, Barbie, whacha doing?
BARBIE
Breaking the cell membranes open to expose the DNA along with the cytoplasm. It’s like the first step in sequencing DNA.
KEN
It, uh, looks like you’re washing your car.
BARBIE
Nothing gets past you Ken, does it? I’m getting ready for Flipside. I’m bring my new art car this year.
KEN
Cool. Cool. It’s, uh, just a toy, though right?
BARBIE
It was a toy, once, Ken. But me and Skipper pulled her apart and upgraded her brushless motor, upgraded her battery pack to triple the horsepower, changed the wheels out to get better traction, and now I can almost fly.
KEN
That… doesn’t sound very safe, Barbie.
BARBIE
It’s not supposed to be safe, Ken. It’s supposed to be fun.
Lights fade on the toy aisle as Ken and Barbie freeze. An overhead spot light appears and Buzz Lightyear walks in from off screen.
BUZZ
Kids, I know it seems like Barbie is really cool and Ken is a kind of a stick in the mud, but, remember, all cars, even Barbie Dream Cars, need to be registered and inspected to ensure they meet safety and mutant vehicle standards at the DMV at Flipside.
INT. A MODERN HOUSE. BEDROOM
The master bedroom of a house with a king sized bed. A family sleep soundly in the bed. A small female child with curly hair sleeps between the two adults with her right leg shoved awkwardly into the back of the mother, who is wearing a dinosaur onesie. The child flails her left arm into the face of the father (Bustin), a middle aged man with short dark hair peeking out of the crumpled cowboy hat, and full shaggy beard.
BUSTIN
(quietly to not wake anyone) Ooof. Oh, sweetie, when did you crawl in here?
What a weird dream. I should probably write that Flame article about modded toy cars at Flipside.
Lights fade in the bedroom as Bustin look around confused. An overhead spot light appears and Buzz Lightyear walks in from off screen.
BUZZ
But what Bustin didn’t know, is that he was still asleep. Or, perhaps, this is reality.
BUSTIN
Yeah, I think we shouldn’t watch Toy Story for a bit.
For reals, though. If you are bringing any device that you plan to use to get around Flipside that isn’t human 100% powered, it needs to get inspected by the Department of Mutant Vehicles. Registering before the event allows us to get you important information about your specific Mutant Vehicle, and if you need to do anything extra to pass inspection (before you arrive and can’t do anything.)
Register here: https://secure.burningflipside.com/register/
DaFT: Ways to Participate Before, During, and After Flipside
photo courtesy of stephy
Participate: Effigy Build
The Effigy is the centerpiece of Burning Flipside. Beginning in February, countless volunteers meet up several times a week at the warehouse and work tirelessly to make the largest single art piece at the event a reality. There are opportunities well before the event, at the event, and after the event to be a part of something truly magical.
photo courtesy of sparrow
But first…
What is DaFT?
The Design and Fabrication Team. They make stuff.
photo courtesy of sparrow
Gimme Some: How to be DaFT
You don’t need to be a professional builder to be on DaFT. Heck, you don’t need to have any skills from the before times- you’ll learn. No matter your previous experience, DaFT would love to have you. Learn some stuff, share your own experience, make some friends- it’s all good stuff.
photo courtesy of stephy
How to Help Now
DaFTies have been hard at it for months and continue to welcome more hands. Remember- this is the ultimate community art piece! More hands, more better. Don’t live in Austin but you’ll be at the event? Rock on- email daft18@burningflipside.com and help build onsite. They will be GRATEFUL. It’s hard to work for months on an effigy in the warehouse, tear down for transport, transport, and rebuild on site, and clean up post burn. Fresh blood is encouraged!
You know you want to be part of the evolution of the Effigy!
photo courtesy of stephy
How Else Can You Participate?
DAFT-LIVE
Be a part of a most epic project. DaFT could use some individuals and camps to work with to make some awesome happen.
This year DaFT will be attempting to create an interactive experience using the inexpensive, most overstocked material at Flipside: interesting people!. It will consist of a narrative which revolves around the underworld connecting to the mortal one for a brief period, and the dead using it as a means to communicate wisdom to us through experiences and quests. There’s a collaborative effort currently happening to create lore, characters, and quests in the effigy, but we also need some help from the community including THEME CAMPS.
So if you’re a person who feels up to channeling wisdom and sending people on quests, or are a THEME CAMP that would be willing to hold some tokens and respond to some keywords, please contact us using the following (quick and painless!) form:
https://goo.gl/forms/yD5vUiFIqQjVjt6G2
Today is a great day to DaFT: it’s an amazing way to participate. Email daft18@burningflipside.com
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