WORK STARTED ON THE TOWER

Beautiful warm winter day so I started work on the tower. Welded the top frame and cut the plywood platform and brazed the central tube to hold the spire. Gotta say that new welder is so sweet (yeah, it's  guy thing...). 

So now the whole top platform is in my living room so I can add the bearings and motors for the starfields. Still winter so this will be something to do when it's snowing outside.

SUPPORTING THE TOWER OF TRANSFORMATION

In the past our friends have been very generous in supporting this insanity through gifts of of their time and hard earned money. Last time Burning Man gave us free entry tickets and we made the short list for getting a grant. 


This year I will again be submitting a grant proposal in hopes of Burning Man funding a substantial amount of the costs. In the meantime here's a way to contribute via PayPal:

NEW IMAGES

Here is a view of the Tower at night as well as  couple of construction sketches.

WEB SITE LAUNCHED!

Check out the my new web site:


www.toweroftransformation.info


Lots more info and photos there!

Here we go again!

Hey Kidz!


I'm back with more Burning Man craziness. This time with a 36 foot high steel and fabric installation called the Tower of Transformation. This year's art theme is "Rites of Passage" and my contribution represents the passage from the contracted world of limitations to the expanding world of possibilities. The base of the sculpture contracts inward and is covered with battered armor plating which represents our defenses, and rusty chains that bind us in self-doubt and self-censure. The top is a perfect lotus blossom that opens outward representing pure potential and possibilities.



Visitors to the Tower of Transformation will be able to enter the base chamber and climb a chain ladder to a platform. There they can choose to ascend the hyperboloid structure, climbing through a narrow passage and entering the top through an opening in the top platform. At night, the Tower base will be lit with dark red flood lights. The hyperboloid tower rings will have ascending, sequenced rope lights that will lead the eye upward to the top where the lotus petals will surround visitors. At the top, the central spire will have hundreds of counter-rotating LED lights and ascending chasing light ribs that represent pure creative potential. Viewed from a distance, the top lotus blossom and the central spire will appear to float above the playa. 


Cool, huh? Well, it must not be too crazy because already five people have volunteered to help set up on  the playa! And several people have expressed an interest in helping with sewing, painting and welding. That's the fun thing about these projects: bringing people together with a shared creative vision.


Stay tuned for more updates soon. The web site will launch soon and I'll post some more photos here too. And if you're interested in going to the event, tickets go on sale tomorrow (Weds. Jan. 19th).


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Joe