The Coliseum
Installation
1999-2000
I was asked by the curators of BM to create
the perimeter for a Roman coliseum concept, which would be placed in close
proximity to the Man.
The obvious was a stadium of seating of some kind to watch the games. I found
that creative solution to be more of engineering feet than artistic expression,
so considering I had four months to build the coliseum, I designed a circular
plan.
A 100 ft. perimeter around a laser grid that rose 1 foot above the ground.
I received a grant for this installation, which covered the cost of most
of the materials.
The Roman coliseum was a brutal place filled with a love for blood and a
horrible example of the torture and oppression of women. I focused on the
Great Earth Mothers torturous Death and destruction for the rise of the patriarch
symbolized by the power of Zeus.
My goddesses from 1999, were transformed and added to this installation.
There were many nights when I strolled by the colisseum to witness some man
or woman deeply praying to these sculptures.
The best way to see the work and the story is to click on the images. I only
burned the earth goddess, who found her sacred burn in David Best's Mausoleum
where I brought the sacred book people wrote in that week to burn also. I
felt a sense of peace and completion knowing that her prayers were sent.
The colisseum, although very rich in historical and future content, was a
blast. Yes, it was unbelievably hard work through the storms, but the playful
games, parties and shows were worth every bit of anguish. We laughed , danced,
worked, cried, etc. I certainly would not have created this without the heartfelt
love and labor of the following people: Charlie Peling, Kashia, Joe Benham,
Russell Wilcox, and Jim.
What an art opening!!!!!Enjoy the photos.
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Installation
1998
My first sculptural installation was inspired by other artworks I saw at the BM Festival in 1998, I had never created mixed media sculpture before but the Festival was all about jumping in and getting involved. I did not know how I was going to get the sculptures to Nevada, yet the work and the story unfolded in its own mysterious way.
My first sculpture began as a wild fire goddess, 11 ft. tall made of paper mache, wood, wire, fabric, and copper foiling. After seeing this entity come alive in my studio, a larger body of work began to talk to me. I drew out a plan for an elemental installation containing the five elements, fire, water, air, earth and spirit. I took a chance at sharing the installation on the playa bulletin which seemed to draw a ton of attention from San Francisco artists and from Europe. The curator of BM placed my work on the main central wheel, I was amazed. The work was not funded (because was I not aware of the process of grant proposals) and I worked weekends and evenings for 10 months to complete it. I was obsessed I suppose.
After the Fire Goddess emerged, I began meditating and channeling the energies of the Air next, then the Water, then the Earth, then Spirit, and then the altar. I only had 10 days left to create the altar, with the exception of the hand-made books which were created in advance.
You can view each 12 foot Goddess, her significance and her story.
The altar symbolized the male and female union of energies with the cosmic snake coiled around them lifting the cosmic egg. (Inside the 3 foot cosmic egg, were fireworks for the finale, however, as I mentioned, the elements were not allowing technology to function!!) The were able to spin on a wheel of life, which had tarot symbologies. The altar was centrally placed within the pentagram, 5 pointed star. Around the altar were cedar branchs and 4 sacred hand-made books. These books were interactive and correlated to each color, direction and elemental goddess. Fire was the book for manifesting, water was for emotional compasssion and release, earth was for discarding what you no longer needed, and air was for your desires, inspirations.
The altar was intentially burned for the finale of a ritual performance script which I wrote myself and had a professional script writer, edit and refine. Robin Silver wrote the music and performed the soundtrack for this performance. Elizabeth Moriarty and David Morman co-directed the ritual performance.
Leave it to an elemental installation for the performers to be tested by the elements. No lighting, no camaras, no technical instruments were working. This of course was difficult for me to share documentation-however, they say that when real magic is at work, this can happen. I only wish I knew from experience to bring a lot of wood for fire, but this was my first experience having art in the desert.
The process of creating these was life changing. I have my own intimate personal story, which became an intertwined ritual for my own healing along the way. Many of the participators expressed life-changing experiences, and it was often during the week that Lovers and others were crying, and writing passionately in these books, which were to be offered to the spirit world. People said things about their experiences to me that were unbelievably moving.
The sacred burning became significant to me as it held great meaning that it was intentional for the purpose of the sacred, which was opposite from many other types of art burned on the playa for the purpose of destruction and fun.
The morning after the altar burn, a Native American placed four metal eagles for the directions and it looked so beautiful.
But on Sunday at 6 am, some drunken frat boys lit fire to the rest of my art, 10 months of work. Well, surprise, surprise, the earth mothers violated and desecrated in a destructive, ugly way. It was a hideous mess. Why would I think otherwise? Of course, this is the work of the divine feminine, to continue to spread her light, and to re-emerge again and again until one day she can be at peace from destruction and dishonor.
I salvaged the face from the fire goddess, for a mask.
I salvaged the earth goddess somewhat and continued her form for the next installation to come.
I transformed the water goddess for the next installation.
The spirit door, being metal, survived beautifully.
I began adding to my training in metal.
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