LOGO DESIGNED!

Hey Everybody... here's our logo in three spiffy colors: white, black and pink. Those are your three choices for hoodies or tee shirt shirt colors if you donate  to the cause! Haven't donated yet? Want to impress your friends with your art/Burning Man coolness factor? Then check out the donation link at:

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/wings-and-a-prayer

...and hey, thanks for stopping by!

Building Community

Bill Foreman welding one of the feathers on the wings

Steven "Rigger" Wright abides happily with the improvised drill press lathe

Jillian and Bob with the Anchor Stakes of Doom!

We've been busy! Lots of help building Wings and  Prayer:

Bill Foreman drove over from Moab to weld the stainless steel wings. He brought his TIG welder and did a fantastic job (even sharpened my drills!). Steven "Rigger" Wright flew in from Seattle and spent 5 days working on the gearing and helping set up the Indiegogo funding site. Jillian Weems and Bob Mendes came up from Boulder to grind and cut and weld. (Bob was having so much fun we had to pry the MIG welder out of his hands to get him to eat dinner).

One of the things about Burning Man that always amazes me is how it builds community around an idea or an art piece or a theme camp. I hadn't seen Bill in 30 years but a mutual friend who crewed for me told Bill about what I was doing... Bill always wanted to go to Burning Man and sends me an email saying he wants to help out, is handy with tools, and has a TIG welder ( ! ) Dude! You're in!! Rigger is all over this idea and is indefatigable in his energy. And Jillian enthusiastically put in a whole day with a grinder. (And I probably could have charged Bob to play with the plasma torch).

The art seems to take on a life of its own. I sometimes pause and wonder what I'm doing, and then shrug and plunge back in - it simply must be done. Friend Ed Wisner says what we really are doing with art like this is building praise songs. So it all becomes worthwhile when you get to Burning Man and after laboring for days in the heat and dust, a Burner comes up to you and says (as someone did regards the Tower in 2011) "It's beautiful. It looks like a poem opening to heaven."

If you'd like to be part of the community around Wings and a Prayer, your gift of a financial contribution to the project can be made at Indiegogo at:

http://igg.me/at/wingsandaprayer/x/3591679

Thanks for your interest!

Joe

Latest Burning Man Folly

Joe Arnold and Steven "Rigger" Wright are back with their latest artistic folly:  a fifteen foot tall wind driven prayer wheel and zoetrope for Burning Man 2013 called Wings and a Prayer.

On past trips to Burning Man Joe and Rigger have discussed how to take the ever present Black Rock Desert wind and turn it to artistic advantage. Rather than curse the wind and dust we'll use three stainless steel wings to turn a prayer wheel below and send blessings to the heavens. The spinning wings will also turn a mirror covered lotus bud. At night this will project a kaleidoscope of reflections on the playa floor.

The prayer wheel will also house a zoetrope (possibly up to three zoetropes). Zoetropes are like short movies: each revolution of the drum will play a three second animation short. Visitors can look in portals and see the movies as the prayer wheel turns. (In the rare event of no wind, visitors will also be able to spin the wheel directly)

Construction is well under way in Estes Park, Colorado. The base has been constructed and work is currently underway with the wings. 

Look for construction photos and a fund raiser campaign soon!