Burningman 2022:


Waking Dreams

Building a Phoenix

The phoenix bird is a mythical bird from Greek mythology. ... The classical, mythical imagery and symbolism of resurrection, of life reborn anew and transformed, resonated with the Christian story. The phrase rise like a phoenix from the ashes is often shortened to rise like a phoenix, or even rise from the ashes.
- Wikipedia

Arising Phoenix

Building a Phoenix

Home
Overview Pages:
the Plan part 1: Making Plans | the Plan part 2: Cross Sections | the Plan part 3: Longitudinals | the Plan part 4: Wings, Tail & Legs | the Plan part 5: Base

wizzard's chronological Photos:
Picking up in Paradise 1 | Picking up in Paradise 2 | Treasures in Campbell
Building Starts | Building 2 | Building 3 | Building 4 | Building 5 | Building 6 | xxx | xxx | xxx

Gwen's chronological Photos:
Paradise 1 | Paradise 2 | Paradise 3 | Build 1 | Build 2 | Build 3 | Build 4 | Build 5 | Build 6 | xxx




the Plan part 1: Making plans

In ancient mythology, the symbolism of the majestic Phoenix bird, which is most often connected with the Sun, dies and is reborn across cultures and throughout time.

Ancient legend paints a picture of a magical bird, radiant and shimmering, which lives for several hundred years before it dies by bursting into flames. It is then reborn from the ashes, to start a new, long life. So powerful is the symbolism that it is a motif and image that is still used commonly today in popular culture and folklore.

The legendary phoenix is a large, grand bird, much like an eagle or peacock. It is brilliantly coloured in reds, purples, and yellows, as it is associated with the rising sun and fire. Sometimes a nimbus will surround it, illuminating it in the sky. Its eyes are blue and shine like sapphires. It builds its own funeral pyre or nest, and ignites it with a single clap of its wings. After death it rises gloriously from the ashes and flies away.

- from Ancient Origins

The origin of this Sculpture

I lost my home in the 2018 Camp Fire that even now has been the most costly fire in terms of lives and property loss in the state of California. After we knew our home was gone I had a thought while using a putty knife that it had a lot of them up in Paradise but all without handles, then that it would take a lot of tools to rebuild the town. The thought of building a Phoenix from the burnt up tools from my house (and later many others) came in a flash almost immediately. From that time on, my wife and I revisited Paradise about a dozen times to find tools and silverware from the ashes.

This didn't begin as a burning man project, but since my year revolves around that event, it is a natural that I would try to take it this year. As I type this, the Covid-19 Pandamic is racing around the world, and I don't know if burning man will happen this year. The Phoenix will be built even if it never makes the long trip to the desert.

Background

*I had the raw materials to build the Phoenix starting in early 2019, but nowhere to build it.
*I started doing some research on birds, and made a first model out of soft steel wire.
*It looked a lot like a chicken with a Toucan beak.
*I started by trying to recreate the skeleton of a bird but quickly decided that was too complicated.
(see pic top left)

The second model was made more like you build a boat. (see pic 2 left) Cross sections (round for the most part) spaced apart using longitudinal structures (stringers) from tail to head. This avoided the awkward clutter of all them bones!

The strong square tubing running up through the model was added much later at the suggestion of Lucy from Santa Cruz who has built amazing flaming art sculptures and cars for years. Initially, I figured the Phoenix's head would be about 8' off the ground pointed upward, and the tips of the wing up around 12-13' feet tall.

When we moved to the farm in Gridley, CA we were hosted by Gabe Zanotto who had his own big metal art piece, Claude the Dragon who visits many local events, parades and faires.

Gabe built Claude on a standard skid base used to load garbage containers with strong rails 32" apart. Even at 7000lbs, he can drag claude up onto the back of his diesel truck with ease using a cable/hoist. Having watched and helped load and unload Claude a few times, it seemed like such a skid would make a good base for my Phoenix.
A couple weeks later he was cutting up an existing skid to mount a compressor on one half. I asked to use the other half.
A few days later, I found a piece of 3" square pipe on the farm that Gabe cut to about 7' in length and he welded it at the slight angle to another piece of the same metal as in the model. This was screwed to the skid base, and the Phoenix became a real project.

The next thing was to set up a temporary shelter to build in. I put up a 20' square roof partly over the trailer we're living in, and partly over the 10x20' UHaul box (storage) 15' from the trailer. I added a wall on the south side where most of the storm winds come from. It is under and behind this shelter that I put my tools and th base of the Phoenix

The next couple steps involved unpacking and sorting through piles of rusty old tools to see what I had lots of and what was unique. I used some other bits and pieces of flotsam from around the farm to make a temporary 15' long sorting table out behind the studio open to the elements. This was the first time I could assay just what I had. I started getting worried I didn't have enough tools to do what I wanted to do.