Art Work. Work of Art.
My birthday is April 26. It was on my birthday that I started freaking out. BenVenuto & SistaFlav left that morning. Mystophur was leaving April 27. After dropping him at the airport (at an uncivilized hour, I might add), I went to the Diego Rivera Gallery at San Francisco Art Institute to meet our hero, Handsun. A contractor from Santa Cruz, our hero learned about the Art Monastery Project at Burning Man the year before.
Cut to a few months later when we get an email from this fabulous man who used to live at Esalen. He loves the project. He wants to know more. He happened to be in San Francisco visiting friends, so we meet for coffee. We talk about the options and decide the timing might not be exactly right to get him involved, but promise to keep him in the loop.
Cut back to my birthday and I’m freaking out. Mystophur says,
“Let’s call that guy to help you build your installation.”
“He’s not going to want to do it, honey. Why would he?” said the Voice of Reason.
Cut to a few minutes later when Mystophur is handing me the phone and when I put it to my head I get an earful of excitement—Handsun is actually thanking me for the opportunity to work on the installation. Incredible.
9am on Sunday morning, April 27. Handsun and I meet at the Diego Rivera Gallery. He calls it the Frieda. I decide he’s IN. We make some sketches, go to the hardware store, adjust the plan and return to the space. We spent the next 15 hours creating a frame out of electrical conduit that is the exact dimensions of the bedrooms in the convent in Calvi. Complete with arching ceiling. I painted it copper and marked with tape on the floor the thickness of the walls (almost three feet thick!). I put in a desk and sitting chairs, my computer, printer, and all my files, a plant, maps of Italy, photos of the place, and a poster proclaiming The Art Monastery in Calvi dell’Umbria.
I would not have gotten the installation done to such a state of glory without the sterling attitude and know how (and tools!) of our hero Handsun. Now, like soldiers from the trenches of an art war, we are forever bonded. We put weeks of work and development into 15 hours. Without lattes and dolmas, we never would have made it. When I left the space at 3am I was not happy. And when I re-entered the space the following morning at 10am I stopped in my tracks. When had it come together? And how had I missed that moment? It looked great!
(Yes. He’s a stilt walker. And yes, that can be very handy when building an installation!)
I spent the following week, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, sitting at the desk. Doing the same work I do everyday—the business of creating an international arts center.
The following are shots of and through this amazing piece by Laura Boles Faw, Perception. Pretty great piece by a pretty fantastic person. She also helped me SO MUCH with setting up the event at the end of the week- the culmination of the week-long performance: how did you guess? a fund raiser!My birthday is April 26. It was on my birthday that I started freaking out. BenVenuto & SistaFlav left that morning. Mystophur was leaving April 27. After dropping him at the airport (at an uncivilized hour, I might add), I went to the Diego Rivera Gallery at San Francisco Art Institute to meet our hero, Handsun. A contractor from Santa Cruz, our hero learned about the Art Monastery Project at Burning Man the year before.
Cut to a few months later when we get an email from this fabulous man who used to live at Esalen. He loves the project. He wants to know more. He happened to be in San Francisco visiting friends, so we meet for coffee. We talk about the options and decide the timing might not be exactly right to get him involved, but promise to keep him in the loop.
Cut back to my birthday and I’m freaking out. Mystophur says,
“Let’s call that guy to help you build your installation.”
“He’s not going to want to do it, honey. Why would he?” said the Voice of Reason.
Cut to a few minutes later when Mystophur is handing me the phone and when I put it to my head I get an earful of excitement—Handsun is actually thanking me for the opportunity to work on the installation. Incredible.
9am on Sunday morning, April 27. Handsun and I meet at the Diego Rivera Gallery. He calls it the Frieda. I decide he’s IN. We make some sketches, go to the hardware store, adjust the plan and return to the space. We spent the next 15 hours creating a frame out of electrical conduit that is the exact dimensions of the bedrooms in the convent in Calvi. Complete with arching ceiling. I painted it copper and marked with tape on the floor the thickness of the walls (almost three feet thick!). I put in a desk and sitting chairs, my computer, printer, and all my files, a plant, maps of Italy, photos of the place, and a poster proclaiming The Art Monastery in Calvi dell’Umbria.
I would not have gotten the installation done to such a state of glory without the sterling attitude and know how (and tools!) of our hero Handsun. Now, like soldiers from the trenches of an art war, we are forever bonded. We put weeks of work and development into 15 hours. Without lattes and dolmas, we never would have made it. When I left the space at 3am I was not happy. And when I re-entered the space the following morning at 10am I stopped in my tracks. When had it come together? And how had I missed that moment? It looked great!
(Yes. He’s a stilt walker. And yes, that can be very handy when building an installation!)
I spent the following week, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, sitting at the desk. Doing the same work I do everyday—the business of creating an international arts center.
The following are shots of and through this amazing piece by Laura Boles Faw, Perception. Pretty great piece by a pretty fantastic person. She also helped me SO MUCH with setting up the event at the end of the week- the culmination of the week-long performance: how did you guess? a fund raiser!
