Massive Scale Collaborative Sculpture
Video Documentation, Metal & Wood Work, Video & Visuals for Events
“The Machine” was an impactful 52-foot-tall interactive mechanical installation at Burning Man 2005, exemplifying large-scale collaborative art and engineering. Participants engaged with the structure by turning three “people wheels,” activating its upper tier and arms through an intricate system of gears, belt drives, and steel transmissions: when all three people wheels were turned the right way, the upper structure including the arms slowly turned. This puzzle-like interaction often attracted crowds, with those on the structure encouraging people below to participate, creating a lively, communal atmosphere where the upper structure was often rotating.
Our group, “The Machine Crew,” dedicated a year and a half to design, planning, and fundraising with 12 core members, followed by six months of prefabrication involving 30-60 people, and a final month in the desert for installation, maintenance, deconstruction and cleanup.
We successfully organized four major fundraising events, including large-scale parties, a poker tournament, and an art auction at Dale Chihuly’s boathouse, demonstrating our ability to mobilize community support.
My personal contributions were multifaceted: I documented over 60 hours of the project’s journey, contributed to woodworking, metalworking, and welding, truck driving, installation, construction, and cleanup, and enhanced two major fundraisers with video and visuals. Additionally, for a special presentation at the Seattle Art Museum, I not only facilitated the installation of one of the structure’s transmissions but also produced and edited video content for the accompanying displays, showcasing my diverse skills in both practical and artistic aspects of this monumental project.
