The Road to Burning Man
Rainbow Girl did a wonderful synopsis in video form, linked below for your viewing pleasure!
The Proposal
Ring Theory went through a few iterations during the proposal process. Originally conceived as a field piece, the circular design was thrown into our submission 20 minutes before the deadline! Of course, Burning man chose this arrangement–the largest and most technically challenging–for the grant!
The Team
After grants were awarded in February 2018, John assembled a team to make the project a reality!
The Build
Construction kicked off in April and by mid-August, all systems had been thoroughly tested and were ready for launch!
Panel Assembly
The projects main technical tasks involved the creation of wire harnessing to distribute power and data from a central control hub, as well as mechanical assembly of all panels and rings. Everything was smooth sailing for the most part, though our progress was occasionally punctuated by wrestling with the gravity-fed gasoline tank and insubordinate LEDs!
Finally on Playa!
After a lengthy summer of work, our team was excited to finally install the project. After being placed near the temple, our group spent about 1.5 days driving aluminum supports, erecting panels, and burying wiring. To our glee, the electronics worked flawlessly when we first kicked on the generator, and the lights gave us no trouble the entire week. Being made out of string, however, regular repair missions were needed to keep the extreme abuse of the Playa at bay.
Mission Accomplished
Ring Theory 2018 is ready to go!
The Aftermath
After the event, we returned the project area to dust and settled into our next task — the project was to be fundraised by sending out 35 of the original 40 pieces as battery-powered units. The final units were sent out in early November 2018 after a lengthy period of post-Playa refurbishment. John continues to bring the remaining complete panel (5 rings) to other events around the SF Bay Area. A 28″ Ring Theory hoop also had the honor to be auctioned at the Burning Man Artumnal Gathering, where it raised $520 towards future art grant recipients.
Back to dust!
