For fun, I teach myself new skills and use them to make art. I used to work with Starship Factory when I lived in Houston. Here in the Bay Area, I work with Majorelle Arts and Ardent Heavy Industries.

Charismatic Metafauna (2021-22)

My partner Amie and I proposed this project to Majorelle Arts last May, which in turn proposed it to Burning Man. Charismatic Metafauna received a Burning Man 2022 Honorarium.

“The Charismatic Metafauna is a garden of endangered species. Reacting to nearby participants, the sculptures grow fearful and ‘die’ when disrespected. Drawn in by the garden’s beauty, [participants] must act as stewards of its health to be rewarded with the joy of its flourishing.”

Rather than picking well-known species, we are choosing to emphasize the beauty of some of the lesser known representatives of the animal kingdom that we are very near to losing or have recently lost. A one-way portal suggests the irreversible nature of extinction, with the skull of the Pyrenean ibex beyond; attempts to revive the species through cloning have failed. The living species were ordered along an arc approaching the portal, in order of proximity to extinction.

Each animal was paired with a xylophone, with which participants could engage in respectful communication with the species. Moreover, each sculpture included an independent generative soundscape, with music — composed by Daniel Fennelly — that never repeated and changed according to the health of the animals. The animals would respond to music played by participants by varying the melody.

The project budget was around $30K and the major work was carried out by an all-volunteer team.