The Journey

One day you finally knew

what you had to do, and began,

though the voices around you

kept shouting

their bad advice–

though the whole house

began to tremble

and you felt the old tug

at your ankles.

‘Mend my life!’

each voice cried.

But you didn’t stop.

You knew what you had to do,

though the wind pried

with its stiff fingers

at the very foundations,

though their melancholy

was terrible.

It was already late

enough, and a wild night,

and the road full of fallen

branches and stones.

But little by little,

as you left their voices behind,

the stars began to burn

through the sheets of clouds,

and there was a new voice

which you slowly

recognized as your own,

that kept you company

as you strode deeper and deeper

into the world,

determined to do

the only thing you could do–

determined to save

the only life you could save.

-Mary Oliver

The summer has finally finished for me. By now the weather is well into fall, and my festival season is officially over.

Back at home and trying to adjust. This summer was so intense there was barely time to think, and suddenly I’m back in Montreal, people have started to snowbird away, everything has become quieter, and I wonder how I all but missed 6 months here.  

And suddenly I’m back in my studio staring at a sculpture commission I’m trying to finish and having the hardest time motivating myself to concentrate. 

 So today I will give myself a little bit of grace, and allow myself some sitting in the sunshine reading poetry. It think after the intensity of this summer I’ve earned a few days off.

One thing these domes are always wonderful for is shelter from the storm. At

Harvest Festival

, this small workshop space completely fulfilled its purpose and couldn’t have been put to better use.

We finished the space late on Friday night. A beautiful canvas hand-painted by artist Courtney Lush was placed on the floor which nicely completed the space.

On top of that we threw a whole bunch of pillows and waterproofed the dome, and just in time. A giant rainstorm hit early Saturday morning. I woke up in my tent to the sound of pouring rain and knew that the dome would get tons of use that day.

All day the dome was filled with people sheltering from the storm. People got to crawl in from the wet, cold environment into warm blankets and pillows full of other lovely people needing a space to stay.

Friends were made and the conversation, stories and laughter were excellent as people enjoyed the warm dry space. Music started and people sang and played instruments as the storm poured on around us.

By the late afternoon the storm died down, and people began crawling out of the warmth to go explore the rest of the festival.

The dome stayed warm and dry all night, a beacon of light in the damp grass. I was so glad that this dome was not only a place of beauty at this festival, but a place of functionality as well.

Headed up to Harvest Festival in Burk Falls, Ontario to set up on the land of Midlothian Castle.

Midlothian Castle is the creation of Peter Camani, an artist / sculptor who created an unusual residence in the form of a castle complete with sculpture gardens on 300 acres which is most commonly known as “Screaming Heads”.

25 years ago, Camani decided to focus his energy on realizing a vision of large proportions and permanence. Today over one hundred “screaming head” sculptures each approximately 20 feet tall and weighing as much as 30 tons are placed through the property along with the Midlothian Castle. A truly magical and creative place, it’s a sculpture garden that’s continually changing and evolving. It’s a perfect fit for Harvest Festival and a wonderful place to contribute to Camani’s wonderful lands.

One of the permanent structures that has been erected for Harvest Festival is “Crash”, a giant dome-like structure that was created to look like a giant alien spaceship that landed in the back field. Every year this massive structure has been turned into one of the stages for this festival, but due to a change of direction, Crash would be sitting empty this year.

It was the perfect place to instal the one small Archimedes dome that was bought out for workshop space this year. Nestled in front of the massive structure, the dome looked intriguing and inviting.

To add to the comfort and the allure of the dome, artist Kevin Flynn and I decorated the whole structure in drooping fabrics and beautiful lights. It felt luxurious, warm and engaging.

Shining in the night, next to the lit of skeleton of Crash, the dome looked like a magical and seductive space that would draw visitors all day and night throughout the event.

Photo by Glenn Grant

One of the great things about living in Montreal are all of the other artists that live here and make cool stuff. I find it pretty inspiring when I look around and see that most of the people I surround myself with are doing incredible things.

One team of friends that I work with a lot in Montreal is Aziz Light Crew. Headed up by

VJ User Zero

, this team works with projection, lasers and LEDs to make incredible spaces.

It is so much fun to play with these cats. I love making physical objects to add to spaces so that they can light them or project on them. The results are always spectacular. Light truly activates and enhances anything it touches.

Photo by Dylon Turner

Since I was back in town for a couple weeks and wanted to see my friends, we decided to do what we do best so we threw a little party. I love that my intimate group of friends has enough artists, organizers, costumers and djs that we can throw a small gathering and still have it be a pretty professional party.

Photo by Glenn Grant

I made a Coroplast design to hang from the ceiling and papered some cubes. The boys lit it all up and the result was pretty spectacular. It's amazing how much lighting can change and create space. 

Photo by Glenn Grant

Not bad for just a little play day. 

Photo by Glenn Grant

Then last week Vj User Zero was invited to perform at Mécaniques Discursives, an exhibition with Fred Penelle et Yannick Jacquet. He wanted to do some live mapping, so he invited me to come draw while he live mapped on top of it.

 It was super fun to jam out with him. Exciting to see shapes go on the page and then have them immediately fill with light.

 Within seconds we were surrounded by a crowd delighted by the process. Once again, amazing to see just how efficiently light activates a space and engages people.

Another jam out project that Vj UserZero and I had a couple months ago was him mapping on one of my domes at L'OsstidBurn.

After years of wanting someone to map on one of the domes, UserZero finally succumbed to my begging and we had a killer play session. The whole process left me squealing with delight.

It was extremely successful. Once again the activation of light paired with something I'd made was so exciting to me. 

I'm so grateful to have friends and colleagues that inspire me ever so much. 

On September 23rd we'll be setting up and projecting on the dome again at a small Burner Decomp party at Village Éphémère in Montreal. I can't wait to see what more we can come up with. If you're in Montreal come out and play!

It Took Time

This is a poem about

how you never get the kiss you want

when you want it;

how time twines around your neck, its thorns

digging into your skin so you can never forget

how clinging to a string of hope, threading it

between your spine, and having it unravel before you

in the span of an hour

is worse than any metaphor about nakedness

that you poets will ever write.

This is my reflection in the mirror. This stanza

is the small gap where my fingers try to touch against

the glass.

You can’t even possess yourself; let alone

the person you see standing before you.

The moon

hasn’t come back from the cleaners yet

and I have nothing to slip into tonight that makes my reflection feel

beautiful.

Time is falling through the hole in my pocket. January

is coming soon, and I have a feeling that he’s never going to fall

out of love with this December.

He’ll still write her love letters. He’ll

send her white orchids on every lonely holiday and pretend

that love is a place you can cross state lines to get back to,

but it’s that time of the year again, and

calendar sales keep reminding us all that we can never get back

to where we once wanted so bad to lose ourselves in

for good.

-Shinji Moon

(The Anatomy of Being, 2012)

What a summer. It’s not quite over yet. I still have a few festivals booked and which don’t officially end until mid-october or so. But I can’t believe that this time went so fast. I feel completely mind blown that  suddenly it’s September. 

I got home after not being in my house almost at all since May. It felt foreign, uncomfortable. After the intensity of being at a festival every weekend the house was so quiet, isolated. I came back to do a contract of one of my own stain glass sculptures for a couple about their birthing process. The whole experiences has been intense. An extreme shift, and a remarkably emotional project. More on that to come later.

When I feel this restless while going through a shift, there a things I do to come back to myself. 

I change my space. Painted a wall teal when I woke up in a discontented spasm at 6am. Changed the art on my walls to things I felt more connected to. Moved around furniture. Purged a bunch of stuff I didn’t love anymore. 

I change my body. Cut my hair. Change my clothing style. Gave myself more tattoos.

I take pictures of myself. Pictures have always been a point of anchoring for me. Part of my practice for years has been

self portraiture

. It has been a way of sketching my emotions that I’ve used for years. There is something that happens for me when I become the object that is seen through the lens. I feel like I can understand my emotional space a little clearer. 

I’m not quite sure if all of these things cured my restlessness, but getting those things out of my system seems to have calmed me down enough to sink fully into making this artwork. Although it still seems strange to be in the studio after being in the sun for months. 

I haven’t been keeping up this blog all summer, since I've been posting all of my adventures on the

Archimedes blog

. If you’re interested in some of the events I didn't post here, it’s all written out in detail there. Maybe I’ll back blog with more personal details later, but I already feel like those experiences are so far away. The fall has arrived, and it’s on to new things. 

Feel free to follow the links for more in depth story on the Archimedes Blog.

Elements Festival, Brooklyn, New York 

Elements Festival Setup Day 2 

Elements Festival Setup Day 1

Playground Festival, Boutler, Ontario 

Playground Festival, Setup Day 2 

Playground Festival, Setup Day 1

Eclipse Festival, Quebec

 L'OsstidBurn, Quebec

L'OsstidBurn Setup Day

Harvest Setup Day 

Archimedes Design at Harvest 

AfterBurn Setup Day 

Archimedes Design at AfterBurn 

 Archimedes Design at Burning Man

 Archimedes Design at Love Burn 

 Archimedes Design at Pacific Fire

Day two of setup for Elements festival. We had to go back in the morning to bring the custom branding panels for MYX tv and to set up the fourth dome.

Definitely forgot to bring a ladder out with us, but nothing that can’t be solved with a little acrobatics.

The branded panels were up and looked great, the stencil style of the logo fitting well with the tie-dye of the dome.

Dome four went up without a hitch. Although we were out there as early as we could be that morning, the sun was already sweltering. We knew that the domes were going to be absolutely necessary as shade for the crowd that would begin arriving at 1 o’clock.

A cuddle zone got set up in the firelight dome, an absolutely necessary spot for people to chill out and escape the heat.

One final check through of all the domes and we’re ready to go for the thousands of participants who would arrive later that day.

We set up domes so often that every once in a while we need to do something to keep it interesting. This weekend’s incarnation- matching outfits.

If you’re going to do something, do it right, and these outfits were right. A carry-over from Toby’s closet from the 1990’s, these onesies were just goofy enough to add a sense of fun to our prep day. I’ve been pushing for our team to wear matching outfits to an install for two years, and they finally humored me. The laughter and fun it brought was so worth it.

Elements Festival

is set in an industrial site in Red Hook, a stunning venue. It feels like a post-apocalyptic wasteland, and paired with large scale art installations it becomes a surreal and magical space. The domes looked amazing against the weathered background. A crisp, clean aesthetic mated with rough decaying buildings.

The one thing about installing on an active industrial site is that you have to work around the machinery that’s there. A very large portion of our day was spent waiting for equipment to be moved and space to be cleared. We weren’t allowed onto the site until after 5pm when the trucks stopped hauling, so our set up window was short and messy.

Finally with a space cleared, the VIP lounge went up without a hitch. The tie-dyed dome looked spectacular against the rustic skyline.

Next up we put up the firelight dome. Between a pile of ruble and several aging buildings the color of this dome popped. As the sun went down behind the debris we were graced with a stunning sunset, leaving us breathless with the beauty of the site.

Dome three got set up in the dark by truck headlights. We’ve set up these domes so many times that doing it in the dark was no problem. It was actually pretty nice to be setting up far past the heat of the day. The temperature these days is sweltering, and full sun installs are like living in a furnace.

By dome four we hit a snag. The site we needed to build on would not be cleared for another few hours, so we determined to come home and finish the next day. The air conditioning and refrigerated good drinks were a welcome relief.

If you’re coming to Elements festival this afternoon, make sure to come and say hi!

As night falls you’re never quite sure what the final product will look like. You hold your breath and hope that the space creates the effect that you were going for.

As dusk hit, we could see that we had hit this installation right on the nose. The alien lighting glowed in a beckoning way. The dome looked warm and invited curious investigators. The camouflaged fabric made it look like it was part of the marshy reeds, another world growing from the wildness that surrounded us.

There is nothing quite like watching participants engage with a space that you’ve made in exactly the way you wanted them too. At every moment the dome had people inside of it absorbed in conversation.

One of the main reasons we had wanted to create this space was so that

Ryan Longo

could have a zone where he could discuss his artwork and inform people about his large scale project

Reactor.

Any time I looked in the dome Ryan was there, deep in conversation with someone. It made my heart happy.

Reactor looked stunning as well. A natural yet preternatural sculpture, the alien tree glowed through the night. It really is a phenomenal piece. The pairing of the earthly world with the field of technological dialogue was extremely successful.

All night the dome was used as a place of connection artistic experience. Despite the difficult load in and the lateness of setup, the dome installation was useful and successful.

As dawn hit and the night magic faded away we were left with a feeling of accomplishment. It’s always an amazing feeling to know that you have created a space that enhanced people’s experience.

One of the great things about working with other artists is watching other people’s visions come to life. Working with Kevin Flynn and Ryan Longo afforded a wonderful direction for this type of collaborative vision.

Kevin was interested in what would happen if we made the dome into an alien-esque jungle landscape to house Ryan’s Intergalactic Garden Supply sculptures. He wanted to use anti-radar material, vines, and hanging lighting to create the effect of a jungle-like, other-worldly enclosure.

I loved his vision, but I was slightly concerned about how we would pull it off. The fabric he had was extremely heavy and these domes are evenly weighted so that they have structural integrity. The structure can’t support a lot of weight and I was a little worried about the stress this fabric would put on the dome, but I was fairly certain that if we displaced the weight evenly on the surface we could keep the tensile integrity of the structure. My hunch proved correct, and although I could see the dome taking some stress, the evenness of the weight felt stable.

On the inside of the dome we hung more fabric and intwined it with vines. Alien-like pod lighting was hung at various parts of the dome and white flowers were installed. The whole effect definitely felt natural and yet from some other world, exactly the effect we were going for.

Added to that were Ryan’s Desert Flower sculptures which completed the entire feeling of being in another terrene. Shifting led light and unnatural yet naturist shapes made the whole space feel familiar yet estranged.

We did lighting tests and staged the area, just in time for the dome to get used for a wedding that was happening at the festival. It’s not the first time one of these domes has been used for a wedding, they’re ideal and beautiful spaces for intimate commitment ceremonies. But it was exciting to see an impromptu use of the dome in this way.

Finally setup and ready for the evening, the dome was prepared to house participants and create connected space.

Headed out to Playground festival to create an art installation for this tiny but fun festival. Way out in the middle of crown land in Ontario, this installation was full of surprises, but ultimately extremely successful.

Artist Kevin Flynn and I arrived on the land several days beforehand to set up. The land was beautiful. Peaceful with an incredible view. It was backed right on to a river, with the full festival grounds overlooking the wilderness.

Setting up the structure of the dome went quickly and easily. Always a simple setup, these domes go up in no time at all.

The intention of the dome was to become a full art installation that would house artist

Ryan Longo

’s sculptures and create a space where he could connect with the public about the pieces he was working on.

Unfortunately, everything that we needed to make the art installation was in a truck that was coming from Toronto with Ryan’s sculptures. As we patiently waited by the set up but empty dome, the team coming from Toronto encountered loading issues and multiple mechanical failures on two separate vehicles.

Although the Playground land was not a bad place to be for a few extra days, it did mean that we would be setting up our installations while the festival was open to the public. Not ideal, but life could be worse.

Two days later when the truck finally arrived, the first priority was to set up Ryan’s large scale sculpture

Reactor

.

Reactor is a 15’ tall metal welded sculpture that Ryan is planning to bring out to Burning Man this year. Described as "alien vegetation carved from industrial materials," Reactor would have its first testing ground at Playground. The festival would be the first time this sculpture would be put together and installed in a public place. These small festivals are ideal for testing what could go wrong, and what to do better before bringing it out to a major festival like Burning Man.

The sculpture went together smoothly. All of the bad luck seemed to have been used up on transporting the sculpture out to the site. The sculpture was stable and beautiful, with no mishaps during installation.

The full dome art installation would have to wait until the next day. Relieved that our stuff finally arrived, we would be prepped and ready to do it as quickly as possible so that the dome could be open to the participants on Saturday night.

Although we do want these domes to be seen as art pieces, we are also aware that sometimes they can serve a purely functional purpose.

A single Nomad dome was brought out to Eclipse this year for use in the staff area. Set up as a shade structure, it was a tiny contribution to a huge event.

Eclipse is a large and beautifully produced festival. But at points in the day, the staff needs to be taken care of too, and this dome was a perfect place for them to come back to and relax.

Simple and useful, it’s so nice when these structures can pop up and create space that takes care of people.

You must give birth to your images,

They are the future waiting to be born.

Fear not the strangeness you feel,

The future must enter into you long before it happens.

Just wait for the birth, for the hour of new clarity. 

-Rilke

Although I've worked for well over a decade to get to where I am today, sometimes I find it so extraordinary that producing art at festivals is something people pay me to do. It’s pretty unreal that I get to travel the circuit, building and setting up things, and doing what I’m so passionate about. 

My core passion is really to create art and space that help facilitate a shift in energy so that the participants can experience a new way of being. I’ve always found that festivals are able to create peak experiences in a way that allow people to really open up and be able to see the world in a different way. It’s incredible to be a part of shifting people’s lives, and I wouldn’t trade it for a second. 

And then there are other days, when I feel tired and like I’m living this crazy life that I just wish would slow down. I’ve had a lot of health problems for the last year and a half, and pushing it isn’t always the wisest choice. I look back at my AirBnb calendar and see that my place has been rented every week or weekend since mid-May. I’m constantly travelling, a 60 hour work week is standard, and although I make a living doing this, it’s not like it’s a good living. And as I throw my stuff that hasn’t even been unpacked from the last job into a vehicle to head to the next, I wonder, am I out of balance? I’m living my dream, but at the same time there needs to be space for me to self-care and be nurtured. 

There are things that push me forward. The festivals where you really feel a shift and you know that your purpose is on point. One of those for me this year has been

Gratitude Migration

. Already a couple festivals ago on the circuit for me, but still fresh in my mind with excitement. 

In the spring, when Toby and Michael and I did

Figment

in New York, we really came to a decision that the domes we’ve been building need to be art instead of product. We completely reconfigured the goal of what building these domes meant, and it was the best decision we could’ve made. 

Before that point I liked working with them. It was a good gig, but there were things about it that just didn’t fully align with what I wanted. But as soon as we made that choice it felt like everything fell into place for me. 

One of my complete passions is to create mobile, accessible public gallery space of work that actually engages people who wouldn’t otherwise experience art. And suddenly, these domes were my dream. I feel teary-eyed just thinking about how Toby and Michael’s work just suddenly aligned with my own and we became this team pursuing a singular passion. That’s rare in life, people who share your vision. 

For Gratitude Migration in New Jersey we made nine separate domes, broken into six separate spaces, all which would contain different art or collaborations with other artists. You can read about them all in detail on the Archimedes blog (

Wellness

,

Firelight

,

Blacklight

,

Sound

,

Chamber of Rebirth

,

Production Dome

)

The thing that was so exciting for me about these spaces was watching them get used. Really used. They were full of people, full of intention, full of art and workshops. The feeling of watching something you made get bonded with other people in the way you desire is nothing short of ecstasy. 

And above that, the other artists and producers who were creating the event all seemed so aligned with the vision that we had for things. All of us growing, all of us in pursuit of doing it better for the sake of truly meaningful experiences for the participants. This space flooded my heart with the feeling that, not only do I have something to offer, but there are others like me on the same level who desire to collaborate to make the same vision come true. 

And as I throw my stuff into another truck, and tiredly question why I have chosen this type of lifestyle, I get to think about the fact that sometimes I will hit spaces, like Gratitude, where it is so full of potential and so aligned with my vision that it makes everything else worth it. Because every day that is before me could end up being the best day of my life. And all we can do is press forward, full in our purpose, and see what will come. And hopefully, though at the moment we focus on growth, sometime soon I will be able to focus on also achieving some balance.

There is something so wonderful about being at the really small festivals. By the end of the weekend you’ve met almost everyone, and the community vibe is excellent. But one of the things that I love the most about these small gatherings, is that you get to experiment.

When you do a big contract, there’s definitely an aspect of having to do things well, professionally, and like you planned. But at a smaller festival there’s a lot more room for play.

All of Saturday during the day it just poured and stormed. Although it was nice to have the dome as shelter, I wanted to projection map it that night, and I was holding my breath that it would clear so that we could do some of the tests I’d wanted to for so long. Luckily, at about 6 o’clock the storm broke, and the evening became balmy and calm, a perfect night for experimentation.

One of the people I was most excited about playing with was

VJ UserZero

, an incredible video and laser artist from Montreal. We’ve worked together before and I always love what he does. He’s written his own software called alc_freeliner that essentially allows him to draw onto 3D objects in space and then project onto those lines.

alc_freeliner screenshot, VJ UserZero

Although he’s mapped several 

other projects

 of mine, I’ve wanted him to play with the dome for years. I love the geodesic shape that it has, and I really wanted to see what he could do with it.

The setting at L’OsstidBurn was perfect. There was a tower set up in the middle of the field, and I made sure that the dome was exactly where it needed to be to make mapping easy. And I was not disappointed.

Photo by Jenn Zawadzkas

Photo by Jenn Zawadzkas

Most of Saturday night was just spent with us in a tower, me squealing in delight as we played with shapes and patterns. The dome worked just as good as I thought it would. The panels are a perfect projection surface, and the fabric is light enough that the projection is vivid from the inside as well. The whole thing glowed, and the activation of the shape was just stunning.

alc_freeliner screenshot, VJ UserZero

Archimedes has been talking for so long about projecting on these domes, and to watch it happen was so gratifying. Tests like these allow us to problem solve and figure out what needs to happen to make these into large-scale installations. I was so thrilled with how it looked and turned out, and so grateful to have VJ UserZero take the time to do some experimentation.

Photo by Jenn Zawadzkas 

alc_freeliner screenshot, VJ UserZero

alc_freeliner screenshot, VJ UserZero

Thanks to all the organizers and collaborators for having me at this wonderful event. It was so special to play and experiment with you all. Next up, heading to Eclipse this weekend!

L’OsstidBurn in Quebec was a brand new festival that just began this year. The first time that Quebec has had its own Regional, the event was small and cosy, less than 200 people. It was quite the difference after just being at Gratitude Migration.

I only brought out the one dome with the hopes to do some video mapping experimentation I had been angling towards for a while.

One dome after the nine larger domes at Gratitude was nothing. It was such as easy setup day. We rolled in late in the day, and I just puttered at putting it up, nice and easy.

Every time someone volunteered their help I declined. Normally I love showing people how these domes go together, but I was enjoying the ease setting up without having to instruct someone else. We’ve set these up so many times by now, and it’s no problem to do it just with one person.

The dome needed a little love anyways. This is my experimental dome, it takes the brunt of all the research and development I do to these spaces. As sturdy as these domes are, they do need a little care, in particular with this one my pole ends were flanging after a few years of hard use and pressure testing. Easily fixed with a pipe wrench and some elbow grease.The dome needed a little love anyways. This is my experimental dome, it takes the brunt of all the research and development I do to these spaces. As sturdy as these domes are, they do need a little care, in particular with this one my pole ends were flanging after a few years of hard use and pressure testing. Easily fixed with a pipe wrench and some elbow grease.

An easy setup day that took almost no thought on my part. After a bit of lighting, it's early to bed and all set for an all nighter the next day for some super exciting dome mapping.

Sometimes I am just absolutely astounded by what comes out of my head. 

Headed down to New York to help

Archimedes Design

for their biggest installation to date; nine art domes that would be heading out to

Gratitude Migration

. 

We were working for days, manufacturing each and every little part for these domes. I had just come off of a 73hour work week for my own practice in Montreal, and the pace did not let up when I hit New York. 

14-16 hour days of just

building, building, building

. And on one of the last days Toby says that he thinks that the Wellness Temple needs some art on the outside, and can’t I just grab a couple cans of spray paint and do something quick?

I have three hours, I am not a spray paint artist, I am exhausted, and I have no ideas. So up to the attic I go with some kraft paper, pencils and a knife. “This is going to be terrible,” I’m thinking to myself. I’m going to make something half-ass and bad, and people are going to have to look at it all weekend. 

And then I start to draw. Lines and shapes crossing over one another, cutting out overlapping areas, and something starts to develop. Each idea feeds off of the other, but I still have no idea how it’s all going to go together. 

Out to the backyard where it’s starting to get dark, and I look at these huge panels. I am grumpy. I don’t want to be doing this. I do not feel inspired. 

And then I pick up my first can of spray paint. The click, click, click of shaking paint into existence does something to my brain, and suddenly I seem to be in full artist mode. Every layer adds to the next, and I’m barely conscious of what or why I’m making the choices I’m making. Something is coming out of my brain from somewhere, and whatever it is, I feel high and elated. 

An hour later I look at the finished panels. It feels like someone else has made them, I have no idea where those shapes and images came from. 

The next day we head out to the festival grounds for our

first setup day

. As I put the panels on, I feel pretty awed that this was something that came out of my head in only of couple hours of exhausted intensity. 

I finish up some extra touches on a couple more panels to draw the whole dome together. And there it is, an artwork. Not just some bad drawing in the middle of the night, but something I feel semi-proud of. Wether that was all my arts training background coming into play, or some channel from an otherworldly genius, I’m pretty happy that, even under pressure, I have the ability to make stuff. 

More pictures of the full installations at Gratitude coming soon. More on the

Archimedes Design Blog

!

And what I'm listening to today as I work-

We are a way for the universe to know itself

I wonder how far these molecules had to travel 

to find each other,

align 

in the way they are

to make up my body.

I wonder how far 

these bits of carbon and nitrogen and oxygen

floated through space

before they finally became this form

right here

right now.

These 7 billion billion billion atoms 

that were all created in the furnace of long dead stars

colliding 

and making this thing that I call

me. 

I wonder if each atom inside myself 

is surprised 

at being placed next to its neighbouring atoms.

If they wonder how they ended up 

right there, 

right now

after 4.5 billion years of travel.

I wonder if sometime long ago

a molecule of yours

and a molecule of mine

hung out together in the very same star.

Maybe were friends even.

Shining brightly 

and enjoying their lives together. 

It seems impossible doesn't it?

But I suppose no less impossible than you standing there

and me standing here

watching the only version of the sunset 

that will ever look exactly like this 

in the entire version of time.

Stars fall. 

Stars collide. 

Stars align. 

I could've never walked down that path.

I could've never talked to you.

We could never have kissed.

We could've circled each others orbits for a moment

and then gone our ways off into the universe,

our molecules never again colliding 

for another 4.5 billion years. 

So many unfathomable options and possibilities.

Yet I still stand here.

And 

you still stand here.

All of the galaxies of atoms that make up your eyes 

looking into the atoms that make up mine.

We are just bits of the universe

over and over and over again.

and wether we continue together

hurtling along 

on this rock through space

for the length of this tiny speck of dust that is our lives

or wether we only touch now 

and never again

or wether our stars fall too soon

after burning beautifully and brightly, 

the fact that you're here right now

and the fact that I'm here with you,

breathing the very same air

right here

right now,

is the most magical thing I can possibly think of.

Art by

Slimesunday

and

Erik Jones

The Halcyon Temple was created to be a bright interval of peace set in the midst of adversity. Based on the Greek myth of

Ceyx and Alycyone

, the dome seeks to embody a place of unexpected rest from the outside world.

The imagery on the outside of the temple is made of sacred geometry focused on connection with nature and calling calming energies in.

The screen prints all focus around Khepri, the Egyptian sun god of creation, who gets up daily to roll the sun across the sky for us. He is the god of rebirth and transcendence. 

The digital images on the North, East and West flags are all of intentional festival spaces that have personally shifted something for the artist.

The inside the temple there is a centrepiece chandelier made of amethyst to soothe the mind and emotions and anchor the energy of the space.

Photo by Chandra Moon

The guardian image of Alycyone flits throughout the chandelier, declaring that this space is meant to be protected. 

On the altar in the middle sits Horus, the Egyptian god of resurrection and watchful protection. Horus is the sky, his eyes the sun and the moon, and he watches over all creation, the uniter of the lands of the living and the dead. 

The temple is focused on calling in any deified being of unconditional love to protect and provide rest for the inhabitants of the temple.

Throughout the week I saw this temple very successfully fulfilling its purpose.The altar was filled will flowers picked from the field throughout the week, and there was rarely a time when I saw the space without an inhabitant.

Honestly, I seldom felt like entering. Normally when I do installations like this I go in and check on people, see how the vibe feels, take some photos, etc. It takes some managing. But at Solstice, the feeling of calm I got from it was so apparent that I had no worries about managing the vibe. 

It was nice that the dome wasn’t skinned and you could look through into the inside of the temple. I walked by often on my way to the pond, peeking in at those in a state of worship. There was often only one or two people inside, silently sitting in a meditative pose or talking to one another quietly. I saw several acts of prostration, prayer, as well as some chanting. It filled my heart with joy every time I saw.

Unlike much of the work that I do which is focused on bringing community into a space to connect, the spirit of the Halcyon Temple desired to be something different. It chose to be quiet and safe, allowing for a space of solitude, ease and harmoniousness.

All of the feedback that has come so far was that the space succeeded in being a point of calm and spiritual connection for people at the festival. I was so grateful that I could be a channel for a space that was useful.

I really believe that non-denominational temple space is so important for people. We live in a climate of transience that is becoming unattached to place or culture. For me creating nomadic spaces where individuals can connect to something greater than themselves is essential in helping to create a world where people feel an ethics of responsibility to each other and the planet.

Thank you so much to all of the organizers and participants who make this festival such a magical space. It truly is one of the rare gems of the world.

Early morning meditation in the Halcyon dome @ #omsolsticegathering2016

A video posted by megadaze (@megadaze) on Jul 1, 2016 at 5:25am PDT

Video by Megan Faith Stiver

 We build what we can, day by day, to make the world a better place. 

 But as Rilke so aptly puts it,

"Out of infinite longings rise

finite deeds like weak fountains,

falling back just in time and trembling."

A beautiful sunny day to build something that will hopefully hold space for people to connect with something outside of themselves. My finite gift to a festival that holds infinite feelings for me. 

Here we go

Solstice Gathering

! All yours. From my heart, my limited deed for you. 

Festival images to come. Or, read more about the domes at

Archimedes Design

.

Also, someone introduced me to Neil Young for the first time today. Haven't stopped listening to this album yet.

There are times when making art is a struggle. When it’s a job and you get up in the morning and hammer your head against a concept day after day until you finally figure out how to take an idea and make it physical.

Then there are other days when it feels like the thoughts in your head are flowing through you, from some greater channel out there in the universe. It was like that with the Halcyon Dome. 

On the way home from New York I felt so inspired. Figment had gone amazing and I was just itching to create. I knew that the next dome series would be going to Solstice Festival, and hadn’t even begun to think up a concept yet.

Now let me preface this by saying that Solstice is my favourite festival in the entire world. Having come to hundreds at this point, that’s saying something. There’s something about the land, the people, the music and the feeling that I just don’t get anywhere else. It’s the only festival I will willingly pay for every year, rather than getting paid for it.

I’ll write more about the festival later, but I knew that I wanted to bring something special this year. I was interested in creating a meditation dome. Any festival needs a point of calm, and the domes really facilitate that type of temple-like space.

As my practice often does, I started by researching words that I feel embody an idea. My immediate thesaurus search for “calm” came across a word I rarely used- halcyon. Struck by the beauty of the word, I began researching where it came from, and down the rabbit hole I fell, struck across the head by an otherworldly perfect coincidence for the concept that I was looking for.

The origin of the word is based in a greek myth, full of love, loss and healing. 

Queen Alcyone and King Ceyx were very happy together in Trachis. Then one day Ceyx went off to sea to visit an oracle. Alcyone begged him not to go, as she was the daughter of the wind god Aeolus, and she knew the ocean and winds could be treacherous. But Ceyx went anyway, and as Alcyone feared, a terrible storm came upon him and he perished.

When her husband’s body appeared before her floating towards shore, Alycyone was so overcome 

with grief that she threw herself into the ocean. But before she could hit water, she was transformed into a bird. 

As she flew skimming along the water surface toward the body of her husband, her throat poured forth sounds full of grief. Feeling her deep grief, the gods out of pity changed the couple into a pair of halcyon birds.

Ovid and Hyginus both also make the metamorphosis the origin of the etymology for "halcyon days", the seven days over solstice when storms never occur. They state that these were originally the 14 days each year during which Alcyone (as a kingfisher) laid her eggs and made her nest on the beach and during which her father Aeolus, god of the winds, restrained the winds and calmed the waves so she could do so in safety. The phrase has since come to refer to any peaceful time. Its proper meaning, however, is that of a lucky break, or a bright interval set in the midst of adversity; just as the days of calm and mild weather are set in the height of winter for the sake of the kingfishers' egglaying.

There was a saying of fishermen during this time of year in Greece that said, “The halcyon days are here. Let us be glad. There is nothing to fear.”

Needless to say, this story blew my mind at the very time when I was looking for a theme for a meditation dome. The idea of transforming through death into nature to be with the one you love. The idea of the gods calming the storms so that you could rest in the midst of times of struggle. The idea that, even when you see no way out and think that your world is ending, something unexpected might happen that will immediately bring you peace and joy. 

Within an hour the entire concept for the dome had coalesced. As soon as I began researching bird people the imagery really came together. X-rays of birds bearing such a similar resemblance to the female form, I couldn’t help but draw my own and make it into the guardian of this space. 

When I got home from New York I immediately started crafting the skin and the centre piece of the dome. Last year I had been touring with the

printing

of the

Orison Dome

, but the south panel had never been finished. 

As well I made white panels to surround the bottom of the dome to give it a feeling of floating in space.

For the centrepiece I wanted to work with Amethyst, a traditional stone of calming and peace. 

I set them all in solder and hung them in chains that would hang from the ceiling of the dome, with guardian bird women dispersed without. 

 I added hanging fabric to give the whole piece a swaying, mobile-like feeling. 

A day later, in the middle of obsessively building, but desperately needing to take a break for food, I ran into a little shop right by my house to grab something. Sitting there on the shelf was a statue of Horus, Egyptian god of resurrection, another bird deity of safety and protection. There was no reason for him to be in the shop full of chips and $0.50 pens, other than that he obviously needed to be a part of this piece. So home he came with me, adding the perfect serendipitous anchor to the centre of the space. 

As well I printed a bunch of stickers of the guardian, for people to take home with them from the dome. 

The entire piece came together in a matter of days, from concept to fruition. It truly felt inspired by something outside of myself.

Coming soon, images of the dome at Om! 

And what I'm listening to today-

“Everything you can imagine is real.”

-Pablo Picasso

“Eleanor was right. She never looked nice. She looked like art, and art wasn't supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something.”

-Rainbow Rowell, Eleanor & Park

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” 

-Pablo Picasso

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.”

-Thomas Merton, No Man Is an Island

“If you ask me what I came to do in this world, I, an artist, will answer you: I am here to live out loud.” 

- Émile Zola