Looks like I’m bringing an art installation to Burningman this year! (2012: Fertility 2.0). The name of the project is Vritra and it will consist of a dragon and a mockup of a water bottle, both made out of plywood.
The dragon element will be 4’7″ tall and about 6′ long. The water bottle will be 8′ tall and about 3′ in diameter. I’ve changed the design of the bottle slightly from the above image. It will actually be hollow and allow 1 person to crawl inside and stand up.
What’s behind the piece you ask? Nothing much really. I just had some free time and the tools to work with plywood after constructing two “playa tech” beds/couches for our camp last year (2011). I found this toy-puzzle online and thought it was cool. Also this is the year of the dragon and I found the following story in the Rig-Veda (a hindu scripture):
The dragon Vritra had taken all the waters of the earth and placed them in a mountain where he remained on guard. In the devastating drought that followed, the people suffered greatly from thirst and famine. Luckily, the hero warrior Indra fought Vritra and after slaying the dragon released the captured water.
I believe that our age has its own incarnation of Vritra – a force that attempts to limit and control the sources of fresh water in the form of the bottled water industry and the dangerous trend of municipal water service privatization.
I can’t claim credit for the following photo, somebody just sent it to me via Facebook. Thank Dj Cheve!
Here is one from Goa Gil, taken by Memory Elena.
