BURN IN THE FOREST 2016

EFFIGY PROPOSAL

INCENDIMUS THE DRAGON

By Tango

and

Dayna, The Mixtress

Introduction

Dragons appear in the mythology of many cultures throughout the world. They often represent the primal forces of nature or of the universe. Sometimes they are a threat. Sometimes they are benevolent.

Incendimus the Dragon represents the fierce beauty of nature and the depths of the human imagination. “Incendimus” is Latin for “we burn”. This name embodies the ethos of the Burning Man community.

Incendimus will be a 20 foot tall dragon structure sitting on a perch, watching over Burn in the Forest. The head and wings will be animatronic. The movement of the head will be random and/or responsive to movement on the ground. The eyes and the heart of the beast will glow.

Construction

Incendimus will be approximately 20 feet tall and 10 feet wide, thus complying with the size limitations for the burn permit. The design utilizes readily available building materials, such as 2X4s, plywood, cotton fabric, staples, screws, and bolts.

Advance preparation of the components will be handled by our main team and possibly one or two other volunteers. We have a large facility available to us for the construction of the components.

Sound Design

The effigy will have a small sound system.

Lighting Design

Incendimus will have glowing eyes and a glowing heart. There will also be accent lighting around the structure to enhance its beauty at night.

Animatronics Design

We intend to include some animatronics in this project. The head will move side to side and up and down. The eyes will also blink. We intend to include a motion sensor array on the head so that it will respond to movement of people near the structure. We hope to be able to program the sensors so that the head will track movement on the ground. If not, the movements of the head will be random when unattended. When operating the fire poofer, the head movements will be controlled. The wings will also move. Fire Effects Design

We propose including a propane poofer to make Incendimus appear to breathe fire. It would only be in operation when the effigy is under supervision.

Fire Design

The interior of the structure will be coated with beeswax to provide waterproofness and improve flammability. The interior of the structure will be loaded with firewood when it is being prepared for burning.

Safety

We understand the importance of using materials that have low toxicity and low environmental impact. The exterior of the structure will be painted with a light wash of VOC-free acrylic paint. One of the serious issues with past effigies (excluding the past four years) is having it get wet from rain and then not burning. The exterior surfaces will be painted for aesthetic appeal and protection from the weather. We understand that there is some impact from using and burning latex paint but we think that the benefits outweigh the slight drawbacks.

Leave No Trace

Due to the simple wood construction of the structure, clean-up should be limited to screws and bolts. There may also be a few unburned pieces of wood.

If the structure is not burned due to a fire ban, it will be dismantled and likely disposed of and/or recycled back in Vancouver.

The Team

The team co-leads are Dayna and Tango.

Dayna has been an artist for most of her life. Her many means of artistic expression include drawing, painting, sculpture, jewelry, sewing, costuming, cosplay, and haberdashery.

Dayna works as a colour match specialist at a commercial/industrial paint store. She has an exceptional eye for colour and aesthetics.

Dayna was co-lead with Tango in the building of the following BitF effigies:

- 2015 “Templo de la Luna” - 2014 “Platonic Love” - 2013 “The Organizer”

She was primarily responsible for the artistic design and the painting of the projects and she was involved in all phases of the design and build.

Tango has been an active participant at Burning Man and regional Burner events and parties since 2003.

Tango's main occupation is operating a residential renovation business. He is skilled in virtually all aspects of construction and renovations, including structural design, framing, painting, plumbing, electrical, drywall, tile, etc. He owns most tools required for construction projects. Tango’s education background includes a diploma in Civil Engineering Technology from BCIT.

The community chose our proposal to build the 2015 BitF effigy, Templo de la Luna (Temple of the Moon). This structure was a 20’ tall temple, designed to appear to have risen out of the ground in the moonlight. There was a star projector inside to add to its etheric qualities. It was a place of gathering and contemplation for the event participants. The structure was not burned due to a fire ban. It was dismantled and graciously taken by the Portland, OR, burner community. It may be burned at their regional event in May.

Our proposal to build the 2014 BitF Effigy was accepted by the community. Platonic Love was a 17' tall geometric structure based on Plato's "perfect solids". The structure had an interactive lighting display that could be controlled by participants. The project was well-received by the event participants and it actually inspired one participant to get a tattoo based on the design of the Platonic Love structure.

The community chose our proposal to build the 2013 BitF effigy, The Organizer. This was an 18’ tall stylized pipe organ. The project was well-received by the event participants.

Unfortunately, it was not burned due to a fire ban. The keyboard was salvaged and it may reappear as part of a future art project.

Tango received much positive feedback for the 2012 BitF effigy, Fungus Humongous, the 20’ tall stylized mushroom. The structure was not designed to be moved. However, it was readily moved twice to evade the rising river.

Tango was half of the design team and the primary builder of the clock face for the 2011 Vancouver CORE effigy, which was taken to and burned at Burning Man.

Budget

This is the estimated budget:

Lumber $900

Fasteners $100

Lighting $80

Animatronics $400

Fire Effects $250

Paint $70

Wax and misc. $100

Contingency $100

Total $2000

Conclusion

We think that Incendimus the Dragon will be a stunning and entertaining effigy for BitF 2016. The interactive design will likely make it appealing to the Burning Man community, both during the day and at night.

The effigy will be an attractive meeting place for the participants because of the interactive design and the pleasant smell of the beeswax. The lighting design and the fire effects design will provide a delightful sensory experience for the participants.