This is the supporting webpage to our Trojan Horse proposal to the Burning Man Arts Grant Committee. Please note that all important documents have been attached to the original submission email as well. A list of supporting documents follows, as does the original content of the proposal. Please have a look at the the rest of the website for updates and additional information.
Documents
- Burning Man Submission Form (pdf, 343K)
- Budget (xls, 37K)
- PDF with supporting images: lo-res.pdf (1.3MB) hi-res.pdf (8.5MB)
- Structural Drawings (pdf, 2.3M)
- Project Plan & Build (pdf, 44K)
- Support Crew (pdf, 30K)
All information listed below – texts, images, files – is included in the linked documents above.
Artwork Title – Trojan Horse
Artist Name – Douglas Bevans (and co.)
Artist Bio
A native of Edmonton, Canada, I am a multi-disciplined artist experienced in 3-D graphic design and a songwriter with 20 years of creating and producing music. (In my other life, I run an educational tour company for children.) I enjoyed a successful career as a founding member of a popular rock band, “the smalls,” which toured extensively throughout the world. Since it disbanded in 2001, I’ve explored new genres of music independently and through innovative collaborations. In my last one, I produced and provided music for an avant garde album showcasing the surreal poetry of an autistic artist known as Hobbins. In my current music, I’m working with abstract electronica and found sound. Last year, I was awarded a coveted composition residency at the Banff Centre. While there, I wrote a song that inspired the vision of a mythical horse on the playa. The Trojan Horse project will be my highest artistic achievement as a designer and as a composer.
Contact – trojan ( at ) evsc ( dot ) net …..or….. db ( dot ) trojanihorse ( at ) gmail ( dot ) com
Website – trojan.evsc.net
Philosophical Statement
In contrast with the Trojan Horse’s size and grandeur, its inspiration had humble roots. It came to me as a small spark spawned from a typical, almost stoner-like challenge to create something big at Burning Man. This year will be my ninth as a citizen of Black Rock City, and, from the beginning, I have yearned to contribute in a way that pushed my accustomed creative boundaries. This installation is the culmination of my dream project, the one that I first began to imagine more than 10 years ago.
Why a Trojan Horse? Outside of it being a magnificent myth, I am struck by the wonderful symbolism that is inherent in the piece. For me, art can return us to our ancestral past, a place devoid of language, a place where symbol and survival were inextricably linked. I intend the horse to be such a work. It was the ultimate instrument of war in an epic conflict that destroyed a civilization. From ancient times, the Trojan Horse has embraced opposites and stood as a dual symbol of victory and defeat, an archetype of artful cunning and foolish gullibility. What was a triumph for the Greeks was a tragedy for the Trojans. What a sharp example of man’s ingenuity, his power to transform, be it to create or to destroy. Our installation will play on these and other opposites juxtaposed throughout the myth. Our daytime, intellectual, Appolonian approach will contrast with the wild, Dionysian,nighttime activities. I hope participants will experience the horse and better appreciate the duality (and more) of life, the rich, complex tangle of dichotomies that is our daily fate.
The most striking attribute of our project is how quickly it has transformed my life and that of virtually everyone who has come in contact with it. Friends have proclaimed me to be the original carrier of the Trojan Horse Virus, a highly contagious infection with no known cure. In truth, the horse is its own driving force, collecting followers and adding to their assignments as it sees fit. I am awed by the ever-increasing level of involvement and collaboration the project has inspired. A highly stimulated and committed community has quickly materialized and will only continue to grow in support of this project. The combined skill set that this group already has is beyond my wildest dreams. If the mere idea of the beast and a few drawings or lines of text can inspire such thought and effort, I can’t wait to witness how people will react to seeing a fully realized, 25-ton, wooden horse, its head almost 50 feet above the playa.
Annually, a few art installations are so memorable that they come to represent Burning Man that year. We believe this to be the Trojan Horse’s destiny.
image: By Night
Budget
| Budget Summary | |
| Total material costs – structure | $20,026.04 |
| Total material costs – lighting | $8,652.00 |
| Total pyrotecnics | $1,033.80 |
| Total sound system | $5,250.00 |
| Total power supply | $3,204.80 |
| Total tools | $3,535.00 |
| Total transportation | $8,908.40 |
| Total miscellaneous | $1,624.50 |
| SUB TOTAL | $52,234.54 |
| tax (8.25%) | $4,309.35 |
| Total playa heavy machinery costs | TBD by BORG |
| Total playa decomposed granite costs | TBD by BORG |
| TOTAL REQUESTED AMOUNT | $30,000.00 |
In addition to this grant, we have and will take the following measures to secure the remaining funds:
- Visual Arts Grant, Canada Council – incl artist stipend, travel, research & expert consultation ($19,696 – IN REVIEW)
- Personal pledges ($2,800 – CONFIRMED)
- Donations / discounts from lumber companies
- Visual Arts Grant, Austrian Arts Council
- Vancouver public fundraising event
- Mill Valley private fundraising event
- Kickstarter online fundraising campaign
Detailed Budget Excel Sheet: Budget (xls, 37K)
Physical Description
The Trojan Horse will be seen from afar and make quite an impression approached from any direction (imagine an all-wood horse tall enough to graze off a five-story building). By day, the horse will be an imposing monument, a malevolent presence. The sheer size of the beast and the large, black, triangles that make up its cubist form will convey a sense of brute power. The horse’s exterior is made from 200 black panels (cladding), each attached to a triangular frame. Panels are up to 13 feet long, covering more than 30 square feet.
The interior of the horse is divided into three very different rooms.
- Entry/Exit and Hindquarters: People access the horse on ladders and steps that run up the rear legs, to a small room separated from the bar by a wall with a door.
- Bar: This is a completely separate room with floor to ceiling walls at either end and open space above, allowing for ventilation.
- Headquarters: People will be able to exit the bar and enter another small room from which visitors can climb a staircase to an observation post in the horse’s head or enter an oracular state beneath the stairs.
At night, the animal will glow ominously and throb from within. The belly of the beast will be a surrealistic bar designed to play with the mind and senses. Simply experiencing the bar–its sensory overload of sights, sounds, and smells; the tactile interior and décor; the absinthe and other drinks; the arduous entry and exit–will be a rite of passage.
The Trojan Horse will begin its last “rights” of passage Friday at sundown. Columns of Burners will pull the 25-ton beast on its massive cart across the playa and through the Gates of Troy. This interactive and dramatic act will push mobile art in a novel direction. Accompanying the procession of the horse will be a huge brass and drum corps playing a raucous march composed for the occasion.
After the horse has entered the gates, a short, intense fireworks display will erupt, bands will play and people dance. Before long, a chant will begin and build: “Burn the Beast! Burn the Beast!” Four whirling dancers will appear bearing torches and light each leg of the horse. Apollo and his band of archers will shoot flaming arrows onto the upper reaches of the beast. In a spectacular conflagration featuring additional pyrotechnics, the horse will burn quickly and, led by Pan, dancing will resume around the fallen beams and embers. A riotous night of revelry (some orchestrated) will follow. Dionysius reigns!
image: By Day
image: Inside Spaces
Illumination
The Trojan Horse stands upon a massive (48′x21′), wooden cart sitting on wheels 8′ in diameter. The cart will be lit with exterior lights. There are no guy wires, rebar, or other such hazards involved, so the chance of crashes or other accidents is nil.
At night, horse will be heavily illuminated. Two different lighting schemes–individually and in combination–will accentuate the horse’s malevolent presence on the playa. An array of spots positioned around the installation site will color the horse’s body in gradients ranging from pink to blue and green. The beast will be clearly visible from afar.
Additionally the horse’s triangular cladding will be equipped with red glowing EL-wire outlines. The horse’s black body will fade into the darkness of the night and the abstract red wireframe effect of the EL-wire will highlight the polygonal outer-worldliness of this cubistic modern Trojan Horse. Segmentation of the EL-wire circuits and dimming mechanisms will allow sophisticated animation effects to be played out across the horse’s body. Both lighting schemes will be programmed to create the impression of a pulsating and throbbing interior.
When entering the sculpture through the horse’s back legs, LED light strips guide and assist with the ascension into the beast’s throbbing interior. The main room of the belly, a surrealistic bar space
designed to play with your senses, will be a red-colored experience of perception. The red walls are complemented by a series of red lights programmed to pulse and flicker and turn on and off. A further flight of stairs, highlighted by guiding light strips, will lead up into the horse’s head.
image: Lighting Schemes 1 and 2
image: Lighting Scheme 1
image: Lighting Scheme 2
Interactivity
The beast–stoic and menacing, solemn and majestic–-will instantly engage visitors from afar and leave them wondering what enigma might lie within. The sheer size, innovative technology, and theatrical elements of this installation will recast the familiar tale for today. Played by costumed members of Troy Camp, Homer and characters from the Trojan War—Cassandra, Hector, Hecuba, Achilles, Helen, Pan, Apollo, and a host of other Greek deities—will guide visitors and complement the horse’s inherent interactivity with a blend of erudition, flair, wit, and humor.
Under and around the horse and in the adjacent streets, our players will engage Burners in dialogue about the horse, stimulating their responses and offering channels and means of expression: art and writing supplies and a place to post their work and enter contests. We will also have a daily storytelling hour of Greek myths for children, ending with the story of the Trojan Horse and seguing to some hands-on, horse-related arts projects.
The daytime, intellectual, Apollonian approach will give way to wild Dionysian ecstasy and intoxication at night. Participants climb ladders and stairs in the horse’s rear legs to reach the bar in the belly of the beast. There we will play with all their five senses, but in a context far removed from ancient Greece. We will use a variety of modern lighting and other visual stimuli to achieve unusual mental effects in viewers, A melange of electronic and other sounds, smells, potent potables, and tactile interiors will contribute to the phenomena acting upon participants. Beyond the bar, Burners will be able to ascend stairs to the lookout in the horse’s head, enter into an oracular state, then return to the horse’s rear and exit.
image: Bar
Dimensions
47′ x 49′ x 22′
image: Dimensions
Materials
Except for the bolted steel straps that secure the triangles together and other hardware, the horse is made completely of wood ranging in size from 1×3 to 4×4 to 2X12. We will use approximately 48,000 lbs of lumber with the cladding being made of OSB. We have not yet priced recycled lumber, although we plan on using as much as possible. So the prices for new #1 Douglas fir lumber and OSB sheets and laminated lumber are used in the budget. Using laminated OSB beams rather than framing timbers is a green alternative.
Sound Component
On the fifth night of Burning Man, the Trojan Horse will begin its own rites of passage. Hundreds of Burners will move this monumental piece to its ceremonial place of honor inside the Gates of Troy. A large procession with loud, cacophonic music will accompany the migration. The music, composed by Douglas Bevans for the Trojan Horse procession, will be interactive and performed by a massive corps of drummers and brass players. Drums will provide a rhythm akin to a war march. The brass, in addition to playing the main musical theme, will occasionally mimic the creaks and groans of the horse and cart being pulled and at other times will contribute to the cacophony of the crowd.
Interior sound: The myth tells how on the eve the horse was taken into the city, some of the Trojans heard the sounds of metal armor and swords emanating from within. In a nod to this dire forewarning, Bevans will use samples of these sounds and mold them into a surrealistic montage of dark tones and ambience. These sounds will enfold the lounge area and be broadcast through the belly to the crowds below. The sound from the interior will be subdued. The volume will have minimal effect on other installations or camps. However, the procession on the fifth night will be loud and raucous – as will the brief party following the move and burning of the beast. We are anticipating pandemonium and a full-scale celebration with DJs and a powerful sound system.
image: Map
image: Procession
PROJECT PLAN AND BUILD SCHEDULE
PRE-PLAYA SCHEDULE
01-Feb 01-Mar: FINANCIAL PRO FORMA AND COSTING
02-Feb 01-Mar: DETAILED FUNDRAISING ACTION PLAN
01-Mar 01-Mar: BEGIN RECRUITING “SLAVES” TO PULL HORSE
01-Mar 01-Apr: TEAM VISION FOCUS – FINALIZE INTERIOR CONCEPTS, PERFORMANCE PLANS
01-Mar 01-Apr: PROCESSION SCORE COMPOSITION
15-Mar MILESTONE: BURNING MAN GRANT NOTIFICATION
15-Mar 01-Apr: REVISE / UPDATE FUNDRAISING ACTION PLAN (Option: Kickstarter)
15-Mar 01-Apr: MODEL BUILD & LIGHTING EXPERIMENTATION
01-Apr 15-Apr: DEVELOP LOGISTICS FOR S.F. CONSTRUCTION TEAM
01-Apr 01-Jun: INITIAL RECRUITMENT FOR BRASS & DRUM CORPS
15-Apr 01-May: COMPLETE DETAIL DOCUMENTS FOR CONSTRUCTION
01-May MILESTONE: BEGIN SPECIALTY PURCHASES LONG LEAD & ELECTRONICS
01-May 10-May: ESTABLISH LIFT EQUIPMENT (WITH BORG) AND TRANSPORT
01-May 01-Jun: FINALIZE S.F. TEAM MEETINGS AND SCHEDULES
01-May 10-May: BIDDING AND PLACE LUMBER ORDER (FOR NON-DONATED ITEMS)
01-Jun 01-Jul: LIAISE WITH F.A.S.T. TO CREATE SAFETY PLAN
01-Jun 01-Jul: SECURE VOLUNTEER PRE-PLAYA CONSTRUCTION CREW
01-Jul 07-Jul: RECEIVE LUMBER ORDER & OTHER MATERIALS
PRE-PLAYA CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE
10-Jul MILESTONE: BEGIN PRE-PLAYA CONSTRUCTION
10-Jul 10-Aug: CONSTRUCTION VIDEO / PHOTO DOCUMENTATION
10-Jul 24-Jul: CONSTRUCT & LABEL FRAMING
10-Jul 24-Jul: CUT & LABEL CLADDING
10-Jul 24-Jul: CONSTRUCT WAGON WHEELS
10-Jul 24-Jul: CONSTRUCT & LABEL WAGON BASE
24-Jul MILESTONE: PREFAB COMPONENTS CONSTRUCTION 50%
24-Jul 10-Aug: CONSTRUCT & LABEL REMAINING FRAMING
24-Jul 10-Aug: CUT & LABEL REMAINING CLADDING
31-Jul 10-Aug: CONSTRUCT & LABEL BAR COMPONENTS
10-Aug MILESTONE: PREFAB COMPONENTS CONSTRUCTION 100%
11-Aug 11-Aug: PREFAB VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION PARTY
11-Aug 15-Aug: PACKAGING AND TRANSPORT PREP / LOGISTICS
ON PLAYA CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULE
16-Aug 16-Aug: PROJECT TEAM (3) & ROUND 1 BUILDERS (5) ARRIVE ON PLAYA – CHECK IN WITH ARTERY
16-Aug 28-Aug: ON-PLAYA CONSTRUCTION VIDEO / PHOTO DOCUMENTATION
16-Aug 17-Aug: HORSE & MATERIALS TRANSPORT TO PLAYA
17-Aug 18-Aug: WAGON CONSTRUCTION
19-Aug 20-Aug: ERECT LEGS
21-Aug 21-Aug: ROUND 1 BUILDERS EXIT | ROUND 2 BUILDERS (5) ARRIVE ON PLAYA
21-Aug 22-Aug: ERECT HEAD & TAIL
23-Aug 24-Aug: INSTALL FRAME/CLADDING/STRAPPING
25-Aug 25-Aug: ROUND 2 BUILDERS EXIT | ROUND 1 BUILDERS ARRIVE ON PLAYA
25-Aug 27-Aug: INTERIORS AND LIGHTING
26-Aug 27-Aug: STAKE PROCESSION PATH & GATES OF TROY (SECONDARY INSTALLATION SITE)
27-Aug 27-Aug: SAFETY CHECK
28-Aug 28-Aug: CONTINGENCY
29-Aug MILESTONE: TEAM CONFERENCE-CEREMONIES-AWARDS
29-Aug 04-Sep: BM
02-Sep 02-Sep: DG DELIVERY – PREP SECONDARY INSTALLATION SITE FOR BURN
02-Sep MILESTONE: TROJAN HORSE BURNS ON FRIDAY NIGHT
03-Sep 03-Sep: SITE CLEANUP
Project Plan & Build (pdf, 44K)
Support Crew
| Project Manager, aka the big cheese | Douglas Bevans |
| Architect / Structural Engineer | Dimitry Vergun, associate professor, USC, architect and structural engineer |
| BORG Liaison | Eva Schindling |
| Construction Manager Consultant | Ray Keim, professional architect |
| Documentarian | Jay Mosher |
| Fire Safety Liaison | Alaya Boisvert |
| Fundraising Lead | Alaya Boisvert |
| Heavy Equipment / Vendor Liaison | Ray Keim |
| Leave No Trace Coordinator | Alaya Boisvert |
| Lookout / Oracle Room & Bar Manager | Eva Schindling |
| Performance Organizer | Eric Swenson |
| Pre-Fab Site Manager / Volunteer Organizer | Ariel Sutro |
| Pyro/Smoke/Fireworks Designer & Consultant | Rick Fullum |
| Sound/Power/Lighting Engineer | Bart Eller |
Support Crew (pdf, 30K)
Start Build Date
7/10/11
PrePlaya Construction Schedule
| Stage | Start | End | Note |
| PURCHASES: SPECIALTY, LONG LEAD & ELECTRONICS, LUMBER | 5/1/11 | 5/10/11 | |
| RECEIVE LUMBER ORDER & OTHER BUILD MATERIALS | 7/1/11 | 7/7/11 | |
| BEGIN OFF SITE CONSTRUCTION | 7/15/11 | 7/24/11 | Construct & label framing, cut & label cladding, construct wagon wheels, construct & label wagon base |
| PREFAB COMPONENTS CONSTRUCTION 50% | 7/24/11 | ||
| CONTINUE OFF-SITE CONSTRUCTION | 7/24/11 | 8/10/11 | Construct & label remaining framing, cut & label remaining cladding, construct & label bar components |
| PACKAGING AND TRANSPORT PREP / LOGISTICS | 8/11/11 | 8/15/11 |
Transportation to Playa
We anticipate needing two days to transport all the materials from San Francisco to the playa. We will stagger the arrival of the horse components to ensure we have sufficient time to receive and unload the materials.
OnPlaya Construction Schedule
| Stage | Start | End | Note |
| ARRIVAL OF TEAM & MATERIALS | 8/16/11 | 8/17/11 | Project Team (3) & Round 1 Builders (5) arrive on playa – check in with artery, horse & material transport to playa |
| ASSEMBLY & ERECTION :) | 8/17/11 | 8/22/11 | Wagon construction, erect legs, head & tail |
| INSTALL FRAME/CLADDING/STRAPPING | 8/23/11 | 8/24/11 | |
| INTERIORS AND LIGHTING | 8/25/11 | 8/27/11 | |
| STAKE PROCESSION PATH & GATES OF TROY (SECONDARY INSTALLATION SITE) | 8/26/11 | 8/27/11 | |
| FINAL PREP, SAFETY CHECK | 8/27/11 | 8/28/11 |
Leave No Trace Plan
All the collaborators on this project – whether veteran burners or virgins – understand and honour the Leave No Trace policy in force at Burning Man. This project requires a multi-faceted approach to ensure nothing is touched and nothing is left behind. Our Leave No Trace Coordinator will oversee the execution of the following plan.
ON-PLAYA CONSTRUCTION
While our small team of builders is assembling the horse on the playa, we will establish a comprehensive storage system for every piece of equipment and building materials. From the time goods are delivered on the playa, we will implement our waste management protocols, ensuring every wire, nail, sticker, plastic packaging, tape, etc is collected and stored. In addition, we will use a metal detector to search the ground for any we missed.
BELLY OF THE BEAST
While stimulating all the senses, there will be hardly any waste produced through activities conducted in the horse’s interior. The small, reusable cups in which we will serve our libertine libations at night will be washed at camp and replaced daily. Liquor bottles will also be safely stored and removed once a day.
Before the Friday evening procession, all lighting, controls, sound equipment, and extraneous supplies will be stripped from the horse. The beast will be left bare for its final journey to ashes and dust.
BURNING THE BEAST
We will work closely with the Burning Man Organization to ensure an appropriate post-burn clean up is executed. We will have a team of volunteers coordinated to help remove any and all remaining materials from the burn site. We seek your expert advice in this matter.
Open Fire Details
The final spectacle of watching the horse consumed by fire will be transformative for all who came to know and love the beast. However, we will ensure the playa is completely protected from the flames and left untouched. The following constitutes our plans for burning the beast.
SPECIAL EFFECTS MATERIALS and SUPPLIES
We are presently awaiting word from a contact in San Francisco who we hope will collaborate on coordinating and executing the pyrotechnical aspect of the performance. While we do not have a materials/supplies list at the moment, we are aware of the BM pyro restrictions and guidelines. For example, we will be sourcing low-debris fireworks and our storage of pyro materials will be in accordance with NFPA 1124 guidelines.
SAFETY & EMERGENCY PLAN
We will designate a Fire Safety Liaison (an experienced Burner) who will help develop a Fire Safety and Emergency Action Plan. This will constitute, among many other details, safe clearance and perimeter calculations that are appropriate for the scale of this burn.
BURN SHIELD
In consultation with FAST and the Burning Man Organization, the burn shield will be designed with a maximum protection area so that flame, smoke and debris will not harm the playa.
Given the sheer size and weight of our horse, we hope to source a large quantity of decomposed granite that can be laid out at the secondary installation site (where the horse will burn on Friday evening).
Any flammable liquids used to help ignite the horse will be carefully placed to ensure they will not spill onto the surface of the playa.
This is a significant aspect of our project that needs the most support. We would be grateful for guidance on specific burn shield materials (i.e. decomposed granite) and designs that would be appropriate for a burn of this scale.
image: Site B / Troy