The Prodigal Swan art car debuts at Burning Man festival
Black Rock City, Nevada (PRWEB) September 09, 2016 -- Following up on its first successful massive art installation at the annual Burning Man festival in Nevada, Dust to Dust Collective has revealed its newest piece, The Prodigal Swan art car.
“A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into this thing, but in the end, we were able to bring our shining metal dream to life on the playa,” said Dustin T. Hoffman, founder of Dust to Dust Collective, project lead, and chief fabricator of The Prodigal Swan.
The 14 foot-long art piece is a massive mobile metallic swan sculpture, boasting diamond-pattern expanded metal wings, a crown that poofs propane-fueled fire, and an arching neck that towers 14 feet over the playa. In addition to a booming sound system, The Prodigal Swan features a small platform up top where riders can enjoy an aerial view of Black Rock City and an open body seating area that can transport up to 10 passengers across the desert.
“Every piece of sheet metal was cut by hand, every weld done manually,” Hoffman added.
The name "The Prodigal Swan" is a biblical reference to the vehicle’s previous iteration, Beezus Christ Super Car. With the help of a successful Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, Dust to Dust Collective was able to completely transform Beezus from a humble bee to a prodigal swan.
Artistic director and visual designer of The Prodigal Swan, Marie Poliak, based the concept on the ancient Greek myth of Leda and the Swan, depicted by many master painters such as Leonardo da Vinci, and an homage this year’s Burning Man theme, "Da Vinci’s Workshop." The inner mural contains historical references to the myth throughout the ages as well as original art and illustrations by Marie.
The team plans to bring the swan to other transformational festivals in the western United States as well as future Burning Man events in the years to come.
About Dust to Dust Collective
Dust to Dust Collective was founded by Dustin T. Hoffman in Oakland, CA and exists to turn dreams into big art reality. Using welded metal, wood, and a multitude of hand-cut techniques, Dust to Dust Collective has produced two large pieces for Burning Man: The MultiDeck (2015) featured a massive multiple-tiered semi-circle of sitting platforms from which to observe Black Rock City; The Prodigal Swan (2016) is the collective's second large art piece that has made it out to Burning Man.
About the Prodigal Swan Team
The Prodigal Swan team is an international crew based in Oakland, CA and Toronto, Canada. Led by Dustin T. Hoffman, the team consists of Hoffman, Ellis Briery, and David Allen on the Bay Area fabrication team, original concept, graphic design, illustrations and paintings by Toronto-based artist Marie Poliak, videography and editing by Denis Iv, and logistical support by David Allen, Kevin Bracken, Jamie Joong-Watts and Justin Watts, Emma Grayson, and Alex Gold.
Dustin T. Hoffman, Dust to Dust Collective, http://www.todust.org, +1 2088712069, [email protected]
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