incendimus the dragon

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 wellreceived 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.