Drum Set Crows Nest is going to happen!

Since last Jaunuary 2014, Laura and I have been proposing and tweaking a large outdoor project titled Drum Set Crow's Nest.  We finally have a venue for this project!  We will be participating in Collaborative Concepts,10th annual Farm Project at Saunder's Farm in Garrison, NY.  The piece will be installed in late August 2015 and open Labour Day weekend Saturday September 5th, 2015.  It is very fitting since this year marks 10 years since Laura and I began a series of conversations that turned into a collaborative project known as Yurt City. Ten seems to be a lucky number as this will be project number 10.  Yurt City projects have been installed at local and international locales, including Socrates Sculpture Park, art sites gallery in Riverhead, NY, in Rotterdam, Beaver Creek, California and Memphis, Tennessee.  Below are a few sneak peaks at the planning and building of Crow's Nest.

Drum Kit Crow's Nest

A couple of preliminary drawings for a proposed project we are hoping will happen in 2015.  It is titled, Drum Kit Crows Nest.  It will consist of a crow's nest type platform and an actual drum set the viewer can play.

Video of Maypole Alley, Memphis Social

Maypole Alley - More Images from Friday and Saturday May 10th and 11th, 2013

Since the conditions are always changing in our lot on South Main Street in Memphis, we like to document the installation numerous times in the various conditions.  The first image was from the back of the lot facing east looking out onto South Main Street.  It just so happened that the trolley was passing.  Click on images to enlarge.

Detail of the Crest and Banner from.  Detail of banner with camels converging on the maypole and the back of the crest revealing the embroidered text "solidarity." The camel is our avatar, our stand in.  It is a beast of burden and a  wanderer and a perfect representative for this transitional space in this itinerant river town and an installation that looks like the remnants of a carnival, circus or some event that quickly packed up and left town.  Initially we wanted to create a maypole for this lot, but due to concerns about rigging and liability, we changed it to a crest, banner and pennant installation.  The maypole dance is traditionally a rite of spring, danced in various parts of the world, often by children.  It also has a strong association with May Day and the Labour and Suffrage movements.  A merging of the social and the political.

Maypole Alley Installation shot

Finally a beautiful sunny and windy day on Saturday May 11th, 2013.  A  good day for documenting this installation.

Installation of May Pole Alley

Installing Maypole Alley on Thursday May 9, 2013.  We arrived far too late after many rain and technical delays on Wednesday to begin installation.  Norma Markley, another New York based artist traveled with us and spent the rest of Wednesday the 8th of May with us.  The three of us were able to check out our sites, and get the lay of the land.  We were up early on Thursday and spent about 10 hours finishing and suspending the lines of banner, crest  and pennants.  Laura spent the day on the ladder hammering wood shims, followed by masonry nails into the brick mortar into which we could attach the lines.  I spent the day hand sewing pennants onto the rope lines and getting them ready for Laura to install.

Memphis Social Exhibition, Various locations around Memphis May 7 -18th, 2013

Our site for Maypole Alley, part of Memphis Social
Watch the transformation begin May 8th, 2013