Kickstarter

The Dirty Beetles plan to devote the next 7 months to building a 25 foot long, 10 foot tall Dung Beetle, named "Boogaloo."The beetle is being built around a completely refurbished 1981, International mini school bus that the Dirty Beetles purchased in December of 2010. We plan to paint the entire outside of the bus iridescent 'beetle' green. His wings will be able to open and close, creating a shaded area on either side of the bus. There will be a shaded gazebo on the roof (the beetles back). The dung ball will be approximately 6' tall. While during the day it may appear to be just a gigantic ball o' "Poo," at night it will come to life, glowing white, in representation of the moon. The dung itself will be its own piece, completely detached from the bus. When Boogaloo isn't rolling the dung himself, other people will be invited to roll it across the playa, taking on the role of the sun god themselves.

At night the beetle will be fully illuminated and detailed with EL wire, rope lighting, black lights etc. Participants will be invited to ride inside the bus as well, which will be decorated in plush blacklight sensitive fabrics. Beetle related art and fun facts will decorate the walls and ceiling.

Inside the bus will be a fully equipped sound system and DJ booth. The DJ will be inside facing out throw a cut out window on the side. People can dance on the roof or beside Boogaloo beneath his opened wings.

Boogaloo is based on a species that has one of the greatest varieties of diversity on earth. Of the 800,000 species of insects in existence, nearly half are beetles. There are more than 350,000 different species of noted beetles, however, scientists estimate the real number is between 4 and 8 million. To us, Boogaloo, is a reminder of the diversity of human character and a representation of its uniqueness in design. Boogaloo is something that represents so many things.

When people see an image of a dung beetle, rolling its gigantic dirty prize, the common reaction is often a giggle or two. It seems like such a strange and alien task, to collect the feces of other creatures and roll it around until it’s twice your size. What most people don't know is that the Egyptians didn’t think it was all that comical. In fact they viewed this task as something much more meaningful. Boogaloo by embodiment, represents the Egyptian sun god ‘Khepera,’ gate keeper of time, ushering the passage of night to day. They believed Khepera rolled the setting sun or moon across the horizon, much like the dung beetle with his ball of dung.

By appearance, Boogaloo is a 25 foot long Scarab, but also imparts knowledge of the beetles vital importance in the chain of biological existence. And not forgetting the very important element of laughter, and the juxtaposition of what is funny at first glance, but beautiful when given a closer look.

Beetles have immortalized their unique shape into the culture of man for thousands of years, and this is what we want to honor by building Boogaloo.

More details and updates about the project can be found at - www.dirtybeetles.com or at http://www.facebook.com/boogaloo.artcar