Kickstarter

"Compound I/eye" challenges our sense of separate-ness from art, as it simultaneously presents the concept of eye as instrument of reflection and 'I' as object of reflection. 

It will be installed first at the Burning Man Festival and directly after at the Discovery Museum in Reno.

 Up close, the sculpture reinforces a familiar sense of self by placing us at the center of each reflective lens. Stepping away, we see our image simultaneously contract and overlap with everyone else' onto the mosaic globe before us – nodes in a composite of shared reflection. 

 Circling around "Compound I", its many reflected lights follow us… as if we are being watched. Looking into the shifting centers of the glistening lenses, we meet our own gaze. As we realize it is our sight and form that animates these pupils, our sense of separate-ness from the art is challenged.. 

Are we, the unrelated observer, watching from behind the seemingly impermeable membrane of our own eye? Are we watched by the seemingly animate Compound I? In front of the lens, or behind the eyes?

 We consider the strange totem of orbs before us.. once an object behind an artist's eye, now beheld by ours. As visual impressions pass through our eyes, a cascade of imagery unfolds; visual resonance, contagious and ripe, ignites the imagination, engendering new forms, perhaps to be brought back over the threshold to share on our side of the lens..to spark another mind's eye and echo the creative chain yet again.. behind the eyes, before the eyes.. 

The eye as instrument of reflection, the 'I' as object of reflection - boundaries blur between perspectives of inner and outer, personal and collective, to convey a picture of interconnectedness – us as facets of a compound “I/eye”

As an art team, we are unique : nearly all of us live abroad and come together once a year to create art. The challenges of building large-scale art without a home base are huge. We have the energy/ inspiration to do it. We take care of our own costs. But we're asking community to help with the material and transport costs.

Contributions will only  :

- Purchase materials to create the “Compound I”

- Rent occasional equipment we don’t have/can’t borrow.

- Cover the additional cost to transport the sculpture and equipment.

- Rent a small workspace to construct 'Compound I" 

Contributions will not:

- Compensate me or the art crew for cost to get to the USA/ labor/time/efforts to build “Compound I” .

- Cover personal expenses to attend Burning Man (i.e. tickets, food, personal transport)

- Cover the cost of storage post-Burning Man

FAQ : You go to Burning Man every year anyway – why are transportation costs included in the donations budget?

Answer : A 16′/5m truck truck rental is required to transport the sculpture and equipment. This is above and beyond the transportation needs/ costs of a personal (non art-building) trip. Our average personal fuel costs have been subtracted

We need to purchase

- structural materials = metal tubes,metal sheets, bolts,fiberglass, transport

- convex and flat mirrors

- led lighting

Here are some of the reward-related images..