big art, getting started...

[pjs]

I'm wondering what's the best way to get started towards building (and funding) a large, complex art installation? Hoping to get a little advise...

Last year was my first burn. Built some custom LED lighting for a couple bicycles (colors faded gradually as the wheel sensor ticked per revolution), and brought electronics to animate the lights on the sign for the camp we stayed with (Burnstream Court)... which works out really well and had them all really excited. Yeah, little things so far... tried hard to resist the urge to build being a total newbie.

Well, it's only a few months later and I'm already dreaming big, crazy, horribly impractical art ideas. Maybe I should hold off another year? Maybe I should do something smaller, that can fit within my own personal "folly" budget (realistically, under $1000). Or maybe I should hook up with some other folks, hopefully in the Portland area, who've got some experience doing this? Or maybe I should just shoot for the moon, somehow?

[sputnik]

The only way is to just do it. If you have an idea of what you want to do, write it down. Start to break it down into pieces. Estimate costs and time involved. Then decide if you can do it this year or if it's a multi-year project. My project idea has grown this way. I'm pretty sure we can do it this year.

Good luck.

[nick]

A few thoughts... Whatever you do, spend some time thinking and planning, some time scaling this down so it's actually doable, and then a good amount of time testing whatever you can test!

[Bob]

Don't do anything you can't clean up after the event by yourself on a cold, wet, lonely playa.

[CLARKcon]

Yeah, definitily take little bites. It's good that your thinking about it now as opposed to a couple weeks out. We had this great idea for getting vinyl banners made at the local signshop, but left before they were done (we thought of it like a week before the camp), essentially, wasting money/time as they were specifically made for that year. Note to self: Make printed media vague so can use year-after-year, CHECK.

[Bob]

Yeah, when the Cafe was originally designed it was supposed to be all pink & teal shade cloth, but they got fucked on the lead time and had to settle on standard black & green.