09-02-2012 |
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James DiGiorgio |
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| News-Press.com Written by Charles Runnells | ||
Metal sculpture a platform for partying |
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Part 'airplane,' part dance floor, the Playa One concept vehicle debuts this week at the Burning Man festival. |
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Deejay booth? Check. Laser lights and kicking sound system? Check. Retractable airplane wings? Check. Playa One is ready for takeoff. You’ve probably never seen anything quite like James DiGiorgio’s latest metal sculpture: Part RV, part airplane and part dance floor. The rolling, airplane-shaped metal sculpture was scheduled to appear this week at the annual Burning Man Festival in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert (also known as “the playa”). And if all goes as planned, it could be crawling with dancing, grinning “Burners” at this very moment. “Playa One is basically a roving platform for partying,” DiGiorgio said last week before leaving for Burning Man. “It’s like a giant jungle gym. “You can climb all over it. Everybody will be jumping on and off this thing. You can dance on the wings. You can dance on the roof. The deejay’s going to be spinning from the tail section.” DiGiorgio and his team built Playa One out of a salvaged 2009 Ford RV chassis in his Fort Myers studio. The “art car” was commissioned by someone involved with Burning Man, DiGiorgio said, but that man wants to remain anonymous. The vehicle – and, no, it can’t really fly – is meant to be a weirder, cooler, more psychedelic version of the president’s famous Air Force One. There’s even a fake presidential seal with the words “Altered States of America.” The open-air concept vehicle boasts a working cockpit, hydraulic wings that fold up and down (and double as dance platforms) and “jet engines” that conceal subwoofer speakers. Its open-air aluminum frame is decorated with “Om” and other Hindu symbols. To get the party started, Playa One comes with laser and strobe lights, a fog machine, a 30,000-watt sound system and a deejay booth on the airplane tail, 20 feet above the ground. “The deejay will be spinning to the masses,” DiGiorgio said and grinned. “And the light show is pretty intense.” DiGiorgio is no stranger to the weird world of Burning Man, an annual festival in which the machinist-turned-artist often helps build various buildings and structures. He built another “art car” for last year’s event, but he says it was nothing as complex as Playa One. After Burning Man, DiGiorgio and his unnamed associate plan to bring Playa One to festivals around the country. DiGiorgio predicted Playa One will be a big hit at Burning Man, a festival known for its art installations, bizarre vehicles, nonstop music and eye-popping visuals. “A lot of the events at Burning Man happen at night,” he said. “And the amount of lights we have on it will shape the vehicle. It’s such a visual thing. “And then you add the sound to it, and the music, and tens of thousands of people – gorgeous people having a good time. It’s going to be a lot of fun.” |
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Oh yes!! Creativity on steroids! Great little read by Charles Runnells. |
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