In 2013, the Man stood atop one of the most ambitious Man Pavilions we’ve ever constructed (so far). The base was a massive 117-foot wide, classic 1950s sci-fi flying saucer, featuring three stories connected by intricate stairways, a central core adorned with artwork, exit slides, and elaborate audio compositions and light effects to evoke the interior of your average flying saucer. The saucer was designed to appear as though it was about to take flight, or had just landed on the Black Rock Desert.
A number of art installations encircled the Man, including five altars intended to allow participants to share offerings with any other visitor to Black Rock City. The YES Project, created by artist Dana Albany and kids from San Francisco, was a charming and ornate spacecraft decorated with mosaics and carnival lights. Cult of the Can Opener featured a group of cats dancing in ecstasy around a woman posed like an angel preparing to take flight, opening a can of cat food – cults can indeed take many forms.
On the third floor of the Man Pavilion, participants enjoyed some small installations designed as “home grown” technological wonders and playful experiments to experience. RVFMTV2 displayed a MIDI Synthesizer constructed out of televisions, while Pimpsnaxx emitted light and sound from its small boxlike structure, acting as an inter-dimensional transportation module. Chatty Interactive Robot, known as Rupert, engaged participants in streams of dialogue – sometimes silly, sometimes aggressive, sometimes horny.
The Man Pavilion was a daring achievement on many levels – from the number of people hours it took to construct in a short amount of time, to the extreme width of the saucer, on to the lights, sounds and more. This Pavilion was truly a memorable one.
Submitted by,
Elizabeth Scarborough