Cosmic Entanglement

Cosmic Entanglement A jungle gym in the desert for the monkeys.

The story continues…!Day 3 of our build - Rope day! This was the day we put up the ropes. We thought today would be an e...
10/25/2022

The story continues…!

Day 3 of our build - Rope day! This was the day we put up the ropes. We thought today would be an easy and fun day. But turned out, it was the most labor-intensive day. The ropes required a lot of strength to pull and tighten. Our on-site build lead Hadar was the main person setting up the ropes. He spent a lot of his energy tightening the ropes all day. Not an easy day for Hadar!

Fortunately, a group of our friends stopped by and volunteered to help. Instantly, our crew doubled in size and we were able to get a lot done while having loads of fun together.

The org also sent a trencher and Wingman Dan to help us lay down the power cable. We got to finally connect our lighting to our generator. (I’ll give you an overview of our light design in a later post)

We thought we would be able to finish the build today but the process took way longer than we thought. We managed to put up two-thirds of the ropes (we have 500 meters total). Tomorrow is Monday when Burning Man officially starts. We plan to put up the rest of the ropes tomorrow and finish the build!

The second day of our build!Today was a big day. The plan was to finish setting up the structure so the next day we coul...
10/10/2022

The second day of our build!

Today was a big day. The plan was to finish setting up the structure so the next day we could start webbing the ropes. We erected our first pole without any problem. But then we ran into some problems with the metal caps not fitting on some poles.

Let me explain to you the setup. Each pole has a metal plate as the base and a metal cap that goes on top to connect the guy wires. Because all of our poles have different diameters, we needed to customize the size of each metal cap. During the build, there were some caps and base plates that didn’t fit properly, so we needed to shave the poles to make them fit.

Other than that, there were a few more hiccups today. Sometimes it took one of us riding around the playa to try to source parts that we needed. Sometimes we needed to modify our design to make things work. Building anything on the playa requires a high level of resourcefulness, which is what I appreciate the most about my crew. The ’we will make it work no matter what’ attitude combined with trusting that everything will work out makes the whole build stress-free and we had fun along the way.

As I was seeing each pole getting set up, things really started to come along, I couldn’t help but get emotional. This project had been an idea, a vision in my head for months. To now see it in reality was unbelievable. I know I can always go back to this moment and remind myself that any vision could be turned into reality with enough dedication, hard work, and faith.

In spite of all the hiccups and non-stop sandstorms, we managed to finish setting up the poles and all the guy wires. We concluded the day watching the sunset together on top of Clever’s van, celebrating our job well done. And… tomorrow is rope day! Stay tuned..!

Now it’s time to build!The first thing we needed to do was to lay down the foundation of the installation - getting 16 g...
10/07/2022

Now it’s time to build!

The first thing we needed to do was to lay down the foundation of the installation - getting 16 ground anchors into the ground. This was the part that worried me the most because there was no way to know the condition of the ground beforehand. We potentially would need to do it by hand and that would take hours.

We first tried using the post digger we had but it didn’t work. The anchor only went down a few inches. As we were trying to figure out a solution, one of the staff from HEAT (heavy equipment team) stopped by and asked if we needed help. We immediately said yes. After 40 minutes, HEAT came back with a bobcat to help us with the anchors. This lovely lady in the picture below with her assistant (I forgot both of their names 😂) spent one and a half hours, drilled all 16 anchors into the ground for us. This was a huge lifesaver!

After we got the anchors down, it concluded the first day of our build. We left the site feeling amazing and looking forward to the next day! 🔥

Story time!We planned to start our build on Thursday build week but due to some delays, most of our crew didn’t get into...
10/04/2022

Story time!

We planned to start our build on Thursday build week but due to some delays, most of our crew didn’t get into the playa until Thursday evening.

First thing I did on Friday morning was to head over to the Artery (the art department) to register the installation. There was a long wait but I got the chance to talk to many artists about what they were making. It was very inspiring to be around the makers and doers of burning man. There was a sense of camaraderie that we were all here to create something.

Since I am a newbie at this, I also asked for advice from the experienced artists. The most important one I got was ‘ease and flow’. 3 simple words that helped me through the whole build. As you can probably imagine, unexpected things happen all the time on the playa. That 3 simple words reminded me that there’s no need to stress and things always work out in their own time.

After about 3 hours of waiting and making friends, I finally got taken by one of the staff out to the playa to see the placement of the installation. It was situated at 5 o’clock and not very far away from the man. I couldn’t believe we got such a perfect placement. One of my crew Clever happened to be with me at that time and we snapped this picture before gathering the whole crew to start the build! 💥

Hi everyone! It’s been almost a month since we left the playa. I am finally here to deliver good news. Our installation ...
10/03/2022

Hi everyone! It’s been almost a month since we left the playa. I am finally here to deliver good news. Our installation was a success! Of course there are always unexpected things that happen on the playa, but our team nailed it with dedication and resourcefulness. In the following days, I’ll fill you in with the details of our build, how burners reacted with the installation, my reflection on the project and things that I learned. Can’t wait to share more with you all!

Here's a photo of our crew and a bunch of amazing friends who came to help! 📸: Rakel Lopez

Yesterday, we were all hands on deck. We worked hard and had a great day putting the art pieces together. Things took lo...
08/22/2022

Yesterday, we were all hands on deck. We worked hard and had a great day putting the art pieces together. Things took longer than expected but we erected out first pole. It’s a beauty! 😍
To support our project, visit our fundraising page:
www.gofundme.com/cosmicentanglement2022

Update fresh out of the oven! 🔥 Jason and Anson have been working hard this week fabricating the metal parts. In the pho...
08/20/2022

Update fresh out of the oven! 🔥 Jason and Anson have been working hard this week fabricating the metal parts. In the photos, you see how the wooden pole sits on top of a metal base plate in a metal cylinder welded to the base. 🪵🪢

We've picked up our poles and our ropes have also arrived! Two of the main ingredients of our art piece.We also just had...
08/13/2022

We've picked up our poles and our ropes have also arrived! Two of the main ingredients of our art piece.

We also just had a meeting with the BM org and engineer Sparkle (who worked on The Folly and Paradisium). We talked about the challenge we have been facing recently. We needed to revise our anchor plan and source our own anchors (instead of using BM anchors). Sparkle gave us some suggestions and helpful feedback. I appreciate the help from the BM org in making sure the artists are supported.

12 more days before we head out to the playa and start our build. I’m excited, nervous, and pumped to see this come to fruition!

We still need your help to fund this project! Visit our fundraising page:
www.GoFundMe.com/cosmicentanglement2022

08/10/2022

Update time! We've picked up our poles! One of the main ingredients of our art piece. 🥳 The good news is our beloved Jason was able to get them for only $50 (we estimated $1200). But there have been some changes to our anchor plan. We need to spend more money there and other components of the piece are adding up. We might still need close to $4000 for this project. If you could contribute and help support this project, please take a look at our fundraising page 🌟:
www.gofundme.com/cosmicentanglement2022

Yesterday was the first time our whole crew met!! We got down to business, had fruitful discussions. The synergy was ama...
08/07/2022

Yesterday was the first time our whole crew met!! We got down to business, had fruitful discussions. The synergy was amazing. Wise men once said to make something great, gathering the right crew is the most important. I think we got that covered! 🔥

Our fundraiser is still going:
www.GoFundMe.com/cosmicentanglement2022

After many iterations, we are very close to finalizing the design of our structure! The plan is to use 5 wooden utility ...
07/25/2022

After many iterations, we are very close to finalizing the design of our structure!

The plan is to use 5 wooden utility poles and 6 guylines for each pole. The pole will be placed on a metal base plate with a metal cap on top to anchor the guylines. (I didn’t even know what a guyline was before this 😂) The guylines will stabilize the poles and that will allow us to tie the ropes between the poles to create a playground of ropes.

Currently, we are in the process of calculating the loads and considering all the safety measures. Slowly but surely, everything is coming along!

My intention for the installation this year is not to make it gigantic or grand. But to make sure that the structure stands and people could freely play with the ropes. That will be considered a freaking success!

I’m learning a lot of technical stuff as I go. I don’t have any knowledge of rigging but thankfully I have a crew of great minds helping and guiding me. Thank you so much to everyone involved and for lending me their talents and specialties. 🙏🏻❤️

My friend Gideon Naude has graciously helped draw the 3D illustration of the design.

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Black Rock City
Gerlach, NV
89419

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