Whirl of Art
Art Towers by city:
TerRa Luna from Houston TX
"Believe in the Seed of Dreams, for the Roots of Flowing Earth are birthed through the Eyes of Terran skies. A Fountain of creation given form among the Suns and Moons of the vast Cosmos. TerRA Luna inspires us to seek the Visionary within, to call upon the collective Wisdom of all Beings and Illuminate the Creative Forces in every spoken word."
TerRa Luna is being crafted by a dedicated team from Houston, Texas, proudly representing the vibrant community of the youngest Texas burn, "Unbroken Spring." Inspired by the city's profound ties to space exploration, this ambitious art project seeks to celebrate Houston's historical significance in humanity's ventures beyond our planet.
At its core, TerRa Luna is a large, kinetic, flowering seed sculpture that sits upon a substantial wooden base and opens as the merry-go-round takes participants for a ride. When the kinetic seed is in its closed state, the focal point is the wind-powered spinning sphere positioned above the seed. The gleaming sphere represents both the sun and moon, with its radiant presence shifting depending on the viewer's perspective. As the seed opens, it reveals an enchanting transformation – the Terran globe at its core is an intricate representation of earth as the Eye of the World blooming in a magnificent fountain of creation, reaching towards the celestial sun and moon, symbolizing the creative forces that flow from our planet to the vast cosmic expanse. This dynamic interplay of elements within the art piece invites us to explore the interwoven relationship between earth, space, and the human spirit.
The wooden pedestal base, aside from being the anchor for the sculpture, serves as a specially curated art gallery inside. The central piece is a 3D handcrafted "Flowing Earth" sculpture, made by one of Houston's very talented artists from steel wire and carefully selected river stones. The communal art piece "Chandelier of Dreams" serves as a canvas for community members to inscribe their personal visions for the future on acrylic pieces, projecting a collective desire to manifest change and enabling many to share their dreams with participants on the playa. These are surrounded by a collection of 2D art pieces showcasing the work of a variety of local Houston artists. The space is designed with a celestial theme, with galaxies and stars projected onto the floor, creating an immersive and otherworldly atmosphere that encourages visitors to gaze around and ponder the mysteries of the great cosmos. Visual art is supplemented by a carefully selected musical compilation playing in the background.
Outside of the base serves as a canvas for numerous artists to express what Houston means to them: the enormous rural city with a small urban center crisscrossed by the widest freeways in the country, a port and the energy capital, one of the most ethnically and racially diverse cities, and our home of resilience in the face of natural disasters.
TerRa Luna, as a whole, celebrates community by weaving together the threads of big city life, nature, culture, and the cosmos, encouraging viewers to contemplate their own dreams, the collective wisdom of humanity, and the boundless potential of creative expression in the unspoken language of art.
Art Sculpture Design
Status: in completed
Base Build
Status: completed
Art Sculpture Build
Sun/Moon and Earth have been CNC cut, assembled, and sanded.
The cable shaft welding completed.
Seed is CNC cut.
TerRa-Luna assembled.
Status: completed
First time TerRa Luna tower was presented to the public at FreezerBurn it was sitting atop of a basic frame and was lacking color. But we showed that the mechanism works! The merry-go-round made the petals open and close as designed!
When TerRa Luna went to Burning Flipside and Apogaea it became colorful and was proudly displayed on top of the base with decorated walls and carved out doors leading to an art gallery inside!
Base Art Design
Status: In progress
Full 8x8 wall 1 (completed): The image is an artistic vision of the city by one of the artists that was implemented on plywood sheets using paint-by-numbers technique by the local burner community on top of CNC cut out design.
Full 8x8 wall 2 (completed): The image is another artistic vision of the city by a local artist on stretched canvas. It includes an illusion better seen though 3D glasses (attached for better viewing)
Carved doors (completed): The doors are an extension of the TerRa Luna structure above: one representing the sun and other the moon.
Gallery (in progress): The walls are covered with star-pattern fabric softening the space. Small tables and chairs are offering visitors a place to rest. Art is displayed on the walls. Light effects highlight blacklight paint on some of the artwork.
The collection of art is not finalized yet. The lighting needs more work. Soft music will be added.
Archway wall (completed): Houston owes it's growth over the last century to being a big sea port. Houston ship channel is full of aquatic life with refineries peppering nearby lands and oil rigs looming in the distance in the Gulf of Mexico.
Exterior wall (completed): Houston is known as a space city and we could not avoid paying tribute to this fact
