Flaming Lotus Girls

Last updated
"Soma" sculpture adapted to use LED lights instead of fire, installed in San Francisco as public art, 2015 Flaming Lotus Girls - Soma - San Francisco.jpeg
"Soma" sculpture adapted to use LED lights instead of fire, installed in San Francisco as public art, 2015

Flaming Lotus Girls is a volunteer-based group of artists who make large-scale kinetic fire art. FLG has been described as a "women-focused anarchist art collective." [1] The group began in 2000, in San Francisco, California, as a group of six women and two men who wanted to gain the fabrication skills and design experience needed to create large sculptural installations. [2] The group includes over a hundred members of all genders, and a majority of the members are women. [3] Many of the sculptures have interactive elements, allowing the audience to control the lighting, flames, sound, or other effects. [4] The collective's work has appeared throughout the United States, as well as in Canada, Australia, and the Netherlands. [5]

Contents

Art

Sea of Dreams (2022)

Sea of Dreams is a 2022 Black Rock City Honoraria project. [6]

Serenity (2019)

Serenity is a 2019 Black Rock City Honoraria project. [7] It features a group of three giant, and many smaller fireflies escaping the pieces of a large broken jar. Serenity is primarily sculpted in steel - and features interactive flame and LED effects at night. It debuted at Burning Man in August 2019. [8]

Noetica (2017)

Noetica is a set of two sculptures constructed from 144 stainless steel squares carved with intricate patterns. The larger of the two sculptures is hydraulically powered - and may be controlled by manually manipulating the smaller sculpture. Noetica was displayed in Black Rock City, NV in 2017. [9]

Pulse (2016)

Pulse is an anatomically-correct heart that beats fire through its four chambers, emulating the blood flow through the human heart. [10] The outer steel structure mimics the intricate vasculature and predominant veins and arteries. Above the heart chambers, the aortic arch shoots pulses of fire into the night sky. [11] The sculpture was displayed at the SOMArts Cultural Center in San Francisco in 2016 as part of an event promoting a Flaming Lotus Girls photo calendar. [10]

Xylophage (2013)

Xylophage is a giant sculptural fungi featuring sound, light and fire, sprouting from the remains of an enormous tree. [1] Xylophage appeared at Burning Man in 2013. [4]

Tympani Lambada (2011)

Tympani Lambada at Burning Man Tympani Lambada (6156533313).jpg
Tympani Lambada at Burning Man

Tympani Lambada is a sculptural representation of the inner ear, with interactive controls for its flames and LED lights. [12] The sculpture is approximately 80 by 40 feet and weighs 20,000-25,000 pounds. [13] The planning and construction of the sculpture involved building large trusses out of pipes that carry propane, linked with 140 joints. [13]

Soma (2009)

Soma at the Electric Daisy Carnival Soma michael prados.jpg
Soma at the Electric Daisy Carnival

Soma is a stainless steel neuron that illustrates flowing electricity through crowd-controlled LED light patterns that shoot along its dendrites and axon. Soma appeared at Electric Daisy Carnival in 2013. [14] In 2014 it was installed at Pier 14 along the Embarcadero on the San Francisco waterfront for one year, adapted to light up with LED lights instead of the original balls of fire. [15] In 2016 it moved to Vallejo, California as a public art installation for two years, as part of an effort to draw visitors to the city's downtown and waterfront areas. [16]

Mutopia (2008)

Mutopia methanol shooters, Friday night, Burning Man 2008 B DSC04257.JPG
Mutopia methanol shooters, Friday night, Burning Man 2008

Mutopia is a spiraling sculpture of "seedpods," laid out according to the Golden Ratio, a proportion found throughout art and nature. This sculpture was also displayed at Maker Faire Bay Area in 2011. [17]

The Serpent Mother (2006)

The Serpent Mother Flgserpent fro.jpg
The Serpent Mother

The Serpent Mother is a 168-foot-long (51 m) sculpture of a skeletal serpent coiled around her egg. Serpent Mother has appeared at Electric Daisy Carnival and Coachella in 2012 and Burning Man. [18] In 2017, Serpent Mother was featured at Beakerhead in Calgary. In 2018, Serpent Mother was featured at the White Night Festival in Melbourne, Australia. [19]

The Angel of the Apocalypse (2005)

The Angel of the Apocalypse at Burning Man 2005 Angel of the Apocalypse.jpg
The Angel of the Apocalypse at Burning Man 2005

This sculpture, originally built of steel, driftwood and fire systems, rises from the earth in the form of an abstracted bird. The Angel's wings burn continuously with ambient flame, and each feather features audience-controlled "poofer" fire effects.

Its head, formed from curved steel plate and featuring hand-blown glass eyes, stands 20 feet (6.1 m) tall and functions as a wood-burning fireplace. Participants are invited to move around and between the Angel's feathers, and to climb and sit atop its driftwood torso.

During its debut appearance at Burning Man, the driftwood torso was burnt as part of the performance. A new steel one was designed and constructed in the winter of 2009–2010, to bring to Toronto's Winter Festival.

The Seven Sisters (2004)

Electra of the Seven Sisters, morning after the Burn, Burning Man 2004 FLG Electra at dawn.JPG
Electra of the Seven Sisters, morning after the Burn, Burning Man 2004

A collection of seven sculptures approximately 15 feet (4.6 m) in height, representing the stars of the Pleiades constellation. The Seven Sisters include Alcyone, Celano, Maia, Taygeta, Asterope, Merope, and Electra.

A Merope rebuild was completed in March 2012, and features CNC plasma-cut stainless steel sides.

The Hand of God (2003)

A 12-foot (3.7 m) copper sculpture of a woman's hand that shoots flame from all five fingers.

Mini Mega Jr. (2002)

Fire Fan (2002)

Huge plumes of liquid fire controlled by MIDI.

Fire Island (2002)

Interactive flaming flowers, cacti, arbors and more.

Flaming Flower Garden (2001)

A garden of fire, including copper flowers, a lily pond, and a weeping willow.

Flaming Lotus Sr. (2000)

A sculptural flame thrower. Created for the 2000 Burning Man Festival. [2]

Film

The Flaming Lotus Girls were featured in Dust & Illusions , [20] a documentary about the history of Burning Man. Pouneh Mortazavi, Rebecca Anders, Rosa Anna DeFilippis, Caroline Miller, Charlie Gadeken and James Stauffer were the Flaming Lotus Girls members interviewed for the film. The footage features the Serpent Mother.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Driftwood</span> Wood that has washed ashore

Driftwood is wood that has been washed onto a shore or beach of a sea, lake, or river by the action of winds, tides or waves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bacardi 151</span> Discontinued brand of highly alcoholic rum

Bacardi 151 is a discontinued brand of highly alcoholic rum made by Bacardi Limited of Hamilton, Bermuda. It is named for its alcohol concentration level of 151 U.S. proof, that is, 75.5% alcohol by volume. This is much higher than typical rum, which averages around 35%–40% alcohol by volume. Bacardi 151 was sold in the United States and Canada from at least 1963 until 2016, when its production was discontinued.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tori Busshi</span> Japanese sculpture

Tori Busshi was a Japanese sculptor active in the late 6th and early 7th century. He was from the Kuratsukuri clan, and his full title was Shiba no Kuratsukuri-be no Obito Tori Busshi (司馬鞍作部首止利仏師); Busshi is a title meaning "the maker of Buddhist images". By the early 7th century, Tori Busshi had become the favorite sculptor of Soga no Umako and Prince Shōtoku. Such high-ranking patrons indicate that Tori was highly esteemed as an artist and not just an anonymous craftsman. Many extant Asuka period sculptures in gilt bronze are credited to Tori and his workshop. The artist's work epitomizes Japanese sculpture during the era, with its solid, geometric figures in front-oriented, characteristic poses.

Herbert Flugelman, usually known as Bert, was a prominent Australian visual artist, primarily a sculptor, who had many of his works publicly displayed. He is known for his stainless steel geometric public sculptures. Among his best-known works are the "Mall's Balls" in Adelaide, and "the Silver Shish Kebab" in Sydney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beverly Pepper</span> American sculptor and painter (1922–2020)

Beverly Pepper was an American sculptor known for her monumental works, site specific and land art. She remained independent from any particular art movement. She lived in Italy, primarily in Todi, since the 1950s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fire art</span> Piece of art that uses active flames

Fire art is a piece of art that uses active flames as an essential part of the piece. The piece may either use flame effects as part of a sculpture, or be a choreographed performance of fire effects as the piece burns; the latter being almost a type of performance art.

Sonal Ambani is an Indian sculptor and author. She is known for her 2004 book Mothers and Daughters, a photographic journal celebrating the mother-daughter relationship, which she wrote after losing her mother to cancer as a way of honoring her. Ambani mentored her children as they completed a sequel to Mothers and Daughters called Fathers and Sons, which was released in 2009. Her sculptures have featured in many prominent exhibitions, most notable and recent of which is her sculpture Riderless World which is being shown at the Venice 2022 Art Biennale, organized by the European Cultural Centre. She has a patent for Systems and Method for providing Financial Services to Children and Teenagers. She grew up in New York City. Her father's art gallery in New York had a significant influence on her. She played the double bass in an orchestra and a jazz ensemble. Her father taught her how to sculpt. She was a skilled equestrian show jumper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vojin Bakić</span> Croatian sculptor (1915–1992)

Vojin Bakić was a prominent Yugoslav sculptor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nancy Rubins</span> American artist

Nancy Rubins is an American sculptor and installation artist. Her sculptural works are primarily composed of blooming arrangements of large rigid objects such as televisions, small appliances, camping and construction trailers, hot water heaters, mattresses, airplane parts, rowboats, kayaks, canoes, surfboards, and other objects. Works such as Big Edge at CityCenter in Las Vegas contain over 200 boat vessels. Stainless Steel, Aluminum, Monochrome I, Built to Live Anywhere, at Home Here, at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, contains 66 used aluminum boats and rises to a height of 30 ft.

<i>Bridge</i> (sculpture)

Bridge is a public art work by artist Peter Flanary. It is located on the Hank Aaron State Trail in the Menomonee Valley south of downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The sculpture was donated to the State of Wisconsin by the nonprofit Menomonee Valley Partners. The sculpture is located in Three Bridges Park near the bridge from Mitchell Park.

Lila Katzen, born Lila Pell, was an American sculptor of fluid, large-scale metal abstractions.

<i>Allow Me</i> (Portland, Oregon) Statue in Portland, Oregon

Allow Me, also known as Umbrella Man, is a 1983 bronze sculpture by John Seward Johnson II, located in Pioneer Courthouse Square in Portland, Oregon, United States. The sculpture, one of seven Allow Me casts, was donated anonymously to the City of Portland in 1984 for display in the Square. It depicts a life-sized man dressed in a business suit, hailing a cab and holding an umbrella. Constructed from bronze, aluminum and stainless steel, the sculpture stands six feet, ten inches tall and weighs 460 pounds. The sculpture is one of many works of art generated by the city's Percent for Art program, and is considered part of the City of Portland and Multnomah County Public Art Collection courtesy of the Regional Arts & Culture Council.

Jen Lewin is an interactive artist and engineer with a studio based in New York City who specializes in large scale installations in public spaces, usually combining elements such as light, sound and complex engineering. Her interactive light installation The Pool debuted in 2008 and has been exhibited across the globe, in cities such as Singapore, Sydney, Denver, Montréal and Prague, and in events such as South By Southwest and Burning Man.

Terrance Kippax Plowright is an Australian artist, based in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales. His works include contemporary and figurative sculptures. He has designed and created large public sculptural water features and murals, substantial public cenotaphs, commemorative cast bronze sculptures, and a large body of religious and spiritual work that includes stained glass windows, altars, lecterns, baptismal fonts and mosaics.

Martha Sturdy is a Canadian artist and designer. Sturdy gained international attention for her wearable sculpture in the late 1970s, which evolved into further series of sculptural home furnishings using resin, steel, brass and salvaged cedar. Sturdy’s studio has since expanded to provide custom furniture, fixtures and artworks for fashion, retail and hospitality clients including Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, and Louis Vuitton.

<i>Harbor Fog</i> Public art installation in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

Harbor Fog, stilled buoys dream of a lost harbor, is a responsive sensor-activated interactive contemporary public sculptural environment located in Boston along the main pedestrian walkway of Wharf District Park Parcel 17, on the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway. The first permanent public artwork along the Greenway, the concept was selected through a competition for commission by the Mass Highway Department, and integrated into site construction in collaboration with engineers during building of the Central Artery/Tunnel Project.

Beakerhead is a multi-day festival held every September in Calgary, Alberta, Canada that combines the arts/culture sectors with the science/technology sectors to encourage collaboration, innovation, and science education through interactive art exhibits, engineered installations, entertainment, and workshops – drawing international presenters and attendees. Beakerhead also includes a year-round education and outreach initiative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emeryville mudflat sculptures</span> Found object sculptures in California, USA

The Emeryville mudflat sculptures were a series of found object structures along the San Francisco Bay shoreline of Emeryville, California, largely constructed from discarded materials found on-site such as driftwood. The mudflat sculptures were first erected in 1962 and received national attention by 1964; through the 1960s and 70s, anonymous, usually amateur artists would construct sculptures visible to traffic at the eastern end of the Bay Bridge. With the creation of the Emeryville Crescent State Marine Reserve in 1985 and increased attention to ecosystem preservation, the last mudflat sculptures were removed in 1997.

Love is a sculpture by Ukrainian artist Alexander Milov. The sculpture was featured at the 2015 Burning Man festival in Nevada. The sculpture appears to represent two humans who are at odds, but each has an inner child attempting to connect with each other.

References

  1. 1 2 Chun, Kimberly (16 August 2013). "Approach of Burning Man sparks an outbreak of art". SFGate. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  2. 1 2 Mohammadi, Goli (11 May 2010). "Maker Faire: Flaming Lotus Girls Soma". Make: DIY Projects and Ideas for Makers. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  3. "About FLG". Flaming Lotus Girls. Archived from the original on 25 July 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  4. 1 2 Halloran, Lori (2013-09-06). "Burning Man Art Beyond the Playa". KQED. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
  5. Long, Margaret (2018-03-14). "No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man". Flaming Lotus Girls. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
  6. "Introducing the 2022 Black Rock City Honoraria". Burning Man Journal. 11 March 2022. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  7. "Introducing the 2019 Black Rock City Honoraria". Burning Man Journal. 28 February 2019. Retrieved 2019-04-01.
  8. "Serenity". Flaming Lotus Girls. Retrieved 2019-04-01.
  9. "Noetica". flaminglotusgirls-serenity.com/. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  10. 1 2 Kukura, Joe (2016-11-30). "Flaming Lotus Girls Fire Up 2017-18 Calendar". SF Weekly. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
  11. "Pulse". flaminglotusgirls-serenity.com. Flaming Lotus Girls. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  12. Lynch, E.D.W. (2011-06-21). "Tympani Lambada, New Epic Scale Fire Art by Flaming Lotus Girls". Laughing Squid. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
  13. 1 2 Abrams, Michael (October 2011). "The Intersection of Art and Engineering". The American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
  14. Carter, Geoff (19 June 2013). "A Carnival of Sights - Vegas Seven". Vegas Seven. Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2018.
  15. Whiting, Sam (2014-07-21). "Burning Man Sculpture Opens on Waterfront". SFGate. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
  16. Glidden, John (2016-10-07). "SOMA sculpture arrives in Vallejo". Times-Herald. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
  17. Stern, Becky (2011-09-05). "Three Mutopia Pods: Flaming Lotus Girls (video)". Make: DIY Projects and Ideas for Makers. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
  18. Baltin, Steve (18 May 2012). "Electric Daisy Carnival Amps Up Its Art". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  19. Francis, Hannah (2017-12-14). "White Night ... White Month? Melbourne could see its all-night art party extended". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2018-03-09.
  20. Olivier, Bonin (March 2009). "Dust & Illusions. Documentary on 30 Years of Burning Man history". The 90 minutes long documentary features the Flaming Lotus in a 15 minutes segment.