Tag Archive for: fire art

Hex Machina: Gigantic, Interactive “Lantern”

Nate Robertson and Garrett Briones will be bringing Hex Machina, an interactive propane fire “poofer” or “boosh” effect. Essentially, this is a gigantic, interactive lantern: Visitors can push a button to release a burst of fire within the large steel hexagonal lantern which is seated above a 22 ft hexagonal steel framework. This flame effect is a high pressure propane system, utilizing structural steel fabrication to create a safe, stable fire sculpture. See and interact with Hex Machina Saturday, December 3.

The entirety of the supporting frame is composed of carbon steel 14 gauge-⅜in. thickness of materials. Six sections of fabricated 2’x1’x14 ga. square tubing supports connect from the bottom ⅜” thick, hexagonal baseplates, to a hexagonal plate connection plate at the top, forming a solid steel, monolithic structure.

About the Artists

Nate Robertson has a passion for sustainability when creating art. That sentimentality drives his creative process. Hey is experienced in building tiny homes, van-builds, shipping container builds, skoolies and off-grid applications, which inform and influence his art creations.

Nate started building at age seven for family businesses. He completed a welding certification program in 2012 and has spent the past decade incorporating all he learned into fabrication methods and processes, building everything from roller coasters to 60-ton stainless steel pressure vessels and everything in between. Nate connected with the NM’s Burning Man Regional in 2019, and fell in love. Now, he’s a Board Member! He says, “I’ll never stop making large scale fire art until the day I die if I have anything to say about it.”

Garrett Briones started woodworking with his father as a child. A knack for things running smoothly also inspired his degree in Flowology, focusing on making sure every aspect of life and work was streamlined for success. His true passion for fabrication began when he discovered tiny living, especially school bus conversions.Ccurrently, Garrett helps with SunBurn, NM’s Regional Burning Man. Garrett leads the DPW Dept. and creates large scale art for the event as well. Making art is his passion and always will be.

true north workshop participants from 2021

Free Teen Sculpture Build, Oct. 1 & 2!

Rocky Mountain Arts will collaborate with True North Youth Program to produce a wood building sculpture workshop for teens through support from Alpine Bank. The completed art installation will be on display on December 3 at the Telluride Fire Festival. All students will be invited to attend the event in December.

THE DEETS: 
Oct 1 & 2: 10am-4pm each day
Snacks, lunch, tools, and all supplies provided both days.

Text or call 970-708-1986 to sign up!
Only 10 spots are available!

Thanks to Alpine Bank’s generosity for helping to make this workshop a reality.
Alpine Bank believes in creating strong, long-lasting relationships and giving back. When they are not working in the bank, you will find them volunteering in the community, attending local events and enjoying the many outdoor activities Telluride offers.

tree of life

Spectacular, fiery “Tree Of Life” at Telluride Fire Festival

This fabulous interactive sculptural “tree” created by David Mechtly,  has 18 flaming leaves. Guests will delight in the ability to actually make the tree spew fire into the night sky.

Originally created for the Denver Regional Burning Man event, Apogaea, this elaborate sculpture will travel to Telluride for the December 3 outdoor finale at the end of the box canyon.

Inspiring, spectacular, and fantastical…the Telluride Fire Festival will take place from December 2 -4, 2022.

More about the family-friendly event his year…

Rocky Mountain Arts will produce the fiery, three-day event with new and returning fire artists including: Nate Robertson, from Bernalillo, NM; Dave Mechtly, from Denver; Fort Collins LED/fire artist, Casey Moore; and from Telluride, Keith D’Angelo and Niel Ringstad.

Free flow arts workshops will be taught by Ashley Higgs from Durango, Stephanie Brown, and Beth Henshaw from Denver. A variety of fun one-hour workshops in partner hooping, aerial silk, lyra and more will be offered. All workshops will be located at the Wilkinson Public Library’s Program Room The workshops will be for youth and adults. No experience required.

Want to stay up-to-date on our event schedule and artists participating? Sign up for our enews.

Casey Moore LED Trees

Dec. 2-4: A Multi-Sensory Experience Of Epic Proportions

The annual gathering of flame-inspired art is going to be bigger than ever thanks to Colorado Creative Industries and the Colorado Arts Relief Fund. The grant has made it possible to attract more artists with larger, more fantastical installations. One such installation is slated to be 48 feet wide by 16 feet tall, which will create an extraordinary transformation when on fire.

Rocky Mountain Arts will produce the fiery, three-day event December 2-4 with new and returning fire artists including: Dave Mechtly, from Denver; Fort Collins LED/fire artist, Casey Moore; and from Telluride, Keith D’Angelo and Niel Ringstad.

Free flow arts workshops will be taught by Ashley Higgs, from Durango and Stephanie Brown, and Beth Henshaw from Denver. A variety of fun one-hour workshops in partner hooping, aerial silk, lyra and more will be offered. All workshops will be located at the Wilkinson Public Library’s Program Room The workshops will be for youth and adults. No experience required.

Expect over-the-top fiery art shooting flames high into the night sky at the finale event at the end of the box canyon. The family-friendly, outdoor event will enchant all with interactive, flaming sculptures, fire dancers, music and a cash bar.

Free Teen Art Installation Workshop October 1 & 2
This year we are teaming up again with the nonprofit True North Youth Program.  Additional support will be provided by Alpine Bank for this free weekend workshop to create a wood art installation. The focus for this workshop is on obtaining participation from the rural San Juan region teens who have limited access to resources and opportunities. These students will learn how to use all types of tools and work as a team to create their vision, which will be showcased at the December Festival. All students will be invited to attend the Festival as well.

Other events for everyone
Thursday evening will unfold with a reception at Slate Gray Gallery featuring local artist, Dan Gundrum.
Dan Gundrum specializes in immersive digital art though projection mapping, lasers and special effects through his company Pivotal Effects. He regularly shares his talent through artist workshops and holds an annual welding workshop through Rocky Mountain Arts.

Friday evening, the Festival will present a dance and acrobatic performance at The Palm Theater in collaboration with Homestead Circus Productions out of Paonia, CO.

True North Youth Program: Art installation build workshop

This art installation build workshop took place in the Festival Founders yard on November 6 & 7, 2021. Eight teens signed up to create magic over two days with Chris Myers & Erin Ries. The sculpture was showcased at Resurrection on December 4th. And, transformed by fire like the other wood sculptures.
The True North Youth Program kids all attended the event for free.
This program was made possible in part by the generous support of Alpine Bank.
If you are with True North Youth Program and wish to participate in the October 1 & 2, 2022 workshop, email erin@telluridefirefestival.org.

COVID Safety

Right now, more than ever, we need to support artists and create space to have fun, while at the same time being safe. We welcome anyone and everyone to join us December 3-5 in Telluride, CO.

Here’s what we will do for December 2-4 to keep our participants, volunteers, staff, artists, and performers safe:

  • Attendees will be required to wear a face mask indoors if they have not been vaccinated.
  • No cash transactions, only credit card purchases on site.
  • Hand sanitizer will be available at every event and workshop.
  • Attendees will be required to show proof of vaccination with ID or negative Covid test within 72 hours of Dec. 2 with ID.

If you wish to volunteer, donate or be a sponsor please email erin@telluridefirefestival.org for more info.

Student program was a resounding success!

Two weekends ago five Coldharbour Institute students met with seven students from the San Luis Valley and San Miguel County and went to an abandoned cave in Telluride and made art and science and alliances.

The program was a resounding success!  It was an opportunity for the kids to discover how they can operate in any environment, and learn any skill…beautifully.  Carlos Lerma is their first Coldharbour Youth Development Initiative (CYDI) student ambassador.  Maria and Veronica are two students being brought into the program.  Christian Arel is an MEM/Vista student whose project is developing the CYDI program.  “Max, my kid, started the whole crazy gig last year by meeting and falling in love with Erin Ries, TFF Executive Director and amazing soul,” says Suzanne Ewy, Executive Director of Coldharbour Institute.

“Connecting Gunnison and WSCU’s MEM, Art, etc., with Telluride makes all kinds of great sense.  They have so many of the same issues going on around art, cold weather, high altitude sustainability, agriculture and food, remoteness, need for higher education, and bursting creativity, that working together is a no-brainer. Come join us in January for the Fire Festival, January 20 – 22 – it’s magical.  We’ll have the kids’ sculpture up and running – it’s going to be fabulous.  Not quite green, but lots of sustainability in every other arena for these kiddos,”  ” continues Ewy.

If you miss the Festival, we’ll be bringing the sculpture to Gunnison and the San Luis Valley eventually.

Justin Gray Fiery Robots: coming to Telluride Fire Festival

Justin Gray built his first RC car at age seven and picked up his first welding torch at age sixteen. An apprenticeship with renowned sculptor Martin Metal shaped Justin’s esthetics in patina and metal sculpture.

Justin soon co-founded fire sculpture group Therm. This underground group built wild and complex fire sculpture and presented it internationally, pushing the envelope of audacious art and performance. Legendary large-scale machine performance group Survival Research Labs soon captured Justin’s interest, and he joined this group of like-minded techno-destructionists in 2006.

Justin’s obsession with radio control also thrived, leading him to protype and build his first electric vehicle in 2000. Justin continued building custom electric vehicles for future-thinking clients looking to gain a foothold in the burgeoning electric vehicle industry, and continues this work today.

It was only a matter of time before Justin’s passions converged and his resulting fleet of electric drive radio controlled fire sculpture robots are uniquely powerful, savage, and beautiful.

Justin’s robots share his shop with Graywrx Fabrication, a fully tooled machining and fabrication shop, where his broad range of abilities and limitless imagination enable Justin to engineer solutions to even the unlikeliest challenges posed by his exacting clientele.

Specialties

Electric vehicle design and fabrication, prototyping, metal fabrication, robotic systems design and build, special effects (fire and robots), precision machining including mill and lathe work, hydraulic systems design and repair.

2017 Event to Showcase Fire Art on Ski Area

This January 20-22, Festival goers will be entertained by dancing fire spinners and towering fiery art in Telluride Mountain Village, and also be captivated by larger-than-life fire installations on the Telluride Ski Resort, atop the gondola.

Local fire artist and architect, Anton Viditz-Ward will have his magnificent Fire Spinner on the ski slope. Guests attending the Saturday night Fire Ball will have the opportunity to view his interactive fire installation as well as other fire sculptures on a backdrop of glistening snow, 10,000 feet above sea level.

The Festival honors many artists whose works of fire art can often only be witnessed at Burning Man in the Nevada desert of Black Rock City.

The annual Telluride Fire Festival begins January 20 with fire performances and fire art installations in Telluride’s Mountain Village, 5-8pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. The outdoor experiences are offered are free to all.

Saturday night will feature the wildly outrageous Fire Ball in North America’s highest (one-night-only) nightclub at 10,535 feet on St Sophia Ridge. This event will wow all with music, fire performers, aerial silk spinners, jugglers, cash bar, yummy food, and more.

Anton Viditz-Ward
Master welder, artist and architect, Anton works his magic in an abandoned mine just outside of Telluride, which he uses as both a studio and starkly minimalist backdrop for creating and showcasing his spectacular, fiery creations. Working with heavy steel on a large scale, Anton constructs three-story tall “creatures” that he loads with wood, torches and spins via man-powered axles—remarkable to witness in person. Anton has received many grants over the years from Burning Man to bring his art to the desert.

Artist Reception at Telluride Gallery of Fine Art
Renowned Burning Man photographer Scott London will be hosted at the Telluride Gallery of Fine art with a kick-off reception Thursday, Jan. 19. Scott is a photographer and journalist based in southern California. His photographs have been widely published, appearing in books, newspapers and magazines in more than 30 countries. Publications include Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Newsweek, The Atlantic, Wired, Fast Company, GQ, Architectural Digest and National Geographic Traveler.

His work has also been exhibited across the U.S. and Europe. Highlights include the “Living” exhibition at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark and the “Art in an Ephemeral Age” show at the Institute of Art and Ideas in England. His book Burning Man: Art on Fire will be featured at Between the Covers bookstore and Scott will sign books at the reception.

Sponsors
The Festival’s current sponsors include AmeriGas, Hotel Telluride, Lumière Telluride, Madeline Hotel & Residences, Scott’s Printing, Telluride Ski Resort, Telluride Mountain Village Owners Association, CCAASE, and The Victorian Inn.

 

 

 

Gunnison teen’s project to highlight Fire Festival 

Excerpted from Gunnison Times: Will Shoemaker, Times Editor

The smell of propane wafted from a long metal tube as Max Ewy flicked a lighter over small drill holes, igniting the apparatus in a long line of short flames. Ewy rushed around the tube to queue punk music, sent through a speaker at one end of the cylinder. As the sounds of The Damned blared, the flames danced along with the beat.

Part science, part art, Ewy’s Ruben’s tube, as it’s called, jumped to life in a swirl of sound and sight. The first project of its kind for the 15-year-old artist and costume designer, the “standing wave flame tube” has been selected to highlight the second annual Telluride Fire Festival, Jan. 14-17.

The idea for creating the Ruben’s tube came from a YouTube video. And after learning of the Fire Festival, Ewy was encouraged to produce the apparatus for the event.

Download the PDF to read more.

Video of Ruben’s Tube