RIGHT: A smaller mockup of the SteamPig for ArtPrize. The sculpture will be a 55-foot-long, 25-foot-high and 25-foot wide and made of the same foam that made up Nessie's body.Tuesday, August 10, 2010, 5:57 AM
Rachael Recker | The Grand Rapids Press
GRAND RAPIDS -- Thomas Birks, a member of the Nessie Project team, remembers what could have been his first clue for his ArtPrize 2010 entry.
Birks would bring Cecilia, his potbelly pig, to visit his art deco Loch Ness monster, "Nessie on the Grand," that was a popular attraction in the Grand River during last year's arts competition.
"All of a sudden, the attention would come off Nessie and be on the pig," said Birks.
Nessie last year took sixth place and won $7,000.
Thanks to 2-year-old Cecilia, and what vivid dreams may come from owning such a pet, Birks conceived his ArtPrize 2010 entry, titled "Parcifal, The SteamPig," which is part floating ship, part flying machine, in the body of a pig.
Birks dreamt about his pet pig one night, flying and doing laps around the kitchen as she was strapped into a harness with Da Vinci-like wings.
"What was peculiar about it was that she seemed so happy and proud," Birks said.
Joachim Jensen, one of the other four Nessie Project team members, was sold on the dream. The two are embarking on what will be a smaller but more complicated and detailed sculpture than Nessie.
"This is going to be a bigger job, I think. I would say it's about three times the work," Jensen said. "I have a feeling I'm going to be at least as excited about this as Nessie."
The SteamPig pays homage to, well, Cecilia, even though the face resembles an Indonesian boar. But it also tips a hat to Grand Rapids' history in machinations, such as steam engines, as well as the Steampunk art movement popularized in the '80s.
Parsifal was named after a wandering knight of King Arthur's round table and the subject of Wagner's opera. It now has its own myth that can be read at steampig.com. It will be a 55-foot-long, 25-foot-high and 25-foot wide sculpture made of the same foam that made up Nessie's body.
The sculpture will weigh between 7,000 and 8,000 pounds, and contain about 60 pieces and 1,500 rivets. Jensen believes it ultimately will cost "a lot more" than Nessie -- more than $100,000.
The piece, which will be displayed in the parking lot of The B.O.B. facing Van Andel Arena, will be raised about 10 feet off the ground to dissuade the curious from climbing on it. ArtPrize attendees will be able to walk underneath it and stare into its lighted ribcage, displaying the wheels and machinations of a steam engine.
Painter Michael Knoll of Michael Knoll Paint and Design, will be painting the "earthy, old and dirty" colors of what's supposed to be a more than 100-year-old flying pig. Knoll also painted Nessie.
Work began last weekend on the actual sculpture at a downtown warehouse. Jensen looked anxious, but excited.
Said Jensen with a grin: "The chainsaws are sharp. They're ready to go."
http://www.mlive.com/artprize/index.ssf/2010/08/odd_dream_about_flying_pet_pig_inspires_nessie_project_members_followup_for_artprize_2010.html
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