I had the pleasure and privilege to collaborate with Gerard Minakawa and his “Starry Mandala” design project, completed in early September 2006.
The Starry Mandala was one of this year's funded art projects for the 2006 Burning Man Festival. I decided to support Gerard and this project after I saw his design in January, 2006.
If ever there was an opportunity to show the beauty and strength of Guadua bamboo, this was it.
Though we had never actually met face to face, I decided that this project was worthy of our time and energy.
One of the most amazing things I witnessed while on the “playa” for 9 days was the incredible creative energy that exists with so many people simultaneously building their individual projects. Whether volunteers, or highly-skilled craftsmen, everyone throws their hearts, minds, and souls into making the project a reality.
Over a period of 8 months, Gerard and I discussed his material requirements and plans for building the structure without using any metal or mechanical fasteners.
The Starry Mandala was built using only hardwood dowels, rope lashing, and lots of ingenuity. I personally flew to Colombia in April, 2006 to select the Guadua Angustifolia from the Eje Cafetero region. After shipping and unloading 45,000 lbs of bamboo here in Florida, we selected the best materials for the project. 450 poles weighing 24,000 lbs were then shipped off to Nevada.
I packed my tools and bags, tent and sleeping bag, and flew out to assist in the construction over nine days. I personally worked mainly on the eight support columns, each weighting over 1,000 lbs!
It was an amazing experience to work with Gerard, and to witness first-hand the massive creative energy that exists at this festival.
