Algarden Zome in Make Magazine

Day of the Dead Festival, San Francisco

On November 2nd of 2009 we set up our Zome for the third time, in Garfield Park, San Francisco.

This installation was our first totally free to the public display. And while it was only up for about 10 hours it seemed as if it was appreciated by more people than the previous two events combined.

In terms of assembly and disassembly this time was very good.

Assembly took 1 hour 45 minutes. Disassembly took half that time. Pretty manageable. Tools used: soap, ladder and a mallet.

Thank you to our many friends, old and new, who came to help with the assembly and participate in the event.

For hours it was standing room only inside and out.

The Zome sheltered our Altar - The Altar of Zomatitlan. A colorful, smaller four frequency zome built with papel picado style faces and illuminated from within with candles.

For many the Zome and the Altar provided the ideal environment to remember and acknowledge the wisdom, memory and love of their ancestors, family and friends who have passed away.

The event, provided with a full moon and clear, warm weather, created a very beautiful and powerful evening.

Zome Mani Padme Zome

Decompression SF 2009

Thanks to the many beautiful friends who helped us set up and break down the Bootiesattva Zome at Decompression SF yesterday. During the 10 hours or so that the zome was set up it was probably experienced by more people than during the entire week at Burningman. It was an awesome day and wonderful to see so many people react with wonder and joy to the structure.

I think the coolest thing about the zome is that it's not only Art but it's a space for sitting, a space for resting, for observing and connecting with people...

...and for many people during the day it was a space for eating lunch.

It's a real joy to have been able to realize such a form that provokes so many smiles. Here are some of the quotes about the zome overheard during the day..

"...this is game changing.."

"...what the...?"

"..genius.."

"..it's so simple.."

"..it's math, architecture and love.."

Thanks to everyone who enjoyed the zome and took the time to talk with me about it.

Ok it may be all math, architecture and love but the zome is also alive in many respects, not the least of which is the ability to defend itself.

Here we see a future Zomonaut testing the torpedo system.

Future Zomonaut

The data is still being analysed but preliminary results are very positive.

Please look for the Zome again in San Francisco on November 2nd for Dia de los Muertos. We will be building a Community Altar for the Day of the Dead Festival.

The Altar of Zomatitlan is what it's called.

..more to come.

Welcome to my Spaceship! Beautiful Forever.

A giant Zome shaped thanks to everyone who helped to fund our Burningman 2009 Art piece: Evolving to Bootiesattva: Zome Mani Padme Zome.

The name is a mouthful and quite franky is simply what ended up on the application form. Like the structure of the Zome itself the names represent different facets of the same thing - the overlapping inside jokes and plays on words of the day; an amalgam of the irreverent and the profound. So, yes, but what is it really?



It's a Zome, a zonohedral dome, made entirely of wood. It's also a spaceship. It's a giant puzzle, the Bootiesattva, zome mani padme zome, an Artilect seed, an instance of a generative geometric cnc cut architectural pattern class, a Temple of Love, Sacred Geometry, a playa portal and gazebo.


Production began noon Monday, one week before the event.

First joint

Part of the Art of the project was to be able to bang out a sizable structure with a very reasonable amount of time and labor. The production of the zome was completed on noon Friday. After approximately 30 hours of cnc cutting and shop labor the zome was ready.

Cutting the clips

Assembly on the playa was hampered by dust storms and wind. It took a total of 8 hours to assemble the project - about half of which was spent sitting in the back of the truck waiting for a break in the weather.

And another quarter of which was spent dealing with a handful of problem parts. With good weather and refined tolerances assembly should easily be under 2 hours. At least we were 100% done working early Tuesday which left plenty of quality Playa time.

A Temple

It's a Temple for grounding, for meditation and healing; a space for reflection and introspection. It brings the outside in and lets the inside out. It's a manifest declaration of a living system - dividing Universe into two parts; the inside and the outside, yet maintaining the connection and allowing information to effortlessly pass thru it's boundary membrane. It provides an organic and harmonious context from which to view Universe and complementarily Self.

Each of the benches provides a different perspective of the Playa and Sky through elliptically framed portals the multiplicity of which give scale and context to the outer vista. The feelings of being safely ensconced, wellness and omni-perception coexist withing the Zome.

The Zome by Sunrise

The joy and wonder with which everyone received the Zome was a pleasure to witness. It was an additional pleasant surprise that most people noticed and appreciated the usage of all wooden cnc cut fasteners. From far and near the Zome was designed to intrigue and draw the viewer every closer as new details and structural patterns come into view.

A Spaceship:

Emerging from the Playa

There is actually much, much more but it's still underground. Perhaps after a year of nurturing more will come forth and mature, gaining form and cohesion. And again each year until our spaceship casts off from the Earth.

Zome Mani Padme Zome

-Rob Bell and Patricia Algara, 2009

Prepare for the Playa

In August we'll be joining our friends at Prepare for the Playa

Connecting you to everything you need for the BURN!

What :
Fashion shows
Playa 'U' how to clinics
Live entertainment & Performance
...and all the playa specific and playa friendly products & fashions from local Burner-Prenuers!

When :
12pm-8pm 8/1 , 8/22 & 8/23

Where :
The Artist Grotto and North Parking Lot of
The Sports Basement
1590 Bryant Street, SF

The Bodhisattva Zome

The spiral is the most ancient symbol found on every civilized continent

The spiral of nature, art, mathematics - a constant form at all scales which revolves around itself ever evolving upward towards syntropy, synergy, life, concousness and enlightenment. The duality of the spiral embodies the cyclical nature of birth and rebirth and the escape therefrom.


On the Playa enter the Zome Mani Padme Zome and begin the evolutionary journey; the cycle or birth and rebirth thru a spiral labyrinth of luminarias ever evolving inwards, ever evolving upwards, sometimes setback but ultimately finding the sacred lotus zome at the center - the Bodhisattva. A sacred space where experiences happen.

Conception

From Duality a union is formed
a Unity thus begotten.
A future child of hope and love
and a past not forgotten.

zome mani padme zome