Standing Pregnant Between Hope and Fear
In 2006, Glimmer decided she wanted to build and burn an art project as a cathartic release for herself and others who had experienced miscarriages. She envisioned a large pregnant woman standing between a baby nursery (hope) and a doctor’s waiting room (fear).
Being a good husband, Sunshine offered to help design it using Playatech’s slotted wood techniques, and built a model of a plywood pagoda. It didn’t win us an art grant, but it should have! Fire in the Belly delayed our 2006 “Green Home of the Future” product line a whole year – which is why the front page Beacon story about it also included news of a playa suit by Playatech, claiming platent infringement.
Fire in the Belly took 9 hard months to gestate with the endless assistance of a large team of dedicated midwives, and was finally delivered in Black Rock City just as the 2006 Burning Man event began.
Built completely of wood, rope and fabric without a single metal fastener, the Mother stood tall all week as participants left notes and mementos for children lost. On Friday of the event she symbolically miscarried. On Sunday the entire installation was moved to the Man platform, and spectacularly burned right where he did the night before, sending the hopes and fears of parents to the heavens. It was one helluva cathartic release…