The Serpent Mother, one of the world’s largest interactive fire sculptures, will appear at two upcoming events: the Fire Arts Festival in Oakland (July 2007) and Robodock in Amsterdam (Sept. 2007).

Featuring 41 large flame effects, operated by audience members and/or a computer, the Serpent Mother is a creation of the Flaming Lotus Girls, a female-driven San Francisco arts group that built the Serpent for her debut display at Burning Man in 2006.

The Serpent Mother stretches a breathtaking 168 feet long in the form of a skeletal snake that coils protectively around her egg. Propane flame runs above her spine; her neck and gnashing jaws are articulated and rear 40’ up in the air.

A highly kinetic, participant-controlled installation, the Serpent Mother invites interaction from audience members – up to 1,000 of them can fit in her coiled embrace – to make each show exciting and unique.

The Serpent Mother is a unique large interactive sculpture built in the intersection between art and technology. To quote from the IEEE’s Spectrum: "Neither words nor pictures do full justice to the Serpent Mother, a fire-breathing steel-and-electronics dragon that debuted this past August at Burning Man”.

About the Flaming Lotus Girls:
The Flaming Lotus Girls started in 2000 with six women who wanted to learn skills for creating largex sculptural installations. Since then, the FLG has grown into an artists’ group of more than 100 members, with a majority of women. Together, they have built dozens of interactive sculptural works that incorporate innovative designs in welded steel, fire effects and responsive electronics.

The FLG relies on a collaborative structure to develop projects, which are designed and executed with creative input from all members. FLG prides themselves on making the impossible happen with the combined creative energy of a group of people.

The Art:
The Serpent Mother is a 168-foot long sculpture of a skeletal serpent coiled around an egg. Propane fire runs down her spine, with 41 flame-effects erupting from the vertebrae. Hovering 40 feet above the ground, her neck and jaws move on a hydraulic system controlled by the audience.





Glowing buttons along her ribs trigger the flame-throwers, which audience members can fire individually or in unison to create bright, percussive patterns. A control box with a joystick guides movement along the snake’s neck and gaping jaws for a variety of postures and expressions.

There has never been a sculpture like the Serpent Mother. The warmth of her fire and her circular design bring a shared experience to audience members standing in her embrace. They are prompted to interact not only with the art, but also with one another.

The Serpent Mother challenges the traditional art perspective by creating an interactive environment, the opposite of passive viewing. Unlike an unapproachable painting in a prestigious museum which invites only an intellectual admiration, the Serpent Mother invites viewers to physically engage in her art.

Specifications:

Spine
168' long spine; 20' main archway; 41 vertebrae; 65' x 50' installation footprint
Flame Effects
Ambient flames along spine, teeth, and tongue; 41 flame-throwers along spine, computer/audience controlled
Color
Highly reflective stainless steel finish. Warm copper cartilage. 3-color LEDs.
Interactivity
All flame effects operated by the audience. Head moves with joystick.
Head
Hot blue jets of flame from teeth. Head can rear 40' in the air, operated by the audience.



Egg
Fabergé egg façade. Egg cracks open for main flame effect. 50' large multi-color flame effect.
Serpent Mother appearances:
Fire Arts Festival, Oakland, CA: July 11-14, 2007
Robodock, Amsterdam, Netherlands: Sept. 18-23, 2007

Contact:
press [at] flaminglotus.com http://www.serpentmother.com/

For more information: http://flaminglotus.com/FLGResume.pdf