Avit Retreat Poll

[KillingFrenzy]

Trying to work on an AVIT Burningman Retreat might break the bank for me this year. I am, however, going to be involved in an outdoor festival here in the Pacific Northwest. I'm wondering who was really going to make it to Burningman, and if my money wouldn't be better spent making a retreat happen here. The big advantages being that the environment wouldn't be as nasty, we'd have infrastructure, and I might even be able to get us some funding. Disadvantages would be that it wouldn't be Burningman.

So, a poll!

[vjpixylight]

As much as I would like to see a BM AVit Retreat happen, logistically I just don't see it happenning.
BM for first timers(which might be most of the VJ's that would do it), is something that just swallows you up. Time and space are lost, and spending time in one camp (like an AVit camp) is just not going to happen:eek:

I therefore fully support a retreat up there in the beautiful NW!!:yep:

[vjTranceKoder]

Im all about coming up to Washington!!

[LEVLHED]

to be truthful, mrs.lev had her foot very firmly planted about my going to BM06 for that..I was of course gearing up for the large battle that would surely have left us both bloodied and my odds of winning were very grim:help:
a less ambitious (expensive) option sounds great. yeah, its not BM..and as much as I want (need) to go back there again, I have to be realistic.

please give me the dates so I can revamp my battle plan ;)

[KillingFrenzy]

IF there is some interest, I'll start discussing it with the festival guys.

The event is I believe being aimed at Memorial day weekend. As a general rule, the festival has several "official" stages with booked acts and then as many other crazy stages/areas as people care to bring. I'd say the event contains shades of a Bman atmosphere, but is more tightly bound to being a music festival and is generally less purely chaotic and dangerous. The organizers are very hip to anything that expands the festival out of the music/stage paradigm and into new directions.

One previous site for the festival was pretty similar to Pixy's digs. A little scrappy and lots of rough ground, but some beautiful surrounding countryside. Another year, the site was AMAZING, with a view of mount Adams and grassy meadows to camp in. This year, it will probably be the rockier site. For travellers, the site is actually off the Columbia gorge, so it is quite beautiful.

I also have good relations to a big multimedia gallery space, so I could probably come up with a week of activities for interested folks by trying to come up with a couple of events at that space, like a jam session with in-town VJs, or maybe more of a party night to show off in town.

I'm still curious what the poll will stir up, however. I'd hate to quash a BMAN event, if it could work. I just know this is not the year I'm rich enough (monetarily) to invest in it properly.

[vjpixylight]

hey,
I have gathered enuf fastfold truss framing, to make a portable pyramid
for this retreat, where ever it ends up.
what i am envisioning is using 4-40 foot lengths of truss(which folds into the usual fastfold 5 ft. sections, making it portable and easy to erect) to make each leg of the pyramid. In scoping out the odds and ends of fastfold trussing I have, looks like I will have enuf single bar(non-truss) stock to tie together(across the face of the pyramid), the pyramid legs @ 10 ft and @ 20 ft. sections(along the truss span).
That would tie tegether the top half of the pyramid, and I should have enuf Fastfold screen surface to cover that amount...

The bottom half of the pyramid is a different story..
Structurally, I can use 10 ft. sections of conduit, coupled together with connectors to span the face sections of the bottom half of the pyramid,(and tie it altogether) but that starts making the whole structure less portable...
Also covering the bottom half would take quite a bit of tarping/weather proofing..
Just some of my initial thoughts...
I realize that trying to discribe this all, it is hard to draw the mental picture of what I am talking about, and so at some point as I put this together, It would be great to have some blueprints made up..
Attached is a quick made drawing of the upper 1/2 of the pyramid.

It would sure help if someone with CAD experience could draw up some blueprints to give us a visual idea of what size and surface area this pyramid is going to be?

Also for maximum effect, it appears the angle of each side of the 4 sided pyramid has to be constructed to 52.606 degress as noted in the first link below...

Thanks in advance!

Edited to add:
http://www.algonet.se/~anki-p/pyramidpower.html
looks like 52.606 degrees is key.
also one more scientific link to aluminum pyramids:
http://www.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF13/1333.html

[bryandod]

I like the idea of a norhtwest retreat. BM sounds like fun, but is very impracticle for me to go. It would be much easier for me to get to a non BM Avit retreat. Hopefully Me, Michelle and Starr can make it wherever it happens to be.

Bryan

[vjnixmix]

YEA! I LOVE Washington - let's do it!
sorry I been a bit quiet as of late...

[WordVirus23]

is this by any chance, Phoenix Festival? I've been hearing about that festi for ages and have never had a chance to make it... and honestly, BM is quite expensive... and hard on gear... with nearly no infrastructure unless we bring it. So perhaps some sort of organization might be nice... we are dealing with 10's of thousands of dollars in gear... the playa isn't the best place for that.... as much fun as it might be... LEVLHED... feel free to buy a short bus and outfit it as a video rig on wheels still ;)

I'd love to make washington/oregon my lil escape this year tho :)

peace
..james...

[vjpixylight]

sooo,
seems like the overall concensus is to do it in KF's backyard!
so wether we do it as part of another festival or do it ourselves is the next question...

[KillingFrenzy]

It is Phoenix Festival, but it isn't. In other words, after 5 years of birth death rebirth death rebirth.... well, people get the point. So instead, they'd like to expand/contract the theme in some way to get rid of the flaming bird/albatross.
However, since the festival is evolving, there's lots unsettled as of right now. However, I did talk to the fellow who's camp I would like to work with, and he was very excited about the proposition.
I'm also working with a multi-media arts facility, and am hoping that could somehow work into a couple of intown, city of Seattle nights leading up to the festival.
However, I'm job-hunting at the moment, and without a stable paycheck, I'm reluctant to dive in at this point. I recognize the legwork necessary, but can't commit to the project without being able to throw some cash at it. I would hope to have my situation figured out by the end of this month, and be able to get a real plan started then.