CASE STUDY: LA VICTROLA
How to turn one little illustration into a half-million dollar, large-scale, interactive experience built by a volunteer group of complete strangers.
"First dream, then do." - My Grandfather
For a couple of years, I dedicated my life to the mother of all creative endeavors. I decided to take everything I’d learned in creative direction, branding, design, and strategy and throw it into creating the ultimate interactive experience. However, I’m not super-duper handy, I had a day job, and I had zero funds to spend on it.
By creating a meaningful brand and a well planned end-to-end experience from my concept, I was able to develop and lead a collective of extraordinarily talented artists, fabricators and performers to produce a 35 ft, 14-ton sculpture and performance space. The following story illustrates the scope of my work throughout this incredible journey.
THE IDEA
The idea was a simple one. How to make an elegant transformative experience that serves as an antidote to the digitally dominated, reality TV tantrum we call the present day. Inspired by the birth of recorded music, vaudeville theater and the organic sensuality of Art Nouveau, La Victrola aims to celebrate all things analog and transport participants to a turn of the century cabaret filled with live entertainment from a bygone era.
CONCEPT ILLUSTRATIONS
In order to take the idea to the next level, it had to be big. The best way for me to create something this immense was working with the highly-skilled artists and fabricators of the Burning Man community. My detailed renderings excited a group of like-minded individuals from all walks of life. For many of us, this was what we had been waiting for. A way to showcase our talents at a top level and produce game-changing collaborative art.
THE BRAND
To raise a tremendous amount of money, create a community and communicate with a diverse audience, I created a versatile identity that could be used anywhere from websites to t-shirts to toolboxes.
DIGITAL EXPERIENCE
To engage our audience and nurture the community, several digital channels were developed. Creating rich content across multiple platforms allowed us to communicate with donors, organizations, fellow artists and press.
BRAND AMBASSADOR EVENTS
As the diverse group of artists building La Victrola coalesced, performers and passionate supporters joined the community. Interactive cabaret events soon developed and the culture of La Victrola began to spread.
CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGNS
Over the two years of building La Victrola, the build schedule went hand-in-hand with 3 crowdfunding campaigns. Videos, info-graphics, and compelling storytelling combined to keep the flow of funding for materials.
BRAND COLLATERAL
We created a range of visual trinkets and promotional gifts to entice crowdfunding donors and spread brand awareness.
MAJOR DONOR ENGAGEMENT
Half of the budget for the project was funded by major donors including foundations, individuals, and organizations. Specific print and digital materials were developed for outreach in this channel.
DESIGN & DIRECTION
To flush out the aesthetic idea of my original illustrations. I worked closely with a team of structural designers, engineers, and architects. I developed a series of frames, patterns and shapes to integrate the entire piece from the horn and base to the lamp posts and shade pavilions. I also worked with a tattoo artist and collaged murals from 30 individual drawings to create a unique contemporary take on the Art Nouveau style.
FABRICATION & COMMUNITY
For weeks, months, and years on end a tireless group of volunteers came to a warehouse in Oakland to collaborate on La Victrola. We quickly realized this was bigger than all of us. I had the support of an excellent management team that focused on spotting talent and enabling individuals to express themselves creatively and bring this project to life.
LA VICTROLA: THE END EXPERIENCE
From a distance, La Victrola’s 35-foot high horn has a distinctive physical signature. A closer look reveals panels of perforated steel with hand-riveted sheet metal ornaments. Two tons of graceful curved steel ribbing allow this beautiful structure to float on its massive single arm. Nestled deep in its horn, a small speaker crackles away with a long lost song. Its Art Nouveau details and subtle lighting help transport viewers to a distant time and place.
At the Burning Man Arts festival in 2016 and 2017, La Victrola produced interactive cabaret shows nightly featuring burlesque, jazz, blues, belly
dancing and a 40 person orchestra. Shortly after those appearances, a smaller version served as a performance stage at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.
