January 13th, 2014 | 2 min read
How Rose Brand Stone Molding Cloth Was Used for the Tiki Island Art Project at Burning Man 2013
Product featured on one of the floats at the show in Nevada
The Rose Brand Molding Cloth(TM) product was featured on one of the floats at "Burning Man" in Black Rock City, NV. The Stone variety was used for the Tiki Island Art Project headed by Donald Cassel of the Tiki Island Playa Surfers. It only took three rolls of the cloth to create a rock skirt around the perimeter of the Tiki Island. The crew started work on the float 4 days prior to the event. Although they didn't have prior experience with the material, everyone quickly became acclimated to how to handle and implement it.
Donald came up with a fantastic method for creating a durable skirt by hanging rebar over the edges of the island. Then, some chicken wire was placed on top to add some structural integrity over the voids between the rebar supports. This aided against periodic gusts of winds that were encountered from being out on The Playa Desert. Before laying the Molding Cloth product overtop the chicken wire, the crew pushed and pulled randomly along the perimeter to create some natural facets/contours for the cloth to lie against. This allowed the product to obtain a more realistic final shape. The bottoms of the rebars were then fitted with small pieces of wood so that the Stone Molding Cloth skirt could be stapled securely in place. The staples were all that was needed to hold the skirt in place all week thanks to its lightweight consistency.
Overall there were multiple benefits for using the Molding Cloth product. Its malleability allowed for easy access to the main compartments of the Tiki Island so that island operation wasn't compromised. Also, there were no additional supports needed because the cloth was able to hold it's intended structure. The material was quick and painless for the crew to use, and the look of the structure was both realistic and impactful. Who would imagine you'd stumble upon a giant 3 story tall 50 ft. wide Tiki Island in the middle of the desert?!
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