The Festival goes on...

We are about 3 weeks into the contest and are so excited about the feedback we have been receiving for our lighthouse. The local newspapers and websites have run the following stories about the lighthouses entered in the competition and we are so happy to be included. If you haven’t gone yet, I encourage you to go see the lighthouses. We have been a couple of times already and we see something new every time we go. I recommend that you start by going upstairs and working your way around. You will find Haley perched nicely in the “otter room.” (The otters are great fun too.)

We would love to hear your feedback as well so feel free to post your comments. There is such a variety of lighthouses this year from the whimsical to the traditional. We’re so happy to be a part of it.

http://www.connpost.com/brooks/ci_13832847

http://www.acorn-online.com/joomla15/thereddingpilot/aroundtown/42112-for-maritime-aquarian-exhibit-local-woman-helps-create-lighthouse.html

http://www.stamfordplus.com/stm/information/nws1/publish/Entertainment_12/Eighth-annual-Festival-of-Lighthouses-brightens-the-holidays_printer.shtml

Halo at the Aquarium

We went to visit "Haley" at the Aquarium on Saturday Morning. Since we cast our ballot at 10:05am I'm pretty convinced we received the first vote.

We saw all 23 entries along with a big-ass turtle, and bunch of fish, jellyfish and otters which share their room with Haley.

Happily "The Halo Effect" works in two ways 1) it lights up the Planters can on top of the lighthouse and 2) it casts a glow on the ceiling. Unfortunately, there is a HVAC grate right above so that impacts the effect a bit.

All in all she looks great -- you should definitely go see her. You have until January 18th to visit and vote.

Besides the Festival of Lighthouses -- the Aquarium is really neat and a fun place to visit.

Enjoy!

Shout out to the Trash Providers

As a Final Recap --The following people were generous suppliers of trash for the project:

Kristin Pereira
John Broghammer
Theresa Korin
Wendy Olson
Samita Tiwari
Evelina Bonfim
Linda Thunhorst
Rocco Tomesco
John Warner
Recycle Bin at 100 Richards Avenue

Thanks to all -- look for your contributions on the lighthouse.

The delivery is done....

Only one indicent in the delivery -- Barbara cut her hand on the seaglass base. Everything is attached and it works.

The final product is at left.

We saw a number of the other entries -- most of them very authentic reproductions.

The exhibition opens on Saturday, November 14th and runs thru January 18th -- get out there and vote!

Why did we do it?

We decided to create our lighthouse from trash not so much as a political statement, but more because we thought it would be fun, and we figured we wouldn’t have any issues finding enough trash. As we worked through the project though, our minds really began to change. Admittedly, we weren’t collecting all of the trash we created, just those pieces that were either interesting or just so happened to be the right size or color. We quickly found ourselves buried under piles and boxes of trash, conveniently stored in Dianna basement.

We don’t think people realize how much trash they create when it heads out to the curb on a weekly basis to mysteriously disappear by the trash fairies. Save your trash for a couple of weeks and you’ll be amazed. We have been loyal recyclers for some time and thought we were doing a good job at reducing waste, but what an eye-opener this experience has been. We’re believers now in the importance of doing even more. That’s why we chose to use the recycling symbol as our window. What better way to cap off a trash sculpture but with a reminder to all to recycle, brightly lit by an energy-efficient compact fluorescent lamp.

The angel came from our imaginations. Some people see flowers in the clouds or monsters in their Cheerios, we saw an angel in our trash. Funny thing about angels, they can really show up anywhere.

Dianna

It's all over except for the delivery....

C'est fini! Finally we're done...well almost.

The angel is all together -- assembling trash in a semblance of order is much harder than it would appear.

I had someone ask me last week what the wings were made of "cotton balls"? So here is a close-up -- as you can see a stuffed unicorn, pinwheel, ribbon, silverware, cassette tape and such.

This is the completed project (with working light). It is @ 5 feet tall. Below is a close-up of the top -- or as I like to call it the masterpiece. The beautiful silverware railing is the creation of Dianna -- rescued from the jaws of defeat -- when our first attempt failed. I love it. In fact I love the whole thing.

A lot of work -- happy it's done. See you at the museum!

The first complete Dry fit!

Wow -- it was an intensive work weekend, spent another 7 hours constructing on Sunday. I have to say our girl is coming along.

Being an artist is typically a solitary venture -- and I have to say having a collaborator is quite fun! I know I could have not done this without Dianna's inspiration, hard work and implementation skills. She claims to not be creative -- however much of the creativity you see in this piece is hers.

Almost all the blue trash placement is Dianna's and I love it -- you'll have to see it in person to really appreciate all the objects we have re-purposed.

Here is the dry fit complete lighthouse (you'll note there is still some trash to be placed and the railing around the walkway is now more complete -- see below).

Our Silverware railing! One full workday remains (Thursday) and Sunday is delivery day -- 6 days to go.

Barbara