JUNGLE*topia: 2008

Friday

Ceremony photo's by Emily Wilson

Communication Tubes

Climbing tower.

Overall site. Thank you for all your documentation Emily!

Opening Ceremony.

We wrapped up JUNGLE*topia a couple days early to make sure we could participate in the most important aspect: PLAY!
The Procession to the Site:

Then we installed the EYE. Jon (left) Jan (right).

The Hands!

For the hands we started with a rough sketch, than got out the jig saw and let the kids re-interperate/wiggle the lines we had intially started with .

Wonky tonk hands!

High-Five Sandwich!

Then we painted the hands...much like the EYE.

Kids love splatter!

Then Jon went in and put in some lines and installed them to the Central Figure.

The Eye of JUNGLE*topia

An illustration of an eye was cut out of plywood to create the eyepiece of JUNGLE*topia. Each camper added a stroke, splash, squirt, or double do to include thier hand in the process.

Hmmmm...(Crocket) the color theorist.

After each camper left their mark, Jon Bocksel went back in and added some linear details.

The Stairs are in!

This smaller tree space is in the process of becoming a pulley station to tree house west, a well as remaining a camera/documentation platform.

Monday

Barn Stairs

Here is the full section of the barn stairs, we knew we would need to use somewhere.

Jesse and his wave are working on the time lapse photo booth, the booth will be used to document the general area of JUNGLE*topia a couple of times a day to create a progressive slideshow/animation.

The staircase happens to work out really well for this element.

The campers have been split up into "waves" or groups to build certain nesecary flooring for their structure/element. Some of these elements are: Ladders, Bridge east, Bridge west, Tree house east, Treehouse west, The path, and the Time lapse photo booth. The waves will be continously changing thier element/structure so the idea of segregated ownership will be eliminated. This way the project can reflect the idea of group ownership.

Presentation

The presentation went really well. The kids seem really stoked to have a say in what they want to build, and as we anticipated their ideas are creative, outlandish, serious, impossible, practical, fun, dangerous, easy, scientific, leisurely and AWESOME. Let the bubbling furnace of ideas begin!

The PATH

The path up to site looks something like this. Travis (wave) counsler and his crew of campers are in the process of creating railings and other decorative elements. More updates on the path soon!

Wednesday

Inspiration

Throughout this project will will be logging links, photos, and other momentos we are inspired by. Above are some of the things Jan and Jon have been inspired by. Next update we are going to log some of the campers inspiration and goals in the scheme of JUNGLE*topia.

Disasemble-able ramp at Dietch Projects gallery 2002.
Dietch ramp built by Simparch .

Mobile Hut also by Simparch, built from old handpainted billboards.

Maya Hayuk (amongst others) built this SHRED Playland in Pittsburgh some years ago.

Jon Bocksel's ramp in Brooklyn, a learning experience in large scale building.

Thomas Campbell Artist, filmaker, surfer, skateboarder, shanty sculpture builder.

Last but not least "The TreeHouse Book." This book has some great photo's into the lifestyle and modes of tree home dwelling.

Plastic Bag Rope (dance party!)

Amy played some jams and soon enough we had a ton of rope made out of grocery store bags.

Lot's of pre-cutting and twisting involved. We are using 8 layers (or ply's) of 10 strips tied & twisted together...

....to make one four foot rope. Altogether we are going to make over 100' of rope.

Believe it or not it is very strong. Our gratitude goes out to Caroline for showing us the process and helping out. Recycled ropes will be used throughout the JUNGLE*topia platform for decoration and climbing structures.