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Lisa Nigro
Founder: Burnin’Bush
Fire & Metal Arts Festival
Established:
Sisterhood of the Burnin’Bush ~ a Coalition for Women
in the Arts 2004 |
2000-present Conceptual Designer / Director
mixed
media mobile sculpture/installation
Rebuilt in 2002 after accidental fire*
Dimensions:
112’ x 40’ x 22’
Materials:
Steel, wood, recycled 55-gal steel drums, cedar
shingles, fabric and other materials. Built on a Dodge van pulling three
trailers — Burning Man Art Installation Grant.
Originally built in the Chinese year of the metal dragon (2000) in the
northern Nevada Desert. Draka is capable of blowing a 50-ft burst of
flame, and inside she has a full bar, elegant décor, room for
live music, plush seating, and the capacity to carry and entertain seventy-five
to 100 people. During the summer months of the past four years, approximately
one hundred volunteers have worked under Nigro's direction on reconstruction,
improvements, and repairs.
Nigro's vision of Draka being a mobile art piece was inspired by the
book "Wicked - The Life & Times of the Wicked Witch of the
West," by Gregory Maguire, and its description of a dragon clock
tower that roams from village to village displaying twisted puppet theatre.
In Chinese Taoist symbolism, the dragon is revered as a spirit of “the
Way,” bringing eternal changes, and often is seen as the guardian
of the Flaming Pearl that signifies Spiritual Perfection. In western
astrology the dragon connotes the karmic path of an individual with
the moon’s north node representing the head/karmic way in this
life, and the south node, the tail of the dragon/past life. Nigro envisioned
that Draka would encompass some of these powers and also mimic Shen
Lung, the Chinese spiritual dragon who controls the winds and the rain.
Through the use of mythological symbol, Nigro attempts to create a bridge
between history and the present, alas, between matriarchy and the patriarchal
structures of today.
Dragon stories have existed for centuries, and among many peoples, with
the most prominent stories being "Sigurd and the dragon Fafnir,"
a Norse myth, and "Saint George and the Dragon" from English
history. The story we know today of Saint George dates from the troubadours
of the 14th century. George’s life is shrouded in legend, so much
so that it is difficult to untangle fact from fiction. Known as a Martyr
and the Patron Saint of England (and other countries), Saint George
was originally a Roman Calvary officer who converted to Christianity.
To prove that Christians need not be meek, he sought out to fight a
dragon that was destroying the area close to his hometown of Cappadocia.
He slayed this dragon, and thus influenced other Christian Knights in
seeking out to save “damsels in distress” from dragons. The
result, dragons were eventually slaughtered out of existence and into
myth. Quite different from Chinese legends, the symbols explained here
are that the Dragon represented Satan and the Princess represented the
Christian Church.
Draka represents this contradictory mythological creature of old. She
is that ancient symbol created anew, and given tangibility in a world
laden with disbelief in such fearsome, awe inspiring, and magical creatures.
Interactivity is key to experiencing Draka. Nigro takes the viewer out
of the sterile gallery environment and invites them into an art/life
experience where functionality meets design meets a sculpture that is
gothic in size and expression, yet gentle and welcoming. Some say Draka
has a spirit of her own, others are frightened by the power they believe
she possesses. Nigro believes Draka challenges the viewer’s ideas
of what is real versus what may be imagined, what exists on the spiritual
plane versus the physical. Is there any truth in “story,”
truth enough to make HIStory? How do we as a culture separate fact from
fiction? And, can an inanimate object such as a stone, or a metal dragon,
possess a spirit as is believed by the Native American Indian and other
cultures?
*On May 14, 2002 an accidental fire caused by a welding machine burned
Draka's belly completely to the ground. This tragedy turned "blessing
in disguise" enabled Nigro to reconsider, then reconstruct all
that had been rushed in the dragon’s original construction two
years prior. Some even believe Draka rose like a phoenix from the ashes
to new life.
Draka made her first
voyage out of Nevada May 2004 ~ She traveled 2000 miles on two semi-trucks
to attend the Houston Art Car Parade through grants from the Orange
Show Center for Visionary Art and the Houston Art Car Museum. |
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reviews / publications |
2007-
• Marquis, N. Albert; Who’sWho of American Women 26th
Edition 2007
2004-06
• Rice, Harvey;
“Everyones Art Car Parade / Bumper to bumper artistry” mention,
Met Front, the
HoustonChronicle, May 14, 2006, p.1B
• Marquis, N. Albert;
Who’sWho in America 60th
Diamond Edition 2006
• Vose, Kenneth E;
Monster Nation: The Best Transformed Vehicles from Coast to Coast;
Meredith Books, May 2004
• Doherty, Brian; This is Burning Man: the rise of a new American
Underground; Little,
Brown & Co., July
2004, p.195
• Westbrook, Bruce; “Joy Rides – Wheeled works of wacky art”
cover story, the Houston
Chronicle – Entertainment
Guide, May 6, 2004, p.18F
2002-03
• Nigro, Lisa; “Draka, the Flaming Metal Dragon” published
in Leonardo Journal — MIT
Press, Special Issue:
The Art of Burning Man, Volume 36, November 5, 2003 p.351
• Pinchbeck, Daniel; “Heat
of the Moment : the Art & Culture of Burning Man” mention
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November 2003 ARTFORUM
p.177
• Krueter, Holly; Drama in the Desert: The Sights & Sounds of
Burning Man; Raised Barn
Press, 2002, p.60 &
138
• Vanderhoff, Mark; “Desert
Playa becomes Sea of Humanity” mention - Reno
Gazette
Journal 8/30/2002
1999-2000
• Marin, Rick; “The Least Likely Burning Man” photo -
New York Times Sept. 10, 2000 p.1
• Pinchbeck, Daniel; “The Fire This Time” mention - Rolling
Stone Magazine Nov. 9 p.118
• Ranputa, Janaki; “Women
Artists in Black Rock : Magical Collaboration” review -
Black
Rock Gazette review -
The Art Edition, September 3, 1999
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| television |
2006 KPRC-Channel
2 - Everyones Art Car Parade Special Broadcast.
Draka wins one of Top 5 Viewers Choice, May 25, Houston, TX
2005 KPRC-Channel
2 - Everyones Art Car Parade Special Broadcast.
Houston, TX
2005 Discovery
Channel; Draka, Lisa, and crew air on Monster Nation
2004 KPRC-Channel
2 - Everyones Art Car Parade Special Broadcast.
May 8, Houston
2003-4 Discovery
Channel; Draka and Lisa feature in Backyard Monsters, a special segment of Monster Garage, Aug '03-mid year '04 |
| exhibitions |
2006 Everyones
Art Car Parade —
Draka
wins 2nd Place, Best Art Car, Houston, TX
2005 Art
Crawl —
Houston, TX
2005 Everyones
Art Car Parade —
Draka
wins 1st Place, Best Art Car, Houston, TX
2004 Everyones
Art Car Parade —
Draka
participant with grants from the Orange Show Center
for Visionary Art and the Houston Art Car Museum, Houston, TX
2003 "Beyond
Belief" Burning
Man Art Festival -
Black Rock Desert, NV
2002 "The
Floating World" Burning
Man Art Festival -
Rebuilt after fire, Black Rock Desert
2001 "The
Seven Ages" Burning
Man Art Festival -
Draka as Public Transport (DPT), Black Rock City, NV
2000 "The
Body" Burning
Man Art Festival —
Draka the Flaming Metal Dragon as Spirit of
"Man” with a grant from Burning Man Art Installations, Black
Rock Desert, NV |
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grants |
2006 Orange
Show Center for Visionary Art Grant
Houston,
TX
2005 Orange
Show Center for Visionary Art Grant
Houston,
TX
2004 Orange
Show Center for Visionary Art Grant
Houston,
TX
2004 Houston
Art Car Museum Houston,
TX
2000 Burning
Man Art Installation Grant
San Francisco, CA
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| crew |
Flame-Thrower
Design: Flynn
Mauthe, Aaron Castro.
Lead Metal Fabricators:
James Breitrick, Sam Wedderburn, Marc Declercq.
Original Dragon Crew 2000: The Cowgirls,
aka ~ Akelina Kruger, Sue Glover, Suzanne Johnson, Jenny-Jo Leeder,
Dea Million, Tanya Story, Kris “Lt. Mustard Seed” Willis & Dana
Rogers;
Danny Umstead
, Ryan "Doyle," Miles,
Attila Cumali
, Joshuala, Dark Angel & BRC-DPW.
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