“In comparison to its size, the inspiration for the Trojan Horse had humble roots. It came to me as a small spark spawned out of a typical, almost stoner-like challenge to create something big at Burning Man. This year will be my ninth year as a citizen of Black Rock City, and from the beginning, I have yearned to contribute in a way that steps beyond my usual creative boundaries. The Trojan Horse is my culmination of a dream project, the one that I first began to imagine in 2000.
“Why a Trojan Horse? Outside of it being a magnificent myth, I am struck by the wonderful symbolism that is inherent in the piece. For me, art returns us to our ancestral past, a place devoid of language, a place where symbol and survival were inextricably linked. The horse is a symbol of war but at the same time, and more importantly, is an archetype of man’s inventiveness. The Trojan Horse was the ultimate instrument of war in an epic conflict that decimated a civilization. It signifies the power of destruction, the negative force in humans. I find it ironic that the Greeks chose the symbol of horse as a gift, as the horse during antiquity was an obvious representation of military prowess. There are many recurring themes that are contrasted and juxtaposed through out the myth: winners-losers, good-evil, honesty-deceit. The installation will play on these dichotomies and go beyond.
“The most striking attribute of this project is how it has quickly transformed my life and that of virtually everyone who has come in contact with it. The horse is its own driving force, collecting followers, and adding to their assignments as it sees fit. I am awed by the ever-increasing level of involvement and collaboration the project has inspired. A stimulated community has quickly materialized and will only continue to grow in support of this project. The combined skill set that this group already has is beyond my wildest dreams. If the mere idea of the beast and a few drawings or lines of text can inspire such thought, commitment, and effort, I can’t wait to see how people will react to seeing a fully realized, nearly 50′ tall, 20-ton, wooden horse erected on the desert.”