The interactive Photo Flight Frames Installation that I envisioned and painted, Ben Koffman constructed and illuminated with projections, and Rachel Oto enhanced with her Renewable Blooms glow in the dark butterflies engaged the Sunstock Solar Festival crowd with 360 degrees and multi dimensions of art. People walked around and through them, played hide and go seek, chalked their ideas, and stood in their glow. Festival goers took refuge from the sun in their shade. They talked to each other about their favorite paintings and what the shapes might mean.
The Photo Flight Frames were a success! A success with room for improvement and lessons learned.
I’ll pick up from where I left off in my last update on the process. Ben constructed amazing, hinged frames as my blank canvases.
The frames stayed at Ben’s warehouse, so I made models of the shapes to plan out my paintings and their stories from afar.
I scanned the paper versions into Photoshop. Here are the mostly blank, digital versions with some brainstorming:
As I painted on them, the plans evolved…
I used my digital blue prints to keep me focused on the many portraits I planned to approach. I loved painting with so much space and with so many different elements to work on and return to.
Rachel and I decided to create a Renewable Blooms specific frame room with black lights and glowing butterflies. I made some florescent mini paintings and she turned them into wings with wire. She made them fly. (This is most evident in the nighttime shots at the end of this post.)
I took an eerily quiet video of a walk through the Photo Flight Frames one night after painting. Visualizing the experience.
When Ben and I showed up at the festival on Saturday morning I was able to arrange the frames to their site for optimal engagement, and continue the painting. I added finishing paint touches, unifying elements, and more chalk strings for the chalk/ideas board.
As soon as the doors opened, people were chalking, posing, wandering around. There was one toddler who really got it. She circled the frames like I did when I was setting them up, getting every angle, revisiting, going backwards, getting close.
I took an Instagram video through my sunglasses and phone that paint the picture. Here’s a video of that video.
At night, we lit up. The butterflies glowed. Ben’s projections added new light and life.
Here’s another video of a video. Adding to the frames. I wear glasses at night, too, so that’s an additional two frames/lenses on these.
Night people night posing:
I am so enamored with Ben’s light projections! The following videos tell only part of the story, of course
I’m happy to have been a part of this festival. It aims to be 100% solar powered. It plans to donate 100% of its profits to fund sun top solar panels from Grid Alternatives and other partners.
Next week, I’ll post a bit of reflection on this process. Go beyond the bolts. Extend beyond the solar powered cords.
The process of making these frames, installing them, and experiencing them and the festival has really pushed me in many ways: forward, down, aside, above.
You Can Find Me…
Facebook: @LornaAlkanaArt and @LAWordSalon and @AffectComic
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I update my Exhibition Page with events and galleries Lorna Alkana Art is featured in.
I post twice a week in two sorts of ways: Around Monday I share new art/discussion about the process of works in progress. Around Friday I post segments with Comic Lorna in my audiobio comic series called, Affect.
Lorna Phone 
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