Final Thoughts on the Folk Art Pig

I apologize to my regular readers on being a day late making a blog post.  We went away for Labor Day weekend and I just ran out of time. 

The folk art pig was supposed to be burned at a burner event this weekend.  However, weather got in the way.  Because rains from the tropical storm, formerly Hurricane Isaac, were predicted for the area this weekend, people decided that they should stay home.  Only a few people came and my folk art pig was the only burn project.  I could have burned it, but the weather was cloudy and a storm was threatening.  It was one of those cases where there was a possibility that I would end up with a soggy, half burned project to clean up.  There is not much fun in that, so the folk art pig made it's way home with us to "live another day".I have mixed emotions about this. I put a lot of work into the pig, and part of me wanted to keep it.  On the other hand, I have wanted to do a burner project for some time. 

A burner project lets you create something that you might not have ordinarily made.  Some things are just too big to keep around.  For example, at the Burning Man event, some people have build full sized temples then set them on fire.  It was something that they wanted to build, but would not have had room for in their life if they were keeping it on a permanent basis.  They could have built it in a permanent manner if they had the land for it and the funds for it.  And if that land was zoned properly and they had the proper permits, and if they neighbors did not object to an unusual building in the neighborhood, and any other problems that could arise.  There are a lot of reasons that this temple might not have been built if it were a permanent structure.  But since it was planned to be impermanent, the temple was built.  And the people at Burning Man saw something beautiful, even if it was ephemeral.  Part of the concept of the art burn is that something is there only briefly and that you are there to experience and commemorate the beautiful if brief existence of the object(s).  Viewing a burn is an emotional experience.  The folk art pig was supposed to be this type of impermanent project.  It was made to be seen and then it was to disappear.

Now I have a large folk art pig parked back in my living room.  I have to contemplate its future.  Another burn?  A sale?  I haven't decided.  I'll let you know.  One thing is for certain.  It looks really odd in my living room and takes up a lot of space.