The Burning Man 2014 art theme of Caravansary also resonated deeply with Eridu Society's ancient Sumerian roots, and the decision was made early on to revise and improve upon the Ziggurati 2013  installation and camp infrastructure.

The project provided an opportunity to re-build the entire piece from the ground up in Cinema 4D, adding detail and complexity that the model just didn't have in 2013.  In particular, the conduit frame now shows the galvanized steel connectors in addition to the EMT conduit poles, and all the textures were replaced or refined.

Inside the structure, the supports are being completely redesigned.  The change will allow easier assembly on site, as well as greater structural support.

Each of the wooden part models was also re-made, making use of the bevel tool to round the edges on the rendered models to more closely match how the edges had been softened with the router.

 

You'll also note that the ground texture was also completely remade, using Filter Forge to create a more realistic cracked playa dust surface, and then making use of C4D layers on the material to create dust dunes.

The wall displays will feature a series of camel cutouts, either standing or on flying carpets.  Once the camels are cut out via ShopBot CNC router, they'll go to different artists, who will each decorate and adorn them as they see fit.  Drawing inspiration from Cow Parade they will be different, yet the same.

Detail here shows the intricately cut railing panels.  Edges are painted with a fluorescent yellow and orange paint, and the area is illuminated with UV light at night to create a stunning visual effect.

Slotted wood curio carts are used out front to display hand-held art, as well as serve as a platform for serving up food and drink, as well as hosting the camp's popular rubber stamp bar.

In back-of-house, render detail shows kitchen/shower structure, the improved courtyard space, and approximate placement of vehicles.  The vehicles were stock free models found on royalty free sites, which turned out to need quite a bit of massaging in order to remove or minimize artifacts and fix textures.

The super wide shot shows an aerial view of the camp's frontage.  The entire art installation comes in at approximately 100 feet wide and uses over 700 slotted wood parts, and the back-of-house structures behind it provide more than 3,500 square feet of shade and shelter from high winds.

This set represents the final renders of the project from Cinema 4D, as I begin transitioning my 3D workflow to Autodesk Maya (this will hopefully work more seamlessly with CNC tools).

Location: San Francisco, California & Black Rock City, Nevada
Year: 2014
Status: C4D Renders Completed, Installation In Progress