Gleeper Page

By Tom Shaver for Burning Man 2001

Gleeper is a combination of the words Glee, Leap and Flipper. The inspiration to build Gleeper came from seeing Ben Neibauer’s sculpture “Together” at Burning Man 2000. (Click on image to view larger version.)
The artist, A.K.A. Dolphin Ranger, riding gleeper

Not knowing exactly what I was going to build, during an art party at my house in Santa Cruz, and having collected a good amount of wood left over from carpentry jobs, I began to experiment with creating a cylinder of wood slats. I drove several long stakes into the ground at an angle and in a circle about 3 feet in diameter. I then screwed other slats around the outside of this circle at the opposite angle. With this cylinder jutting out of the ground it suddenly occurred to me that I was constructing a leaping dolphin.

I pulled the cylinder out of the ground, propped it up on concrete blocks and began forming the tail. Then came the fins. The head was the most difficult part. I cut pieces at special lengths and angles with a chop saw and used a chain saw or sawzall for shaping and cutting off ends that stuck out from the body.

The rebar wave to support Gleeper took as long to build as the dolphin itself. I wanted it to be sturdy enough for people to get up and ride on top of Gleeper. The rebar wave also served as a structure for people to tie their prayer flags onto. In all, it took about 30 hours to construct the dolphin and the wave.

I set up an ironing board with instructions and supplies for people to interact with Gleeper. I asked people to write on strips of cloth, “What would make you jump for joy?” There was also a drawer with spools of yarn for people to weave in, out and around Gleeper. People ended up adding other things like a parasol, a tie, beads, a hat, etc.

To transport it to Burning Man 2001, getting it on top of my pickup was a challenge. I had neighbors and housemates help me hoist Gleeper with a rope over a tree branch in my front yard, then drove under it. The wave straddled over the top of Gleeper.

Over 200 people wrote on the prayer flags things such as, “A happy baby boy or girl,” “Hot sex on the Playa,” and “To fulfill all my potential – and to help others do the same.” In the journal I left at the ironing board, people wrote their wishes and other words of wisdom, encouragement and appreciation. Some people were very deeply moved by their participation.

To prevent damaging the desert floor, I put a large tray of aluminum roofing under Gleeper and on top of concrete blocks. About an hour before I scheduled to burn Gleeper, I used a deck treatment sprayer to infuse Gleeper with a mixture of tiki lamp oil and gasoline. About 20 people gathered to see Gleeper burn. After dancing twice around Gleeper to give the sculpture and everyone’s wishes a safe journey, I lit Gleeper on fire.

I didn’t quite attain my goal of having the entire sculpture on fire all at once, but Gleeper burned hotter and faster than I expected. Staying until the last embers burned out gave me a profound experience of letting go. I am now much more able to let go of attachments and intended outcomes. It warms my heart to know that I stimulated hundreds of people to - whether they wrote a wish or not - reflect on what makes them joyful and to carry that joy to their interactions with many more people.

My experience sculpting and burning Gleeper inspired me to continue developing this unique type of interactive sculpture.

		By Tom Shaver for Burning Man 2001 Gleeper is a combination of the words Glee, Leap and Flipper. The inspiration to build Gleeper came from seeing Ben Neibauer’s sculpture “Together” at Burning Man 2000. (Click on image to view larger version.) The artist, A.K.A. Dolphin Ranger, riding gleeper Not knowing exactly what I was going to build, during an art party at my house in Santa Cruz, and having collected a good amount of wood left over from carpentry jobs, I began to experiment with creating a cylinder of wood slats. I drove several long stakes into the ground at an angle and in a circle about 3 feet in diameter. I then screwed other slats around the outside of this circle at the opposite angle. With this cylinder jutting out of the ground it suddenly occurred to me that I was constructing a leaping dolphin. I pulled the cylinder out of the ground, propped it up on concrete blocks and began forming the tail. Then came the fins. The head was the most difficult part. I cut pieces at special lengths and angles with a chop saw and used a chain saw or sawzall for shaping and cutting off ends that stuck out from the body. The rebar wave to support Gleeper took as long to build as the dolphin itself. I wanted it to be sturdy enough for people to get up and ride on top of Gleeper. The rebar wave also served as a structure for people to tie their prayer flags onto. In all, it took about 30 hours to construct the dolphin and the wave. I set up an ironing board with instructions and supplies for people to interact with Gleeper. I asked people to write on strips of cloth, “What would make you jump for joy?” There was also a drawer with spools of yarn for people to weave in, out and around Gleeper. People ended up adding other things like a parasol, a tie, beads, a hat, etc. To transport it to Burning Man 2001, getting it on top of my pickup was a challenge. I had neighbors and housemates help me hoist Gleeper with a rope over a tree branch in my front yard, then drove under it. The wave straddled over the top of Gleeper. Over 200 people wrote on the prayer flags things such as, “A happy baby boy or girl,” “Hot sex on the Playa,” and “To fulfill all my potential – and to help others do the same.” In the journal I left at the ironing board, people wrote their wishes and other words of wisdom, encouragement and appreciation. Some people were very deeply moved by their participation. To prevent damaging the desert floor, I put a large tray of aluminum roofing under Gleeper and on top of concrete blocks. About an hour before I scheduled to burn Gleeper, I used a deck treatment sprayer to infuse Gleeper with a mixture of tiki lamp oil and gasoline. About 20 people gathered to see Gleeper burn. After dancing twice around Gleeper to give the sculpture and everyone’s wishes a safe journey, I lit Gleeper on fire. I didn’t quite attain my goal of having the entire sculpture on fire all at once, but Gleeper burned hotter and faster than I expected. Staying until the last embers burned out gave me a profound experience of letting go. I am now much more able to let go of attachments and intended outcomes. It warms my heart to know that I stimulated hundreds of people to - whether they wrote a wish or not - reflect on what makes them joyful and to carry that joy to their interactions with many more people. My experience sculpting and burning Gleeper inspired me to continue developing this unique type of interactive sculpture.