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| Image | Sale date | Auction house | Location | Sale name | Lot No. | Estimate | Price Sold | Condition | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sep 30, 2021 | Sotheby's | New York | Boundless Space… The Possibilities of Burning Man | 158 | $****** - ****** | An Ancient Fossil, Powered by Electricity - A Custom Vehicle Build by Jon Sarriugarte and Kyrsten Mate |
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An Ancient Fossil, Powered by Electricity
A Custom Vehicle Build by Jon Sarriugarte and Kyrsten Mate
A nod to the prehistoric residents of the Playa, the horseshoe-shaped Sarriugarteis Olenoides trilobite will be familiar to anyone who has studied the fossil record of the Cambrian period. However, seeing this ancient arthropod moving around Black Rock City in the modern era is enough to make any visitor feel as if they are traveling back in time. Built using old-world blacksmithing techniques over a modern, electric-powered architecture, the finished product known as an Electrobite features glowing lighting underneath its hand-tooled metal exoskeleton and provides eco-friendly transportation for one passenger. Conceived and created by Bay Area-based husband-and-wife team Kyrsten Mate and Jon Sarriugarte, this lot encompasses an all-new build, in the style of the original Electrobite, made as another collaboration by the talented duo, still perfectly suited for midnight drives on the Playa.
Biography
The very definition of multidisciplinary artists, Kyrsten Mate and Jon Sarriugarte and have conceived and handcrafted works as expansive as an Oilpunk-themed theatre and have built a long list of Burning Man-approved Mutant Vehicles. These include a famous fire-breathing snail art car titled “The Golden Mean” (2008), which has been featured in a bevy of publications including Jay Leno’s Garage , the History Channel’s Modern Marvels , San Francisco Magazine , CNN , Make and Time . Jon and Kyrsten built their first project, a spaceship called The Alpha Fox shortly after meeting. When Kyrsten had a dream about The Golden Mean, they decided they needed to build the giant metal snail that shoots fire. They built the Trilobyte after being inspired by her research into the fossils; and then the Serpent Twins, 50-foot-long creatures based on Norse mythology. The Twins respond to one another with light, sound, and music, and have a back story about the old colliding with the new in Valhalla. Developed originally under a Burning Man Arts Grant, Mate and Sarriugarte’s “Serpent Twins” mobile sculptures were awarded as honorarium art cars at Burning Man in 2011 and 2012. In 2016, the Serpent Twins traveled to France to perform with La Machine. They are currently working on the Spaceship Project EMPIRE for BM 2022.
Born and raised in Boise, Idaho, Jon made the trip out to California to create the metal furniture company Form & Reform in 1987. He has studied and worked as a blacksmith/ fabricator for over 35 years, pouring his creativity into both work and the local community, where he owns and runs the Kraftworks Arts building in West Oakland. He has collaborated and worked with a number of artists & organizations throughout the years including American Craft Council, Burning Man, SRL, MAKE, Pepe Ozan, Robo Dock, California Blacksmith Association, John Law, Lighting on Demand, and the Crucible, to name a few. His current lighting designs can be found at Harvard’s Winthrop hall, Git Hub HQ and is available at Restoration Hardware.
Kyrsten Mate is an award winning Sound Designer who has worked for Skywalker Sound for 25 years. Her credits include Mulan, The Midnight Sky, Ready Player One, Tomorrowland , and Jarhead among many others; working with such directors as Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg, Brad Bird, and Walter Murch. In addition, she recently completed the Sound Design for Disneyland’s Batuu: Galaxy’s Edge. Kyrsten’s talents are backstory, research, mythology, whimsy, and sound design - as well as metal fabrication. Her skills include sheet metal and the design and patterning of all of the creature’s skins.
While the artists possess years of experience in previous Burning Man events, entry to any potential vehicle is an annual process, which will be determined by the respective judges at that year’s Department of Mutant Vehicles (DMV). Therefore, while this lot is a part of the Burning Man auction event, there is no guarantee, implied or otherwise, that the winning bidder of any lot can have access to any Burning Man event or that the lot would be granted entry to any Burning Man event.
Please note that this lot is only subject to RM Sotheby’s Buyer’s Premium which is 20% of the hammer price, along with the RM Conditions of Business which can be found through the online catalogue. For the avoidance of doubt, any invoicing or post-sale inquiries for this lot will be handled by RM Sotheby’s.
