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The Raygun Gothic Rocketship is a retro-futurist art sculpture in the shape of a giant rocketship. It was created by Bay Area artists Nathaniel Taylor, Sean Orlando, and David Shulman.
The exhibit stands 40 feet tall and weighs 13,000 pounds. [1] [2] The ship was built with 3 walkable decks. The interior is divided into the Engine Room & Life-Sciences Bio Lab, Crew Quarters & Navigation, and the upper Flight Deck and pilot chair. [3] The interior includes artistic details such as captured "alien specimens" and a zero gravity bed. [4] Creating the rocket required the work of 85 artists, engineers, fabricators, scientists and computer engineers. [4]
The creators described the art as "a future-rustic vision of yesterday’s tomorrow". [3] A San Francisco newspaper said it "offers a retro-futuristic, highly-stylized vision of space travel". [1]
The Rocket was originally created as an art installation for the 2009 Burning Man Festival in Black Rock Desert, Nevada. [2] [5] In 2010 it was moved and featured at a Yuri's Night celebration at NASA Ames Research Center, [4] as well as a second appearance at the Bay Area Maker Faire. [3] Later in 2010 the Rocket was moved and installed as a temporary art exhibit at Pier 14 in San Francisco. [1] It remained standing in San Francisco for 14 months. [1]
Today, the Rocketship is permanently installed on the site of the former Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, Colorado, which was redeveloped in the 1990's into a new Denver, master-planned community known as the Lowry Neighborhood. The rocket sits atop a custom-built kiosk which houses the Rocket Ice Cream Shop. The Rocket installation is part of the historic Hangar 2 adaptive re-use project, which is now a retail center and is also adjacent to the historic Hangar 1, which houses the Wings Over the Rockeis Air and Space Museum. [6]
References
- ^ a b c d "Mayor Unveils Monumental Raygun Gothic Rocketship Sculpture". sfgov.org. August 9, 2010. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
- ^ a b "Burning Man Arts – The Raygun Gothic Rocketship". burningman.org. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
- ^ a b c Mohammadi, Goli (April 28, 2010). "Maker Faire: Interview with Raygun Gothic Rocketship crew". makezine.com. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
- ^ a b c Weselby, Cathy (March 25, 2010). "Futuristic Rocket Lands; "Bird on Fire" Featured". Retrieved June 5, 2018.
- ^ "Raygun Gothic Rocket Ship". atlasobscura.com. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
- ^ "Five Ton Crane – The Raygun Gothic Rocketship". fivetoncrane.org. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
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