December 20, 2020
While I was in Salt Lake City installing Vega and Luna, Bristol Boo arrived in England!
She cleared customs a week later and I started getting updates as she was delivered to Ashton Court Estate.
Laura from ArtSpace LifeSpace sent me this clip of Boo being unboxed!
And Yomi Ayeni from We Are From Dust sent me pictures, video and a priceless quote overheard on the grounds.
A fairly elderly lady just told me that sitting on the cat was more of a thrill than she'd had for years!
As of December 20, 2020, London and southeast England are in a Tier 4 COVID-19 lockdown as a new strain of the virus rapidly spreads through the region. Hang tight folks! We'll get through this together. Stay home. Stay safe.
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October 20, 2020
Bristol Boo departed Oakland on October 19, 2020.
ETA Southhampton UK November 20, 2020.
I found a cool live ship tracker so we can watch her purrogress.
She's on the vessel, Mol Experience.
You'll need to click on "Dual Track" when the map pops up.
That will give you the satellite view.
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October 15, 2020
We did it!!! Big thanks to Wes Skinner, forklift operator extraordinaire!
Bristol Boo is on her way!!
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October 9, 2020
Awaiting word on the shipping container. Paperwork is done. Eeeeee!
In the mean time, listen to Yomi Ayeni from We Are From Dust talk about their projects including Bristol Boo heading to Ashton Court Mansion on the Burning Man Live podcast!
October 4, 2020
Meowzers! Yesterday, we won Caturday!
Looooooong day of assembling the giant cat box and securing the giant Bristol Boo.
Hardware store run first thing in the morning then we spent a ridiculously long time securing the sculpture. One of my shop mates is an engineer and fabricator and gave us some good suggestions on how to apply force on the straps to keep the sculpture in place. Very helpful! We added chunks of the stamped-for-international-travel wood as dunnage to make sure Boo didn't slide to and fro.
The walls of the crate were big and heavy but luckily a few of my shop mates were around and we got helping hands from Kevin and James. We were able to set up and connect three out of the four walls quickly. From there on it was just me and Will again. It went together easily but took a long time. The parts were labeled with letters and/or marks to make it easy to figure out what went where.
We hadn't eaten the entire day so after we finished sealing up the crate we packed up and headed out to Point San Pablo Harbor to try out their new BBQ place and watch the sunset with Vega and Luna.
Purrrr.....
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October 1, 2020
It is my beloved kitty, Boo Radley's, 13th purrthday!
Bristol Boo is named after her.
So, the magical, traveling boxes have arrived! We have crates that have been made with kiln dried wood then certified and stamped by the powers that be. In theory, we are clear for customs. This part has been crazy! We've leaned so much about the insanely complex and non-intuitive world of shipping art internationally. No wonder companies charge so much! Sheesh! There is a second art piece sharing the shipping container with Bristol Boo. That one arrives later tonight and then tomorrow we'll bring Boo from my house to the shop where the crates were delivered. Next, we'll learn how to assemble and pack the crates and plan how to load and secure them into the shipping container. Just waiting for a arrival time on that.
You can learn more about Ashton Court Mansion - where the sculptures are going! - on
We Are From Dust's most recent podcast. So exciting!!!
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September 23, 2020 About to set sail!
Lights, petting pads, purring, action! Bristol Boo is wired, programmed and just about wrapped up for her trip across the ocean. Waiting for her shipping crate to be built, then we'll get her packed, sealed up and delivered to the Oakland port. Had my final walk through before we replaced her U.S.A. power plug for a U.K. plug. I'm sure going to miss her.
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Update in the COVID-19 world.
Bristol Boo is built! I spent two wonderful months in a new shop with friends making another Purr Pod. Purr... It's a weird time. When everything first started shutting down, I wasn't sure if I could get the supplies I needed to start the build. I had to buy equipment I was hoping to borrow because no one knew if you could share stuff yet. Luckily, my shop mates are very pandemic savvy and cautious. It was actually nice to have a place to go several days a week!
My friends, Wes and Kevin, helped with moving the cat, some welding and fabrication. June Cat loaned me her welder. Rebecca gave me great advice. Michael offered up his trailer. Jill made her new collar. But I can honestly say I welded the whole cat by myself! I thought I would be really good when I was done but still have some skills to build. It still felt good! Boo is currently in my driveway, all wired up and ready for electronics. We're still trying to figure out how to get her to Bristol (DIY crating, how best to ship her, etc.) but this whole virus thing has taught everyone to just slow the fuck down. It'll happen. And I'm so grateful for being able to make art.
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Yes! The Purr Pods are going international and you can help! (Fundraiser has ended.)
We Are From Dust helped me bring Luna and Vega to Point San Pablo Harbor in December 2019. Now they are fundraising to bring more art to more places around the world.
And because they believe in me and that ART IS ESSENTIAL, new a Purr Pod, along with the two from PSPH, are going to Bristol in the UK!!!
I'm re-using the form I used to create Luna and Cat #4 (Purrsonal Purr Pod) to build Cat #5! The form sat under a tarp outside for nearly 4 months. Meowch! We moved it to Wes Skinner's new shop. And because my normal metal shop is closed during the COVID-19 I had a majority of the new ring delivered there the same day we were making space for the kitty. Can't wait to begin!
My friend, Yomi Ayeni, Chief Instigator at We Are From Dust, interviewed me from London for WAFD's first episode of their new podcast. Listen here!
Purrogress...
We Are From Dust needs your help to make this happen.
Please share their passion and this Indiegogo fundraising campaign** with every art - and cat! - loving friend you have! Every single donation, in any amount, is greatly appreciated.
**Fundraiser has ended.
Thank mew! >^..^<
