In the waning hours of the evening, the PK-107 Mantis' illuminated eyes are seen from a distance rising up into the dusty night sky, a photographer placed snugly in a basket between them. The second of two art installations built by the Poetic Kinetics team, the PK-107 Mantis was inspired by the group's previous festival work, chiefly last year's giant flower, "Solitary Inflorescence."
"We wanted to do something a little more menacing than flowers," Washburn says. "We were watching praying mantises and we're like, 'they are really creepy.' So we came up with this whole idea of the Mantis."
Much like the giant snail, PK-107 Mantis was built on top of the heavy machinery used to set up the festival itself. Able to be controlled from both the ground and the man basket, the crane extends some 125 feet into the air, disturbing the night sky by cycling the colors of its LED lights.
Washburn points to the inherent personality present in heavy machinery as the reason her team decided to build on top of construction machinery. "The work we do for festivals is purely whimsical and seeks to evoke a sense of play," Washburn says. "We wondered how we could capitalize on this equipment that is already here and turn it into something amazing?"
Together with the snail project, the Poetic Kinetics team spent two months building their pieces for this year's festival. Together, their giant beasts ruled over the festival, one towering high above while the snail crawled through the crowds of sunbaked concert-goers.
