Fire Beats is an outdoor fire art installation. It is comprised of 8 free-standing flame effect devices known as “poofers”. They are digitally triggered to release balls of fire up to 20 feet in the air with precise timing to correspond with electronic music. Using the software Ableton Live, and a step-sequencer, we composed and performed drumbeat loops utilizing the rapidly expanding air and metallic “clinks” and “clunks” as a new type of musical instrument. The brains of the system are inside a homemade device lovingly referred to as The Crab. They can also be triggered wirelessly by participants using hacked Guitar Hero drums and guitar as a controller. Alternatively, the system can be connected it to an actual drum set using midi triggers.
Special thanks to Bonefire Bob, James Miremont and Charlie Honeycutt
This project has been evolving over several years and has been on display at the following events:
- Subduction Zone
- Mt. Princeton Hot Springs
- Cottonwood Hot Springs
- Northern Colorado Maker Faire
- Sparks and Spirits 2016, 2017
- Tomapalooza 2015, 2016, 2018
- Apogaea 2017, granted artist
- Colorado Burnal Equanox 2017
- Pueblo Mini Maker Faire 2017
- Denver Decompression 2016, 2017, 2018
- Boulder Decompression 2017, 2018
- Camp Wardrobe MalFUNKtion Fundraiser
- Lafayette Arts HUB
- Telluride Fire Festival, Dec 7-9 2018
