Her name is Pearl. She is roughly 3 feet tall on a slim, wiry frame, weighs 48 pounds, and is covered in soft, supple fur. And pearls. And real Swarovski crystals. And ... el-wire.

And no - she is not some spoiled new pet of mine.

She is ... my hot cruiser wheels for Burning Man 2008.








I created her as an ode to the 1950's, Bettie Page, and all things glam - a time when in a post-war country, the 'American Dream' (Burning Man's theme this year) was still alive.

The 50's represent to me an era of hope, of freshness, of renewal, after the drab of war. With it came an unprecedented upswing in people's moods, the economy, and an almost obsessive need to display wealth through that shiny new car or that prim little house in the suburbs - all signifying victory over Hitler and his Third Reich. After all - America was a Superpower now.

Much of it was also expressed in the fashion the women wore: silky glamorous gowns and lavish furs, worn even on casual occasions. Big heavy pearls and diamonds were draped around their necks and wrists - much of them fake ... but who really cared?







So since I don't weld or build anything grand, my artistic contribution to Burning Man is turning out to be a themed bike every year. And I've actually found the bikes bring great pleasure to onlookers too. This one is special though - I spent considerable time and funds hunting down the perfect fur, the extra-big pearls, the huge fake diamonds (thank you, eBay!), and then attaching it all.

It turned out so nice however, that in many ways, a small part of me is almost sorry it's going to get all playa-dusted and destroyed in the next few weeks...

Oh, well. I guess it will be an opportunity to start thinking about *next year's* bike ...