Interpretive Arson's Dance Dance Revolution Machine

We successfully got a Dance Dance Revolution machine to call our own! Next time you’re at NIMBY stop by IA’s space and play a few games for free!

A huge thanks to everyone who donated to help make this happen.

We are getting there.

Interpretive Arson is in the new NIMBY space and we’re working on getting it into shape for working again. We’ve added a 40ft container to our fleet of containers, but it involved some work. We had to empty it out and knock down a wall that had previously split it into two rooms. Nicole, Ian, Reed, and Ed had perhaps too much fun with this destruction, as the above video shows.

NIMBY 2.0 Layout

As we all know, the NIMBY we knew and love is no more. That’s the bad news. The good news is that Snook and crew are moving to a new space! We’ve decided to follow them into this awesome new space! *cheering* A mock-up of the new digs is above, and we’re excited to be a part of it.

There’s just one problem, NIMBY still needs to raise enough money to pay deposits on the new space. A large amount has already been raised, but we’re still not at the necessary goal to make this all happen. If you haven’t donated to support NIMBY yet, now is the time! Or if you’ve already donated, consider doing it again. Head over to nimbyspace.org and click on the Donate button. Every dollar helps, so don’t worry if you can only toss a couple bucks their way. Not only will you be helping a Bay Area institution continue operating, you’ll also be providing several Bay Area artists (i.e. Interpretive Arson) with a place to continue building, creating, and inventing plus a permanent place to install some of the large pieces currently hiding in warehouses. Donate now!

UPDATE: Here’s a layout of our potential new workspace done by Nicole.

Interpretive Arson NIMBY 2.0 Workshop

NIMBY - Oakland, CA - April 1, 2004 - Sept 11, 2008

Interpretive Arson has called NIMBY, a dirty but lovable warehouse in East Oakland, home for several years. We built the DDI and 2pir you know and love in this space. We spent many late nights testing equipment, welding, grinding, and working here. We ran our last Media Event here even. NIMBY is a place that has provided a lot to Interpretive Arson over the years. Unfortunately it is no more.

On September 10th, a fire broke out in one of the containers early in the morning. While several NIMBY tenants who happened to be around made a valiant effort to contain the blaze, the Oakland Fire Department was eventually called to extinguish the fire. The large majority of NIMBY was untouched by the fire, but the Oakland Fire Department was required to investigate the cause of the fire (determined to be an unattended candle by the OFD) and the conditions of the work space. While the inspectors and firefighters loved everything that was being built at NIMBY, they were unfortunately forced to close the space due to multiple code violations.

The City of Oakland supports our art and feels strongly that artist spaces like NIMBY should continue. They are doing everything they can to help find a new space for the displaced tenants of NIMBY that is up to code. Snook, the founder and manager of NIMBY, has already looked at several potential spaces for the new NIMBY.

We have until the end of December to get everything moved out of NIMBY, which is no small feat if you’ve see what all is stored there. But on top of the actual physical labor, the cost of moving everything is staggering. NIMBY has put a call out to the community for donations. Please take a moment to think about the things (and fundraisers) that you’ve seen and experienced thanks to NIMBY existing. It may have been at Burning Man, or Maker Faire, or Coachella, or any number of other events around the Bay Area. All of the following pieces and art groups at one time called NIMBY home:

So, if you have a few bucks that you can spare, please donate via Paypal to NimbyLLC@yahoo.com or the form below.

More info on the status of things can be found on NIMBY’s blog and Twitter.

The Balsa Man Burns! by romzelino

Welcome back to all of those that went out to the playa this year. As you may have noticed, Interpretive Arson took the year off in an official sense. Both Dance Dance Immolation and 2pir stayed in storage for the Labor Day weekend this year, but many members of IA made it out to the playa on their own. Anomaly, a piece by Mary Franck and worked on by many IA members, was there. And of course several IA members helped out with setting up and running BRC as well as working on various art projects, including Morley’s contributions to Michael Cristian’s Elevation.

MiniDDI

For those of us that stayed behind, there was the first Balsa Man. It was a somewhat last minute event organized primarily by Colin that would fill a gaping hole in our Saturday night. While the Man in Black Rock City was delayed due to whiteout conditions, several dozen people gathered at Baker Beach to watch a 3ft tall effigy of the Man burn, complete with fireworks, flash powder, and idiots who danced in the ashes. The call for other mini-art was answered as well, with a Temple of Reduced Expectations, a mini-trash fence, and even a mini Dance Dance Immolation. The transportation and setup of MiniDDI was the fastest anyone has ever seen, and just like the real thing, everyone enjoyed it. Unfortunately as two long time members of IA, Rubin and Reed, battled it out on MiniDDI, a horrible software glitch occurred when Rubin missed a step in “Butterfly”. The result was a thoroughly charred and destroyed MiniDDI. A video of the the run can be seen below:

More pictures and videos from Balsa Man can be found in Colin’s Wrap-Up post for the event. And yes, the theme for Balsa Man 2009 has already been announced. It is “Big Dreams Writ Small”