Jul 17, 2009 5:00 pm US/Pacific
Oakland Fire Arts Festival Fuels Artists
OAKLAND (CBS 5) ―
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Participants interact with a display at the Crucible Fire Arts Festival in Oakland.
CBS
What looks like a practice ground for Burning Man is really a fundraiser for artists fueled by fire. The annual Crucible's Fire Arts Festival lit up the Oakland sky with the biggest open-air exhibition of fire art in its 10-year history.
In one corner a fiery tornado jumps two stories to the cheers of hundreds of onlookers. Across the plaza built under an Oakland Freeway overpass, Matthew Andreoli with the artist group "Department of Spontaneous Combustion" tells the crowd to focus on three tanks positioned to a point.
There is a rumble and explosion of blue, orange, and white flames choreographed to techno music.
Andreoli believes fire is misunderstood, and that the event is quite safe. "Nothing burns unless we say it burns," said Andreoli. "We like to play up the danger of it because it's fire. But we have our thumb on it. We know what it is going to do.
"We know what we can make it do and what we can't. You get the littlest flame and it brings you into it. You make it bigger and bigger. Every time we launch the fire cannon, there's the sound of it and there is the feel of the displacement of air. Incredible," said Andreoli.
The interactive exhibits challenge participants to see the beauty in fire as well as the way flames bring stagnant materials like stone and metal to life.
The Fire Arts Festival engages people to respect as well as experiment with fire in a safe setting. At the Flamethrower Shooting Gallery festivalgoers go through a safety lesson, gear up with goggles, and fire a flame at statues positioned 20-feet away. "Fire is a living entity," said Andreoli. "It eats and it breathes and it moves. When you look at the fire tornado you see a beautiful column of fire that spins and little tiny ones that spin off it.
"I can sit and watch that all day." said Andreoli.
Away from the heat of the flames, there's a tent that holds delicate pottery, statues, glasswork, and other fire art created by The Crucible artists.
The Fire Arts Festival is a fundraiser for the non-profit organization that teaches blacksmithing, ceramics, modelmaking, and other artforms manifested by fire. While there are some who believe the flames lure the focus away from the art, most would agree the fire is mesmerizing, offering a constantly changing show.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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