Desert art

WORDS Cecilie Thulin

Bringing fantasy to life, South African artist Daniel Popper has created his largest and most ambitious sculpture to date at Afrikaburn 2013. We chatted to this experiential installation artist to get the full story.

How did you go from graduating with a distinction in oil painting from Michaelis to creating large-scale sculptural installations and puppets?

After I graduated i began experimenting with giant puppets. I owe my transition into large-scale installation art and giant puppets to my experiences at festivals such as Afrikaburn in South Africa, Boom Festival in Portugal and Burning man in Nevada, US. The art and performance element at these festivals was far more inspirational than the art i experienced in the galleries. 

Your first giant puppet for Afrikaburn was in 2007, how did this contribute to your career as an artist?

After creating my first puppet, I set out to perfect the design and find a way to travel around with it. I have been commissioned to create giant puppets for corporate sponsors such as MTN for the FIFA World cup and have also traveled to festivals around Europe and the US. 

Your sculptural and puppetry work has taken you to some exciting festivals around the world. Any favourite moments?

One of the highlights of my career was building two giant serpents for the main dancefloor at the Boom Festival in Portugal in 2012. 

In 2011 you visited Burning Man in Nevada for the first time, having been to both, how do they compare?

I remember being so utterly blown away by the scale of Burning Man. However with that kind of scale comes more complications. Burning Man is heavily policed. There is something special about the intimacy and freedom one experiences at Afrikaburn. 

How did you interpret this years Afrikaburn’s theme, “Archetypes”.

My three-storey installation titled Reflection stood 9m tall and represented the torso of a man as he gazes at his own reflection in the space between his hands, which became a giant dance floor. Members of the festival where able to enter into the torso and become part of its bloodstream. His presence demands you be there in the moment, inviting you to dance, play and explore between his protective arms.  

What are some of your own Afrikaburn highlights this year?

The LED HEDZ giant bus The Love Machine partying at Reflections with Craig Shackleton from Afterlife 3D-mapping the face of my sculpture. 

There’s a real beauty to the ephemerality of it, but what is your experience, as the maker, to set fire to your sculpture at the end of the festival.

The works don’t all need to burn. They can extend their life by being installed in the city or other cities around the world. However the fact that the art does burn is one of the most liberating feelings. A confrontation to the temporary nature of this life and the art of letting go.  

This year, for the first time, they’re planning an urban exhibition of the artefacts of Arfikaburn. Can we expect to see some remnants of Reflection here?

Possibly. 

 What is next for you?

:) 

See Sydelle Willow Smith’s photos of Afrikaburn 2013 here. 

www.danielpopper.com