The Effigy is in the works, and Jo Artemis Fox, who made the beautiful Phoenix sculpture for KB2021, is in charge this time. Meet Jo. She’s amazing:
Tell us a little about yourself:
I’ve been to 7 Kiwiburns and have been involved every year in various capacities. I am currently the lead for the Conduct Committee, though I am in the process of handing over those reins, and I’m the Site Management lead. I’m a passionate rescuer of useful trash and I love to turn it into treasure. I love working with wood and textiles, and learning practical skills that can also be used to make weird, beautiful, functional things!
What inspired you to take on this challenge?
I got approached directly asking if I would submit a design and was assured that I’d have the support of Axel Chesney, master Effigy-builder based in Melbourne to help with the design, and Gregg Painter and his Temple Crew from this year for the build, and that was what gave me the confidence to go ahead. I’ve done smaller art builds myself but taking on a project of this size without this support would’ve been beyond me, so I’m really grateful for the opportunity.
Without giving anything away, how do you think the Effigy connects to this year’s theme, Time Travel?
Hmm. Well I was thinking from both a practical and aesthetic perspective, something that would make a cool structure and also be immersive and interactive, and only one thing clearly came to mind. And that’s all I’m going to say about that!
What are you looking forward to the most with this experience?
Rad people pulling together to build something amazing on our beautiful site, being fed and looked after throughout, silly side quests and shenanigans, getting to see people loving and interacting with the art, and then watching it BURN!
What do you think (at this early stage) might be your biggest challenge?
Just the sheer amount of uncertainty around the current situation with COVID. At least if we can’t go ahead, then we’ll roll over to the following year so no work will be wasted, but it still adds an uncomfortable edge to the process.
And finally, what does building the Effigy mean to you?
I was on Nico’s Effigy build in 2015 and it was one of the best times of my life. It’s just phenomenal, the joy and catharsis and growth that it brings, and how much it brings to others too. And frankly it’s been quite a time and we all deserve to have something spectacular!
