THE PACK Message Boards

Evening everyone...

I'm starting to make plans for Burning Man this year. I decided to do an art installation after a five-year hiatus from projecting and wanted to solicit some input...

The Art Theme this year is Hope and Fear: The Future. At first I was going to participate in the theme by giving out cancer awareness ribbons and bracelets (Hope) but a friend recently posted on the E-Playa with her story. She's come down with smoking-related asthma and was begging everyone to stop pretending smoking is OK. Personally, I didn't need anyone to tell me that...

Anyway, I'd been playing with the idea of making a tumour-riddled Jack-in-the-Box installation and my friend's post decided me on it. The box will be 3'x3'x3' and be decorated with mosaic/collages of cigarette carton/packs and tobacco tins and the Jack will be wearing a cigarette t-shirt decorated with cancer awareness ribbons; the shirt cut down the middle and being pulled open to show a ribcage full of cancerous organs nestled in smoke (cotton batting painted ugly grey-green).

Here's what I'm sticking on: whether to make the Jack a Monkey or a Coyote?

Rationale for Monkey: "Monkey See Monkey Do" as a sneering reference to the fact that most people take up smoking so as to be considered socially-cool and with it; also a backhanded reference to the addictivity of cigarette smoking ("Monkey on my back").

Rationale for Coyote: We got tobacco from the Native Americans. Coyote is a common thread through Native American legendry and His pranks often wind up deadly, both for Him and for His targets. In that light, cigarettes and rampant tobacco use could be considered Coyote's widest-reaching and most spectacular prank yet, but there's a caution hidden in there: if we get too many casualties, there'll be a loud outcry to ban tobacco and Native America will lose another part of their culture, which I personally think would be unfortunate, even if I don't practice and decry its use. Coyote's prank backfiring...

So. Which one do y'all think I should go with? Monkey-Jack or Coyote-Jack?

Monkeys are Koolies

Much as I'd like to see the Coyote, the Monkey wins it for me for the following reasons:

You can explain Monkey in a quick sentence and anyone could relate and understand. It's easy to get your point across, and some people might even get it without explanation. It doesn't necessarily even need explanation, for that matter -- Monkey always looks silly. If you want to deliver a broad message, go with Monkey.

Coyote would be better if you want to start a conversation. It will make people curious, and it has a fair bit of substance behind it. But most people probably wouldn't understand the significance unless it were explained. Your audience is much more limited. If you want to deliver a personal message to someone you've already gotten interested, go with Coyote.

-- Vilkacis

I voted monkey, your rationale for choosing the monkey ultimately seems to be a lot sturdier than for coyote.

I also voted this way because I don't want anyone associating anything negative with coyotes. I like coyotes. However, associating something negative with a monkey doesn't bother me at all. Heh, I don't like them too much.

Also, for the additional reasons Vilkacis posted, the monkey just seems to make a lot more sense.

Good points, all. I'm mildly inclined to go with Coyote because personally, I like multi-layered messages. The reason I balked at that was the festival is held near an Indian reservation, there's a high likelihood that a number of the local tribe would be there, and there might be a backlash. (Or maybe they'd be the only ones that get it, and bust a gut over it). My view was, if the people don't get it — "Oh, it's a Coyote jack-in-the-box, Coolness!" — that's okay, if they get it — "Coyote...suffering from his own prank...AH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, that is SO right!!" — that's cool too and would make a good conversation. Which I love doing. Whoever didn't get it can go look it up, think about it, and get a laugh later on down the line.

Another friend suggested I do the Jack as a Camel, but the Joe Camel gag has been done to death years and years ago. He suggested I dress the Jack-Camel up like Osama bin Ladin but that's a little too over-the-top for me. And frankly, I despise bin Ladin enough that I just don't want him in my life even as a punchy socio-political gag. Besides, nobody would get it...

He suggested that Monkey-See-Monkey-Do is a racial slur, but it could be interpreted that way whichever way I go, Coyote, Monkey or Camel.

I am playing with the idea of having a camel crashing into the side of the box — like those Hallowe'en decorations of the crashing witches — and have the camel's tail be the crank.

I voted Coyote myself, going with the Native American angle. Tobacco was once considered spiritual, but it was never intended to be chain-smoked and made into a highly habit-forming toxin. It's a reminder that it was once something spiritual that has now been corrupted.

(Maybe a depiction of the Wyrm from Werewolf: the Apocalypse?)

That was my original thought, too. Much as I hate smoking, I can't advocate banning it. Ye Gods, haven't we chipped away at enough First Nations culture and traditions?

i vote monkey. lol. that would be cool
i might see you there. my tribe dose fire dancing there every year

I'm planning on camping with Lamplighters, since my old camp splintered. Then again, I have enough infrastructure to do my own stand-alone camp which might wind up happening with this installation.

Going solely by how hard it would be to make, I'd go with the monkey. 'Tis easier.