Galactivation - The Artwork of Carey Thompson

Muti Stage at How Weird Street Fair, San Francisco

admin — Tue, 15 May 2012 22:30:36 +0000

On May 13th I got to set up a stage in downtown San Francisco. I added another base level to the pyramid I had made for Beats Antique’s new years show as well as a DJ booth. It was a lot of fun to add to an existing piece and transform it into something new and more functional. As well, it was great to see one of my installations in the urban landscape. It was a perfect sunny day in San Francisco and we all had a great time. I will be setting this up as the entrance to the Tribe 13 dome at the Symbiosis festival for the annular eclipse this weekend.

Tipper Stage at the Fillmore

admin — Tue, 01 May 2012 21:10:23 +0000

I had the unique opportunity to design and build a stage for Tipper at his debut performance at the historical Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco. It was only my second stage after Envision so I was thrilled to get to go big for a musician I am a big fan of in a venue that is very special to me. A dream come true, to grace the same stage as the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, Doors, Miles Davis, Allmann Brothers, etc. So obviously the place carries a lineage of psychedelic torchbearers and this night felt like a whole new level to this bringing in the modern advances in sonic and photonic technologies during the creative swell of 2012. Big thanks for Johnathan Singer for introducing me to Dave, Tipper’s manager and suggesting my contribution. Tipper of course as well for his willingness to bring such a big production to his performance. A super big shout out to Lucas Schwartz for his dedication to the project and help in the engineering and building of the piece, and to Jp Chapman and Nico Ortiz y Pino for help building the screen frames and installation. It was a team effort and we were able to pull it off in just five days working average of 12 hour days. The stage was lit up by John Allbee running the light board, while Andrew Jones projected his visuals onto the form itself. Johnathan was doing his visual alchemy onto the screens flanking the sides mixing in some of Justin Totemical’s work as well as many of mine and other visionary artists’ works. All in all, the synergy was electrifying and the overall performance legendary. I love to witness what is possible when so many dedicated artists and collaborators come together with their passions and plug into a common vision. This feels like we are just beginning something.

Here are a couple links to see the stage in its full glory…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=AXJNcquq3js

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6CW8pYJ6No&feature=share

Married!

admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 01:25:49 +0000

Following the epic adventure of Envision, I quickly shifted gears to prepare for what would be the most magical experience of my life, my wedding! We had a few days to prepare, meet family, and take care of all the thousands of things that come up days before a wedding. It was absolutely fantastic and I feel like the luckiest man alive. My wife Cristina is a treasure beyond belief. I am so grateful that the majority of her family was able to make it as well as a good chunk of mine. Because of the proximity to Envision, so many of our mutual friends were able to attend as well. We were on one of the most beautiful beaches imaginable and had some of the finest contributors alive to help make it so incredible unforgettable. Big thanks first to all our family that could make it and contribute so generously to our matrimony, as well as all the gorgeous friends that attended. Special thanks to all those who contributed to the building of the space, the cooking of the food, the creating of the tea lounge, the musical offerings, the sexy performances, the floral majesty, the photographic capturing, the elegant officiants, and all the helpers who filled in where and when needed. Here is a list of some folks that we would like to promote:

Lisavette Saylor and Myriam – Green Weddings in Santa Teresa

Davin – Canape Catering in Santa Teresa- www.canapecateringcr.com

Anthony Ward- www.beingwithflowers.com

Mario Covic Photography- www.mariocovic.com

Shay Butta- our officiant- Yum Sauce Lounge productions

John Albee and Envision- lighting effects

Scott Hodges- generous offering of the sound system, he has a full pro recording studio there as well, let me know if you are intersted.

music: Steven Kaminanda, Random Rab, David Block, Raja Ananda, Amae Love, Daniel Mashimon, and Zach Darling….and of course my dad George Thompson and Cristina’s Dad Juan Jose Castro

We would also like to thank Kelly Van Pelt and Louis Brody for their fantastic Tea service. Dalabil and Nature for their altar construction. Tracy Windisch, Phadroid, Kandice Kraus, Marlowe and Yaan, and Shay Butta for all their otherworldy performances. Nils and JP for their help building the bar and DJ booth. And also thanks to Sunshine and Zack for assisting in the ceremony, their power and service was exceptional. Thanks to Sterling, Yeshe, Jon Dooey, Patrick, Jeremy, Eric, Alan, Jorge, KK, Stephen Brooks, Betsy, Sonia, Tribe 13, Chuckles, Luke, Esteban, Keira, and all the others who pitched in when and where needed. Also, David Mear’s home was the perfect venue for our wedding. Big thanks to him for offering his home to our massive gathering. Without all of your loving service, such a magical weekend would never have been possible. We love you and thank you from the deepest reaches of our hearts.

And of course we need to give a huge thanks to mother nature for creating the most epic landscape for a wedding possible. The perfect climate, the warm ocean waves, the gorgeous sunsets and sunrises, the white sandy beaches, and all the flora that graced that land there. Wow!

Enjoy some of these photos that give a glimpse of the magic that was cocreated there.

Envision-Post Meta

admin — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 21:46:19 +0000

Envison was wonderful. There was an allstar cast of artists, musicians, builders, organizers, and performers there to cocreate some serious magic. People came from all over to share in the experience. The setting was spectacular and the perfect canvas on which to paint the dreamscape. I designed the Sol Stage which was used for most of the live acts. The Earth Harp, one of the largest instruments in the world, was built right into the stage and was played during the sunset hours. I would like to thank all who contributed to executing what many were saying was the best stage ever. First, my lovely wife Cristina, who revealed her super power building skills. Dalabil for his amazing work with the driftwood and selfless efforts to complete the vision. His assistant and old school buddy Mike. Tommy who came through in the final moments to get that sucker done. Ian, whose solid assistance made it all happen. And Sebastian and Jeanna from Guildworks who skillfully helped with the lycra installation and made sure the stage was complete right as the opening ceremony began. Some of these photos are courtesy of Sebastian as well, the others Mario Covic. And also a big thanks to all the volunteers and helpers who stepped in when needed. We encountered many obstacles along the way, mainly a shortage of equipment and tools, to make the extraordinary happen. We were able to do this with only one straight ladder which is just short of a miracle.

Realizing that it would be beneficial to build up a design team name for installations such as these, Cristina and I came up with Dreamcoaster as a way to describe our life and our collective creations in a moment of epiphany on the Costa Rican shores. We were able to secure the domain name as well which seemed ridiculous as so many are taken these days. Stay tuned for more Dreamcoaster designs….

Envision festival

admin — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:45:14 +0000

I am excited to be returning to Costa Rica to create at the Envision festival held in Uvita March 1-4th. Last year I created the entrance portal seen here, the aerial rig, and some other bamboo elements. I was also featured in the gallery. It was an incredible experience for all and I look forward to reigniting the magic that occurred there. This year I will be constructing the main stage design which should be a lot of fun. It is very enjoyable to show up with a big pile of material and creative inspiration and make beautiful art with friends. It will be a very nice way to spend my first few weeks there, but I am even more excited for what will follow. The weekend after Envision I will be marrying my beautiful fiance Cristina in Costa Rica. I am so blessed to have such an amazing being to share my life with. Pura Vida!!!

New Site Launch

admin — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 00:36:56 +0000

Greetings all Galactivists! I am so happy to finally be launching my new site. It has been a long time coming and overdue. I hope you enjoy the changes and updates to the galleries and a new store. So excited … Continue reading →