Carousel Horse-Bikes @ Lusio Event


Hello, My name is Jack Taylor and I am an artist. I've always enjoyed creating and up-cycling materials to create costumes, decor, and even bike costumes for parades. I am a recent graduate of the Performance Production program at Cornish, where my focus was on creating and collaborating in the world of costumes and storytelling. 

If there is one thing you need to know about me, it is that I have a horse, but not just any horse. This horse is made of lights & rides through the night on wheels. I call it my midnight sparkle-pony or horse-bike which I created using old pizza trays, some lights, rechargeable batteries and attached it to my bicycle. I do a lot of bicycling to get around the city, mostly to and from work, and the majority of the time my commute is at night when the city is dark. So as a cyclist and an artist the horse was born to make my night time commute safer and create some magic in the sleepy quiet streets of Seattle. 


 
 
As I am just a big kid at heart, I do like to show off my toys and have received so much positive feedback while riding my horse around the city and of course, the comical head-scratchers wondering what they just saw. Those are my favorite. Ultimately my horse makes a lot of people happy while promoting bicycle safety and awareness. The biggest lesson I have learned from all of this is that life is so much more exciting and fulfilling when we share and give without expecting anything in return. Yes, I get a little self-gratification but the sightings of a horse made out of light floating through the streets are one example of how I am giving back by helping people remember how to dream. 

 
I love the city of Seattle, the community it is, & the growth potential for community-building events, arts, and culture, to bring Seattle together. So many events already exist amongst the artist community and are often free like the Fremont weekend celebration and parade, Borealis, Lusio events, art walks, and so many more. These events allow the people of Seattle to connect and remember how and dream. This is where I come in by standing out with my horse.  

In less then a month Seattle's Lusio celebration of Lights and the artist who create it returns to Volunteer park for its 4th year in a row. This event excites me so much because it is a platform for an artist like myself to showcase their art and bring joy to so many people. I contacted the organizers and they approved my participation. So instead of just bringing my single horse to the event and riding around, I am pushing myself to build and bring 4 new horses to the Lusio celebration. My vision is to create the illusion of a carousel or herd of horses that will flow through the event. The horses will carry light with them which can be seen from across the park, occasionally stopping to allow for up-close viewing. As a masterpiece painting draws your eye across a canvas, our horses will help the flow of movement amongst the various art installations and draw your eyes across the lite-up canvas of Volunteer Park on August 3rd during the Lusio event. This means I have a deadline approaching in less than a month I need help reaching financially. 

 
I have been building, recruiting assistants to ride the horses, and planning every detail to make sure the horses are one of the unforgettable parts of this year's event. I am so excited to finally make this all come to life but am finding that it is a bit pricer then I was expecting. My love for this project and the potential I know it has is why I keep moving it forward. I am setting my goal amount rather high at $8,000 because the materials alone have reached a rather high cost. Each horse runs off of 4 strands of LEDs, minimum of 2 rechargeable batteries, plastic board, all the electrical adapters, straps, holders, and the tools to build and put it all together. I am not including the cost of bicycles and hoping to borrow there. But I am trying to remember that there are price tags on actually charging up all the batteries and did I mention we are incorporating Bluetooth speakers to create the surround sound effect of a carousel. Shipping cost, taxes, gas & travel to pick up found materials, and I wish I was seeing paid man-hours for this. As for now, I am doing this simply as a passion for the arts, but in all honesty, any and every dollar you give to this carousel horse-bike project will not only help me create this magic but will bring so much joy and wonder to everyone attending the LUSIO event on August 3rd, of 2019.

 
Oh, and did I mention that the horses run off of rechargeable batteries so they can potentially appear at other night time celebrations creating and inspiring more artist and dreamers in our community. This means that all your generous donations will potentially go farther as the horses reappear and potentially evolve into something more. For example, I am exploring solar options for recharging the batteries so that each horse can be self-efficient once they are built. I am also toying with the idea of you owning and riding my horses. A potential bike accessory for you to stand out during the family get together, festival, and or horse-bike rentals for lovers on the waterfront. 


I look forward to sharing my art with you and in advance, Thank You so much for any and all of your donations and sharing of this page/project to make this all come together. 


 
Feel free to visit my Instagram account also: @carousel_horse_bicycle all about my previous adventures with the horse and updates to get them ready for Lusio.