ep. 18: Next Generation Solar Microgrids; The Burning Man Sculptor Behind SolarWing
REGISTER NOW to JOIN US THURSDAY OCTOBER 24TH from 5-7pm at Nieux Society to meet Zach Coffin as part of the Deep Blue Institute Blue Economy Primer Meetup.
In this episode, we speak world renowned sculptor and designer, Zach Coffin who has helped redefine the limits of large-scale kinetic art, both ‘on Playa’ in the context of the Burning Man experience, and through publicly accessible and interactive municipal art projects in cities around the world. Zach joins us in New Orleans from his home base in the San Francisco Bay area. As Chief Technology Officer at Helios Industries, Zach is now leveraging his sculpture, engineering, and design background to develop cutting edge renewable energy microgrid gen sets that hold the promise of completely transforming humanity’s relationship to mobile energy generation, freeing us from the noise, pollution, and safety issues associated with diesel and other internal combustion (ICE) generators. Thanks to Zach’s SolarWing design, Helios was recently selected as a Cleantech Open National Semifinalist, and will compete on October 29th, 2024, for a $50k grand prize at CTO’s Global Forum, part of the VERGE 24 conference in San Jose, California.
Zach shares his pithy take on the art world and the importance of climate action, as well as details about his personal journey as an artist, innovator, and climate technology developer. Along the way, we learn about origins of the now ubiquitous ‘Twenty foot equivalent unit’ (TEU) shipping container, which has since revolutionized global shipping, and how the Burning Man event has evolved with regard to large interactive art, urban planning, and sustainability.
Zach Coffin
Helios Industries
Founding Partner & Chief Technology Officer
The Temple of Gravity was installed at Burning Man 2003. The work weighs about 180,000 lbs total.
Zach is a globally recognized sculptor with an extensive portfolio of installations. His primary artistic domain is the creation of large scale kinetic sculptures using structural steel, stone, and other materials. His creations are designed to evoke awe in the seemingly impossible, such as giant floating slabs of stone or massive metal structures which move gently with the wind. He achieves this by implementing his vision through detailed design, mechanical engineering and precise machining combined with a deep understanding of the properties of the metal and materials used to form his works.
Zach has been building large-scale kinetic and interactive sculpture for over 25 years. His work draws from engineering and the history of industry for a visual language that is practical and dramatic yet unadorned. He has received multiple public and private commissions throughout the United States and Europe.
Colossus was installed at Burning Man in 2005.
He has built 4 significant projects for Burning Man, 2 of which were exhibited twice at the event and all of which are either on exhibit or in process. One of the early crew members of the Heavy Equipment Division, Zach has worked as a crane operator at the event for the past decade assisting hundreds of artist build their dreams at Burning Man.
To see his design portfolio and to learn about more about his work, visit his artist website at: https://zacharycoffin.com/ .
EPISODE REFERENCES AND LINKS:
Mark di Suvero was one of Zach’s early mentors and inspirations for his development as an artist.
Ninety Percent of Everything is the Rose George book describing the revolutionary impacts of shipping container design on the global freight sector
The Box is another referenced book describing “How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger”
Blackrock Solar and Blackrock Labs are the renewable energy-focused group supporting the greening of the Burning Man event
The Cooper Union is the invitation-only academy where Zach received his initial formal training as an artist and sculptor
The Nieux Society is the community of entrepreneurs and tech innovators lead by Tim Williamson that Zach references as a key aggregator of New Orleans-area talent and resources.
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