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Artist information:
Lou Rizzolo/Bigthink
Glenn, MI
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Work collaborators:
BIGTHINK
 Marc Rizzolo

Ryan Flesher

Peter Middleton
Lou Rizzolo/Bigthink is showing at:
Grand Rapids City Hall - Plaza Level Lobby Grand Rapids City Hall - Plaza Level Lobby
300 Monroe Avenue NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
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Lou Rizzolo/Bigthink
Artist bio: My career has focused on being a significant artist, teacher and researcher. With art degrees from WMU, SUI and postgraduate work at U.G., I focused on art/tech environmental installation/performance, air structure design, laser light technology at the C.A.S., M.I.T.I and formed BIGThink, which presents Environmental Installations.
I have taught, lectured and/or exhibited in Canada, Scotland, Switzerland, Hawaii, Austria, France, Norway, Australia, Albania and the U.S.A. and have installed environmental multi-media works in Canada, France, Switzerland and Norway. My artwork and writings have been published in national and international journals. I won national honors in environmental multimedia sculpture as Expert Artist in Residence from the W.K Kellogg Foundation. 90 corporations, institutions and foundations have funded my collaborative work i.e. the World Peace Art Initiative Residency and world peace works in Australia, People's Republic of China, Italy, Norway and U.S.A.
Artist statement: My world of art centers on intense creativity, inspiration, collaboration, critical thinking and arduous work. I collaborate in an international network of artists who promote world peace through art/tech. In my 4 decades of work, I integrate all media and collaboratively create large-scale environmental installations/ performances. My art is a continuous process of selecting creative ideas to fabricate into unique expressive form related to societal issues.
My personal art focuses on the figure and the human condition. I work in pencil and paint to capture the figurative energy and light exuded from the figure and not it’s physical properties. Sustained, percussive and vibratory figurative energies enable me to compose my work from the selection of color, rhythm and focus.
My writings have been published in international and national journals
and generally focus on profiles of the creative life, educational innovation and poetry.
About the work:
Title: BIGThink: Creating Community

Art form: 3-D, Sound

Medium: Figurative and air-to-ground art/tech sculpture

Year created: 2002

Description of work: In addition to the City Hall figurative interior installation for 14 days of ArtPrize, on Setptember 26th at the East Plaza of City Hall, a large scale ground to air temporary one-day helium sculpture event (weather permitting) will be installed from 12 noon to 10PM. The title and meaning of the work BIGThink:Creating Community will be reflected in the bright red air inflated dome symbolizing the human brain's creative potential, the 7- 50' radius-300' radius helium tentacles will represent an outreach to all people and the humanlike sculptures, encircling the work will represent the Oneness of Humankind. The crew will interact with the public from 9am -12noon by engaging them in helping to install the work under the leadership of the BIGThink crew. Bringing all people together to create this large-scale work of art initiates the goal of strengthening harmonious community relationships. Safety, environment and aesthetics are the major priorities and in that order.

Work statement: BIGThink, an art/education/technology collaborative, proposes an installation of an Art/Tech Sculpture. This sculpture integrates light, sound, air, helium, nylon, polyethylene and aluminum within the designated interior spaces of the City Hall in downtown Grand Rapids and at the City Hall East Plaza. The Art/Tech Sculpture, BIGThink: Creating Community is an air/helium ground to air sculpture that represents the individual, city, state, national and international outreach to all people to strengthen harmonious community relationships through the creative energies of the arts, sciences and technology. The integrated figures through out the West interior and hallways symbolize the cooperative spirit and the Oneness of Humankind without discrimination of one’s race, ethnicity, gender preference or religion. Centrally, the dome represents the hemispheric function of the brain and the tentacles represent the unfolding of human creativity to find harmonious solutions between all people.
Technical details:
Work width: 300 inches
Work height: 180 inches
Work depth: 300 inches
Required venue ceiling: 360 inches
Required venue door height: 60 inches
Required venue door width: 36 inches
Required wall linear footage: 360 ft.
Required venue square footage: 625 sq. ft.
Additional considerations:
Audio/video needed: Yes
Electrical needed: Yes
Lighting needed: No
Internet access needed: No
Ground floor access needed: Yes
Indoor space needed: Yes
Outdoor space needed: Yes
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