Tag Archives: black light

Illumibrate Preview / Ukraine Benefit

Usually Illumibrate is held every March at JUMP Boise. Sadly, the event got canceled this year due to the Omicron Covid-19 variant was surging. And a shame too, as I had been leading a team of artists and volunteers in building several pieces of sea-themed black light-activated art.

But when the Omicron wave abated, the powers-that-be at JUMP looked around for an excuse to show everything they had been working on. The result: a partnership with a local church to raise funds to benefit those affected by war in Ukraine. It culminated in a two-night event featuring live music. The art was arranged in a main centerpiece with nine sub-installations around the room.

Good news: Illumibrate will be back for 2023, and this work will be on display!

More info –
JUMP Boise: https://jumpboise.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JBDaniels-Art-103699161740609
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jbdanielsart/

Walk-around of the centerpiece
Another view of the centerpiece 12′ x 8′
Manta rays
Local artist Betsy Hinze provided this clam shell
Detail of the coral. A local school helped come up with all the individual pieces.
Angelfish and coral
Tunas during setup

The fish were all made out of reclaimed cardboard. For the midsized ones (angelfish, manta rays, tuna), I handmade the prototypes, and then Jesse at the JUMP Maker Studio digitized the pieces and used a laser cutter to cut them out. Volunteers assembled them with hot glue and packing tape.

The larger fish (hammerhead sharks, moray eel) were custom-built one-offs. Each one was over 6 feet long. Details on the fabrication of one of the sharks:

Ready for paint

The large coral centerpiece was made from recycled styrofoam blocks that JUMP had somehow scored for dirt cheap. They were cemented together with gap-filling insulation foam and then carved back. We tried several approaches for the carving, including hot wire/hot knife (toxic odors) and an angle grinder with wire brush wheel (carved fast but made a horrific mess). But in the end, it was a trusty bread knife that did most of the work.

Made in three pieces so we could fit it through the doors
Thumbs up!