City of Angels – No, Really!

A German visual artist’s plans to have seven helium angels hovering over Downtown L.A.

By Pauline Adamek

 

 

According to the creation myth of L.A.’s indigenous Tongva Tribe, the gods sang and danced the world into existence, and eventually placed the world onto the shoulders of seven giants, in order to protect it.

 

 

German visual artist Hans Peter Trauschke has concocted his own massive tribute to the Tongva’s seven giants, a multi-million dollar project-in-the-making called Seven from Heaven that’s equal parts spirituality and marketing. Specifically, the art installation would consist of seven helium-inflated, 120-foot tall sculptures of angels tethered to and floating over the tallest skyscrapers of Downtown L.A., possibly as early as 2015, or whenever the artist can raise the $2.5 million required to make it a reality.

 

 

Before getting to the big stuff, however, please note that Santa Barbara’s Artamo Gallery (11 West Anapamu Street) is hosting a three day exhibit of Trauschke’s works, June 5-8, Dancing Gods, which is part of his Seven from Heaven project. There’s a reception with the artist on June 5, 5-8 p.m.

 

 

Seven from Heaven is, obviously, a highly ambitious endeavor — expensive, massive and dramatic in impact. The colossal artwork has lofty ambitions.

 

 

On the project’s website, the intention behind the art installation is described thusly:

 

 

“These 120 foot tall Seven from Heaven appear like a miracle. They do something with our minds. It’s the cultural equivalent of falling in love.”

 

 

The spectacle of these giant angels levitating from our highest buildings has tourism as a distinct selling point. The installation is expressly intended “to focus the eyes of the world onto the brilliant skyline of Downtown L.A.”

 

 

The website’s description of the emotions that Trauschke’s art is intended to inspire is both exalted and slightly cryptic: “The feelings of a unique experience, a strong emotional impact, like the eclipse of the sun. It’s surprising, illogical and overwhelming in its beauty. These angels turn the whole landscape into a metaphor. They are breaking through the sphere, increasing the meaning of facts. This Angel project has a consecration of its own. These angels provoke a chaos of our usual metaphors. A kind of an avalanche of values. Seven is a perfect number. After the angels levitate above the Los Angeles skyline, they will become international ambassadors to the sister cities of Los Angeles around the world. Such as Mexico City, Vancouver, Nagoya, London, Taipei, Athens, St. Petersburg and Makati, to name a few. These angels are truly powerful and when they dance in the skies over the cities of our world, they rule not only the heavenly sky.”

 

 

 

To fund the costly art project is a less exalted and less cryptic discussion. Trauschke has offered shares to investors. Per the website: “We are selling 2500 shares at $1000 apiece. As an investor of Seven from Heaven Inc., not only do you make this art work happen, but you are entitled to dividends distribution based on net income generated by our merchandise line, such as paintings, models, prints, jewelry, T-shirts etc. Nearly two billion people witnessing the project in Los Angeles and its sister cities around the world — live, on TV, newspapers and on the Internet! Invest $1000 for each share and make these angels fly!”

 

 

Additionally, an Indiegogo Crowdsourcing campaign has recently been launched as the second stage of grassroots fundraising.

 

 

Born in 1965 in Offenburg, Germany, Trauschke attended Studio Theatre in Munich to study acting, directing and set-design. Since 1983, Trauschke has participated in nearly 100 theatrical and artistic productions.

 

 

Stage Raw spoke with the artist about Seven from Heaven.

 

 

 

STAGE RAW: Have any of your previous artworks approached this scale, or will this be your grandest art project to date?

 

 

 

HANS PETER TRAUSCHKE: I’ve been working in art and theater for the past 30 years. I’ve studied acting, directing and set-design in Munich and produced around a hundred theater and art productions. Seven from Heaven is the largest project to date. My most spectacular artwork until today was Waend, 1997 in Dresden, with over 180 written articles about it. It was a 1.3 Million DM project and was financed by 72 sponsors. And my theater, Engelbrot in Berlin “changed the sound of theatre in Berlin,” according to Arte TV.

 

 

SR: Who do you consider to be your artistic inspirations or influences?

 

 

HPT: I’m influenced by visions. My intention as an artist is to show possibilities and visions for our world. I’m not interested in being a mirror of the existing world. Everybody knows what’s happening out there and I don’t see the need for me to reflect it.

 

 

 

I plan to recreate seven [Tongva] giants in the shape of female, bird-headed angels and ask for the order [to come if] we humans would rest on their shoulders today. What we can see in some of the creation myths is that the creator gods act responsibly, and that’s why their creation becomes perfect. I like to say: Responsibility in action begets perfection.

 

 

We are responsible for many things today but it has no consequences at all for us. It’s just a phrase… We are responsible for many destructive things. And then what?”

 

 

I gather you require $2.5 million to make this project happen. At what stage is the fundraising effort?

 

 

The total installation costs are $2.5 [million] including the production of the merchandise line and I’ve raised $400k to date. Yes it’s a shareholder project. When I started the project, I was in contact with some sponsors, but they wanted to have a huge influence in the actual artwork so I decided to go a new way. I’ve worked with sponsors ever since I started making art and never took money from the state or city because I wanted to stay independent. Well, today sponsors have changed their rules and use art as a marketing tool.

 

 

You mentioned to me that next you are planning to mount an Indiegogo crowd funding campaign. What are the start and finish dates for that?

 

 

I’ve just started an Indiegogo campaign and it’s moving very slowly. [$372 out of $1 million required at the time of this article’s posting] It’s due to run for 60 days.

 

 

What is your timeline —when will the project be mounted if the required funds come through?

 

 

The plan is to start on new moon June 16th 2015 until full moon, July 2nd. After that, they will travel to sister cities of Los Angeles around the world.

 

 

Will the project still happen if investment does not come through?

 

 

Well then it just starts later. The money will come. The project is too spectacular —and, in my eyes, too important —that I won’t find the money eventually. I’ve always finished projects that I have commenced. I started work on Seven from Heavenin 2005. Now I find I’m technically able to achieve it, and that has been the most difficult part of the process. We needed to invent new materials to make it possible. It’s high-end engineering, and a work like this has never done before.

 

 

In terms of practicalities, is this project already approved by the City? What about air space traffic concerns (helicopters etc.) around Downtown L.A.?

 

 

I have the support from [former District Nine City Councilmember, representing Downtown] Jan Perry and [current District Four City Councilmember, representing Hollywood] Tom LaBonge. Two weeks ago I presented it to Mayor Eric Garcetti and am still waiting for his response. His first reaction was very positive. I think nothing speaks against it. It’s free advertising for L.A. around the world as the capital of modern art. I’ve talked to all the building owners we need on board and some of them signed up already. Others still are waiting until I have the money, but want to participate if I have it. I’ve talked to city and federal officials, organized by Jan Perry, from LAPD [Air Support Division] the Department of Building and Safety, and the FAA. They gave me different rules I have to follow. In order to obtain the final permit, we need to make a test flight and prove that everything is how they want it. The static calculation [i.e. the analysis of force and torque on the physical system in a static equilibrium] was completed by Nabih Joussef, one of the best engineers in the world. We are able to deflate the sculptures in 90- seconds in case of an emergency, or in the event that helicopters need to land on the rooftop.

 

 

I understand the angels are essentially helium balloons. Will they have an internal light source?!

 

 

That’s not certain yet… We need to make tests to find out how the helium expands with possible heat from the LEDs. I have a good feeling that it will function fine. If not, then we use spotlights from outside.

 

 

But really, how valuable is your art project to investors?

 

 

This $2.5 million investment has a $30 million marketing value. It will be seen by millions live in L.A., and nearly a billion worldwide over the news and the Internet. Tens of thousands will come to L.A. to see it live. . . . Millions of people will buy something from the merchandise lines I plan to produce. If only 0.3 % of the people who come into contact with the art buy something for $10, investors stand to double their investment —and that’s just during its time in L.A. That looks like a very good investment to me.

 

 

Trauschke’s exhibit Dancing Gods, which is part of his Seven from Heaven project is on display at Santa Barbara’s Artamo Gallery (11 West Anapamu Street) June 5-8, There’s a reception with the artist on June 5, 5-8 p.m.