Project: Ball Pit

Requested Funds: $550 (original proposal here)
Amount Received from Alchemy Art Fundraiser: $136.00

Art Fundraiser Display:

Description: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtrfhVm71mY

The Experience: Remember the ball pits that used to be in chuck-e-cheese, burger king and the like? Our ball pit is meant to be a full body tactile experience. Swim, play, throw, and get buried under thousands of small plastic balls. To be as visually stimulating as possible, the ballpit features balls of varying size (from smaller playpen balls to larger ones, to 1ft diameter bouncy balls) and colors (6+ solid colors, and clear ones to refract light) and various colored lighting techniques. The balls are sealed, making them crush-resistant (adults are heavier than children and we want these to last) but also cause them to hold temperature. 
 
Physicality: The ball pit is constructed from near-identical (as identical as a human can make) panels made from wood, door hinges, and screws. A 4'L x 3.5'H frame of 2x4's is screwed together. A single 2x4 whose ends are cut to a point fits across the frame and is screwed in. Two smaller 2x4's cut the same way span the distance from the other two corners to the center piece. Door hinges are fitted on both sides of the unit to allow the panels to lock together, and a piece of chipboard (smooth side out) is screwed to the entire assembly. Placing the panels next to each other and dropping the hinge pins causes the panels to lock together. This allows for quick assembly (1hr) and disassembly (2hrs, gotta get allll those balls together) and easy storage. Also if any damage should occur to a panel that would render it useless while on display, the panel can be removed and the two neighboring panels can be pinned together to close the gap, making a slightly smaller ball pit. We may have an extra panel on hand. Entrance/exit is done via benches in the ballpit and steps outside. 

Lost & Found: We're quite sure pocket items will be lost, and we intend to stick around a while after cleanup to give folks a chance to retrieve personal items they may have lost to the plastic ball abyss. Unclaimed items will get posted to tribe and the like (and will probably be brought back the following year). 
 
Lifetime: The panels are made to be as durable as possible, and they can indeed take quite a bit of punishment. The balls are "Uncrushable" to prevent those crappy caved-in ones at the bottom. The panels and balls are stored at my expense (if any). The installation will be brought back year after year and also to other burn or burn-style festivals.

Proposed Budget:

$550 for transportation and additions to the project