



Client: Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum
Location: Washington, DC, DC, United States
Completion date: 2018
Artwork budget: $500,000
Project Team
Co Lead Artist
Bree Hylkema
Obsolete Pictures
collaborative design and fabrication
Five Ton Crane collective
5TC
Overview
A Smithsonian-commissioned mobile and interactive art experience, Capitol Theater is an Art Deco movie theater on wheels. This driving movie palace is a marvelously detailed homage to the world of silent film, featuring black and white reels specifically created for the venue by Obsolete Pictures. Capitol Theater was built from ground up, including the creation of a custom base vehicle including chassis, support, and framing. On the topside, the theater is fully immersive, complete with a convertible driver’s cab/ticket booth, a concession stand featuring custom candy, and inviting velveteen seats.
Commissioned by the Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.; exhibited at the Renwick Gallery, 2018-2019; Cincinnati Art Museum, 2019; Oakland Museum of California, 2019-2020.
Goals
Commissioned for the Renwick Gallery’s “No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man” exhibit, this piece demonstrates the distinctive aesthetic, monumental scale, and attention to detail that are trademarks of the work of Sean Orlando and the Five Ton Crane artist collective.