Client: Pride Center

Overview

The “Champagne Dress Chandelier” made its debut at the Pride Ball, the annual celebration of the Rockland Pride Center (above), and was then featured at the Garner Arts Center Gala (Top photo and below). I created the chandelier using upcycled plastic bottles that I collected at Rockland Green, the recycling center in Hillburn, NY. To transform the upcycled plastic bottles into light fixtures, each had to have the label removed and then each had to be carefully cleaned, sorted, marked and cut. Each of the 78 light fixtures was assembled using a combination of washers, nuts, threaded lamp rod, candelabra base and LED light bulbs. I used heat shrink connectors to wire all 78 fixtures and a LOT of wire splicing to make the connections for wiring all of fixtures into the chandelier. The frame of the chandelier was transformed from a steel beverage dress I created for the Pride Ball in 2017. I turned it upside down,
fabricated support chains for hanging it and then added an additional 12 steel rings to finalize the design. It took many hours and a lot of patience to carefully connect all the wires internally in the frame to a single power source so that the chandelier could be electrified. LET THERE BE LIGHT!
It was no small feat devising a way to install the chandelier

Goals

Transform an existing steel framed champagne (beverage) dress into a dazzling chandelier light fixture to be the focal point of the Pride Center Ball, the annual celebration of the organization.

Process

I worked with the Pride Center director Brooke Malloy to envision the finished functional art work.

Additional Information

I collaborated with the Pride center to create the Chandelier to be the artistic focal point of an important community event and to help inspire everyone who is part of the community. It is for sale for $30,000