Tarna is our champion and last hope. She holds within her the only remaining oasis and sanctuary of life in a world that has been ravaged by greed, selfishness, excess, and consumption.
Tarna fights to protect life as her warriors fight to protect her. Inspired by a love for nature, conservation, and fantasy, the idea for Tarna began with wanting to bring a piece of lush oasis to the barren and harsh landscape of Burning Man.
Warriors
Tarna’s team will be her warriors. Our collective includes professionals in the area of art, creative design, welding and carpentry, fire and lighting effects. Previous examples of large scale installation art that they have worked on include Heavy Meta, the Prodigal Swan, Pulse, Xylophage, Charcade, Reactor, and Aurora.
The logistical and project management components of our build are supported by professionals in the area of event production, law, finance, marketing, and social media. The team came together through a shared passion for Tarna’s message and creating large scale art to share on the local and international stage.
Armour
Tarna’s armour will be handcrafted from welded steel and repurposed industrial metal materials. This combination gives Tarna the fierce warrior armour that she needs to survive in the harsh desert landscape and is the last line of protection for the oasis within.
Lighting
As the sun sets, interactive lights and flame effects bring Tarna alive under the stars. While we build the body and armour, we continue to design the lighting which will turn into a beacon of hope in the dead of night – an inviting glow to welcome warriors in. We’ll continue posting more details as we work on Tarna’s interior and exterior.
Heart
Tarna’s heart beats to the flame within and guides her on her path. A welded geometric steel cage contains four propane flames, pulsing through PVC tubing to pop from the crown. Tarna invites new warriors to help keep her fight alive by interacting with the flame effects.
Belly
The interior of the art car will be an oasis space which is inspired by the Hayao Miyazaki film Howl’s moving castle, and the intricate and fascinating details of Howl’s bedroom. The space will be a surreal oasis of and fantasy and sensory stimulation, including all the sights, sounds, smells, and feelings that remind us what it means to be alive…
Antlers
Tarna’s fierce warrior spirit is manifested within her fiery antlers. Built from steel black pipe, with propane flame effects, the fire bursts from her antlers when she chooses to display her power. The base horns just above her head also provide a lookout for one or two of her warriors.
Sound
Tarna’s resident DJs provide a focus on music that makes your body move. Fun is the priority, and we aim to get people bouncing alongside her wherever she goes. Everyone is welcome and we look forward to dancing with you at our next event.
Proud to be part of Toronto's growing mutant vehicle community
Your financial support is greatly appreciated. The entire Tarna team is volunteering skills, time, and resources to make the project happen, but we still need your help. Our goal is to create something that will entertain and promote social interaction and consciousness amongst her audience.
We hope to receive financial support from those who appreciate both the art we are creating and the fact that this project elevates Toronto and Canada as participants in the global art car community. Your donation will help us with the purchase of our sound, fire, and light systems, as well as raw materials, including sheet metal, aluminum, metal tubing, and propane.
We’re on this epic
journey together!
After extensive planning and with a tonne of community support, we’ve made strides in our journey so far! Since building Tarna’s heart in 2018 and buying a base vehicle (a school bus in its previous life) – we’ve been welding every single day to bring Tarna to life!
All donations are now helping us buy extra metal, putting finishing touches on our flame system and antlers, and building out the belly. Meanwhile our lighting team is hard at work finishing the clouds and night lighting.
Join the Warriors
Come celebrate community, positivity, and the electricity between all of us on the dance floor. Tarna welcomes you to join her fight. Browse all our events past and present.
