Designing Our Lives & Our World with Artist Patrick Shearn

Featured Image by Anderw Ruiz of Escape Velocity. Art by Poetic Kinetics at Coachella 2014.

Patrick Shearn, ArtistPatrick Shearn is an artist and founder of Poetic Kinetics. He creates interactive, experimental art installations such as the recent Liquid Shard, a beautiful temporary installation above Pershing Square in Downtown Los Angeles. Made of holographic mylar that spanned 15,000 square feet, it rode on the wind up to 115 feet in the air. Liquid Shard brought hundreds of people out of their offices each day to enjoy lunch in the park who wouldn’t ordinarly have left their cubicles.

Patrick and his team are also responsible for incredible art pieces at festivals like Burning Man and Coachella. In 2013, they created an 80-foot snail called “Helix Poeticus,” in 2014, the 36-foot tall astronaut called “Escape Velocity” (affectionately dubbed “The Coachella Astronaut”), and a double piece in 2015 called “Caterpillar’s Longing” – a giant colorful caterpillar and butterfly that shaded festival-goers from the sun with its giant wings.

But this interview is about much more than just Patrick’s art. He’s very passionate about instigating play in the lives of those around him. He encourages us grown-ups to see that our wild ideas can STILL be possible, and it all starts with making play at integral part of our lives.

You’ll hear how his philosophy of life springs out of an unusual childhood where he was encouraged to run with his wildest ideas, to figure things out on his own at a young age, to explore the unknown and follow his instincts.


 

  A video posted by Poetic Kinetics (@poetickinetics) on  

 

 

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2 Comments

  1. Hardy C. Lewis

    Requesting Patrick Shearn for permission to utilize On a smaller scale, the Liquid Shard design to promote an art gallery show located in central Texas. What requirements are needed, other considerations. Please direct this question to Mr Shearn. Thank you. H. Lewis, artist

    • karastewart

      I’d be glad to pass along your info to him! Good luck with your work!

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