The Excavation

These two images are a working model The Mind Shaft Society created to use as a reference as we reconstruct The Mind Shaft for Inspiration Island. The skin of the Volcano is fabricated from a brown paper bag! Anthropology is challenging work requiring much diligence and patience. The Mind Shaft Society takes great care when examining and recreating artifacts discovered at the sites of phenomenon such as Inspiration Island.

Dr. Matisse instructs the Mind Shaft Society members how the Bamboodus attached the twine to the fiber.The process of excavating is arduous as well as experimental. Creativity abounds when The Mind Shaft Society convenes upon the anthropological process resulting in fascinating results. Improvisation with every tool and technique at our disposal is utilized to explain the facts as we discover them.

At Inspiration Island, we discovered large stands of bamboo, the name-sake of the Bamboodu civilization. The Bamboodus were bamboo artists creating everything required for their existence out of the rapid growing fiberous stalks. The discovery of the nature of inspiration in the plant by Doctors, Matisse, Skids, Fabio, Really?, Rheingold, Fasman and Priscilla - Queen of the Desert will be revealed at Black Rock City. In preparation to present our findings at Burning Man 2002 - The Floating Island, we are archiving and recreating the artifacts from our expedition this past winter to the Trankwill See. It is exciting as work progresses on this fascinating project at The Mind Shaft Society worksite in Northern California.

In the adjacent photo, Dr. Priscilla is preparing the recreation of an Inspiration Island flower species using hemp twine to attach one bamboo fiber stem to another.

On sabattical from the University of Mars and obviously wrapped up in their work, Doctors Skids and Priscilla attach the twine using a technique observed from artifacts unearthed in the volcanic debris. The Bamboodus left important clues how they held their civilization together.

Dr. Rheingold and Dr. Fabio of The Mind Shaft Society will continue to update their progress throughout the year as the countdown to Black Rock City approaches. Doctors Rheingold and Fabio encourage you to please stay in touch!

Click the Island for further Excavation documentation...