The Idea
The Goal of this project was to make a functional Bar Top that could live in a pool, and lights up to music, in the shape of an alligator head. It would be completely self sufficient, running from a battery that recharges Via a solar panel built into the top of the alligator, but it could also plug it into the wall if desired. Bottles would be placed in the mouth, and bottle service would be ran out from the pool.
It was decided between the Space (acting as a gallery Via Contract) and Myself that it would be sold, with 10% of proceeds going to a charity called Love1 whose mission is to end gun violence. The rest would be going to pay off the alligator.
The realization of a big idea
After about a week of researching the best materials to achieve this wild fantasy idea I had concocted, I finally settled on a light weight epoxy dough. I got to work shortly after that. This was the challenge of a lifetime. Through uncertainty at times, I knew I was up for the challenge.
After 5 weeks of constant 18 hour days, and countless speed bumps on the way to completion, I completed the alligator. We dropped it into the pool with a crane, and afloat she was. I went way over budget, which wasn't overly surprising due to the fact that I had never worked with the epoxy before and didn't know how far it would stretch. I accounted for the overall surface area, but didnt account for just how thick the shell would need to be. I ended up completing it to the tune of $11,000 - all out of my pocket. Talk about betting on yourself haha.
My wild idea was now on display, for hundreds of people to see. I had executed, now it was time to sell it.
The fallout
I wish i had a happy ending to this story, but you're in for a doozie haha. After the GatoRaft was completed, the date for events kept getting pushed back, only for them to eventually tell me that they were $100,000 short of starting the events. The space then refused to cover my alligator when it wasn't in use, and in the winter of 2022-23 LA had some of the worst rain it had seen in years. The alligator didn't hold up well to the constant sun exposure or the rain pooling on its surface, with the gallery being too lazy to remove the water or cover the piece. At the start of the summer months, which is when they said theyd be pushing to start events again, they reached out for me to collect my piece. I went to collect it, only to find it sunburnt and waterlogged, with cracks all over. My wild idea - My biggest achievement - My life's work up until that point, was totally ruined, and I had no more money for repairs. To this point I do not know what became of it, other than I saw one picture Somewhere on instagram where it was cut in half.
The fallout left me scrambling to make payments on credit cards, looking for work on the fly because I had spent all my livable money on this piece. Luck had favor on me, and I found some PA work on the fly to start piecing my life back together again, slowly but surely.
The lesson in it all
If I had it to do over, with what I know now, I would have looked closer at the drive and vision of the people at the space my work was in, rather than trusting their words. I was so focused on what I had to do to get this done, that I failed to see that it wasn't just me I was betting on.
I know this work wasn't for naught though, and I refuse to be the victim. When something special is made and put it out into the world, favor will come back around eventually. I don't, and will never regret betting on myself because I know I'll always figure out a way, but I will be careful who's goals I decide to put energy towards.
