A Monumental Sculpture of the Notorious B.I.G. …to be presented as a gift to the people of France in thanks for the Statue of Liberty.
The Biggie Project intends to be the first crowdfunded large scale public monument. It is a direct expression of the American public, echoing the historical public support and funding of the Statue of Liberty and with a subject boldly reflective of contemporary American culture. We intend it to be a permanent monument and lasting landmark for the people of France.
The Biggie Project campaign aims to be much more than a standard crowdfunding effort to build a thing. The project is meant to become a conceptual and discursive platform as much as a means to produce the physical object of the sculpture. The campaign is structured to draw people into the process of the project on many levels, to activate the crowdfunding process as a forum for social discussion and direct collaboration. We want to manifest the collaborative nature of the project and hopefully create a genuinely democratic artwork that conveys the will and imagination of real people.
Why Biggie? Times have changed since 1865. Our art and our social consciousness are very different. Allegorical greek goddesses were never really ever the universal language of the poor and oppressed. Certainly today, inner city walls from Long Beach to Cairo are not scrawled with lofty passages from Homer and images of Athena. American music – and particularly Hip-hop in this moment, is a universal language that crosses boundaries and acutely expresses the condition of contemporary culture. If you make a thing about liberty, its nice that it be as least as relevant to the many seeking it as to the few who already have it.
How big? As big as you make it. This is a crowdfunded monument. This will be an entirely democratically funded project, echoing the historical public support and funding of the Statue of Liberty. It is intended to be a permanent monument and lasting landmark for the people of Paris. The French spent a lot on their statue. They appreciate art. It would be nice give them something solid.
How real is this? The Realist. This project is a partnership of some of the world’s leading experts in sculptural fabrication, 3D software, structural engineering, and large scale logistics – representing the best of American cultural and technical achievement. The Statue of Liberty was a great technological achievement for its time, demonstrating groundbreaking innovations in design and engineering. Our plan will aim to do the same for today. The colossal sculpture will be generated with cutting edge digital capture technology from existing photo and video footage of B.I.G. and built using the latest tools of advanced 3D manufacturing.
Why Now? The news is not good. Both the US and Europe are struggling today to maintain the traditions of liberty and justice that our societies must share in order to survive and prosper. The Biggie monument celebrates the cultural value that arises from the sharing of cultures and experience, but also acknowledges the tensions that occur as cultures intersect. It does not speak with an authoritarian morality – but like Biggie’s art, guides the viewer through the complex struggle where huddled masses meet established authority.
We are in our early development phases and will be launching soon
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LAUNCHING THIS SPRING ON INDIEGOGO 
