[Pelican Park Sculpture]
[00:00:04]
SEE, I JUST KEEP RANDOM, RANDOM STUFF.
THIS LITTLE BANJO I WORK WITH, FOUND OBJECTS, HAND SAWS.
MY NAME IS BENJAMIN SHANE BULLINS.
I DESCRIBE MYSELF AS AN ARTIST.
THESE ARE JUST OLD LICENSE PLATES, UH, FOR BOAT TRAILERS.
I'VE DONE WELDING, I'VE DONE WOODWORKING.
WHAT DRAWS ME TO, UH, A PARTICULAR OBJECT IS THE STORY THAT IT TELLS.
A LOT OF TIMES I LIKE TO USE OBJECTS THAT ARE, ARE VERY, UM, COMMON OBJECTS.
WE'RE GONNA USE THESE FOR ALL THE FEATHERING ON THE WINGS.
WE'RE GONNA USE, UH, UH, A WHOLE BATCH OF, UH, OLD HAND SAWS.
THESE WILL BE MOUNTED HERE, WHICH TO ME, UH, THOSE HAND SAWS REPRESENT, UH, THE DIFFERENT GENERATIONS OF PEOPLE WHO BUILT THE PARISH.
I, I, I GUARANTEE YOU, THERE'S NOT GONNA BE ONE DAD OR GRANDFATHER THAT IS NOT GONNA TELL HIS KID.
I USED TO USE A SAW LIKE THAT.
THAT'S A SAW, OR, OH MY GOD, LIKE THAT, THAT'S AN OLD LICENSE PLATE THAT LOOKS LIKE THE ONE I HAD ON MY BOAT TRAILER.
AND IT'S USING THOSE COMMON OBJECTS THAT, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE WHO'S VIEWING THE, THE SCULPTURE, IT'S GONNA START STORYTELLING.
WE DECIDED TO USE THE INSTRUMENTS WE CREATED ESSENTIALLY LIKE A SHADOW BOX WITH THE STEEL, AND WE'RE GOING TO EMBED BRASS INSTRUMENTS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE, THE BODY OF THE PELICAN.
THE STORY OF THE BICENTENNIAL WITH, WITH JEFFERSON PARISH KIND OF LENDS ITSELF TO MY STYLE OF WORK.
I SEE PELICANS EVERYWHERE, AND SO THEY'RE A BIG PART OF SOUTH LOUISIANA, WHICH WE KNOW JEFFERSON PARISH IS THE BIGGEST PARISH IN LOUISIANA, WHICH WE HAVE A LOT OF WILDLIFE, A LOT OF, UH, GAME FISH AND THE PELICANS ARE A PART OF ALL OF THAT.
THIS IS A, A BIRD THAT IS, YOU KNOW, NATIVE TO THIS AREA.
IT'S NOT ONE PERSON WHO'S GONNA WALK UP AND NOT RECOGNIZE THAT'S A PELICAN AND HAVE SOME KIND OF STORY, UH, TO DEALING WITH A PELICAN.
ONE OF THE MATERIALS THAT I LIKE TO USE A LOT IN MY WORK IS, IS CALLED CORE 10 STEEL.
SOME PEOPLE REFER TO IT AS WEATHERING STEEL.
IT'S GONNA NATURALLY WEATHER DOWN, WHICH WE CALL RUST.
IT'S GONNA RUST DOWN, BUT THAT RUST ACTUALLY PROTECTS THE, THE GOOD METAL AND BECOMES A PROTECTIVE COATING AND CORRELATION TO, TO JEFFERSON PARISH.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF NATURAL THINGS HAPPEN TO THE PARISH, WHETHER IT'S STORMS OR ANY KIND OF EVENTS, GOOD EVENTS, BAD EVENTS, BUT ALL OF THAT IS, IS, IS WEATHERING DOWN AND CREATING CHARACTER.
I JUST HAVE TO GO FIND THINGS THAT LOOK COOL AND HAVE CHARACTER AND PUT 'EM TOGETHER IN, IN A WAY THAT'S CREATIVE.
BUT THEN THE, THE, THE REAL BEAUTY OF IT IS WHEN THE VIEWER COMES BY AND THEY GET THEIR STORY OUT OF IT, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK IT'S GONNA BE, UH, A REALLY GREAT, UH, FOCAL POINT FOR THE PARK.