Jenny Kane

jkane@rgj.com

Usually, Skrillex is pounding out the beats in Los Angeles or New York or Las Vegas.

This week, however, he is taking a detour to Reno.

The Grammy award winning king of electronic dance music, whose given name is Sonny Moore, will be performing Friday, May 27 at the Reno Events Center as a fundraiser for the "Space Whale," a Sparks-based art installation for Burning Man 2016. Tickets for the performance still are available on Ticketmaster.com and cost between $30 and $50.

"It's hard to even find the words for it. He's super engaged with Burning Man and the arts community,” said Matt Schultz, lead artist for the “Space Whale," of Skrillex.

The internationally known DJ will not be collecting payment for his show so that all proceeds will go to the project, which has an estimated $50,000 in upfront costs and $125,000 in total costs.

"Space Whale" is a 50-foot tall stained glass, full-scale humpback whale sculpture that will be accompanied by a stained glass whale calf at its flank. The two whales will appear with their tails up and their bellies skimming the dusty floor of the Black Rock Desert playa, or the dried lakebed of what was Lake Lahontan 9,000 years ago.

The whales will weigh 30,000 pounds together and be made of steel backing and 1,800 stained glass panels custom designed by international image layering and experimental artist Android Jones.

Stained glass 'Space Whale' to blow minds at Burning Man

Schultz will be working with his team, collectively known as the Pier Group, a nonprofit Reno art collective which previously produced "Pier I," "Pier II," and "Embrace," large-scale art installations at Burning Man in years past. Crews will be working out of the Generator, a warehouse-turned-maker space located in Sparks and managed by Schultz.

Skrillex reached out to Schultz after falling in love with the Pier Group’s “Embrace” installation, two androgynous figures holding one another, also engineered out of the Generator and featured at Burning Man in 2014.

"He cares. He really loves the art, the experience and the creative energy of Burning Man,” Schultz said of Skrillex. "We got together last year, and he offered to throw a show for us. It's enormous."

Skrillex is expected to assist with the "Space Whale" as well by creating "ambient, creative, reflective," music for the two creatures.

The Pier Group wants to make the "Space Whale" installation an interactive one, where light shows and discussions of climate change and energy policy will be ongoing since the Pier Group wants the whales to spur discussion about environment.



Physical work on the "Space Whale" is expected to begin the first week of April, according to Schultz.

"We hope to make magic," he said.

IF YOU GO

What: Skrillex fundraiser for the "Space Whale"

When: Doors open at 6 p.m., show begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 27

Where: Reno Events Center, 400 N. Center St. in Reno

Cost: $30-$50