Civic Center Park was turned into a Burning Man west (of sorts) Saturday as hundreds of people came to enjoy food, music, crafts, sculpture, performance, dance and art at the second Berkeley Spark festival.
One of the highlights of the festival was a giant metal bear with a moving arm made from recycled metal. Named “Ursus Redivivus” by its creators, most of the bear’s parts came from an escalator at an old Ross Dress for Less store.
Chip Erickson, part owner of a Walgreens on Shattuck Avenue, commissioned the piece and hired kinetic-sculpture artists Alex Nolan, Phillip Glashof and his son Chad to build it. Erickson said the bear took around two years to finish.
[slideshow_deploy id=’166707′]
New to Berkeley Spark 2.0 this year was an innovation tech corridor, where local innovators, engineers and entrepreneurs could show off their inventions. Representatives from All Power Labs showcased their biomass-fueled power generators. ArtIsMobilUs, Frankentrikes and Infinity Boxes were also there, too. Attendees also participated in a letter-writing project by Letters to the Universe, and shared their work at a hip-hop open mic.
The fair was the brainchild of John Caner, executive director of the Downtown Berkeley Association, which sponsored the event in partnership with Berkeley’s Office of Economic Development, Berkeley Partners for Parks, Livable Berkeley, Ecology Center, Streets Alive and Berkeleyside, among other organizations.
The photos in the slide show were taken by Darius Wekwerth, Ted Friedman, and William Newton.
You can like Berkeley Spark on Facebook or follow it on Twitter @berkeleyspark.
Related:
Berkeley Spark 2.0: art, innovation, and a kinetic bear (07.08.14)
Berkeley Spark plans to bring the Playa to downtown (05.28.13)
Follow Berkeleyside on Twitter, and on Facebook. Email us at tips@berkeleyside.com. Would you like the latest Berkeley news sent to your email inbox once a day? Click here to subscribe to Berkeleyside’s free Daily Briefing.
