Meet the Determined 76-Year-Old Artist Bringing Her First-ever Mutant Vehicle to Burning Man

MEET THE ARTIST

Jennifer Cull first attended Burning Man in 2016. After holding art shows annually on Labor Day, the weekend the Black Rock City (BRC) event culminates, she was now semi-retired and longing to go to BRC. So when she received a free ticket from her friend George Post, Jennifer jumped at the opportunity to make her long-awaited inaugural trek to the Black Rock Desert.

Jennifer: It just blew my mind because, as a lifetime artist, I am very solitary. And when I do get around people, sometimes I freak out because they’re so cruel. But I didn’t find that at Burning Man. It was just like I’d come Home. I’d never felt like that. I felt safe. I felt among my kind, so to speak. 

THE INSPIRATION

Inspired by the strong sense of community and Radical Inclusion she experienced at her first Burn, Jennifer got the idea for her first mutant vehicle in 2019.

Jennifer: I’m a sculptor — I actually sculpt stone – but I decided to go and take some welding lessons from another Burner, and I decided to make this thing. At first it was going to be an armadillo, but then I saw an armadillo that had been done very well in the past already. So it’s a metal pangolin instead.

My friends who work for the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) also got me into volunteering there. I love doing that so much — looking at all those cars all the time — it’s just amazing. So I work really hard and get a free ticket, but it’s not for the free ticket — it’s because I want to be there and see everything and do everything. 

My connection with the DMV plus my sculpting background lent itself to making this project. I know what it takes and I know what they look for in a mutant vehicle. I also know the pitfalls. So I submitted my vehicle last year (in 2022) but couldn’t get any help from volunteers to move the project forward. Then I decided this year, I’m just going to do it myself!

ABOUT THE MUTANT VEHICLE

Name: “Magnolia Thunderpussy”

Year: 2023 will be its debut appearance at Black Rock City

THE MATERIALS & PROCESS

There’s big art; there’s little art; but I think the art that moves (mutant vehicles) is the kind that inspires me most and takes a heck of a lot of work to get out there and run in the dust of Black Rock City.

Jennifer: All the metal is salvaged sheet metal — swimming pool lining, actually. On a daily basis, I have to cut metal to make the 600 scales for the pangolin’s body. It’s slow work; I’m doing it by hand with a metal snipper. Each scale ranges in size from about 12” down to itty bitty ones for the legs and the face. It’s a lot of prep work: getting the roll of steel, cutting 12” lines, then cutting those down, drawing each scale on with a template, then cutting each one out by hand.

I live in Penn Valley, California, so all the rain is making me crazy because I work outside. Every time it rains I bring the scales in and wash ’em in the sink. That’s the only thing I can do when the weather’s bad. I have to clean ’em up and get all the edges smooth, so nobody gets cut, then paint them. I’ve just recently started to paint all of the scales. 

I am doing it alone. Since we live off my husband’s VA Disability (he is 100% disabled), rather than continuing to ask for volunteers or support, I just decided to work on it constantly by myself. That’s how I’ve done all my art for the last 50 years. It’s big, but I’m determined!

TIPS FOR FIRST-TIMERS

As a first-time mutant vehicle creator herself, Jennifer shared some thoughts on how she has been able to successfully build and (hopes to) bring her inaugural creation to Burning Man.

Jennifer: Just hop on the phone. I’ve got phone conversations going with several experienced mutant vehicle owners. While it’s not physical help, they each have had great advice for me. 

If you’re located anywhere near the Penn Valley area and wish to help Jennifer finish her first mutant vehicle, please reach out to her directly via email.

Jennifer: I’m on my own to build this, monetarily and physically, and that’s why it’s taken so long. But I think it’s helping to keep me young. Age is nothing but a number. In fact, only young people seem to go to Burning Man — either young at heart or young in age. So stay young, however you can!

OUT IN THE DUST

You can most likely find Jennifer and the “Magnolia Thunderpussy” at The Pit on playa. Otherwise, she and her mobile metallic masterpiece will be roaming the streets and open playa in all their ANIMALIA glory.

Cover image of Jennifer Cull in the process of cutting out over 600 metal scales for her pangolin mutant vehicle “Magnolia Thunderpussy,” 2023 (Photo courtesy of the artist)

(All photos courtesy of Jennifer Cull)