“If you think about the human spirit – if we were to evolve to our highest state – what is that? It’s play.” – Artist Patrick Shearn

Patrick Shearn is an artist and founder of Poetic Kinetics. He creates interactive, experimental art installations such as the recent Liquid Shard, a beautiful temporary installation above Pershing Square in Downtown Los Angeles. Made of holographic mylar that spanned 15,000 square feet, it rode on the wind up to 115 feet in the air. Liquid Shard brought hundreds of people out of their offices each day to enjoy lunch in the park who wouldn't ordinarly have left their cubicles.

Patrick and his team are also responsible for incredible art pieces at festivals like Burning Man and Coachella. In 2013, they created an 80-foot snail called “Helix Poeticus,” in 2014, the 36-foot tall astronaut called “Escape Velocity” (affectionately dubbed “The Coachella Astronaut”), and a double piece in 2015 called "Caterpillar’s Longing" – a giant colorful caterpillar and butterfly that shaded festival-goers from the sun with its giant wings.

But this interview is about much more than just Patrick’s art. He’s very passionate about instigating play in the lives of those around him. He encourages us grown-ups to see that our wild ideas can STILL be possible, and it all starts with making play at integral part of our lives.

You’ll hear how his philosophy of life springs out of an unusual childhood where he was encouraged to run with his wildest ideas, to figure things out on his own at a young age, to explore the unknown and follow his instincts.

Show Links:

• Visit the Poetic Kinetics Website
• Keep up with Patrick's Work on Facebook
• Learn more about public art in Los Angeles, California from Now Art LA