temple poster

For the last four years Brent Heyning and his crew have worked with the team @thedolab to power an arts festival in California heralded as the most environmentally conscious music and arts event in America, Lightning in A Bottle.  The GreenGurus team working with Toyshoppe Pros and our magi have honed practices for sustainable energy technologies, less waste and more DIY opportunities that bring value to tens of thousands of people attending our events or watching TV and film appearances. 

We are taking this work to the next level in 2009 with the invocation of the Lightning Temple, a touring installation and theatrical experience that integrates the very best of our communities.

Since our 2008 festival we have been gathering a team of professionals from all disciplines to build an extraordinary stage and experience.  We see this piece as the integration point for many circles and communities, a place where theatrical performers, musicians, movement artists, teachers and participants can come together to explore how energy is created and shared.  The Lightning Temple is currently building in four locations and includes a team of nearly 100 volunteers collaborating on our wiki; you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook for regular updates and events.

We have a great amount of work ahead of us in the next three months to build this structure and the unique audio tesla coils that create the sound experience within it.  There is a great deal of technical alchemy happening behind the scenes at weekly meetings in Los Angeles with virtual bridges thru Skype and Second Life; thanks to our friends and volunteers @amoration who continue to make fabulous design and demo meals for our temple team.

We are four months away from Lightning in a Bottle. The excitement every time we start up the coils gets a bit more palpable and we've got great momentum moving forward.  We are looking for a few more people interested in textiles, costuming and wardrobe, theatrical production and singing in the choir along with musical and theatrical groups interested in performing unique experiences with us.  We plan to tour to science and art museums, festivals and large events throughout 2009 as we work with you, our participants, to explore what energy can be when we work together to create it.

Thanks for joining us on this journey.

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Brent Heyning, Toyshoppe Technical Director, also moonlights as voice talent for animated shorts and features.  Enjoy the Shelf Life and happy holidays from all of us here at Toyshoppe Productions!  Hope you're out there getting lots of exercise like our team....more news to come soon about the Green Gurus and Toyshoppe's big 2009 shows. 

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Brent Heyning will be speaking on the insiders' view of building everything in Hollywood for two upcoming events in 2008.  For those of you who haven't seen Brent speak live, meet him at Arisia in Boston in January or at the Memphis International Film Festival; On Location: Memphis. 

In preparation we are sharing photos from the archives for the coming weeks here on the blog and around the web.  Some of these photos are from films (see third at left, AI, and XMEN3 at the bottom courtesy of their respective studios).  Others including the Fountain Fall installation and bridges are all Toyshoppe Productions, from the Japanese details to the heavy wood construction.  Toyshoppe is currently new bridges and water art for Crustacean in Beverly Hills and preparing for a new stage show in 2008.

So one from the archives, you may not like the audio, but appreciate the LED light work that Brent facilitated for The Do Lab and Patrick Shearn for Burning Man 2006; the Flower and Flytrap, each over 50ft. tall!

Brent creates many unique lighting systems throughout Los Angeles including projection systems, LEDs and color-changing light, art and exhibition display, private homes and parties with water features and light.  Contact him directly if you have questions about a project for Toyshoppe Pros.

flower and fly trap

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This year the Toyshoppe Team has worked on projects in Santa Barbara, Chicago, Beverly Hills and coming soon to Black Rock City.....if you include Transformers, DejaVu, Die Hard4 and the other films out recently from Toyshoppe pro builders then you've seen our toys in most every city in America.  We love building big dreams and wild visions with the best media professionals.

Now you can build toys with us anywhere!

Ether calls are your quick and easy way to speak with a Toyshoppe Pro about your upcoming project.  Have a question on how to handle light, sound, construction or engineering?  Our pros specialize inunique calls and high tech solutions; we deeply understand green living, sustainable design, alternative energy systems and groundbreaking new ways to get your message across.

XMen bridge: Brent Heyning Models

The Toyshoppe Team includes set builders, modelmakers, welders, toy designers, product design specialists, production designers, robot freaks and specialists in mech and animatronics, computer techs and resourceful network specialists who know how to build a system to handle complex jobs.

Over the last few years Toyshoppe Pros have been called in to lift the Golden Gate Bridge, light the top of the Disneyland Christmas Tree and rebuild half of Las Vegas.  Call us thru the toll free Ether and you can do your consulting with us right over the phone! 

Ether allows you to opt in to handle consulting fees straight through your call so it's easy to get in touch with someone within 24 hours who can answer your tough tech questions.

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OYA is a unique installation growing new forms with an amazing team of scientist/architect/artists crystallizing new energy systems in harmony with their surroundings. 

Visit the OYA installation in Black Rock City from August 27-31st for a demonstration of free energy flow using water as the primary source of electric power.

Make a gift to the AMO

Arts team for supplies to help build this project: we currently need ~$2000 in construction

materials to manifest OYA for this unique green technology project; you can help by picking up AMO goodstorm shirts, OYA edible love rocks and other gifts to help us grow.  Our Next Toyshoppe Thursday Theatre (and OYA fundraiser) in Los Angeles will be August 16th; in Boston on August 9th we will also host an OYA resonance event.

Special thanks to Ryan Wartena at MIT, Elizabeth Marley (Farmlab, Growing Architecture), Brent Heyning (Toyshoppe Productions), Evonne Heyning (Toyshoppe/AMO) along with Carmen, Blue, Tomas, Crimson, Larry and the Burning Man community for helping this project grow from seed to full power.

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Crash for a Cause Demo Derby OC

I'm guessing there are less painful ways to raise money for charity, but don't tell Brent's cousin Don Crossett and his Crash for a Cause team.  They fared well in the first round of demo derby madness but finally got stuck in the hot engine soup down  at the OCFair.

Congrats to Don for bringing together 4 cars to Crash for a Cause!  The pink cars raised money for breast cancer treatment; thanks for thinking of us women with your big wrecks and crashes!

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Resident Evil poster

The Toyshoppe gets called in on many unusual projects, from models and miniatures on film sets (Resident Evil poster at right, Transformers truck below) to bizarre lighting and sound requests.  Brent did the decepticon tank in Transformers and is currently working on new robotics and orbital designs.

This year Brent Heyning is designing sound along with our work at the Pavilion in Black Rock City.  The OYA elemental installation will be open August 27-31st under the man at Burning Man.  Toyshoppe Pros Evonne Heyning along with Elizabeth Marley and Ryan Wartena from Growing Architecture are collaborating on a sculptural piece and aiding in the growth of art and expression in the Pavilion, a structure dedicated to green awareness and thriveable lives.

Toyshoppe Thursdays start this week!  Brent is hosting a movie night at the Sugar Arts Community this Thursday night!  Just south of Hollywood and west of downtown LA, east of Beverly Hills and Century City....RSVP if you want directions to our colorful ballroom.  Feature movie:  PeeWee! 

Videoblogs live from Sudanese survivors living in refugee camps in Chad will be shown from our friends at Camp Darfur/Stop Genocide Now/iACT.  You can watch them now online on YouTube and Google too.

Transformers

i-ACT 2007: Day 4. Familiar faces and the price of inaction

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Californiatravel 047

Californiatravel 063

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This front page article from the Chicago Tribune last Tuesday features the Toyshoppe Team:  Troy Riggs (IT/Networks and Systems), Evonne Heyning (Creative Director), Brent Heyning (Principal Director and Production Designer) as they launch the new Phil's Supermarket on Food Island in Second Life.  Read full text of article here.

FrontPageArticleFMIchicago

Page4ChicagoFMIarticle

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Kraft Teams with Supermarket Guru & Food Editor in Second Life

Kraft Foods Goes Digital to Unveil More Than 70 New Products in First-Ever Virtual Supermarket in Second Life

Phil's Supermarket opens in SL

Kraft Launches SecondLife Supermarket

Kraft Foods is opening shop on Second Life today.

Kraft Foods Goes Digital to Unveil More Than 70 New Products in First-Ever Virtual Supermarket in Second Life

Kraft Foods Goes Digital

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