A little about Dave, and why I’m building this art project in tribute to him.
Let's see. Dave. There's a lot to say about him. He was a giant of a man, both in stature and in character. He loved people, and was kind to everyone he met. He was quiet and unassuming to those that didn't know him. But when you got to know him, there was this amazing being to be discovered. I met him via my mom. They worked together at a residential treatment facility with male patients between the ages of 12-24, most of whom were juvenile sex offenders. That right there tells you what kind of a person Dave was. You have to be a saint to work in a place like that. But he did, and he loved it. He cared so much for the boys, and really wanted to make a difference in their lives. And he did.
Dave headed up a snowboarding program at the hospital, and would weekly take the boys snowboarding at the various resorts in Utah. He showed them that you could have a good time without the influence of drugs, alcohol, or sex.
My mom had talked about Dave for a while, and told me that she wanted me to meet him. She said she wanted to set us up. I didn't think much of it at the time. My mom's a little clueless when it comes to dating. Well around Halloween 2003, I volunteered to help with the annual spook alley that the staff would put on for the patients at the hospital. It was there that I first met Dave. He was dressed as Frankenstein's Monster. I'll never forget that...He played the part so well. At 6'7" he was built for the part. My mom sent us on some errands together, and Dave and I got to know each other. We instantly became friends.
My mom had told me that Dave was a regular attendee at the annual Burning Man festival, which I was always intrigued with, so I started talking to Dave about it. After his stories I was bound and determined to make it to the next Burning Man event. The next summer I attended the local Utah Regional Burn, and I was hooked. I've been attending Burning Man events ever since.
As for me and Dave, we remained good friends. There was never the "chemistry" my mom had hoped for in hooking us up. I would later come to find out that the reason for that was that Dave was gay. To this day I haven't let my mom live that one down. Dave thought it was quite hilarious too.
Dave's sexual preference caused a lot of turmoil between himself and his very religious family. He didn't openly "come out" to people. He just kind of kept to himself where his sexuality was concerned. I don't think he ever felt comfortable just being himself. But Burning Man helped. It was at Burning Man that he felt he could be himself without being judged. Like most of us that attend the festival, he felt a freedom that can't be experienced in most societies.
Dave worked hard, and played hard. He was known to party on weekends, but never let it affect his work. He spent much of his free time with his little brother, who is mentally disabled. They were the best of friends, and Dave loved him dearly. Dave had a constant companion of his dog Willow. He loved Willow so much, and didn't go anywhere without her. Dave was the kind of person that people were instantly drawn to. He was the 'gentle giant' that everyone knew and loved. He had friends from every walk of life, and he was truly a good friend. He would do anything for a friend, or even a stranger in need. He was just that way.
In early March 2006, Dave had nose surgery to fix some problems he had been experiencing. The surgery went well, and he seemed to be healing fine. The doctors warned him not to drink in combination with the recent use of general anesthetic, and with all the medication he was on, particularly the blood thinners.
Well, a couple weeks after the surgery, the weekend rolled around. As Dave usually did on weekends, he drank, even though the doctors warned him not to. On Monday he was supposed to meet his best friend for lunch. Dave was always on time, so when he didn't show up, she got worried. She went to Dave's house, and found him dead in a pool of his own blood. His dear Willow was standing vigilant over his body, protecting her beloved master.
Well, no one was sure what exactly had happened. So they called in a forensics team and medical examiner, to do an autopsy, and who determined that Dave had been drowsy due to the combination of medication and alcohol. He lived in a basement, which had low doorways, especially to one that was 6'7" tall. Apparently Dave had walked into the doorway, smacked his face on the doorframe, and had knocked himself out. Because of the blood thinners, the blood didn't clot as it normally should, and Dave bled to death.
Dave's death was a shock to everyone who knew him. He seemed so young, and so full of life. We were all saddened by our loss of our dear friend. His family especially took it hard, because there was so much unresolved between themselves and Dave, particularly with his father, who had all but disowned him.
The family set up funeral arrangements, and had the service in a funeral home. Several of Dave's friends told his father that there wouldn't be enough room in the small funeral home chapel, but the father insisted that Dave just didn't have that many friends. Ashley M: It was a bitter sweet realization for us all when the day of the funeral came around and not only was the funeral home chapel overflowing, but so was the waiting room, entrance, and all the way out into the parking lot.
We each knew that Dave had affected us in a profound way; we just didn't realize how many people he had affected during his life.
There was smiles and laughter mixed in with the tears and sobs as we relived our memories of Dave. There was so much sadness for Dave's family, especially his father, because I think he began to realize just how much of a great man his son truly was. I think we all learned a little more tolerance that day, and were reminded how important it is to love one another, regardless of what we perceive others to do right or wrong.
On the back of the funeral program read a Tibetan saying: "When you are born, you weep, and the world rejoices. When you die, the world weeps, and you rejoice." I think the greatest lesson we all learned from Dave was just this, love.
So you see, that's why I want to build this art piece for him.
More on torii gates:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torii
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2059.html
http://altreligion.about.com/library/glossary/symbols/bldefstorii.htm
Written on the gate in Kanji (Japanese script) as well as English will be inscribed, "If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much space."
The reason for this inscription is that before his death, Dave was planning his next tattoo to be "If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much space" written in Kanji script.
More on Kanji script:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2046.html
http://japanese.about.com/bltattoo.htm
The dimensions of the gate are 12' wide, 16" deep/long, and 11'1" high. The gateway clearance (what you walk under) is 6'7", which was the height of Dave "Kraken" Cragun, whom this memorial art piece is dedicated to.
The gateway will be secured by burying 8" x 8" x 24" wooden "footings" that will be buried 12" deep, the other 12" fitting inside the wooden "legs" of the gate.
The gateway will be illuminated by no less than two spotlights, which will light the gate and the area immediately surrounding it.
Next to the gateway will be a small plaque on a podium-type thing, with a memorial/tribute to Dave "Kraken" Cragun.
The holes for the "footings" of the gateway will be dug with a posthole digger. The material removed from the holes will be bagged so that it does not blow away, and returned to the holes at the end of the event. The replaced material in the holes will then be tamped and corrected until no trace is left.
I thought you all might enjoy this article. It brought tears to my eyes.
Explaining what Burning Man is to someone that hasn't experienced it first hand, is a hard thing to do. Putting into words just why we make our annual trek to the desert is just as difficult. I think this article conveys a bit of the "why" of Burning Man beautifully.
Enjoy.
Why I'm Here: A Burner Without Borders explains the attraction of life in Camp Katrina:
http://www.sfbg.com/40/21/cover_why.html
Peace, Love, Flame, and Dust,
-Ash
