What resulted from this was the Funk House, and if you were there you knew it was something special. Our job was to build a space that matched the vibe…so we got to work, pulling inspiration from all sorts of classic funk heroes, mixing them all up and coming out with our own silly Imagine Nation style of funk. In early raves there would always be a ‘funk room’ where people would do exactly that. When we met Pasquale last year he said he wanted to bring back the vibe of old-school raves, giving the people an eclectic choice of music and the ability to have a space they can feel comfortable just jamming and letting loose…instead of raging the entire time. So, it began like it always does…with a notepad and an idea. My legs are still sore from dancing (and building for two weeks), but it’s the good kind…don’t worry. I could not believe what went down this weekend at the Funk House we built for Insomniac’s Beyond SoCal. Hold on, I need to take another minute and breathe. After being greeted by a sexy desk clerk and guided by a flow chart-conceiving admissions counselor, students faced off in occasionally pornographic Pictionary battles before getting appropriately hazed at a “fratority” party." Symbiosis enlisted The Imagine Nation to assemble and populate this year’s popular University installation. If The Imagine Nation builds it, you will come. The Imagine Nation is a collective of artists, builders and performers that regularly transforms trash into treasure, utilizing upcycled materials (whenever possible) to erect immersive environments for the amusement and entertainment of festival guests. "If Captain Planet and the Planeteers were building Hollywood-caliber movie sets for music festivals, it might resemble The Imagine Nation’s operation. She signed their admission slips and let them into a hidden room, whereupon the students had to promptly drop their pants and get smacked with a canoe paddle, thus joining this fraternity of dust-caked techno hippies." “In beard hair,” he said, offering her a handful of his fluffy face coif. “And how will you be paying for your tuition,” she asked yet another. And their favorite yoga pose? “Um, 12-ounce curls,” said another, lifting his can of Tecate and taking a swig. “Dog psychology,” said one applicant, earning a nod of approval. What was their planned course of study here, at this loopy rave festival on a lake two hours outside Oakland? ![]() Sitting behind her desk in a pink wig, a low-cut unitard and a maybe-fake German accent, the woman grilled applicants on their intentions. "The admissions officer at the so-called Symbiosis University had an elective quiz for new students. The Times recaps an experience inside our installation:
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