It began with Bridge-O-Rama, a grand celebration for the opening of the Margret Hunt Hill bridge.
Plans for the Parade of Giants started in late 2011. It was one event among several others planned for Bridge-O-Rama, including musical performances, seminars, and restaurant openings, all brought together on the Margret Hunt Hill Bridge. The bridge, located in West Dallas, connects Singleton Boulevard and the Woodall Rodgers Freeway over the Trinity River. Plans for the bridge were conceived in 2004, and in 2010, its signature arch was completed.
The purpose of the event was to celebrate the opening of the bridge itself on March 2nd 2012, through March 4th 2012. The signature experience lineup, which included numerous spiritual and cultural celebrations, served to symbolize new connections in Dallas alongside the physical connections made by the bridge.
The Parade of Giants was planned to celebrate influential historical figures of West Dallas. Teams of volunteers were to choose a historical figure, build a giant puppet of said figure, and walk them across the bridge. It took some of the most preparation, the teams needed to be brought together to plan, build, and prepare their giants. Each team was lead by an influential Texas artist in order to direct creation and ensure integrity of the puppets.
Texas artist Kevin Obregon teamed up with the Friends of Reverchon Park nonprofit to create a giant Julien Reverchon.
Construction of the Reverchon giant began on January 31st 2012, when the first details of his creation were posted on Kevin Obregon’s Facebook Page. Alongside images of the original husk, he shared details including materials used and the dimensions of the head.
Further posts were made on February 15th, revealing that significant progress had been made on the giant’s face. Eyes, nose, lips, and decorative markings (that would be later scrapped) were completed. In posts alongside the images, Kevin confirmed that the eyes would be moveable in their sockets, and that the giant’s hair was yet to be added. The comments suggest that Alexandria Olivia Metzger was assisting with the construction.
Jokingly, an onion ring was stuck in the giant’s nose for a number of the photos. It is worth noting that the onion ring was from Burguesa Burger.
Details about the creation process of the Giant’s body and hands are yet to be known. However, it can be assumed that his flower hands- visible on the site cover -act to symbolize Julien’s role as a botanist and his passion for nature.
No further updates were made until March 1st, when Kevin made a post suggesting that he and the completed Julien Reverchon Giant made an appearance on that morning’s news.
At this time, the full broadcast has yet to be found, but the images below are possible stills/screenshots of another interview taking place on the 3rd of March. A completed Julien Reverchon Giant is visible in the background of the first image, while the other two offer a closer look at his head. Lines are visible in the giant’s eye sockets, likely used to move them as initial posts on his creation suggested.
At the time of the interview, Julien and the other Giants were preparing to make their debut on the bridge.
The parade is where the next chapter of Julien’s story begins.
Continue Reading: The Parade of Giants
Sources:
The Rolling Giant Archive 