That time Megan Thee Stallion Twerked Inside Heavy Meta

Megan Thee Stallion’s new video for “Body” just came out, and it is incredible. The video’s got serious 90s super-rap vibes, with a beautiful white set, addictive vocals, sexy dancers, and a familiar dragon head that serves as a platform for Megan to dance on top of (and twerk inside.)

One of our campmates happened to show Meg a photo of Heavy Meta on his phone, and she loved it! A couple more campmates of ours were on set in LA to turn the digital model we used for the Multiverse burns over the summer into a giant, 2x scale model of the dragon head for the video. Thanks to everybody who made this happen!

Credits:

Original dragon head design: Matt Von Wilde

3D model design: Chris Bowman and Harriet Pollack

2x scale model fabrication and finishes: Wes Dogan, Hoodie Salinas, Alina Dee, Hah Houlton, and Molly Von Roe

Original song by: Megan Thee Stallion

Here is the full video for you to enjoy. The Heavy Meta cameo begins at 1:19.

And here is the 3D model that appeared in several of the multiverse burns over Labour Day this year:

Heavy Meta with walker on the virtual playa

The movement is growing - because of you

None of these things existed 24 months ago.

The new year is a time to reflect on how far we've all come.

Art just sits there; a community brings it to life. Without you, we'd just be hauling around big pieces of metal and propane tanks. In just two short years, so much has happened: Heavy Meta was built. Two new community spaces opened up on Geary Avenue. An amazing metal shop opened in Etobicoke and spawned an Anglerfish, and massive thorns by the lake. The Ark Car was built. Crimson Fire Show was founded and represented Toronto in the Great Circle 2,500 miles away. The Moon Shot swing was built. Hyperborea sprung up from the soil. Tarna the Jackalope was conceived and is making amazing progress at the shop. The TTZ Zebra bus was birthed and crossed the continent. The BuBBle Bus came into existence. 

We event creators didn't do these things - you did. And while they all have deep roots in a decades-long history forged by art, the rave scene, Burning Man, circus and so many more influences, it is hard to deny that something really special is happening lately in our ever-growing city.   
        
We are also proud that instead of competing for a few more people here and there, you are helping these groups do something much more valuable: raise the tide. Grow the community. Continue making our city better, funner, freer. Keep doing what you're doing - keep showing up, and we promise we will keep showing up for you.     

Whiteout news: Zel Tyrant, Spin Starlets, and the official afterparty  

• Whiteout is now 65% sold out. Grab tickets here or RSVP on Facebook.

• The official Whiteout afterparty is here: 'Out Till Dawn - at One Loft, 292 College St. from 2 AM - 7 AM after Whiteout. Discounts for Whiteout ticketholders - RSVP and invite your friends on Facebook. 

• Zel Tyrant is taking to the air again! Last year we were positively dazzled by Zel's cube show throughout the evening at Whiteout. We are pleased to announce she will be returning with a brand new show for your enjoyment!

• Announcing: Spin Starlets at Whiteout! The venerable LED-spinning troupe will be joining us with brand new show of their own - get ready to glow 🔥   

February 15th - Save the date for Tarna's Heartbreakers Ball 
On February 15th, Tarna presents Heartbreakers Ball. To be the first to hear about it, send an e-mail to info@tarna.ca or like their Facebook page. 

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You can keep track of the Heavy Meta's adventures on our Instagram :)

Heavy Meta's 2018 in review: 20 events

In 2018, the dragon brought fire and flames to music festivals, maker faires, and regional burns across the continent. We broke down, we built it up, and we made a tonne of friends along the way. We checked off bucket list items, we threw parties, and most of all, we had a lot of fun. Check out Heavy Meta’s “Year in Review” below.

PS: Tickets to WHITEOUT, our annual white attire ball on January 18th, are now 50% sold out! Click here to get yours today.

Toronto Light Festival 

We began this year with our biggest appearance yet, an installation in the Distillery District seen by an estimated 200,000 people throughout the 8-week festival. We were thrilled to be such a visible piece of public art, serving as a stage for amazing musicians like Dr. Draw and performers like Crimson Fire Show.  

Photo by Fa Hud @paintednegative

Whiteout 

Our inaugural white attire party at The Mod Club, and a collaboration with The Ark Car. We were ecstatic to see so many people coming all in white, in the tradition of Opulent Temple's annual white party on Wednesday at Burning Man.

Bon Soo Winter Carnival (Sault Ste. Marie, ON)

The Bon Soo Winter Carnival is Northern Ontario's premiere winter event, and the farthest north most of the team has ever been! Despite temperatures around -30º C, we had a great time bringing our brand of bass music to the icy climes.   

Metaverse 003: The Fermenting Cellar

The Fermenting Cellar is a beautiful, historic venue in the Distillery District, and we were overjoyed to be able to use it. As always, the costumes were on point, and the existence of a dozen massive pieces of playa art right outside the venue made this event almost like a decompression party.  

Casa Loma March Break 

For their annual March Break festivities for schoolchildren and their parents, Casa Loma presented Imagine Dragons, a medieval-themed event with knights, aerialists, and us, a giant fire-breathing dragon!

Minus Zero Festival (Mt. Snow, VT)

Minus Zero was an amazing festival held on a ski resort in Vermont, featuring art from some crews we have gotten to know well over the years like Reliquarium and Orijins. There were some beautiful moments, like the summit sunrise set, and some down-and-dirty awesome moments, like Ben Cormier and Jesse Champagne opening up for Holmar at the afterparty. 

The Flood 

The Flood was a collaboration between The Ark Car and Heavy Meta. After we lost our venue (the ill-fated Fairland Grocery Store in Kensington Market) with 30 hours to go until the event, we called literally 40 venues to try to move the event... and found one! The River Gambler, one of Toronto's most legendary party boats, had room for us and was happy to let us hold the fundraiser there. The night was amazing, especially the Heavy Meta debut of me time. 

Madison Mini Maker Faire (Madison, WI)

Madison was a great Maker Faire, and a great city. We enjoyed the massive indoor robot exhibition, as well as tasting our first Impossible Burger near the state capitol, and experiencing some local flavour at Plan B. What a town! 

Hyperborea (Stone Mills Township, ON)

Last year, Hyperborea was our first-ever event, and we were not ready; this year, we came with bells (and propane valves) on, and rocked the dancefloor and fire button all weekend. We also debuted our new nightly activity, Midnight Putin, a playful take on Midnight Poutine with a decidedly Vladimir-themed twist.  

photo by Andrew Miller

Lakes of Fire (Rothbury, MI)

New wings! Thanks to the fabrication awesomeness of Matt Von Wilde, Lakes of Fire was the first place we showed off our new articulating aluminum wings, and were stunned to see the amazing new Michigan-based art car The Ark of Orenda. 

Pride

Producing a Pride stage has been a bucket list item of ours since the mid-aughts, and we were thrilled to be able to team up with Queens of Cannabis to make it happen this year! We appeared in a Church St. alley for three days, hosting amazing DJs like Mark Baker, Luis F, Borzoo, and the Box of Kittens crew.  

Front page article in the Toronto Star for their Pride Sunday coverage

EDEN w/Tarna 

Just to add to the insanity, on the same weekend as Pride, we also co-produced Tarna's first fundraiser party at Revival, one of our favourite rooms in the city. It was a beautiful, ethereal night where the venue was transformed with ivy, a really nice plounge upstairs, and hundreds of dancing souls.

Maker Faire Detroit (Dearborn, MI)

Detroit is truly one of our favourite cities in the world, and The Henry Ford is certainly one of its shining cultural gems. We were pleased to be invited back to Motor City to bring giant fireballs to this venerable museum, alongside hundreds of other amazing makers.  

Metaverse 004: Expansion 

Our second Metaverse in the Sterling Lot brought us one step closer to our dream of a Ten Art Car Toronto. Featuring The Ark Car, Heavy Meta, the Heart of Tarna, The Cool Bus, the Zombie RV, the Moon Shot Swing, Crimson Fire Show, Zel Tyrant, and a tonne of awesome DJs, this was the most immersive presentation of art car culture the city has ever seen.  

photo by Fa Hud @paintednegative

Burning Man (Black Rock City, NV)

Burning Man this year had too many amazing highlights to name, but if we could pick just three: one, driving across the country in our new tour bus, the TTZ (nicknamed the "Zebus"), teaming up with Mayan Warrior to host a wedding for Arius and Gwendolyn, and joining soundsystems with Dusty Rhino for the Tycho sunrise set really stood out as some incredible moments. 

Maker Faire Milwaukee (Milwaukee, WI)

Maker Faire Milwaukee was held at the Wisconsin State Fairgrounds, where we had the distinct pleasure of being presented alongside a number of fun rides and deep fried food items. We also loved touring the city's largest maker space. 

City of Gods (Brooklyn, NY)

We have been going to House of Yes parties since the very first location, which tragically met its end in a fire, and its second location, an underground event and performance space on Maujer. We are incredibly proud to see HoY grow into a true force of nature and legal nightclub, putting on a 2000+ person off-site event at Grand Prospect Hall, and we were pleased to be invited to anchor the entrance to the event. Thanks for having us!  

New York City Halloween Parade (New York, NY) 

We have never been in a parade before because we are so tall (18.5'!) but when House of Yes asked us to be their float in the Village Halloween Parade, there was no way we could say no. We navigated nimbly though thousands of people while blowing smoke from the dragon's mouth and providing some phat beats. Thanks again!  

Cleveland Mini Maker Fire (Cleveland, OH)

We love the Cleveland Public Library!

Sacrifice 

Sacrifice was our year end offering to the gods, who have carried us so far in the last year and a half. It was a dark, sexy, beautiful evening until dawn. Thank you for joining us this year! 

Heavy Meta in the Distillery starting tonight!

Heavy Meta will be in Toronto's Distillery Historic District all winter as part of the Toronto Light Festival! Photo by Sasha Hoops

We are excited to announce that Heavy Meta is part of this year's Toronto Light Festival and will be installed in the Distillery District all winter, starting tonight! Join us on the following nights to see the fire in action:

Friday 19 Jan 2018: 6 PM - 11 PM
Saturday 20 Jan 2018: 7 PM - 11 PM
Sunday 21 Jan 2018: 7 PM - 11 PM

Friday 26 Jan 2018: 7 PM - 11 PM
Saturday 27 Jan 2018: 7 PM - 11 PM
Sunday 28 Jan 2018: 7 PM - 11 PM

Friday 9 Feb 2018: 7 PM - 11 PM
Saturday 10 Feb 2018: 7 PM - 11 PM
Sunday 11 Feb 2018: 7 PM - 11 PM

Friday 16 Feb 2018: 7 PM - 11 PM
Saturday 17 Feb 2018: 7 PM - 11 PM
Sunday 18 Feb 2018: 7 PM - 11 PM

Friday 2 March 2018: 7 PM - 11 PM
Saturday 3 March 2018: 7 PM - 11 PM
Sunday 4 March 2018: 7 PM - 11 PM

Come down tonight for the opening party with Matt Von Wilde on the decks, and join us for some hot chocolate and fire. Please share widely <3

PS - Our next fundraiser WHITEOUT is a week from today! Info and tickets: https://whiteout2018.eventbrite.com/

Heavy Meta Year in Review: 6 Months - 14 Events

In February of this year, we drove a yellow school bus from our friend Simon's farm in Uxbridge down to a completely empty 2,000 square foot warehouse in Toronto. What followed was the most amazing, tremendous outpouring of community support and help we have ever seen. Every day from 1 PM to 10 PM, seven days a week for four months, we, along with a team of anywhere from 5 - 20 people per day would weld, cut, and grind steel until this yellow school bus became a 30 foot-long fire-breathing dragon. 

In 2018, we are implementing massive upgrades to the dragon, from fully articulating wings, to a fully pivoting head, to a new LED lighting system. Buy tickets to WHITEOUT, January 26th to help make it happen! Or invite your friends on Facebook. 

Many people think we built the dragon for Burning Man, but that is only a tiny part of the picture. We built it for every other event, too. And to that end, in the latter six months of the year we took the dragon to fourteen different events!

1. Hyperborea - Tamworth, Ontario

Hyperborea is Ontario's newest, greatest regional burn and they were the first people who believed in us, funded us, and invited us to their event. We are amazed at how much the community stepped up, from half a dozen work weekends building infrastructure, to all the great art, to the smiling faces in the pouring rain still dancing anyway. We can't wait to see you all there next year.

2. Ever After - Kitchener, Ontario

Ever After is Kitchener's annual EDM fest.  We rented a house in kitchener from a fellow burner, 20 vikings used this space as a home base for a 3 days of fun. We learned what it takes to pass a T.S.S.A. inspection and partied with 40 000 bass hungry hang bangers. 

3. Lakes of Fire - Rothbury, Michigan

Lakes of Fire is the Great Lakes region regional burn, and it was awesome! We have been hearing about this event in Western Michigan for years and were so grateful to have been partially funded by Great Lakes Experimental Arts and invited to the event. This was also the first event that let us drive around, shoot fire, and play music all at the same time, just like we intended <3 Can't wait for next year!

4. Private Party - Toronto, Ontario

One of our Indiegogo perks was a private party anywhere in Ontario, and we were thrilled when a friend of a friend ended up booking us for a block party on her cute street in Forest Hill. Thank you Shuna!

5. Detroit Maker Faire

Our first Maker Faire! Maker Faires have become some of our favourite events that we do because it gets the dragon in front of a whole different crowd who don't usually get to see fire art, metal art, or our unique blend of insanity. 

6. Valhalla Sound Circus - Saint-André-Avellin, Quebec

Valhalla is like the Shambhala of eastern Canada: bass music on an awesome piece of land for three days with a great, tight-knit community. We will be there next year too! 

7. Metaverse 2 - Toronto, Ontario

Our first public event in Toronto was an amazing, viking-filled outdoor day party in the Junction with the dragon, food trucks, our own bar, and hundreds of our friends. Can't wait to use this lot next year!

8. Elements Music & Art Festival NYC

Elements is an amazing transformation of an old portland warehouse in the Bronx featuring DJs like GRiZ, Pretty Lights, Damian Lazarus, and Jazzy Jeff. We were pleased to be the fire stage of the elements, as well as pass our first New York City Fire inspection!  

9. Burning Man - Black Rock City, NV

This was a LONG trip. It took seven days to get there because we took a little detour to Casper, WY to see the total solar eclipse. Burning Man was incredible! We were proud to represent the Toronto maker scene at the event that inspired it all. Our first-year Heavy Meta camp had 38 people, all of whom put in huge amounts of work in record-setting heat. Spent 12 days on playa and 5 days on the drive back. See you on the playa next year <3

10. World Maker Faire - Queens, NYC

World Maker Faire, otherwise known as "the greatest show and tell on earth," was the largest public event we have been part of. Featuring incredibly talented makers from all over the Northeast, and all over the world, we greeted people as the first thing you would see walking into the event. We also had an amazing stay in a new hotel in Flushing with an insane sushi buffet! Fun fact: we try to find all-you-can-eat seafood buffets in every city we go to, the cheaper the better! 

11. Pittsburgh Mini Maker Faire - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh Mini Maker Faire at the Children's Museum was an amazing three days of showing off the dragon to schools and the public in western PA. We loved seeing the different reactions from kids of all ages.

12. Freakout - Toronto, Ontario 

Freakout was our chance to be the drum n bass stage at a Destiny Party, whom we have loved and respected for a long time. We hosted the prolific producer Culture Shock on the dragon, along with a whole host of Toronto's favourite DNB DJs and MCs. 

13. Cleveland Mini Maker Faire - Ohio

Cleveland Mini Maker Faire was an adorable one-day event at the Cleveland Public Library. Highlights include a trebuchet battle with water balloons, staged sword fights by medieval enthusiasts in front of the dragon, and lip syncing in robes at the Hyatt during down time. 

14. Rochester Mini Maker Faire - Rochester, New York

Our final event of the year was in our favourite city in Western New York, where we have many dear friends. The faire itself was a great event, filled with tons of awesome stuff! Later on we got to check out a cool cocktail bar and goth club in Rochester, what a trip! 

There is no amount of gratitude we could express here that would adequately express how floored we were to receive the help and support of the group of 100+ volunteers who touched the dragon in some way in 2017. We promise to keep bringing the fire for years to come in our home city of Toronto and abroad. We hope you will join us!

Love, 

Heavy Meta <3