The centerpiece of the collection is Walter the Bus, the company's first creation and namesake. The fleet includes a gigantic Volkswagen Baja Bug called Big Red Mona Lisa, a cone-shaped wheeled tank inspired by a Leonardo da Vinci drawing and a flame-spewing horned truck dubbed Heathen. Each is a custom-built, oversized spectacle brimming with eye-catching lighting and special effects. Walter Productions' art cars are certainly the company's best-known creations. We want people to come there, to be themselves, get inspired, watch a DJ, or see the art cars." "They're not just a gallery or a venue, they're an entire experience, a safe space, and a platform for artists. "We've created all these spaces where people can come and gather, but they're more than just one thing," Strawn says. The festival runs through Monday, September 5.
The company's projects are "multidimensional concepts," he tells Phoenix New Times in a phone interview while traveling to this year's Burning Man music and arts festival in Nevada. Walter Productions At the center of this cultural conglomeration is Kirk Strawn, a retired local physician, creative entrepreneur, and founder of Walter Productions. In addition to Walter Studios, which opened in late June, their creative empire includes a gallery and makerspace in Scottsdale (The Walterdome), an arty brewery (Walter Station), an event venue (Walter Where?House), and a nonprofit art and educational outreach for kids and teens (The Walter Hive). Unique vehicles, EDM shenanigans, artwork with a Burning Man twist - it's all part of the scene at the 16,000-square-foot venue, gallery, restaurant, recording studio self-described as an "evolving community concept house of fun." It's the latest creation of Phoenix-based immersive experience company Walter Productions, which has launched an array of cultural projects across the Valley over the last 13 years. Others linger in the adjacent lounge decorated with large-scale photos of scenes from Burning Man and futuristic metal sculptures by local artist Sean T French. Elsewhere, drinkers sip craft cocktails or eat Funky Fries at the Honey Bar. This electronic dance music rager isn't the only activity unfolding at Walter Studios. A dude-bro with a plastic hand on a pole gives out high-fives. Flow artists spin their glowing poi and hula-hoops harder. When the house track he's bumping builds to a massive beat drop, banks of lasers start firing from atop the stage, strobe lights erupt, and the letters spelling out Kalliope's name begin flashing. In the middle of this scene is DJ/producer Nox Vahn, who's performing in front of Kalliope, a double-decker mobile party stage and 70,000-watt sound system adorned in lights. Blue and yellow spotlights swirl, LEDs flicker, and a pulsating cannonade of electronic beats rains down on a sea of bodies in motion. Inside, a different sort of dramatic spectacle unfolds: A maelstrom of light, color, and sound envelops the cavernous main room. Outside the downtown Phoenix venue at Seventh Avenue and Roosevelt Street, a fierce monsoon storm rages, causing frequent lightning bolts to illuminate the angry skies overhead.
On a recent Saturday night, the crew at Walter Studios is trying to upstage Mother Nature.
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