Jon/Kyrsten Sarriugarte/Mate
About:
Jon Sarriugarte
Born and raised in Boise, Idaho, Jon journeyed to California to create Form & Reform in 1987. Having studied as a blacksmith and fabricator for over 25 years there is virtually no aspect of metalwork that has escaped his expertise. From its humble beginnings, Jon’s skill and acumen has cultivated Form & Reform from a Flea Market hobby into a half-million dollar a year enterprise.
His imagination and innovative use of materials has generated many profitable and beautiful designs, many of which grace the lobbies and homes of clients that span coffee houses to corporations.
He is married to Kyrsten Mate, a sound designer whose most recent work can be heard in The Incredibles, Jar Head, and Monster House. They added their first baby girl Zolie Mae Sarriugarte to the family in June.
Awards/Credits:
San Francisco Magazine Award for design.
Electrum Project – build team for Lightning On Demand’s creation of the world’s largest Tesla-coil in New Zealand.
Asia Art Museum- built all of the metal supports for the large stone works displayed in the new Museum.
Form & Reform pieces are featured in the retail spaces of the following museums:
• Guggenheim Museum
• Carnegie Museum
• San Francisco MOMA
• New York MOMA
• American Craft Museum
• Cincinnati Art Museum
• Columbus Museum
Art:
Burning Man – a key organizer in the early days of the festival and continual contributor and supporter of the fire-related arts
Burning Bush – one of the founders of this fire / blacksmithing festival
Power Tool Drag Races – Jon’s latest entry, a twin-grinder powered, 15 foot dragster as been featured on the Discovery Channel, in Popular Mechanics and Readymade.
Makers Fair – Jon showed off the Alpha Fox, furniture, and his new Zen Fire Garden. Lots of smiles from big kids and small that got a chance to shoot fire rings the size of cars.
SRL:
Since 1978 Survival Research Laboratories has combined robots, fire, and general mayhem into an art form that has no peer. Jon has been intrinsically involved in the organization for over 15 years, having contributed work on most of their machines, but is primarily responsible for the Shockwave Cannon and Sneaky Soldiers.
SS Alpha Fox:
Space Ship SS Alpha Fox built with his wife Kyrsten is a former civil service vehicle morphed into a giant child's toy. A small rocket ship that evokes exploration as well as the comforts of a past pop-culture-infused childhood. It is a vision of what we thought the future would look like. In addition, the vehicle carries on it two kinetic fire sculptures. One, "a retro rocket" fires to connote speed and lift off -- a low tech special effect for the high tech supposed future. The other is a vortex gun that fires a ball of fire.
Invented as a weapon, it has been transformed into a device that creates an ephemeral and transitory fire "sculpture" in the air. The accompanying sound effects and lights reinforce the toy and pop culture feeling of the piece.
Community:
Active in commercial development, community planning, and police work for West Oakland, and is involved in the following organizations:
• West Oakland Commerce Association – Board of Directors
• Oakland Parks & Trees Committee – Raised 4 million dollars in grants and contributions to build a sports park for local children. Planted over 500 trees in West Oakland.
• Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council – Member
Professional Associations:
California Blacksmiths Association since 1989
Artists Blacksmith Association of North America 1989
Rich Sciortino
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Kyrsten Mate
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Vehicles: SS Alpha Fox
A former civil service vehicle re-imagined as a giant child's toy, SS Alpha Fox captures the past's vision of the future and flaunts two kinetic fire sculptures.
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