Recently Stan, the Submerging Man, temporarily relocated to the California Theater in Dunsmuir. He stands in the back, watching movies, and visiting with friends and neighbors. In response to the many questions asked about Stan while at Burning Man, and during his stay at the Theater, we have put together this short list of answers to the most frequently asked questions.

Frequently asked questions:

What’s the history of this sculpture?
Stan was constructed in 1999, over a period of seven months. The sculpture was built in Dunsmuir by Finley Fryer, in collaboration with Kirk LeClaire and Jayne Bruck Fryer. Stan, also known as the diver, is the main character in Kirk LeClaire’s’ musical show called STAN’S ROOM, a wild eclectic mix of music and far flung narration. The sculpture, “ Stan’s Room / Submerging Man” was first installed at the 1999 Burning Man festival in the Black Rock Desert, Nevada. At that installation Stan lit up at night and the music emanated from within, like the worlds largest juke box.

How tall is he?
Stan stands 17’ - 9”in height.

How much does he weigh?
Stan weighs approximately 2,300 lbs when assembled, this includes the steel base to which his feet are attached.

How do you move him?
Stan comes apart in fourteen individual pieces.

How is he made?
Stan’s internal structure is fabricated steel of various dimensions with a flat extruded steel skin. The plastic is attached to the mesh with a clear acrylic adhesive caulk. Stan is constructed so all components can be illuminated from within.

How many tubes of caulk did you use?
T here are around 600 tubes of clear latex caulk.

Where did you get all the colored records?
The creator of Stan’s Room, Kirk LeClaire collected most of records.

Where did you get all the plastic?
The plastic was collected from many sources, much thanks to the Dunsmuir Humane Society for their generous donations on Stan’s behalf.

What are you going to do with Stan?
Well, for the time being he is going to the movies. Since he is designed to be fully mobile, he can travel anywhere in the world. But currently he is happy to be at the California Theater in Dunsmuir. Stan always says, movies are the only true American art form.

Is Kirk LeClaire Stan?
That’s an interesting question. Kirk LeClaire created Stan’s Room, he is the artist that gave Stan a voice. There is a real life character that Stan was modeled after, but only in an embryonic sense. My bet is that Kirk’s Stan.