PINBALL FAMOUS

Pinball News Website·article·analyzed·Apr 10, 2019

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.014

TL;DR

Artist Dan Burfield debuts 'Pinball Famous' exhibition merging celebrity pop-art with salvaged pinball playfields in Pittsburgh.

Summary

Dan Burfield, a Pittsburgh-based artist with nearly 20 years in pinball, launched 'Pinball Famous'—an art exhibition at The Artsmiths of Pittsburgh (April 26–June 16, 2019) featuring fourteen three-dimensional pop-art pieces that composite iconic celebrities and fashion brands with vintage pinball playfields and artwork. The show explores Burfield's evolving practice of repurposing and upcycling salvaged pinball and arcade equipment into gallery art, with pieces available for purchase and a philosophy that decommissioned machines deserve a 'second chance.'

Key Claims

Dan Burfield has been involved in pinball for almost 20 years
high confidence · Direct quote from Dan Burfield to Pinball News
The Pinball Famous exhibition features fourteen pieces combining celebrity icons with pinball playfields and artwork
high confidence · Dan Burfield states the gallery had '100 feet of wall space' so he 'decided to expand the series to fourteen pieces'
Dan Burfield first created the initial two pieces in November 2018, after which the gallery director invited him to mount a full show
high confidence · Direct quote: 'I created the first two pieces last November, after which the gallery director invited him to put on a show there'
An Audrey Hepburn 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' piece created for Dan's Pinburgh booth the previous summer was very well received
high confidence · Dan states: 'I did an Audrey Hepburn Breakfast at Tiffany's last summer for my Pinburgh booth and everyone was crazy about it'
Dan sources decommissioned pinball and arcade equipment from bulk suppliers and local restorers for his art practice
high confidence · Dan describes working with 'bulk suppliers' and receiving 'roached playfields' from a local restorer; states he is a 'recycle contact' for garbage-by-the-pound operations

Notable Quotes

“I've been in the hobby for almost 20 years but it was the combination of a gallery group show with a pinball-theme and a local restorer giving me a bunch of roached playfields that started me working with pinball and arcade items as my primary medium to art.”
Dan Burfield — Establishes his 20-year pinball background and the pivotal moment that shifted him toward using pinball as primary artistic medium
“The gallery is over 100 feet of wall space so I decided to expand the series to fourteen pieces.”
Dan Burfield — Explains the expansion from initial two pieces to the full fourteen-piece exhibition
“All of my work is ever-evolving. I'll always incorporate elements from other works. So the concept of pinball art as silhouette backdrops has been present in my work for couple years now. The usage of celebrity icons is fairly new though.”
Dan Burfield — Describes his artistic evolution and the novelty of combining celebrity imagery with pinball elements
“My philosophy is that everything deserves a second chance and all of my inventory is posted on my website and for sale. The people I work with for my supply have parted out machines for restoration. Occasionally I get playfields in top notch condition. In those cases I'm only framing and adding lights. They can always go back into a working machine.”
Dan Burfield — Directly addresses conservation concerns; clarifies that not all machines used are destroyed and that some can be restored to playable condition

Entities

Dan BurfieldpersonPinball FamouseventThe Artsmiths of PittsburghorganizationPinburgheventPenn State University, New Kensington CampusorganizationThe Lord of the Ringsgame

Topics

Pinball art and upcycling as contemporary art practiceprimaryPop art and celebrity imagery in pinball-based visual artprimarySustainability and second-life recycling of vintage arcade/pinball equipmentprimaryPittsburgh pinball community and cultural institutionssecondaryPinball in fine art and gallery contextssecondary

Sentiment

positive(0.82)— Content celebrates artistic innovation, community engagement, and conservation practices; Dan Burfield is presented as thoughtful and community-oriented; no critical or negative commentary present

Transcript

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Date: 26th April -16th June, 2019 Location: The Artsmiths of Pittsburgh Arts and Cultural Center, 1635 McFarland Rd., Pittsburgh, PA 15216, USA A new art exhibition opens later this month, which brings together pinball design and a series of iconic figures from popular culture over the past sixty years. Pinball Famous is a show created by Dan Burfield who has been involved in pinball for the best part of two decades and had previously used assorted pinball elements in his works. He told Pinball News how he first started using pinball in his designs. He said, “I’ve been in the hobby for almost 20 years but it was the combination of a gallery group show with a pinball-theme and a local restorer giving me a bunch of roached playfields that started me working with pinball and arcade items as my primary medium to art. Then it snowballed and now I have bulk suppliers that use me as their recycle contact. Garbage is by-the-pound here and burning old cabinets is a lot of work so it’s a win-win for everyone. We’re sparing the landfills and giving this beautiful art a second chance.” In his latest exhibition he has taken imagery of musicians, actors and models, as well as renowned fashion brands, compositing and layering them with pinball playfields and artwork. !Dan Burfield's latest show is called Pinball Famous Dan Burfield’s latest show is called Pinball Famous Pinball Famous is being shown at The Artsmiths of Pittsburgh gallery in Pennsylvania for three weeks, beginning on 26th April with a drinks reception offering the chance to meet Dan and play a The Lord of the Rings pinball brought in for the occasion. Dan told us how he created the first two pieces last November, after which the gallery director invited him to put on a show there. “The gallery is over 100 feet of wall space so I decided to expand the series to fourteen pieces“, he said. The pop-art personalities featuring in Dan’s works are: Twiggy, Diana Ross, The Rolling Stones, Dolly Parton, Ziggy Stardust, Audrey Hepburn, Lady Gaga, Cher, Lost Boys, Valley of the Dolls, Pam Grier, Isabella Rossellini, BVLGARI and Tiffany & Co. !David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust with Lost World cabinet side art David Bowie’s !The exhibit pieces are three-dimensional The exhibit pieces are three-dimensional Pinball News asked Dan how the idea for this style of work developed. He said, “All of my work is ever-evolving. I’ll always incorporate elements from other works. So the concept of pinball art as silhouette backdrops has been present in my work for couple years now. The usage of celebrity icons is fairly new though. I did an Audrey Hepburn Breakfast at Tiffany’s last summer for my Pinburgh booth and everyone was crazy about it.” !Diana Ross matched with a Williams Travel Time Diana Ross matched with a Williams Travel Time If Audrey Hepburn had been such a big hit, how did he select the thirteen other celebrities and brands to appear alongside the actress? Dan picked a number of his personal favourites as well as icons who have stood the test of time. “Knowing I was going to need 14 pieces I spent a lot of time browsing the internet and narrowing down celebrities and movies I love. I’m also searching for an image that works best for the style that I want. For instance, the Diana Ross afro silhouette is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I also try to loosely match some inventory. I already had a Cleopatra playfield and Elizabeth Taylor looks amazing in the image I found.” !Elizabeth Taylor 'wearing' a Cleopatra playfield Elizabeth Taylor ‘wearing’ a Cleopatra playfield Opening night for Pinball Famous is Friday 26th April at The Artsmiths of Pittsburgh Arts & Cultural Center, with the launch party taking place from 6pm until 8pm. Thereafter, the gallery is open from 11am until 5pm Monday to Saturday, and Midday to 4pm on Sunday. Entrance to the exhibition is free. Dan has a long-standing working relationship with The Artsmiths of Pittsburgh, having exhibited there for the past two years. “At Christmas I expanded my catalog there to include smaller gift-based works and made them a nightlights display out of recycled slot machine marquees and a pinball cabinet.” The works in the Pinball Famous show are also available to purchase, but Dan is happy to allay any worries about usable games being destroyed so they can become part of his art pieces. “My philosophy“, he said, “is that everything deserves a second chance and all of my inventory is posted on my website and for sale. The people I work with for my supply have parted out machines for restoration. Occasionally I get playfields in top notch condition. In those cases I’m only framing and adding lights. They can always go back into a working machine.“ If you can’t make it to experience Pinball Famous during its seven-week run, there are other opportunities to see Dan’s work. He has a charity event at Penn State University, New Kensington Campus on July 14th featuring an art auction and some of his lighted playfields. You can also see his work on Instagram, Facebook and on his TiltCycle website.