Levin is fascinated by the Zozobra (also known as “Old Man Gloom”). He has attended the Zozobra burning event September 2021 and 2022. He continues to draw and design Zozobra figures throughout the year.
The Zozobra (also known as “Old Man Gloom”) is a giant marionette effigy constructed of wood, wire and cotton cloth that is built and burned prior to the annual Fiestas de Santa Fe in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States. It stands 50 feet (15 m) high.
As its name suggests, it embodies gloom and by burning it, people destroy the worries and troubles of the previous year in the flames. Anyone with an excess of gloom is encouraged to write down the nature of their gloom on a slip of paper and leave it in the “gloom box” found in City of Santa Fe Visitors’ Centers in the weeks leading up to the burn. Participants can also add documents on the day of the burning, up until 8 pm MT, at a “gloom tent” in the venue where they can add to the marionette’s stuffing. Legal papers, divorce documents, mortgage pay-offs, parking tickets and even a wedding dress –– all have found their way into Zozobra to go up in smoke. At the festival, glooms from the gloom box are placed at Zozobra’s feet to be burned alongside it.
Zozobra 2023 will be held on Friday, September 1, 2023
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zozobra