This large scale installation was part of the Wheel of Time at the 1999 Burning Man Festival. It was positioned at 6 o'clock on the open playa between Center Camp and the Man. With this project I created a contemplative environment for thinking about the embodiment of identity. From the distance the Plexiglas columns looked like long droplets of light shining in the night. This project has been published in the book Drama in the Desert form by Raised Barn Press, and online as part of the Leonardo magazine gallery.
On closer inspection, one could see that the columns were filled with portraits of many forms of life printed on transparency. In the center of each column was a sheet of mylar, so that when the viewer was close enough to investigate the images their own distorted reflection was seen behind each portrait. Pictured here is a view into one of the columns.
During most of the time it was installed I did not stay with the project – rather I let it live a life of it's own for the thousands of nighttime wanderers who happened upon it. Over the years many stories have filtered back to me from visitors who were touched by the piece.
Special thanks to Paul Jordan for help with construction and installation.
