Welcome to the realm of the Notorious BIG Spinning Wheels... part sculpture, part mirage, part sacred joke that somehow became legend.
Rising from the dust at the edge of Black Rock City, these monumental spinning forms offer something rare at Burning Man... a place to pause, stare, drift, and lose yourself in something larger than explanation. In a city built on spectacle, rumor, mischief, and sincere absurdity, the Notorious BIG Spinning Wheels stand apart... mesmerizing in motion, majestic in scale, and charged with the kind of presence that makes people go quiet before inventing their own mythology.
Some call them portals. Some call them illusions. Some claim they were placed there to bend perception, suspend time, or quietly mess with whoever wanders too close. Like any worthy playa legend, the Notorious BIG Spinning Wheels resist definition. They invite projection, reward patience, and reveal just enough to make you wonder whether you are witnessing art, ritual, illusion... or all three at once.
Since first bringing this work to the playa, the Notorious BIG Spinning Wheels have grown into an evolving array of large-scale interactive sculptures. In 2023, I self-funded and brought three sculptures to Black Rock City. In 2024, I was awarded an Honorarium grant and expanded the installation to four sculptures. This year, I am adding a fifth sculpture... Notorious #7... and installing the full collection in a dramatic wing formation, creating a grand approach with Notorious #7 at the center.
Together, the five sculptures will form a monumental, immersive entry into the work... a surreal corridor of motion, scale, and shifting perception. The new centerpiece, Notorious #7, will measure 28 feet in diameter, making this my largest Burning Man project yet.
Burning Man has already supported this project with a $13,000 Honorarium grant, and I am deeply grateful for that support. But bringing work at this scale to the playa requires far more than the grant alone covers. Between materials, fabrication, transportation, lighting, power, installation, upkeep, and crew support, the full project budget is $29,800. This fundraiser is here to help close that gap and make the work fully real.
For years, I have been building large-scale interactive sculpture for festivals and public spaces... always pushing toward bigger, bolder, more immersive work that invites people in through movement, wonder, humor, and hands-on engagement. This project is the biggest leap I have made yet. Like most independent artists working at this scale, I am building it through obsession, improvisation, resilience, and a whole lot of problem-solving.
If my work has ever made you stop, smile, stare, spin, wonder, or feel pulled into something larger than yourself... this is your chance to help make it happen.
I am keeping this fundraiser simple and true to the spirit of the work. This is not about buying your name onto a sculpture. It is about helping ambitious, weird, beautiful, people-powered public art exist in the world. Everyone who contributes will be invited to an on-playa kickoff gathering, and I may offer a few additional art-based thank-you items for higher levels of support... but the heart of this campaign is supporting the art itself.
Every donation helps bring these giant spinning forms to the dust, keep them running, and create space for thousands of strangers to encounter something unforgettable.
There is probably a story. There is definitely a myth. There does not need to be an answer.
There just needs to be enough support to get it there.
Patience is a virtue.
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Perks
Reward: Kickoff Party Invite + Updates
Be part of the build and the myth from the start. Every contribution at this level helps bring the Notorious BIG Spinning Wheels back to the playa and grow the installation even bigger. You’ll receive campaign updates along the way and an invitation to the on-playa kickoff gathering at the sculptures
Reward: Signed Print
For those who want to support the project and receive a tangible piece of it in return. You’ll get a signed print of the Notorious BIG Spinning Wheels, along with all previous rewards. A beautiful way to help bring the work to life and keep a piece of the myth for yourself.
Reward: Calendar
Step a little deeper into the world of the Wheels. Receive a signed calendar featuring the Notorious BIG Spinning Wheels, along with all previous rewards. A collectible piece of the project that keeps the myth spinning all year long.
Reward: Mounted Lenticular Print of the Full Array
This tier is for the true believers. You’ll receive a mounted lenticular print of the full Notorious BIG Spinning Wheels array... an image object that shifts with movement, echoing the illusion, motion, and perceptual play of the work itself. Includes all previous rewards.
Highlights
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Reward: Kickoff Party Invite + Updates
Be part of the build and the myth from the start. Every contribution at this level helps bring the Notorious BIG Spinning Wheels back to the playa and grow the installation even bigger. You’ll receive campaign updates along the way and an invitation to the on-playa kickoff gathering at the sculptures
Reward: Signed Print
For those who want to support the project and receive a tangible piece of it in return. You’ll get a signed print of the Notorious BIG Spinning Wheels, along with all previous rewards. A beautiful way to help bring the work to life and keep a piece of the myth for yourself.
Reward: Calendar
Step a little deeper into the world of the Wheels. Receive a signed calendar featuring the Notorious BIG Spinning Wheels, along with all previous rewards. A collectible piece of the project that keeps the myth spinning all year long.
Reward: Mounted Lenticular Print of the Full Array
This tier is for the true believers. You’ll receive a mounted lenticular print of the full Notorious BIG Spinning Wheels array... an image object that shifts with movement, echoing the illusion, motion, and perceptual play of the work itself. Includes all previous rewards.
