A Temple to Human Thought

Want to help us build the Unbound Library that is clad in some 3000 deconstructed books for Burning Man 2022?  We need your help to make this dream a reality. Please consider contributing funding or volunteering your time. 

Unbound's decoration is all recycled books. We were inspired to construct this building, not as a traditional library, but as a structure whose very walls are infused with printed words, maps, illustrations and personalized notes, and where the spirit of the written word echos through it with recorded sound. The ideas of science, the records of history and the creativity of literature, music and art become artifacts of beauty, whimsy and curiosity. This piece is meant to reveal the boundless potential of human thought, creativity and collaboration as well as question how time can change our understanding of what once was considered relevant and precious. 

As our society transforms from a physical to a virtual world, physical books are being discarded as a less relevant medium for disseminating information. Many of the books being discarded are obsolete in their information, or at times offensive, and this by-product of centuries of intellectual energy, has become a debris field of human thought.

Unbound will not burn -- partially out of consideration for the environment as well as the negative perception of burning a Library. We are hopeful it will find a new home after Burning Man to be enjoyed for a long time. This decision, however, further adds to the costs as we prepare shipping in two direction and future storage costs.

These extra years to build have created an exciting time for new ideas to come to fruition, but also a time of extra costs. Your contribution, no matter the size, means so much to our success. Plus, your contribution can score some fun swag, from wearables to one-of-a-kind works of art, to a pewter pendant, book sculptures or a purse made from a vintage book!

Please help us bring this work to life. We hope to see you in the dust in 2022. 

Our Goals

To complete the project, we will spend an additional $49,400 for items such as lumber, hardware, shipping, rent, utilities, glue and, because Unbound will have a life after the playa, lots of polyurethane to protect the materials from rain and dust.

• We want to raise $18,000 of that
• And there are PERKS!  We are designing shirts and hoodies, bookplates to identify your special books, a pewter pendant, and Jules is making necklaces out of book covers, small book sculptures and offering a selection of original artworks. View her website to see the variety of work over the years.
• Jule's Website

Your Impact

Your contribution allows us to bring to life a unique object of interest, one that lives on after Burning Man, but importantly a contemplative space on the Playa where these materials create a reminder that humanity is constantly building from the contributions of the past.  

The Artists

We have been involved with numerous Burning Man projects. We have built art with David Best, Michael Garlington, Dana Albany, Dan Sullivan and Peter Loughran. We have  built a theme camp, The Black Rock Tea Company, and served on the Documentary Photo Team. Burning Man has had a huge impact on our lives. Together with our three sons and a group of talented builders,  designers and volunteers, we are thrilled to bring Unbound to the Playa  

Importance of Community

What we have learned from building on Playa is the importance of community in bringing a piece of art of this ambition to fruition. We are blessed with great friends and volunteers who are bringing their skills in architecture, engineering, and construction and we are thankful we have volunteers contributing resources, time, objects and words. Please consider joining our community in any way you can. 

Risks & Challenges

When the pandemic hit, we lost the ability to have our volunteers help us with the build day-to-day. Yet we gained extra time to work on the piece.  We have built slowly, refining and generating new design ideas.  

The biggest risk for the project was when another year of Burning Man was cancelled further adding to our costs for building, storage and shipping. We are housed in a building slated to be torn down for housing but fortunately we have not yet been forced out. With your help we will be ready this year!

Other Ways You Can Help

There are other ways to contribute. You can get involved in the following ways:

• Send us readings of your favorite poems or writings. We need spoken word, poetry and stories recorded in MP3 format in segments no longer than a few minutes each. See Unboundarts.org for more details on how to contribute. 
• We need hardbound books only with linen covers. If you have books you would like to donate to us and are in the Bay Area, please contact us through our website. 
• If you would like to work on the project with us, let us know. Our studio space is large, open and can host a few volunteers at a time right now. It is located in Mountain View, CA.
• You can also help us by letting your friends know about our project. Follow us on instagram @Unboundarts.llc or share our information through Facebook.
• Wow, THANKS so much for reading to the end!