We are taking 'Awakening,' our 2016 honorarium project back to Burning Man in 2023 and we need your help to get it there.

'Awakening' installed at Burning Man, 2016 (photo by Mitra Forati)

About the project:

Developed via an honorarium for Burning Man in 2016, Denver-based artists Ryan Elmendorf and Nick Geurts created Awakening as a physical embodiment of the incredible power held within our hands and the boundless possibilities we can envision. The monumental sculpture consists of three interconnected structures; a 16-foot-tall head facing two steel-framed hands adorned with polished stainless steel spheres representing finger joints rising from the ground. Stepping through a doorway in the ear of the giant head, visitors will discover that the sculptures’ eyes act as optical lenses inside the dark interior space, turning it into a stereoscopic camera obscura, projecting an inverted image of the outside world on the opposite wall.

“Light from the surroundings is harnessed and projected onto the back surface of the room, offering an expansive 180-degree field of inverted vision. It’s truly a remarkable experience to sit with,” Ryan Elmendorf

A precursor to modern photography, the camera obscura, famously explored by Leonardo DaVinci, remarkably mirrors the functioning of the human eye. This installation transforms familiar scenes into captivating visual experiences, blurring the line between reality and imagination. "Awakening" commemorates the marvels of the human body, a masterfully engineered machine that has inspired countless inventions throughout history. By celebrating the human eye and hand as outstanding mechanisms that set us apart in the universe, the project encourages contemplation and appreciation of our unique ability to perceive and shape the world around us.

Awakening artist Ryan Elmendorf watches participants in front of the installation at Burning Man, 2016 (photo by Valerie Santerli)

Why do we need funds?

Big art is incredibly mind blowing and remarkably expensive. Costs involved are varying; from storage of the work over the years, to needing a 24' truck rental (and gas to get there) for two weeks while we install in the hot desert sun. Volunteers have donated hundreds of build hours to the project and we would really love to share it with you again this year in Nevada.

Installation view, Awakening, on playa at Burning Man 2016 (photo by Mitra Forati)