Raising money to create Sanctuary of the Silent Star for Burning Man.

Raising money to build art at a place with a guiding principle of decommodification is an interesting position to be in.

Burning Man created 10 principles to help protect its soul.  One of those principles is decommodification; the idea that people should not be treated as consumers; but as human beings. And that the experience should not be shaped by brands, advertising, or constant transactions. 

It's part of what makes Burning Man so special. For a short period of time, you get to be in a place where capitalism is not one of the defining forces in your life.  Gifting becomes more important than buying. Participation means more than consumption. Human beings get to meet each other as human beings.

We value that deeply.

Most of the time though, we live in the world outside of Burning Man. In order to build something, we need resources.

We need wood. We need tools. We need lights. We need space. We need transportation. We need the support of people who believe in the power of art.

We were supported in part by Burning Man.

A month ago, we were fortunate enough to receive an honorarium grant from Burning Man to bring our project to Black Rock City this year. The grant gave us the seed funding to begin, however the full vision requires more resources. 

What is Sanctuary of the Silent Star?

Sanctuary of the Silent Star is rooted in the idea of a distant celestial object that lands on Earth and takes the form of a lotus in it's budding phase.  It is still becoming, like all of us.

Everyone is going through something. Everyone has a part of themselves that is still budding, waiting to bloom. 

From the outside, you see something contained. The curves hold it in shape.

Curves are difficult to build. They require patience and care. As you are building it, it requires you to slow down.

As you enter the Sanctuary, the noise of the outside world begins to dissolve. The thumping bass, the parties, the dust, the movement, the stimulation - it dissolves.

Inside, the space activates through silence.

We live in a time of constant noise: mental noise, digital noise, social noise, spiritual noise, political noise, personal noise. There is so much noise, and so few places that invite us to stop, breathe, and listen. 

This piece is our attempt to create a place like that.

Who am I? Who are we?

My name is Mike, and I am the lead artist on the project. For me, this work is personal. 

Over the past 2 years, I went through a difficult chapter of my life. For 6 months, I experienced psychosis. At the time, I did not fully understand what was happening. One morning, it felt like waking up in a different universe, one where my mind was filled with beliefs that made it hard to survive in the ordinary world.

That experience led me into jail, homelessness, and deep isolation. I was lost in a way that's difficult to explain so briefly.

But there were moments that helped me survive.

I found peace underneath trees. I found quiet under the stars.  I learned to let go, a little bit.

But more than anything, I found that healing did not happen alone.

Community helped bring me back. 

That is part of why the sanctuary is coming to life.

Not because my story is the only story, but everyone on this team walks their own path. Many of us know something about loss, grief, being fed up with the system, illness, being burned, seeking meaning, seeking purpose, starting over, and just trying to find our way.

That is what makes this project meaningful to us.

We are building a place for each person that needs quiet. A place for the person walking through darkness. A place for the one who has not yet bloomed. A place where stillness can be felt, even if it's only for a few minutes in the middle of the desert. This place is meant to hold you. 

Why we need help.

Your contribution will help us purchase the wood, structural materials, lighting, wood, interior elements, build supplies, transportation resources, and everything required to bring the Sanctuary to the playa.

This is not about selling an object.

This is an invitation to help create an experience.

If you support this project, you become part of the story. You help make a space where strangers can walk in, sit in silence, and discover something new, or find a moment of peace.

The sanctuary will not last forever.

It will be built. It will be entered. It will hold people for a moment. And then, like so many things at Burning Man, it will be gone.

The Sanctuary will disappear, but we hope the silence it creates may stay with people long after the Burn. 

Tax Deduction

For supporters interested in making a larger contribution, we can also work with our fiscal sponsor to process donations that may qualify for a 501(c)(3) tax-deductible receipt, to the extent allowed by law. If that is helpful for you, please reach out to us directly before donating so we can coordinate the contribution properly.

Architecture of Sanctuary

Lead Architect: Valentina Barron (vbertigo.com) 

Internal Structure Architect: Darrell Hunger  (Interesting Article)