Burning Man 2019
​
This moving art installation provided sanctuary and warmth for those who go deep. A beautiful pixel-mapped tea kettle appeared next to the trash fence each night, ready for those who wander the playa and their minds. Frozen seekers of art and connection found moments of heat, tea, and camaraderie.
The project looks like a large tea kettle made of light, with clouds of bright steam rising up. Light wisps lead to balls of "steam", all attached to a ten-foot high pole coming out of the spout. Aluminum extrusions filled with LEDs trace the contours of the pot. The LEDs are pixel mapped and the interior holds a cabinet for supplies. On top of the kettle is a large table surface for serving tea.
Citizens of Black Rock City will find warm tea if they make it to trash fence late at night. The experience will feel like the tea party in Alice in Wonderland. Vagrants will arrive knowing not what to expect, but will find this beautiful kettle already inhabited by strange characters. Depending on the citizens' willingness to play, they might receive different types of tea or gifts.