LISTEN – Burning Man

We (Aaron Fowler and Erin Desmond) are both artists motivated to create and move from a place of love. This summer we're joining forces and collaborating on an interactive sculpture, which we're bringing to Burning Man 2018.

Our first year at Burning Man, a utopian city erected in the desert of Black Rock City, NV for a week each summer, we are ecstatic to contribute our beating heart to the community and speak to this year's "I, Robot" theme. In a world increasingly driven by technological connection, we're encouraging slowing down, turning inward and connecting to the beat of your heart's visceral current.

A staggering number of repurposed, pulsating speakers make up the sculpture’s exterior. Upon entering the heart’s multi-faceted interior, you are transported to another world and invited to reflect and listen to your heart - literally. Surrounded by mirror mosaic and reflections of red velvet, you find digital stethoscopes hanging at heart-level, allowing you to listen to your heartbeat - or the beat of a friend - or the beat of a stranger. Multiple heartbeats can be merged together, as each stethoscope is amplified through the speakers on the exterior, creating a sound experience that emanates outside into the desert landscape, echoing subtly across the playa. Who knows what new beats will be mixed?