Quintessence Visioning
The spark that ignited the Quintessence project was kindled during a Directed Studies course at Athens State University in September 2024. My mentor, keeping my professional work as a public art adminsitrator in mind, challenged me to conceptualize a public sculptural piece. Inspired by the transformative Burning Man Rassera and I experienced in 2023, I envisioned an installation that I imagined myself bringing to the playa.
My MFA studies in Digital Media had thus far delved into the realms of archetypes and esotericism. My personal spiritual practice of directional contacts provided the foundation for this project. I aimed to create an interactive experience that would allow visitors to physically engage with these spiritual concepts.
The Quintessence installation would feature four directional gates representing the elements of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth. Each gate would offer a unique interactive experience, inviting participants to connect with the spiritual world and their own inner selves. The potential addition of a central Middle Pillar would further enhance the overall experience.
As I completed my visioning document for my Directed Studies mentor, I realized the potential to bring a smaller-scale version of Quintessence to a regional Burning Man event. Given our Southeast location, Love Burn seemed like the perfect fit.
Fortuitously, Juvoni Beckford, our 2023 Burning Man Camp lead, reached out to see if we were interested in joining a new camp he was forming for Love Burn. With Rassera's enthusiastic support, we decided to take the leap and submit a proposal.
In mid-November, we received the exciting news that our proposal had been accepted. As we continue to develop this ambitious project, we invite you to join us on this journey, from the regional events to the ultimate destination: the Black Rock Desert. Together, we'll explore the Gates of Quintessence and unlock the mysteries they hold.
One of the selected AI-generated images of the South Gate used for Sarai’s vision document, curated from hundreds of prompt outputs on MidJourney. The design for the South Gate for fabrication ultimately went in a very different direction.
