the project:
Out of 340 applicants, ‘house of strange rituals’ was one of 70 participants awarded grant funding Through the Black rock city honoraria program for burning man, 2019.
‘The Dollhouse’ is a life-size dollhouse replica modeled after a turn of the century Victorian home. participants are encouraged to discover haunted elements within by interacting with objects that trigger lights and sound. The back side of the home has the illusion of being completely exposed to open playa, but is enclosed with clear acrylic paneling. This allows citizens of Black Rock City to see the illuminated structure, and the people inside, from afar. Each room has a unique interactive light and sound installation which plays off the concept of a seance gone wrong. The Dollhouse transports participants to an ethereal world on playa, captivating and enticing all to play and discover more secrets within.
the team:
‘House of Strange Rituals’ is an all Female led arts collective, based in eugene Oregon, and consisting of five lead artists. The team consisted of Two visual artists, two technology and sound artists, and one build and design artist. together we lead a team of 17 individuals to create this larger than life project. We came together as a collective to hand curate and construct every piece of this project, from the structure itself to the 4 key interactive installations, down to the wallpaper. our team oversaw every aspect of design and project development, as well as organizing a series of fundraisers, and hosting events to promote our art not only to the Burning man community, but our own community as well.
my contribution:
As one of the art and decor leads of this project, i designed the general aesthetic of the house, from colors to the decor. i also designed and freehand etched each window in the home with an image that corresponded to the theme of that room. I also coordinated and worked closely with the tech team to create many of the interactive installations throughout the house. this included turning many of the window etchings into interactive pieces themselves, that when touched would trigger light and sound responses. I also helped create a light up pigs heart that pulsed to the participants own heartbeat, and designed the painting of our interactive ouiji table. I also helped design the wallpaper, hand carved the stamps, and stamped the patterns onto each sheet of paper, as well as helping to create the mixed media pieces found within the home.
