vertical voices

we exist to amplify sidelined voicesVertical Villagethrough art & community

we exist to amplify sidelined voices Vertical Village
through art & community

our vision

the messages from sidelined voices have the power to activate community and shift mindsets

our focus

a virtuous artist lifecycle

an enduring village

Zulu

a provocation of our biases

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vertical village

vertical village works to advance the success and exposure of our artist community while simultaneously creating a space for our doers to build and create and our residents to help advance
the community. vertical village is a project of COVEN—a dedicated fiscal sponsor whose sole purpose is to provide an incubator in service of artists and doers around the world.

vertical village utilizes a five-year pipeline to identify and cultivate emerging artists and their concepts. our definition of support will help ensure adequate time to secure funding and deliver on grand ambitions—with ample care along the way.

there are three stages of support that vertical village scaffolds together: early-stage development, installation + launch, and amplification. while each step is clearly defined, how our support manifests for each artist is rather bespoke.
artists

our projects

in 2022, vertical village evolved to support artists. it was a natural journey from supporting our art to providing care and a home for other artists.

trojan horse
douglas beavens | 2011
a giant, 28-ton trojan horse stood, dark and menacing, its head was nearly 50′ above the playa.
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black! asé
erin douglas | 2022
a 2022 burning man honoraria project, black! asé delivered two 30ft image a of black burners on the Playa. the size served a beacon to attract citizens the scale was important to create monumental impact.
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gaia
marco cochran + julia cortell | 2022
gaia is a 40 feet x 12 feet sculpture constructed out of stainless steel rod based on a “flower of life” pattern and covered in stainless steel mesh with LED lighting effects.
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farmer the rigger
zulu heru | 2023
a 2023 burning man honoraria project, towering at 20 feet tall, farmer the rigger is an impressive sculpture of an african tribal mask that celebrates the power of vocation.
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alebrijes
kyle mimms | under development
an immersive art experience, alebrijes is a of art cars that set out on their journey across playa, leading the souls of our ancestors along with the spirits within all of the burners that celebrate with them.
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haba
peyton scott russell | coming in 2024
haba features the faces of the pauite tribe—the indigenous people that live on the black rock desert. the piece utilizes face stencils cut into plywood that will cast shadows onto the playa.
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the archeon project
greg holmes | coming in 2024
the archeon is an interactive light and sound sculpture that asks participants to consider how social isolation has impacted their lives and challenges them to reconnect and to rebuild their true connections.
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artist support

our framework

01

  • early stage development

a needs assessment and galvanizing of resources to ensure a strong project foundation.

02

  • installation + launch

the skill and resources, leading up to and on playa, needed to ensure project delivery and execution as well as strike

03

  • amplification

the springboard to ensure artists can harness the momentum generated from delivering art to burning man.

our programs

to help ensure consistent and comprehensive development and support, vertical village offers a set of programs to both our artists and their crews.

inspirational cohort

each year vertical village will sponsor up to six artists to live, work and experience burning man through vertical camp as a means of inspiration for their art-potentially on playa.

nuts + bolts cohort

to help ensure our build crews are prepared for their builds, vertical village embeds select crew with established burning man crews 1-2 burns ahead of their build.

artist-in-residence

artists chosen to be a part of vertical village will receive a grant of up to $80K towards the development, launch, and/or installation of their piece.

amplify art

to help maintain momentum, vertical village utilizes a series of efforts to place art in public and private spaces to further communal conversations and generate financial support for our artists.

what we've done

we have been growing and changing since our inception in 2005. what started as a housing experiment—highest and best use, combining resources to achieve greater collective results—began to incorporate art support to connect more deeply with the

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vertical camp

the heart & soul

vertical camp, a 6-story residential scaffolding tower, is a celebration of intentional living—demonstrating how a disparate collection of people from a myriad of places and identities, each bringing their skills and experience, can create an exponentially more rewarding experience for each other. and, a welcome home to those who happen upon it.

in 2023, vertical camp served as home for nearly 170 burners. it offered more than just a nutritious meal and hot showers—it provided community. vertical camp is a use case for belonging.

the doers

the nuts and bolts

our doers show up not only during the two weeks on playa—build and burn weeks—but also during the other 50 weeks of the year.

vertical village curates and cultivates a community of doers that include engineers, lawyers, designers, fundraisers and financiers, publicists, construction workers, fabricators, program managers, storytellers, strategists, artisans, theme camps—the list goes on.

in turn, they partner with us on everything from raising capital and enabling the build and installation of art and our camp to mastery of zip ties and the perfectly poached egg.

the

dynamic duo

jen and ariel have been working together since 2021 in various commercial capacities and in service of burning man since 2022.

ariel sutro

co-executive director, camp lead

jen randle

co-executive director, camp lead

we invite you to join us on this vertical journey and contribute to our village

vertical village is on a mission to bridge the gap between the burn and the default through art. we believe that through art, we can find pathways to operate and live in communal effort each and every day.

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Copyright. 2023. Vertical Village. All Rights Reserved

douglas beavens | 2011

trojan horse

a giant, 28-ton trojan horse stood, dark and menacing, its head was nearly 50′ above the playa. during the day, it cast an ominous shadow and is the scene of much imaginative interactivity as costumed members of troy camp and volunteers from all over the world play greek gods and goddesses and characters from the trojan war. at night, the horse glowed malevolently from its core and a surrealistic room opened in its belly to stimulate and challenge the five senses. 

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erin douglas | 2022

black! asé

a 2022 burning man honoraria project, black! asé delivered two 30ft image a of black burners on the Playa. the size served a beacon to attract citizens the scale was important to create monumental impact.

those willing to further engage were able to partake in a journey of self.

the first ever to playa, large-scale photographic installation. each of the prints intentionally chosen to act as bookends to create an internal pathway and climbable levels. each piece served as a gathering space for events over the course of burn week.

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marco cochran + julia cortell | 2022

gaia

gaia is a 40 feet x 12 feet sculpture constructed out of stainless steel rod based on a “flower of life” pattern and covered in stainless steel mesh with LED lighting effects gaia represents the bliss of creating and enjoying a supportive, connected and nurturing home base from which to launch ourselves and explore our strengths. it serves as a reminder of the symbiotic nature of our relationships with each other and with Mother Nature—our planet

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zulu heru | 2023

farmer the rigger

a 2023 burning man honoraria project, towering at 20 feet tall, farmer the rigger is an impressive sculpture of an african tribal mask that celebrates the power of vocation. this monumental work of art is a tribute to man’s relationship with labor and the belief that 10,000 hours of hard work can make one an expert in their respective field. 

the mask is made of corten steel which represents durability and strength. the stain glass signifies illuminating a higher path. the chain linked arms are actual ship anchor chains, in honor of industrial workers in port cities. and the human shaped hands are a testament to mankind and our ability to learn and create anything we can imagine.

kyle mimms | under development

alebrijes

an immersive art experience, alebrijes is a of art cars that  set out on their journey across playa, leading the souls of our ancestors along with the spirits within all of the burners that celebrate with them.  once the majestic parade arrives at their resting place, the alebrijes will open up and connect to each other.

 
with the alebrijes, the living souls will have the unique opportunity to take a journey through eight magical levels of the afterlife, preparing them for the final and ninth level, where they will meet the gods of the afterlife and are awarded eternal rest. (this project is still under development.)

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peyton scott russell | coming in 2024

haba

haba features the faces of the pauite tribe—the indigenous people that live on the black rock desert. the piece utilizes face stencils cut into plywood that will cast shadows onto the playa. shadows up to 360′ feet are possible during sunrise and sunset. the faces are dynamic and will move across playa as the sun moves across the sky. night shadows will also be possible with moonlight. approximately 10 Faces (10’x12’each) will be installed, like a wall, at 20’ high by 60’ long. a viewing deck platform at the top of the sculpture provides the best viewing point of the shadows. (2024 honoraria applicant)

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greg holmes | coming in 2024

the archeon project

the archeon is an interactive light and sound sculpture that asks participants to consider how social isolation has impacted their lives and challenges them to reconnect and to rebuild their true social networks.

the archeon is an alien, bio-metallic spore; an antenna and signaling device planted here to find sentient, cooperative life. upon detection, it opens and broadcasts a message of hope to distant celestial objects.

true connections require a shared experience, empathy and vulnerability. the sculpture brings two participants together and engages them in a tonal call-and-response, guiding them towards singing a note in harmony. the couple face each other, hear each others’ voices and vocalize a note together. the sculpture responds by opening its heart, targeting a celestial object, and beaming a message of hope.

we all suffered in the pandemic. Isolation became the new normal. we need to break out of it. we need to reconnect!

this project calls attention to our isolation, builds self-awareness, empathy and challenges us to reconnect. the project includes on-site messaging about isolation and reconnection, the project’s origin story of personal transformation, and asks participants to remember their experience and to bring it home.

inspiring change beyond the event

we will deliver an emotional experience on-site that will challenge participants to become self-aware, empathetic, and to regain what they’ve lost in in their communities. we will send them home with ideas!

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