By Greg Holmes
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 invest in “Rebuilding True Connections.”
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 with lights and sounds toward singing notes in harmony. They face each other, hear each others’ voices, and vocalize notes 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 and 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.
The Archeon Project builds community within a large and growing group of artists, fabricators, makers, doers, clowns, producers, performers, and instigators who have camped, played, cooked, wined, dined, suffered and laughed together over the years in the Black Rock desert. The project activities will strengthen the bonds we created, keep the creative juices flowing throughout the year, and help us project forward our intentions for a brighter future through participation in local art communities.
For the team, the project’s goal is a shared experience. Creative action requires empathy & vulnerability, and many hours will be spent building it. For the participants (at Burning Man) the sculpture calls attention to our recent isolation, builds self-awareness and challenges all to take specific actions in their recovery.
The project involves metalworking, electronics, celestial mechanics, nerdy theories, logistics, project planning, a bit of psychology, and some big green lasers (!).
Inspiring Change Beyond the Event
We will deliver an emotional experience on-site that will challenge participants to become self-aware and empathetic and to regain what they’ve lost in their communities. The sculpture itself starts the conversation and creates an emotional experience. Three kiosks around the sculpture explain the stories of “Isolation and Reconnection,” the backstories behind the project, and rebuilding our social fabric. We will send them home with ideas!
With these thoughts in mind, every person can catalyze social change!
For more information: thearcheon.org
