About
“Listen” is a larger-than-life, physical, connective experience of the heart - an opportunity to stop and listen.
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?
Earlier this year, Erin envisioned a large scale heart piece incorporating stethoscopes, while Aaron's love of layering found objects sparked his idea to use speakers and mirrors. All at once these visions collided and we knew that the interior heartbeats must be amplified out to the exterior, connecting introspection and community.
Although making its debut at Burning Man, “Listen” will not be burned, but will live on for other audiences to experience (albeit, with an altered interior, as supporters have the opportunity to own a mirrored triangle mosaic from the interior).
Speakers:
As the heart is being built, we have realized that not only do we need many more used speakers than expected, but finding them is more difficult and costly than we imagined! We are adamant about recycling speakers, rather than buying them imported/made in sweatshops from new plastic.
We need your old speakers!!! We also need your neighbor's and your cousin's and your grandma's speakers. Any speakers we can take off your hands - small, large, working, broken - or any tips on where to find large quantities are very much appreciated. We are happy to pick up if you are local to Los Angeles. Speaker donators will receive a heart postcard (or other rewards if donating a large quantity!)
Follow our building process on Instagram.
Rewards:
Each of the rewards, made by Aaron and Erin, provide an opportunity to tune into the heart. We hope you enjoy them as they remind you to listen!
Risks and challenges
Our heart's construction must be completed, transported in a truck to Black Rock City, NV and installed for the opening day of Burning Man on August 26th. Thanks to our hard working team, we are on track with our building schedule!
We're so happy to have received an Honorarium grant from the Black Rock Arts Foundation and space to build our team's own camp from Burning Man. However, as the project unfolds, we've found that we do need additional financial support to fully realize the "Listen" sculpture and camp, including the many extra speakers, process of transportation, added power and fuel supplies, two weeks' camp supplies and structures for the desert, compensation for our team members already hard at work, and tickets for those who can't afford a reduced-rate ticket, to allow opportunities for all our team members.
We're truly grateful for your support in any form, including sharing our campaign with your people, donating your old speakers, and joining our heart-opening movement!
Learn about accountability on KickstarterQuestions about this project? Check out the FAQ
Support
Help Wanted Labs
The heart requires nearly 1000 recycled speakers and we need more! Do you have old, even broken speakers lying around? Please donate!
Want to be a speaker scavenger? We're hitting up craigslist, thrift stores and recycling centers and would love your help!
Do you like working with your hands and/or have great BTS coordinating skills? Come help out at our downtown studio - always a good time!