ArtBuilds’ “Unfolding Humanity” Headed for Second Installation at Burning Man as Honoraria Project

ArtBuilds’ “Unfolding Humanity” sculpture is officially on its way to Burning Man after the collective unveiled the renovated piece at a celebration on the University of San Diego campus. The San Diego Geometry Lab created the piece for Burning Man in 2018, but the sculpture has been completely renovated for this year's event by ArtBuilds. Established in 2019 by a group of faculty from the University of San Diego, ArtBuilds emerged as an endeavor by faculty with a desire to cultivate interdisciplinary artistic synergy.

The sculpture came about when Fletcher Jones Professor of Applied Mathematics, Satyan Devadoss, PhD, and Professor of Mathematics, Diane Hoffoss, PhD, developed an assignment for one of their geometry classes. The task was to develop a project or sculpture that addressed an unsolved problem in mathematics. It had to be interactive and address Burning Man’s theme of that year, which was “I, Robot”. After working on the project with students, Dr. Hoffoss then started to work on designing how this project could be built and brought to life with other faculty from across the University of San Diego campus. Ultimately, over a hundred students, faculty members and members of the community have worked on and revised the installation. "Unfolding Humanity's" impact underscores the collective's desire to promote collaborative art.

This year, “Unfolding Humanity” was selected to receive an honorarium from Burning Man to help ArtBuilds revise and install the art piece at the event. Each year, Burning Man Arts provides a limited number of grants aimed at partially financing artworks intended for placement on the open playa during the Burning Man event held in Black Rock City. Creations that possess inherent value as standalone, tangible sculptures, distinct from any performances or engagements, are displayed at Burning Man.