PLAYA WATCH

Totem of Transformation, The Shifting Balance

Alvise and the Hippo Love Art Society

Totem of Transformation, The Shifting Balance

Location

3:05 1000', Open Playa

Black Rock City 20263:05 1000', Open PlayaKKJJIIHHGGFFEEDDCCBBAAEsplanadeEsplanade5:004:006:003:007:002:008:009:0012:0010:0012:00 ↑

3:05 1000', Open Playa · open full map →

Directions

1 mi · 21 min walk · 8 min bike

From

6:00 & H

No fix yet — showing from home

  1. 1Take 6:00 toward the Man to Esplanade · 0.49 mi
  2. 2Head across the open playa to Totem of Transformation, The Shifting Balance, with the Man on your left (bearing 67°) · 0.50 mi
  3. ●Arrive: Totem of Transformation, The Shifting Balance · 3:05, open playa
Black Rock City 2026KKJJIIHHGGFFEEDDCCBBAAEsplanadeEsplanade5:004:006:003:007:002:008:009:0012:0010:0012:00 ↑

0.98 mi as the crow flies. Radials every :15, walking ~2.8 mph, biking ~7.5 mph. Open the live compass map →

About

The installation presents a totemic stack of animals drawn from symbolic traditions across cultures. A tortoise supports a globe, with a deer, an owl, and butterflies rising above. Inspired by stories of the world carried on a turtle, the work reflects on humanity's relationship with the Earth. Each animal embodies a quality: the deer, gentleness, the owl, wisdom, and the butterfly, transformation. Constructed using reclaimed and repurposed materials, the piece reflects on consumption, sustainability, and the possibility of renewal, offering a quiet meditation on the balance between human activity and the living world.

From
Calgary, Canada
Category
Open Playa
Program
Honorarium

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