This year at the Burning Man Project, a 20 foot bunny is going to seek enlightenment.

How do I know this? Well, last year I contributed a leaf to a New York based multi-media art project I thought was cool called arbor animus. The creation was a “Spirited, or Courageous Tree, is a 16-foot-tall, multimedia, fully-interactive, artistic representation of an American Willow tree, evoking the theme of the American Dream. ” Each donor got a leaf on the tree with an image that they felt evoked their notion of the American Dream.

Ten percent of the funds raised for the project went to support The Center for the New American Dream which is a non-profit organization which works to help Americans consume responsibly to protect the environment, enhance quality of life, and promote social justice.

So I was quite surprised when I looked in my inbox on Tuesday, still trying to figure out what I would write for the blog this week, when I discovered that this year Animus is going to build a 20 foot tall meditating rabbit sitting in full lotus position. Here is the description of the Buddha Bunny:

“Running up his body will be light sources corresponding to the chakras
of the body.  As the week evolves our rabbit will spiritually evolve,
and a new chakra will light up each night of the week, until the final
chakra is lit at which point The Buddha Bunny becomes “enlightened”. This “enlightenment” will literally set off a whole series of new
lighting effects woven throughout The Buddha Bunny: the eyes will light
up and change color, as well as his nose, teeth, whiskers, and more. The best part is all lighting effects can be controlled by the
participants of the festival.

 

The Buddha Bunny’s lap will be made out of futons making it incredibly
comfortable to lounge on, find shade, or watch the sunset over Black
Rock City. His skin will be made out of different fabrics sewn
together like a quilt, reminiscent of an old doll. Each section of
fabric will represent an individual contribution to the project, along
with a quotation by the donor about spiritual or personal evolution. 

 

Lastly, you’ll be able to climb into The Buddha Bunny through his
tail. Inside will be a room where the floor, ceiling, and walls are
made entirely out of plexiglass mirrors.  Everywhere will be a fractal
like reflection of a reflection of a reflection of a reflection. A
person will see themselves multiplied imperfectly throughout the room,
mimicking DNA (the engine of evolution) which takes one code and multiplies it imperfectly through time.  This room will be a place to
literally and figuratively “reflect”.“

I am not quite sure if the theme of evolution and enlightenment come together perfectly in a large bunny made of futons and plexiglass, but I certainly would like to see it and read everyone’s quotes about spiritual or personal evolution. I probably won’t make it out to Burning Man this year but I hope that the Buddha Bunny makes it out to NYC so I can check it out.

Photos courtesy of Animus and Arbor Animus.