Sunburn, New Mexico Regional Burn
Home has always been a complicated notion for me. Santa Fe is the 62nd city I've lived in across North America, Central America, Europe and Asia. I grew up moving constantly and never really stopped as an adult.
Although there are places that feel like home, (like Montreal and Utila mostly), it means that the idea of what home is isn't always linked to a sense of place, but rather, to people and to a feeling.
This was my first time to Sunburn in New Mexico, but the feeling of home was undeniable. I've been to hundreds of festivals and Burns around the world and all the good ones make me feel the sense of connectedness and belonging that I long for.
Burns are already home space for me, and bringing art and creating space for others fills my heart with a deep sense of purpose. While it may seem a tad ridiculous how much stuff we bring, there's nothing quite like creating a beautiful home full of art to anchor ourselves during an event.
We didn’t create a “real” art installation at the event, but we brought out pieces of installations that feel the best to us like “The Prayer Flag Project,” and “Feather Family.”We made a beautiful space full of beauty where people came and gathered. To me, that’s art enough.
I had so much fun during Sunburn that I didn't use my phone throughout the event, so I have no footage of all the people who came to hang out in our space, of late night fires and afternoon rainbows, dancing and good conversations.
All that to say, it is always SO worth all the stuff and effort it takes to make a temporary home in the desert. Given that New Mexico has not felt like home to me AT ALL, I'm so grateful for this sensation of rest and homecoming. I forgot how much I missed creating a home full of art at a Burn. More of this please.
