League Of Luminescence
A group of like-minded individuals...
...who have come together to create and inspire, joining forces to create a new burning man camp and building the Nudibranch artcar.
The purpose of the Nudibranch is to spark joy, creativity, and new perspective. Through interactive art, we teach, share, and inspire.
We champion play as essention for connection and offer a space of acceptance, empowering all to shine their authentic light on the world.
The Nudibranch Artcar is a central part of the League of Luminescence, which manifests in a Burning Man Camp and community centered
arund radical inclusion and self expression.
LoL & Nudibranch Artcar
The League of Luminescence is a 501(c)3 nonprofit established to promote education, awareness, passion and conservation for environmental sustainability in our oceans and aquatic habitats. We aim to raise awareness around ocean conservation and the delicate sensitivity of our underwater world through periodic events, fundraisers, and art projects.
We bring multi-sensory art to life in our events by combining sound, lighting, music, and experience with education and mission-driven events to inspire, fundraise, and support ocean conservation.
The name, Leage of Luminescence, comes from the ethos that everyone has a story to tell, and a unique light to shine around the world.
The League of Luminesce is a brother and sisterhood of makers, creators, doers, givers, and hind-hearted humans who believe in the power of love though action and gift, intention and thoughfulness, preparation and generosity, collective efforts and contributions, curiosity and teaching, empathy and grace.
Every member of the league brings their own unique story, skills, talents, passions and efforts to the camp and seeks to contribute more than they take, so that all our cups - and the cups of our extended community - overflow.
The League of Luminescence supports the development of the Nudibranch Art Car, an art car / mobile event stage that is inspired by the beauty and uniqueness of the Nudibranch, an underwater sea slug found across the world at the bottom of the ocean floor.
The art car is a platform for individuality and creative expression. It serves as a metaphor for the luminous beauty that one of us has within us, even if it is not apparent at first glance. Nudibranchs are very small sea slugs and are easy to miss if you aren’t looking. It is when you look carefully and shine your light on them, that you are able to see its unique beauty. When a light comes upon these otherwise dark, silent creatures, their incredible vibrant diverse colors emerge. The white light is transformed into something new and radiates a new meaning and gift back to its provider, in the process being transformed itself.
The Nudibranch Art Car will encourage everyone to shine their beauty, their unique individualistic expression, and to be seen and loved in that expression.
Our new art car fits beautifully with the 2024 theme Curiouser & Curiouser - as most people have never heard of these incredibly beautiful Nudibranchs, and even fewer have ever seen them. The Nudibranch Art Car is itself a representation of diversity of life, particularly the fact that there are over 3,000 species of nudibranchs found throughout the ocean floor and each has its own diverse set of colors . We hope to use this car and this ocean creature to open up conversation, spark curiosity, and embolden more people to take action and consider our impacts on the oceans of our planet before beautiful animals like the Nudibranch are lost forever. Throughout the inside of the bus in our “aquarium” will be posters, art, and signs containing facts and information about Nudibranchs, as well as information about ocean habitat degradation, pollution, and conservation – as these are strong tenants of our camp and our educational goal.
We intend to use proceeds from revenues that we generate off-Playa to reduce future operating costs and support ongoing enhancements, as well as give back to the community and promote awareness of the degradation of ocean aquatic life, and highlighting the issues with the Great Salt Lake. We plan to host fundraisers and rent-out the Art Car to events, festivals, and other venues that need a magical mobile sound stage, because, who doesn’t want to experience the silliness of a Nudibranch or the encouragement to shine their own light on the world!
Nudibranch Design:
- The sides of the bus will be wrapped in a stretchy, highly resilient white fabric with illuminated globes underneath to simulate a tent-like bumpy surface reminiscent of the Nudibranch sea creature. The fabric will be stretched into position and will have ripple like undulating movement from wind and driving. Below this will be an apron (known as a mantle flap) of fabric that helps obscure the tires and chassis and makes the Nudibranch more life-like in movement. This material will be washed in non-flammable treatment and sprayed with a scotch guard as a water repellant.
- Speakers will be mounted on the driver’s side of the bus, as will fog machines with a sweet and salty sea scent to tap into participants’ memories of the sea. Downward pointing blue wavy lights will mimic the look and sensation of water projected on the playa.
- The upper deck has numerous (40+) 4-6 foot “cilia” around the border that will bounce, wiggle, and move with air movement of the bus.
- The deck will have a performance table for music instruments and DJ equipment facing outward from the driver’s side and behind it will be space for ~20 people.
- The upper deck will be accessed by metal stairs off the back (with railing), which can be closed off to traffic at the top and bottom.
- The front of the bus has two 10+ ft antenna “rhinophores” stretching out forward and illuminated by a series of custom LED rings.
- There will be uplighting throughout the upper deck as well as spotlights on the back of the bus pointing upwards.
- The interior of the bus will be in the theme of an interior of an aquarium with dioramas like hanging fish, coral, and other items. Interior lighting consists of ocean-floor-like lighting, similar to what will be projected onto the surrounding playa, as well as UV lighting to accentuate interior decoration as well as our fellow burners. The flow of people will be one-way with entry at the front passenger door and exit through the rear passenger door. There will be padded upholstered couches affixed to the bus. In the corner will be a photobooth.
Other features / future projects for the bus (likely after the 2024 Burn) will include:
incorporation of scented fog machines with a salty sweet sea smell to evoke the limbic system and take people to the ocean,
- Laser arrays that span across the dancefloor
- 3 large rotating spotlights off the back pointed vertically
- Water misters to be sprayed out the end of the nudibranch cilia to the dancers below (daytime)
- Bubbles emitted from the front antenna
- “Send Nudis” photo booth
- Slide to exit from the aquarium
- Internal bar (2x keg system with keg coolers under the seats)
- Food service option (thinking cotton candy or ramen noodles :)
- A larger 8x8’ back lounge deck
- 2x Stripper poles on the inside
- Nudibranch mantle like skirt around the side that undulates
- Short throw projection screen for visual projection on the non-dance side
- Projecting water-like wavy blue patterns on the ground similar to water
