Research notes for project planning
What the project record tells us
Burning Man 2018 Honoraria debut
Wind supplies the changing lunar image
This Too Shall Pass — Moondancer debuted at Burning Man in 2018, according to Washington’s studio, as an Honoraria work. A large illuminated hemisphere is suspended so that wind changes the shape viewers perceive: a crescent, eclipse or apparently full moon. Its apparent transformation comes from movement and orientation, tying the encounter to the weather. For a related suspended installation, which viewing zones would reveal those changes most clearly, and how would the installation team define the conditions under which the intended motion can occur?
Lekha Washington Studio — This Too Shall Pass: Moondancer ↗ · Reviewed 2026-10-10
For your project briefWhich viewing zones and operating conditions would reveal the intended motion?
Big Art Partners planning prompt Collaboration with Debanshu Bhoumik using sonar sensing and original code
Small bodily movements become surrounding light
Breathing Room was made in collaboration with Debanshu Bhoumik. Washington’s studio describes a gently moving fabric environment that a participant lies beneath, with a sonar sensor registering small bodily movements and translating them into light. Original code connects the sensing system to the immersive response, while the participant is invited to remain still and notice their own body. For a comparable intimate installation, how would positioning, individual dwell time and the transition between participants support that quiet observation without making the interaction feel like an instruction exercise?
Lekha Washington Studio — Breathing Room ↗ · Reviewed 2026-10-10
For your project briefHow would positioning, dwell time and participant transitions support quiet observation?
Big Art Partners planning prompt Earlier four-balloon version and documented weather interruption
The earlier lunar work and its weather encounter
Before Moondancer, This Too Shall Pass used four helium-filled balloons, each twelve feet wide, partially covered to distribute soft illumination and suggest lunar phases. Washington’s account records a thunderstorm requiring the work to be lowered at its Kochi presentation, followed by a later installation on a 747 at Burning Man. The material history makes weather part of the project discussion. For a comparable aerial artwork, how would the brief describe the artistic effect alongside an agreed procedure for lowering, protecting and restoring the work?
Lekha Washington Studio — This Too Shall Pass ↗ · Reviewed 2026-10-10
For your project briefHow would the brief pair the artistic effect with procedures for lowering and restoring the work?
Big Art Partners planning prompt 
