Black Rock City  ·  Burning Man 2026

Portal of Collective Imagination

A 20-foot arch of light, voice, and shared wonder — where every presence leaves a trace, and the future is something we imagine together.

Scroll
20ft
Circular Arch
100%
Solar Powered
0
Cloud Connections
70K+
Participants
01 — The Installation

A Threshold Between Worlds

The Portal of Collective Imagination is a 20-foot circular arch constructed from recycled aluminum, bamboo, and mycelium-based panels — a luminous geometric halo rising from the playa.

By Day

A quietly monumental threshold: open, inviting, ancient and futuristic at once. The structure breathes in the desert light — its translucent mesh panels catching shadow and sky.

By Night

The Portal comes alive. Light ripples across the arch, projections bloom within its interior, and a generative soundscape shifts with every human presence that enters its field.

"A threshold between worlds — designed to be felt, not just seen."

02 — The Experience

What Happens When You Step Through

Inside the Portal, every movement, voice, and breath becomes part of the artwork. The installation's AI system listens, reflects, and responds — not to extract data, but to honor presence.

03 — Philosophy

Technology as Mirror, Not Machine

The Portal reframes artificial intelligence as a modern storytelling companion — inspired by ancient traditions where knowledge was shared through ritual, rhythm, and participation.

In a world increasingly driven by automation and isolation, the Portal offers a space to remember our shared creative intelligence. It is not designed for efficiency. It is designed for reflection, empathy, and wonder.

Every participant leaves a trace — not as data to be extracted, but as presence to be honored. Subtle interactions are weighted as meaningfully as bold ones. The system does not privilege volume, speed, or dominance. It listens equally.

"Imagination is not frivolous — it is foundational."

This piece is an invitation: to step through the threshold of the known, to co-create meaning with strangers, and to remember that the future is something we imagine together.

04 — Materials & Sustainability

Built to Last, Designed to Leave No Trace

The Portal is engineered for the extremes of the playa — and built to be kind to it.

Structure
  • Recycled aluminum arch frame, modular
  • Bamboo infill — rapidly renewable
  • Mycelium composite panels — compostable
  • 20 ft diameter · 20 ft height · 4 ft depth
Power & Technology
  • 100% solar PV with lithium battery storage
  • Programmable RGBW LED, weatherproof
  • Short-throw projectors, low wattage
  • Local edge AI — no internet required
05 — The Artist

Kim Carson

Founder of Kim's AI Imaginarium. Artist and technologist working at the intersection of AI, embodied experience, and collective imagination.

Kim's practice centers AI as a tool for reflection, empathy, and shared authorship — not extraction. The Portal of Collective Imagination is her first major public installation, and a direct expression of her belief that the creative and technological futures must be shaped by many voices, not just a few.

As a Black woman working in AI and art, Kim brings a practice rooted in multidimensional inclusion: cultural, cognitive, emotional, and embodied. Her work is built to be entered, felt, and co-created by everyone.

kim@portalofcollectiveimagination.com

06 — Support the Portal

Help Build the Threshold

The Portal is made possible by a community of people who believe imagination is worth investing in.

We're raising support from the community to bring the full vision to life — the projection system, edge AI hardware, solar array, and mycelium panels.

$25
Spark

You light a light. Your contribution helps power the solar array that runs the Portal through the night.

$100
Resonance

A voice in the field. Helps fund the directional microphones and audio system that translate presence into poetry.

$500+
Threshold

You help build the arch itself. Major supporters are honored in the installation's closing memory field.

Support the Portal

Crowdfunding campaign coming soon. To discuss early support or sponsorship, reach out directly.

The Invitation

Step Through.

The future is not something that happens to us. It is something we imagine together — one threshold, one voice, one presence at a time.

Get in Touch
@portalofcollectiveimagination