The Lovers (T4T) Burning Man Honoraria 2023

As trans burners and artists, we haven't seen trans bodies or stories represented in big art on playa. To change that, we are creating a piece about love, nature, and belonging for Burning Man 2023. We are thrilled to have received partial funding as a Burning Man Honorarium Project, but we need to raise upwards of $15,000 in order to make The Lovers (T4T) a reality!

WHAT IS IT?

The Lovers (T4T) is a larger-than-life tarot card made of panels of richly carved wood. The panels stack to recreate the classic Rider-Waite image, reimagined with trans lovers at the center. The piece is 13 ft tall and invites visitors to get close and explore the rich details of each panel. In front of the piece is a firepit we will light and tend each night, creating a small space for conversation and community.

WHY MAKE ART?

In tarot, The Lovers represents love, unity, and connection. Often interpreted as romantic love, it also means self love, community connection, and finding harmony within oneself. In our version, The Lovers (T4T) is about trans love, community support, and celebrating trans joy in a world that tries to strangle it. This art is a message of belonging on the open playa, and a love letter to queer and trans burners to feel seen and represented.

WHY ARE YOU TALKING TO ME ABOUT IT?

We need your help to make this happen! Our Honoraria grant from Burning Man will cover most of our material costs. However, we need to fundraise to cover the remaining costs for materials, fabrication, and transportation. We are reaching out to our communities to help us raise $15,000. We can't bring this dream to fruition without your support.

MORE ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Little Arcana Arts Collective is a collective of queer and trans artists who collaborate on work inspired by Tarot, the occult, and pop culture. We are based in the San Francisco Bay Area, and work with artists across the US. We do woodwork, fabrication, sound and light design, interactivity, immersive theater, burlesque, cartomancy, and amateur pyrotechnics. We previously brought art to playa in 2019 and 2022.

Check out our other projects at www.littlearcana.com.

Follow us on instragram @littlearcanaart for project updates!