LIGHT HARVEST STUDIO
Vessel of Light
A nightly projection-mapped light show on PlayAlchemist’s 70–90 foot Grand Pyramid at Burning Man, curated from digital artists around the world.
Throughout history, alchemy has been recognized as the process of transformation. Each year the PlayAlchemist camp raises a monumental pyramid in the Black Rock Desert — a build known as “The Mount Everest of Art Installations.” Light Harvest Studio was tasked with completing it with a multimedia show. We called it Vessel of Light.
Organized by Light Harvest Studio in partnership with PlayAlchemist, Vessel of Light is an international video exhibition celebrating humankind’s ability to adapt to and transcend the ever-changing landscape of challenges that all life faces on Earth, and beyond. Digital artists from around the world contribute film and video art, which is precisely video-mapped onto the Grand Pyramid — rebuilt each year at between 70 and 90 feet tall — using three 32,000-lumen projectors and presented as nightly multimedia experiences for the citizens of Black Rock City.
Editions
2019 — premiered under the Burning Man theme “Metamorphosis,” with the pyramid conceived as a beacon of transformation.
2020 — went virtual: the projection-mapped pyramid was rebuilt in BRCvr / AltspaceVR with Microsoft for Burning Man’s online year, including a live-streamed mapping performance alongside a Diplo DJ set.
2022 — “Waking Dreams”: international artists contributed dream-themed film and video art, in what has been described as the largest projection show in Black Rock City history.
2023 — “Animalia,” an open call inviting international artists to explore the animal world and our place in it.
2025 — “Tomorrow Today” (August 24 – September 1, 2025): the Grand Pyramid — a steel frame clad in polycarbonate panels, a gathering space by day and a dance venue by night — was again brought to life with large-scale projection mapping, and was featured among the standout architectural installations of Burning Man 2025. The program included an AI-generated film directed by Olha Navrotska and conceived by Khrystia Khranovska, honoring the 34th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence.
Art + Production
Director & Producer: Ryan Uzilevsky
Executive Producers: Krystal Ho, Christopher Krywulak
Pyramid Build: Ian Gall, Marco Moreno
Pyramid Crew: Camp PlayAlchemist
Projection Team
Ryan Uzilevsky, Kevin Colorado, Teva McMillan, Theron Pray, John Koltai, Caleb Olson, Frankasaurus, Alec Birdman
Featured Artists (selected, across editions)
Android Jones, Moment Factory, The Void, Marpi, Zebbler Studios, Hypnotica, John Koltai, Theron Pray / Datagrama, Sean Capone, Michael Bensity, Rhyzome Creative, Scott Hedstrom, Innertain XR Studios, Studio Ziro, Martin Stebbing, Martin Evigglad, Ben Glover, Josh Crews, Asha Veeraswamy, Kevin Colorado, Light Harvest and many more.
Vessel of Light
A nightly projection-mapped light show on PlayAlchemist’s 70–90 foot Grand Pyramid at Burning Man, curated from digital artists around the world.
Throughout history, alchemy has been recognized as the process of transformation. Each year the PlayAlchemist camp raises a monumental pyramid in the Black Rock Desert — a build known as “The Mount Everest of Art Installations.” Light Harvest Studio was tasked with completing it with a multimedia show. We called it Vessel of Light.
Organized by Light Harvest Studio in partnership with PlayAlchemist, Vessel of Light is an international video exhibition celebrating humankind’s ability to adapt to and transcend the ever-changing landscape of challenges that all life faces on Earth, and beyond. Digital artists from around the world contribute film and video art, which is precisely video-mapped onto the Grand Pyramid — rebuilt each year at between 70 and 90 feet tall — using three 32,000-lumen projectors and presented as nightly multimedia experiences for the citizens of Black Rock City.
Editions
2019 — premiered under the Burning Man theme “Metamorphosis,” with the pyramid conceived as a beacon of transformation.
2020 — went virtual: the projection-mapped pyramid was rebuilt in BRCvr / AltspaceVR with Microsoft for Burning Man’s online year, including a live-streamed mapping performance alongside a Diplo DJ set.
2022 — “Waking Dreams”: international artists contributed dream-themed film and video art, in what has been described as the largest projection show in Black Rock City history.
2023 — “Animalia,” an open call inviting international artists to explore the animal world and our place in it.
2025 — “Tomorrow Today” (August 24 – September 1, 2025): the Grand Pyramid — a steel frame clad in polycarbonate panels, a gathering space by day and a dance venue by night — was again brought to life with large-scale projection mapping, and was featured among the standout architectural installations of Burning Man 2025. The program included an AI-generated film directed by Olha Navrotska and conceived by Khrystia Khranovska, honoring the 34th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence.
Art + Production
Director & Producer: Ryan Uzilevsky
Executive Producers: Krystal Ho, Christopher Krywulak
Pyramid Build: Ian Gall, Marco Moreno
Pyramid Crew: Camp PlayAlchemist
Projection Team
Ryan Uzilevsky, Kevin Colorado, Teva McMillan, Theron Pray, John Koltai, Caleb Olson, Frankasaurus, Alec Birdman
Featured Artists (selected, across editions)
Android Jones, Moment Factory, The Void, Marpi, Zebbler Studios, Hypnotica, John Koltai, Theron Pray / Datagrama, Sean Capone, Michael Bensity, Rhyzome Creative, Scott Hedstrom, Innertain XR Studios, Studio Ziro, Martin Stebbing, Martin Evigglad, Ben Glover, Josh Crews, Asha Veeraswamy, Kevin Colorado, Light Harvest and many more.
