For They Know Not What They Do

For They Know Not What They Do is a proposed art project for Burning Man 2026. The work takes the form of a 6-meter (19.6’) steel caduceus rising from the Playa — a sword entwined with twin serpents, crowned by angel wings and an all-seeing eye. Constructed from stainless steel, brass, and mild steel, the sculpture bends and reflects desert light, creating a sense of watchfulness and tension.

The coiling serpents reference inherited dualities — creation and destruction, obedience and rebellion — patterns repeated not by choice, but by tradition. The sword stands as an axis of authority, both protective and oppressive, asking viewers to question which powers they obey simply because they were already in place. Fixed wings suggest transcendence promised but withheld, while the mirrored eye reflects distorted images of the viewer, reminding us that perception is partial and certainty fragile.

The work invites participants to examine the unseen systems — cultural, institutional, and internal — that shape behavior, allegiance, and belief, and to consider what it might mean to consciously step out of inherited loops.