Burning Man

Collaborative project with Cirque du Soleil involving the design and fabrication of an interactive installation to be exhibited at Burning Man's annual art event. Our teams traveled to Black Rock City in Nevada, where thrives a community passionate about art, innovation and freedom of expression.

Task: To reproduce Michel de Montaigne's illusion of the magician's ring (Zöllner illusion) in giant format, powered by a stationary bicycle.

Challenge: For the illusion to work at this scale, the wheel had to be perfectly proportioned, and the spokes had to disappear to give the impression of floating.

Our solution: After several trials and prototypes, we opted for a wheel made of 12 identical pieces. Large-scale 3D printing made it possible to print each section in one go, without resorting to molding. The printed parts are lightweight and fit together perfectly.