This giant, operable hourglass will be a unique, attention-grabbing feature at Burning Man 2023.

Erected like a mirage in the Black Rock Desert daylight, it will take a different life under dynamic LEDs and black lights at night, creating prism-like reflections on the falling sand and brass finishes.  

The structure is made of steel, filled with minutely crushed glass shards (“sand”), enclosed by solid plexiglass sheets, and finished with brass rings at the center and each end. Each chamber will host a sculpture depicting Icarus and Hamlet, modeled after Futurist sculptor Boccioni’s style.

The brass rings will be engraved with synonyms of the words “action” and “inaction” on each side, respectively. Quotes by Nietzsche, Thoreau and anonymous will be engraved on various parts of the installation.

A crank will activate a mechanism of gears and pulleys that will safely and slowly rotate the imposing hourglass.

A smaller brass plate will rotate in syncrony, showing a quote on each face. When Icarus will be in the upper chamber/out of the sand, the upper face of the plate will read: “Remorse is adding to the first act of stupidity a second. F. W. Nietzsche”. When Hamlet will be up, the plate will read “To regret deeply is to live afresh, and be morally born again. H. D. Thoreau”. Along the crank, visitors will read the words “Men make plans, time smiles.”.

Upon activation, the gross micro-fragments of glass constituting the hourglass “sand” will produce prism-like reflections in the sunlight during the daytime, and in the LED and black lights at nighttime.

Benches and beanbags will be placed around the installation to allow visitors to contemplate the incessant flow of sand and let themselves be mesmerized by the spectacle, distracted from the passage of time.

A Call to Inaction is part of a diptych installation that Martini Design Co. ideated for BM 2023.

Genesis of Procrastination 1/2: The Eternal Recurrence of The Same, is a 30 feet tall popsicle made of wood and acrylic “ice cubes” that explores the effects of procrastination on our society, reflecting on environmental threats and the doom of man to repeat his past. Every day, one of the 7 layers of ice cubes “melts” to progressively expose wooden carvings that echo the story of an ancient, lost civilization. On the last day, we learn that this is the story of our very own civilization.

Martini Design Co. is a collective that brings together friends and passionate creatives armed with versatile yet practical approaches to the art world. Coming from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities, they share a passion for the arts in their daily lives. Their mission is to push the boundaries of unimaginable objects, layering themes and narratives through our complementary knowledge of materiality, design, and structure. The team's experience ranges from designing and building stages for multidisciplinary art events, organizing logistically challenging cultural gatherings in remote locations on different continents, running an art gallery, and designing some of the world's most iconic buildings. Shaken and stirred, they come together to explore and indulge in their shared passion, maximizing our combined expertise and bringing it to one of the world's most remarkable places.

Martini Design Co. is bringing Genesis of Procrastination (2/2): A Call to Inaction, to Burning Man 2023. A large-scale, immersive installation, the work reflects on the concept of time, the only truly limited resource men dispose of. 

This is part 2/2 of a diptych installation exploring the concept of procrastination, and the effect of indecisiveness on our lives. A Call to Inaction identifies the root of procrastination in our fear of regretting the use we make of time: regrets of actions we have committed, and of those we haven’t. This tension is represented by the alternating states of action - symbolized by the daring but impulsive Icarus, and inaction - embodied by Hamlet, prudent but inert.

While both characters incarnate cautionary tales of hyperbolic action and inaction, they also are deeply virtuous: in Nietzsche’s words, remorse is “adding to the first act of stupidity a second”. Yet, according to Thoreau, reflecting on our past mistakes is crucial to make us better versions of ourselves.

While we contemplate this dichotomy, however, time keeps on passing inexorably: the ephemeral present is buried by sand, the remains of the timeless erosion of past Hamlets and Icaruses.

This giant, operable hourglass will be a unique, attention-grabbing feature at Burning Man 2023.

Erected like a mirage in the Black Rock Desert daylight, it will take a different life under dynamic LEDs and black lights at night, creating prism-like reflections on the falling sand and brass finishes.  

The structure is made of steel, filled with minutely crushed glass shards (“sand”), enclosed by solid plexiglass sheets, and finished with brass rings at the center and each end. Each chamber will host a sculpture depicting Icarus and Hamlet, modeled after Futurist sculptor Boccioni’s style.

The brass rings will be engraved with synonyms of the words “action” and “inaction” on each side, respectively. Quotes by Nietzsche, Thoreau and anonymous will be engraved on various parts of the installation.

A crank will activate a mechanism of gears and pulleys that will safely and slowly rotate the imposing hourglass.

A smaller brass plate will rotate in syncrony, showing a quote on each face. When Icarus will be in the upper chamber/out of the sand, the upper face of the plate will read: “Remorse is adding to the first act of stupidity a second. F. W. Nietzsche”. When Hamlet will be up, the plate will read “To regret deeply is to live afresh, and be morally born again. H. D. Thoreau”. Along the crank, visitors will read the words “Men make plans, time smiles.”.

Upon activation, the gross micro-fragments of glass constituting the hourglass “sand” will produce prism-like reflections in the sunlight during the daytime, and in the LED and black lights at nighttime.

Benches and beanbags will be placed around the installation to allow visitors to contemplate the incessant flow of sand and let themselves be mesmerized by the spectacle, distracted from the passage of time.

A Call to Inaction is part of a diptych installation that Martini Design Co. ideated for BM 2023.

Genesis of Procrastination 1/2: The Eternal Recurrence of The Same, is a 30 feet tall popsicle made of wood and acrylic “ice cubes” that explores the effects of procrastination on our society, reflecting on environmental threats and the doom of man to repeat his past. Every day, one of the 7 layers of ice cubes “melts” to progressively expose wooden carvings that echo the story of an ancient, lost civilization. On the last day, we learn that this is the story of our very own civilization.

Martini Design Co. is a collective that brings together friends and passionate creatives armed with versatile yet practical approaches to the art world. Coming from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities, they share a passion for the arts in their daily lives. Their mission is to push the boundaries of unimaginable objects, layering themes and narratives through our complementary knowledge of materiality, design, and structure. The team's experience ranges from designing and building stages for multidisciplinary art events, organizing logistically challenging cultural gatherings in remote locations on different continents, running an art gallery, and designing some of the world's most iconic buildings. Shaken and stirred, they come together to explore and indulge in their shared passion, maximizing our combined expertise and bringing it to one of the world's most remarkable places.