Cupola: Mater Aeterna

This August, amidst the surreal landscape of Black Rock City, Carles unveils Cupola: Mater Aeterna - a breathtaking 11-meter geodesic dome that fuses speculative illustration, narrative muralism, and architectural form.

Hand-drawn in ink and constructed from 22 illuminated fabric panels crafted in Oaxaca, the installation transforms centuries-old traditions of sacred ceiling painting into a futuristic sanctuary of myth, memory, and ecological reflection. Inspired by sources as wide-ranging as Japanese manga, Ursula K. Le Guin, and the International Space Station’s observation module, the dome invites visitors into an immersive visual cosmology.

Inside, audiences encounter a cast of archetypal figures - the Yoyos and the Topoids - set against a backdrop of planetary crisis and spiritual fragmentation. A colossal feminine figure, dismembered yet radiant, forms the emotional core of the work, reimagining Earth as the eternal mother: Mater Aeterna.

By day, the structure stands as a contemporary temple of hand-rendered storytelling; by night, it glows from within, a beacon of shared reflection. Rooted in Carles' concept of “activated muralism,” the piece speaks without words, instead asking us to witness, move, and imagine together.

Premiering at Burning Man’s Metal Mimi Camp (6:30 & C), Cupola offers a striking counterpoint to tech-utopian narratives—grounded in craft, communal presence, and mythologies we urgently need to remember.