SoundGarden

The Inner Sanctum

An immersive sound installation for Black Rock City 2026

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SoundGarden reimagines music as a living ecosystem — one that participants can move through, touch, and shape.

Walk through a ring of illuminated gateways into a central sanctum, where dandelion-like forms respond to your presence with evolving soundscapes drawn from folk traditions and Indian raagas.

The Experience

Approach
A ring of dark, charred timber gateways rises from the playa. Each portal is open to the sky, inviting you in from any direction.
Enter
As you pass between pillars, subtle light shifts respond to your movement, marking your transition into the space.
Discover
At the center: a field of slender, glowing dandelion forms. Approach them. Touch them gently. Each responds with sound — layering, overlapping, evolving based on who else is present.
Co-create
There's no score, no correct path, no expertise required. The soundscape emerges from collective presence. You are part of the instrument.

Philosophy

SoundGarden invites you to listen with your whole body.

Rather than consuming music passively, you move through it, shape it, and share in its creation. The sounds — drawn from folk traditions and Indian raagas — are seeds. They bloom through interaction, revealing how individual gestures contribute to a shared musical environment.

The piece reflects a belief that sound can cultivate connection: between cultures, between strangers, between inner and outer worlds.

Technical Details

Footprint
~28 ft diameter
Height
~15 ft gateways
Structure
Steel & charred timber
Sound
Localized, ambient
Power
Solar-first design
Lighting
Responsive LEDs

The Team

Creative Director Shakthisree Gopalan
Technical Lead Leonard Pauli
Fabrication Sandeep Manyam, Shibaji Shome
Build Coordination Sandeep Manyam, Shibaji Shome

Based in Salt Lake City, UT — with collaborators worldwide.

Explore

Try an early sound demo — a sketch of the sonic language, not the full installation experience.

Open Sound Demo →