Sanctuary, 2023
The Sanctuary project is an ongoing exploration of contemplative installations. What makes a space contemplative? Which cultures have mastered contemplative design, such as Japanese gardens? And what would it mean to cultivate more contemplative spaces in various regions?
The project began at the Faith Matters Restore conference in 2023 as an effort to provide a contemplative respite for attendees. The initial piece was an immersive garden design with over 20 red banana leaf trees, local wildflowers, and a spatial audio bath soundtrack.
The second installation happened at Restore in September of 2024. The concept was a Japanese-inspired rock garden made with multi-thousand pound salt chunks, quarried at the Redmond Salt mine in central Utah.
Another concept I am working on centers around a large, glowing redwood sculpture, which would serve as the arena for a daily sunset audio bath. The conceptual focus is to create a mental health intervention around an immersive, community-centered ritual.
I also recently started a church through the IRS, which defines a church as simply a "place of worship." To that end, I am designing a concept for a greenhoused garden sanctuary in Utah, that would provide a comfortable contemplative garden experience year-round through Utah's snowy winters.
