Not Real Art

As you read this sentence, Black Rock City is preparing to welcome Burners home for another year of jaw-dropping art and all-night dancing in the desert. That’s right, Burning Man 2023 is upon us! To celebrate, we’ve invited one of the most talented artists on the playa to chat about his annual contribution to the festivities—an artist so gifted that he, like Cher, only needs one name: Alice, mirror artist.

On today’s podcast episode, host and NOT REAL ART founder Scott “Sourdough” Power sits down with Alice to discuss the artist’s dream-inspired mirror sculptures. “I find a lot of inspiration for my own art in [my] dreams,” he says. “When you're patient, quiet, and attentive, then the dream will show you what you need to know.” 

Based in Orange County, Alice first became interested in art as a child. While his formal education centers on automotive technology and music, Alice has a talent for what he calls “weird art”: large-scale, kaleidoscopic mirror sculptures that transport viewers into the fourth dimension. Right now, Alice is gearing up for Burning Man 2023, where his five-foot tall infinity mirror sculpture, “Tesseract,” will appear for the first time. Constructed from glass, mirror, and LEDs, “Tesseract” is another name for “hypercube,” or a fourth-dimensional cube. “A tesseract is to the cube what the cube is to the square,” says Alice, who hopes the “citizens of Black Rock City […] will immerse themselves deeply in the appreciation of the unknown fourth dimension.”

Heavily influenced by dreams, Alice is also a Dreamschool scholar with The School of Metaphysics, where he’s studying to become a dream interpreter. In this episode, Alice explains how dreams inspire his sculptures, help him solve creative challenges, and point him in the right direction. We also discuss the value of keeping a dream journal, then get a sneak peek at “Tesseract,” which Burners will be able to see on the playa later this year. “Anything that is possible can happen [at Burning Man and] has happened there,” Alice says. “It's like every holiday wrapped into one, for adults, for a week long.”

In Today’s Podcast Episode

Alice discusses…

• The story behind his name: from Nicholas Baumann to Nicky Alice to Alice
• His unique trajectory, from mechanic to band manager to artist
• Lucid dreaming, astral travel, the School of Metaphysics, and dream circles
• How he uses his dreams to follow signs from the universe 
• How to manifest the answer to any challenge using dream incubation
• His dream journal and some tips for keeping your own
• Why he believes “being lost” is a part of your success
• The inspiration behind “Tesseract,” his installation for Burning Man 2023
• What Burning Man means to him and how it inspired him to create his own event
• Where to find Alice online (and at Black Rock City this year)

For more information, please visit http://notrealart.com/alice-mirror-artist