Luke Blackstone Solarscribe paper, magnifying lens, brief case, sewing machine treddle, wire, umbrella, preserving jar, battery, various electronic and electromechanical devices temporarily set up near Gerlach, northern Nevada, 1999

An electronic controller moved the paper and lens assembly so it tracked the sun as it traveled across the sky. Various timers moved the paper and lens so patterns on the paper were produced by the burning rays of the sun. With different timer adjustments, different patterns were burned into the paper. Wind direction and clouds also affected the markings. The paper could easily be replaced, permitting several “writings” to be created by solar rays. This piece was set up during the Burning Man Festival ‘99 in Nevada, and allowed to operate for 4 days, and later exhibited at the Community Arts Council Gallery in Vancouver and the Esther Claypool Gallery in Seattle.