Alas, there will be no Burning Man on the playa in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert this year.

Covid 19 saw to that.

But the event’s virtual Museum of No Spectators – a provocative and creative space aimed at satisfying participants’ urge for art – is now open to the public.

It was created by architect John Marx of Form4 Architecture in San Francisco and Absinthia Vermut, an artist, businesswoman, entrepreneur and Burning Man participant since 1995.

“She’s a longtime Burner,” Marx says. “She’s like a dada artist. And pulling pranks is an art in itself.”

But the idea here is no joke. It’s to create a secondary experience for participants, as though they were in the actual museum, had it been built this year as planned.

“When you go there, it’s absolutely photo-realistic, and very quiet, with no people in it,” he says. “You go through it and see what the galleries and spaces look and feel like.”

Marx is intent on pushing for the return of emotions to modern architecture. “The dawn of modernism was a revolution offering a way to change the world,” he says. “But the unintended consequence was a non-poetic minimalism with no emotional bonding and no humanity.”

That’s not the case with his new museum. This is a preview of things to come in the real thing. “You’ll be emotionally engaged in experiencing other people’s art in a very open space,” he says. “There will be curiosity, mystery, and intrigue – and you’ll want to go see it when we’re allowed to build it.”

Visitors also will be able to feel the human side of art, he believes. “An artist is someone who shares their humanity, and this is a vessel to do that,” he says.

And to bring emotions back to architecture.

To check out the museum, go here.

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