Palm to Soul | A Sanctuary for Release

Palm to Soul is more than a sculpture; it is a queer-led, trans-affirming sanctuary for release and reflection, created for AfrikaBurn 2026.

When you arrive, there is no gate or barrier. The desert opens slowly. Dust settles. The air feels expectant. A ring of small ceramic hands forms the first threshold. Each hand has been created through community gatherings and carries a written intention, memory, prayer, or release. As visitors walk this ring, they are invited to leave something behind, a burden, a hope, a story, before moving inward.

At the centre rises the installation itself. Two monumental wooden hands, each ten metres tall, emerge from the earth. Between them sits an elevated oval deck, roughly ten metres long and four metres wide. The hands are constructed from curved timber ribs and reclaimed wood and art, designed to feel ancient, open, and alive. They do not grasp. They hold space.

Palm to Soul is both a beacon and a sanctuary. From a distance, the hands are visible across the playa, calling people in. Up close, the space becomes intimate and human-...