Bio
tyson ayers is an Oakland based musical instrument inventor, immersive theatre producer, and large scale installation artist. He is an experienced leader and community facilitator, serving in roles as a project director/lead artist of the Sound Cave Road Show, Living Pulse Project, Centennial Celebration of the Elationists, the Foundation for the Preservation of Fantastic Possibilities; core organizer of Million Fishes Arts Collective and The MAPP: Mission Arts & Performance Project, and as Art Director / Build Manager of Star Star Roadhouse. At Burning Man he produced the large scale musical instrument installations Musical Bike Paths in 2006, the Living Pulse Project in 2007, the Sound Cave Project in 2008 & 2009 (featured in center camp), the Sound Cave Road Show in 2010, 5 Elements Tea House 2017, 2018, and two large performance venues / stages / circus tents for Star Star Roadhouse at Burning Man 2014-present. His art installations have also been featured at large scale music festivals including Lightning in a Bottle, What The Festival, Rainbow Serpent Festival (Australia), Symbiosis Gathering, Okeechobee Music Festival, Hullaween, Wanderlust Festival, Maker Faire, and many others. In the civic art world he has shown and/or performed at the DeYoung Museum, SomArts, MCCLA, and has received recognition with the Zellerbach Family Foundation Grant, the San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) Organizational Project Grant, the SFAC Individual Artist Commission, NPR Radio Affiliates; and commissioned for art installations as far away as Beirut, Lebanon to Melbourne, Australia.
Artist CV
Selected Exhibitions
2019 – Burning Man 2019: Metamorphoses, debut showing of “Shrine of Sympathetic Resonance,” Black Rock Desert, NV. USA. Honorarium (Art Grant).
2019 – Chapel of the Chimes, “Garden of Memory,” Sound Cave Project, Oakland, CA. USA.
2018 – Star Star Roadhouse at Burning Man, new performance venue, NV, USA. Commission. 2017 – Priceless Festival, “Forest Stage: Introverts Lounge,” Belden Town, CA. USA. Commission. 2017 – Rainbow Serpent Festival, “Musical Bike Paths,” Melbourne, Australia.
2016 – Fiasco at Rainbow Serpent Festival, “Parquet Star Panels,” Foster, Australia. Commission. 2016 – Rainbow Serpent Festival, “Sound Cave Project: Sound Shrine,” Melbourne, Australia. 2015 – Debut at private residence, “Liminal Caravan,” Oakland, CA. USA. Commission.
2015 – Priceless Festival, “Beach Stage: Sound Ship” Belden Town, CA. USA. Commission.
2015 – Rainbow Serpent Festival, “Sound Cave Project: Sound Grammophone,” Australia.
2014 – Star Star Roadhouse at Burning Man. “Caravanserai Roadhouse,” NV, USA. Commission.
2012 – Nahle Residence, “Sound Cave Project: Sound Raven,” Beirut, Lebanon. Commission. 2009 – Million Fishes Arts, “Sound Cave Public Debut” San Francisco, CA. USA. SFAC’s IAC.
2009 – Project One, “Artopia,” San Francisco, CA. USA. Masterminds Finalist Award.
2007 – Foundation for the Preservation of Fantastic Possibilities, “The Centennial Celebration of the Elationists,” San Francisco, CA. USA. SFAC’s OPG.
2007 – Burning Man 2007: The Green Man, “The Living Pulse Project,” Black Rock Desert, NV. 2006 – Musical Bike Paths. Project debuts at various showings in San Francisco & Burning Man. 2005 – Chrysalis Foundation Ensemble.
2001 – Kimball Theatre, “Symphony of the Senses,” Walla Walla, WA. USA.
2000 – Whitman College Hall of Music, Art in the Key of Music, Walla Walla, WA. USA
Selected Grants
2019 – Honorarium. Burning Man Project. “Shrine of Sympathetic Resonance.” NV, USA.
2019 – Art Grant. Oregon Country Fair 50th Anniversary, “Sound Cave Project” OR, USA.
2019 – Art Grant. Lightning in a Bottle. “Sound Cave Project,” Bakersfield, CA. USA.
2017 – Art Grant. Okeechobee Music Festival. “Sound Cave Baby Grand Gazebo.” FL, USA.
2017 – Arts Program Grant. Rainbow Serpent Festival. “Musical Bike Paths,” Australia.
2016 – Arts Program Grant. Rainbow Serpent Festival. “Sound Cave Shrine,” Australia.
2015 – Emerging Artist Grant. Rainbow Serpent Festival. “Sound Cave Grammophone,” Australia. 2013 – Art Grant. Symbiosis Gathering. “Sound Cave Road Show.” Woodward Reservoir, CA. USA.
2012 – Art Grant. What the Festival?! “Sound Cave Road Show.” Dufur, OR. USA.
2011 – Art Grant. Wanderlust. “Sound Cave Road Show.” Squaw Valley, CA. USA.
2010 – Art Grant. Lightning in a Bottle. “Sound Cave Road Show.” Silverado, CA. USA.
2009 – Individual Artist Commission. San Francisco Arts Commission. “Sound Cave Project Public Debut.” San Francisco, CA. USA.
2007 – Organizational Project Grant. San Francisco Arts Commission. “Centennial Celebration of the Elationists.” Artist/Organization collaboration with Million Fishes. San Francisco, CA. USA.
Selected Awards
2011 – Editor’s Choice Blue Ribbon Award for Best in Large-Scale Interactive Art Category and Best in Overall Show. Maker Faire. Sound Cave Road Show. San Mateo, CA. USA
2010 – Editor’s Choice Blue Ribbon Award for Best in Art Installations. Maker Faire. Sound Cave Project. San Mateo, CA. USA
2009 – Honorable Mention Award. Smart Art Juried Show. San Francisco, CA. USA.
2008 – Masterminds Finalist. SF Weekly. San Francisco, CA. USA.
Selected Artist Talks
Sydney Goldstein Theatre. “Desert Arts Preview” San Francisco, CA. USA. Jun 2, 2019. Burning Man Project – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvomaKxuxQs
Selected Press
“Burning Man 2019 Art Installations: The Best of the Best.” Forbes Online. Slide 28 of 41. “Road Trip.” Echo Magazine. Tom Reardon. May 2019
“The Performant: Sympathetic Resonance.” SF Bay Guardian. Nicole Gluckstern. Jun 6, 2013.
“Sound Cave.” KALW – NPR Affiliate Radio Station. Crosscurrents. Molly Samuel. Aug 6, 2009.
“Masterminds Finalist Tyson Ayers.” SF Weekly. Hiya Swanhuyser. Feb 18, 2009.
“Centennial Celebration of the Elationists.” SF Gate. Reyhan Harmanci. Dec 6, 2007.
Selected Commissions
2018 – Star Star Roadhouse at Burning Man 2018. Black Rock Desert, NV. USA. Commissioned to design new large-scale circus tent and performance venue.
2017 – Fiasco. Foster, Victoria. Australia. Commissioned to art direct, design, and fabricate parquet wood art panels to integrate with their stage and performance venue design.
2016 – “Liminal Caravan.” Commissioned to design and fabricate a Romani Vardo inspired tiny home in collaboration with artist Sefirah Fierce.
2015 – Star Star Roadhouse at Burning Man 2014. Black Rock Desert, NV. USA. Commissioned to design and fabricate new stage design, platform seating, and parquet wood art panels.
2014 – Star Star Roadhouse at Burning Man 2014. Black Rock Desert, NV. USA. Commissioned to design and fabricate original large-scale circus tent and performance venue.
Education
Whitman College. BA, Independently Designed Major – Fine Arts: Music Composition, Painting & Writing, 2002