Full size

Playaquarium

by Bill Neely, Burning Man 2015
Honoraria Art Grant Project

Black Rock City, 500 Feet Under

On the Playa, 2015
Playa Images by Rebecca Graham
Playa Images by Hank Leiter
Playaquarium installed at the Pyramid Lake Paiute Museum


Playa level conception of the school of Cui'ui fish
Overhead conception of the school of Cui'ui fish
Overhead animation of the school's reaction to motion by nearby Burners

Simulations by Chris Chalmers and Bill Neely
12,000 years ago, Lake Lohontan covered Black Rock City to a depth of 500 feet.
Lake Lohontan covered 85,000 square miles and was one of the largest lakes in North
America. Bottom dwelling fish, Cui’ui, populated the lake and still live in nearby Pyramid
Lake, one of the modern remnants of Lohontan. Cui'ui can grow to 3’ in length. One may have
encounted this school of Cui’ui exploring Black Rock City at the end of the Pleistocene Era.

The Cui'ui were installed at the Pyramid Lake Paiute Museum in September, after the Burn.
The fish are a traditional pricipal food staple for the tribe. The museum is in Nixon, Nevada.
Build in progress
Short movie of fish at night (20 MB)