2024 Burning Man Art Installation

Sock-o-tron 4200

The Sock-o-tron 4200 is a life size dryer! Once inside, Guests can rotate the drum as they walk, simulating a human hamster wheel. The rotating drum transfers energy to a series of fans that blow air back towards the guests creating an immersive "drying" effect.

  • Physical Description

    The Sock-o-tron 4200 is a 12'x12'x15' front load dryer entirely made of wood, and features solar LED lights/blacklights for night lighting.

  • Mission

    The Sock-o-tron is about evoking curiosity and joy using a common relatable household object as the medium. The point is to encourage playful conversation and interaction with people from diverse backgrounds that you may not normally interact with. You may be surprised to learn the countless ways to do laundry!

  • Philosophy

    We have all pondered what it would be like inside of a dryer at some point in our life. Why is it that many washers/dryers have windows built into them? Its something that we as a species have been unexplainably fascinated with. Perhaps there is something to gathering around and watching a tumbling dryer that pulls on our primal instincts in the same way a camp fire would. Maybe there is something more to this seemingly mundane machine.

    Did you know: there has been documentation recently uncovered depicting what could be "dryers with windows" in ancient societies? Where did they come from? Was it an invention "ahead of its time", or was it...a gift from the gods?