Playa Dorodango

Playa Dorodango, 2024 by John Cochran.

Juan writes, “I stumbled across the Japanese art of Dorodango, in which earth and water are combined and moulded, then carefully polished to create a delicate shiny sphere. I immediately knew I wanted to attempt this art form using Playa Dust, which as it turns out has a number of unique challenges. Using Playa Dust as my primary medium, each step of the process—from sifting and wetting to shaping and polishing—requires precision, a deep respect for the materials at hand, and most of all patience. It is surreal to have this experiential knowledge of Playa as a pervasive dust that seems to coat everything it touches, and then hold this smooth sphere that bears little resemblance of its source. The creation of this Dorodango has been profoundly rewarding, and it (along with others that I’ve made) will be gifted to other burners who have helped shape me along the way.”