About

The Team Behind the Gate

Sphinx Gate has been built in chapters - each one a different team, a different set of hands, a different leap of faith.

The Sphinx Gate team at Burning Man
Chapter One The Origin 2018–2024

Mareesa Stertz, Anael Bonsorte, Persepsion, Sven Kaufmann, Melanie Blair Pincus, Cara Thomas, Peter Martin, Tania Abdul, Tanner Wells

  • Mareesa Stertz - Founding Artist & Chief Dream Officer. Filmmaker, storyteller, artist, and community organizer dedicated to fostering collective healing and transformation. Co-founder of the Global Psychedelic Society and Lucid News. Creator and host of The Healing Powers of Psychedelics on Gaia TV. Her first burn was in 1999 - she has been to somewhere around 18 burns, been part of the Zendo Operations Team since 2019, and first brought art to the playa in 2024 with the TalkBox.
  • Tania Abdul - Co-Lead & Vision and Impact Artivist. Producer of immersive art and events and co-founder of a movement-building nonprofit for environmental justice. A lifelong activist whose work utilizes hope, innovation, narrative and documentary content, and visual and performing arts to engage people to create change in themselves and build movements that change the world.
  • Melanie Blair Pincus, PhD - Neuroscientist and Wonder-Worker. Neuroscientist, inventor, and artist who researches and designs transformative experiences that enhance emotional resilience and cognitive plasticity. B.S. from Stanford University, PhD in Neuroscience from Emory University, Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia University. Independent researcher studying how psychedelics and non-ordinary states of consciousness impact the brain and promote neuroplasticity.
  • Persepsion - Orchestrator of Clarity. Master of complex logistics, managing big visions, spreadsheets, and operations. Has served on multiple Burning Man boards, helped run large camps, coordinated hundreds of volunteers, managed large-scale budgets and accounting, and made many art dreams come true.
  • Anael Bonsorte - Architectural Consultant. Los Angeles-based Production Designer and Art Director whose credits include Stargate, the Luxor Las Vegas, Independence Day, and Titanic. Translates theoretical visions into tangible realities.
Chapter Two Burning Man 2025 2025

Mareesa Stertz, Tania Abdul, Jason Chase (joined October 2023), Goose Manriquez, John Howell, Evan Paul, James, Franzi Ponzi, Miranda Milbauer, Miles Seiden, Nick Johnson, Melanie Blair Pincus, Rachel Ratliff, Emily Savage, Meredith Slater, Xochitl Bernadette Moreno, Persepsion, Haven Houston, Marjorie Boggs Vasquez, Kate Levis Williamson, Judy Zhou, Kate Swearington, Emily Fields, Scott, Samantha, Brian, Tony Lieras, Ryan Clark, Thomas Vass, Massimo Bardetti, Govinda Ram Pingali, Mark Whalen, Layna Joy, Nicole McGinley, Ryan Michael Robbins, Nerine Redington, Candace Collins, Jahknow Wright, Sam Ausden, Andrew Purcell, Dexter DevinAuld, Taran Allen, Kimberly Spillman, Jennie Brittingham, Tal Weiss, Boaz Gelber, Zac Deane, Dave Pufki, Ashur Bratt, Will Lucas, Joe Kromer, Jay Swain, Michael Towes, Necklace Nate, Erin Wallace, Morgan Lavery, Matt Gillespie, Dave Hodges, Joshua Trevino, Jazz Tigan, Luliia, Jaz Cadoch, Bijan Ghiasi, Niane De Sa, Sharon Dopak, Mike Unger, Alessandra Markus, Pablo Happy, Astro, King, Nico, Tony LallyTone, Sven Kaufmann, Dari Donhuysen, Mike Margolies, Solar, Stephan Lämmel, Kate Brower, Darren Stukes, Peter Mattsson, Shelby Pfeifer, Willie, Isadora Tang, Cita Valencia, Marlena, Roxi, David, Sabba Nazhand, MJ, Wolfie, Austin, Joshua, Tones, Mellow, Gage, Shayna, James Whewell, Hannah, Jordan, Brigitte, Tyler Hanson, Galen Dorian, Joe Garcia, Michael Morgenstern

Over 100 people who showed up and made it real.

  • Jason Chase - Architect. With over two decades of experience, Jason Chase brings his unique magic to the world of design. His journey has spanned from tradesman to architect and interior designer, to the design of buildings and artworks. He thrives on the challenges of creating immersive experiences that engage and inspire and has brought multiple interactive pieces to regional burns and festivals over the last decade.
  • Goose Manriquez - 3D Designer. Industry veteran with over 30 years of production experience across 2D and 3D art, animation, and interactive media. His work spans film, television, games, web, mobile, and XR platforms. He designed the full body of the Sphinx, translating complex sculptural vision into a build-ready, monumental structure.
  • Xochitl Bernadette Moreno - Ceremonial Extraordinaire. Long-time activist, media maker, and ceremonialist working at the intersection of land, food, and medicine. Co-host and producer for KPFA Radio’s La Onda Bajita. Co-founder of ESPHERA.earth and Essential Food and Medicine. She blends music, clinical herbalism, bodywork, and curanderismo to create balance.
  • Miles Seiden - Role and bio to come.
  • Evan Paul - Role and bio to come.
Chapter Three Into the World 2026–present

Mareesa Stertz, Jason Chase, Goose Manriquez, Nick Tehada, Matt Gillespie, Miles Seiden, Brian, Diana Summers, James, Oliver Liao, Evan Paul