The sun is ninety-three million miles from the Earth. It's a distance so large that it is beyond the comprehension of most humans. We know how long a mile is because we can walk it -- we can understand how far Tokyo might be since we can imagine how long it would take to get there.

But how big is our solar system, which, huge as it is, is inconsequentially tiny in comparison to our galaxy, only one of billions? Most people are not even conscious of the vast scale of this little planetary system we call home. In conceiving of this project, we have come to stand in awe of it. We invite others to stand with us.

"1 to 2.7 Billion" will be a precise scale model of the solar system. It will cast the participant as an interplanetary space traveler moving from one world to the next, walking at a speed of roughly 8 billion miles per hour, or more than ten-times the speed of light.

The project will consist of ten installations spread across nearly two miles of playa. The vast scale of the Black Rock Desert is ideally suited to illustrating the immensity of space standing between one tiny world and the next.

The installations themselves are designed to communicate how isolated each planet truly is. For example, the Earth, our home and everything we know, will be represented by an object a mere 4.5mm in diameter, yet located almost 200 feet from the sun.

It is our hope that 1:2.7B will inspire participants to re-examine their concept of scale and contemplate their true place in the universe.