What is it?

House of the Jackal King is an immersive, exploration-driven art project commemorating the life and creative power of the late John Bastard Little, a pivotal member of the DPW community. It will be a large-scale installation built from recycled, reclaimed, and purpose-made materials, including a central tower and five outward-facing sculpture gardens inside a five-pointed star-shaped fence. The complete structure is intentionally designed for a controlled burn.

What does it provide?

We aim to create a collective space where participants can experience the facets of our beloved friend and icon, and for friends to grieve his loss and celebrate his life and the impact John had on his expansive community.

Participants approach the five-sided tower, and are immediately invited to engage: each wall bears a door, but only one will open. Inside they find themselves crowded into the world of St. John the Bastard. Sketches cover every surface, smudged notes, paint splatters marking the progression of an artist's process. The air feels charged, as though he has only stepped away for a moment. The close, densely adorned space encourages visitors to follow their curiosity where memory, chaos, and creation converge.

Bastard Radio will broadcast inside the structure, but coming from unusual places: the mouth of the blown out television, up through the floorboards, through the decaying walls, drifting down the tower, emanating from the sculptures in the garden, a cacophony of shenanigans and joy.

Who is building it?

The Dusty Jackals are a collective of fabricators, artists, and friends brought together by their years dedicated to Burning Man and DPW. Our contracts may have ended, but our passion for the event and our love for our people keeps us invested in large and small ways across the burner art world. Projects and elements of projects by our members can be seen throughout the Greater West, from East Jesus in Slab City to the heart of Reno, NV.

When can people see it?

Burning Man 2026

Why are we building it?

Our installation is a vessel for the spirit of John Little—St. John The Bastard—whom we lost in April of 2025. His life was a flame woven into the fabric of Black Rock City, as well as the hearts and lives of his DPW community.

John saw the playa as temple and crucible, where work became ritual and community became art. He lived as a wanderer, builder, poet, and provocateur, carrying a philosophy that to shape this city is to shape the soul itself. For him, the desert was the only place to truly test the edges of who he was — and to draw others into that same alchemy.

This memorial is not just a place to mourn. It calls participants into the fire of transformation, where grief becomes beauty, impermanence becomes truth, and each footprint in the dust is both an offering and a memory in the making.

In honoring John, we honor the eternal cycle of creation and dissolution that defines Burning Man itself. The piece asks: what will you gift to the fire, and what of you will remain in the dust?

How can people help?

Our funding comes from the generosity of the community at large. The cost of building, transporting, burning, and Leave No Trace work after House of the Jackal King will be considerable. The tower will rise because of our joint collaborative and financial efforts.

Want to support House of the Jackal King through volunteering? If you have skills in carpentry, fabrication, lighting or sound design—of any skill level—contact us! We are growing a team of phenomenal makers and artists, and want YOU here too.

Follow the Money

Your pledges will go towards the engineering, construction, transportation, and installation of this project at the 2026 Burning Man event.

We aim to build the structure as shown in the renders you can find here on this page and on our socials. This is an ambitious project that requires the coordination of various professionals in the building and design world.

Some of the major costs include:

Structural Engineers $10,000

Build Space

Reno Generator Project Build Space $14,500

Component Storage $1,200

Structural Materials

Custom Steel Bracketry $1,500

AEP Anchors & Large Lag Screws $4,000

5/8" 4x8 Ply Wood $1,500

Structural Lumber $5,000

Tools & Consumables

Bits, Blades $1,200

Welding Consumables $1,000

Tool Repair, Maintenance, Replacing $500

Tool Rental/Purchasing $5,000

Hardware

Screws, SDS, Nails $2,500

Brackets, Hangers, Clips $1,500

Hinges, Knobs, Hooks $1,200

Rigging, Chains, etc. $1,300

Safety Materials

PPE $1,200

Build & Fire Perimeter $2,200

Leave No Trace Supplies

Mag Rakes, Shovels, Dirt Rakes $600

Moop Sticks, Trash Bags, Trash Cans $350

Lighting / Electrical

Leds, Flood Lights $2,700

Power

Solar Panels, Batteries, Containers $5,000

BMS, Controllers, Connectors $500

Mounts, Racks, Feeder Cable $1,800

Decor

Supplies for Lanterns $500

Trim, Molding, Architectural Brackets $1,500

Interior Props & Decorations $1,200

Project Transportation

Trucking from Reno to Playa $5,000

Hauling Reclaimed Materials $2,000

Fireworks & Fuel for Burn $10,500

DG $1,315

House of the Jackal King

Dedicated to the life and legacy of St John the Bastard