Two years after the creation of Boom Shaman (2016), Popper was invited to create a new dance temple guardian, Emergence (2018), which seems to be paused in reflection on the interconnectedness of the earth and cosmos, inviting the viewer to do the same. Shamans are found in many indigenous cultures as healers, mediators and storytellers, bridging a gap between the spiritual and physical worlds.

For these works, Popper did not constrain himself with concerns for longevity, as he explored the transient aspects within this practice, building mostly from materials found and recycled off the land: raw wood, bamboo, and salvaged rope.

At night, projections designed in collaboration with Wayne Ellis illuminate the figures, animating a deeper metaphysical layer holding us in a space of awareness and humility of the visionary psychedelic realms.

The interior contained a chandelier of greenery with lush ferns and forest greens bursting from the heart. The exterior was kept in the raw organic colour of the timber and found rope work.