I couldn’t let September finish without posting pictures of some of my favorite art pieces at Burning Man this year. We went early, for Build Week, which I documented in this post. It was a lot of work, but worth it, to have our wonderful Poly Paradise camp all set up as our base for the Burn. And then it was time to explore! Here’s some of my favorite art pieces and theme camps.
The talk of the playa this year was “Eifela: Broken Dreams” and as luck would have it, the creators of this project camped with us at Poly Paradise. They were a great group of guys from France, and for most of them, it was their first burn! I can’t wait to see where the structure’s creator, Philippe Maindron, takes it next. I predict it will be back for another burn next year. This piece looked spectacular, whether it was during the day, at night, or in the dust.
I like to look for art pieces I’ve seen in previous years, and see how the artist has transformed their work from burn to burn. I’ve followed Michael Benisty’s work since my first burn in 2018. This year’s, titled “Only Love Will Remain” was the first piece I looked for on my first playa walk. It’s easy to find, as it’s over 26 feet tall.
The magical treehouse-inspired art piece called “Above and Below” was fantastic. Even though we didn’t get to climb up it, we spent a lot of time exploring the base of the structure, filled with objects, stories, and mystery. You really want to take your time with this one, as each bit of it is quirky and inventive. The artist, Sean Orlando, lives in California.
The temple design each year always captivates me. This year’s “Temple of the Moon” was inspired by a night flower that blooms only at night once a year. With no way to capture it, the viewer has no choice but to be fully present and relinquish it at dawn. The same is true of the temple, as it will burn at the close of the festival, along with the mementoes and memories left behind by this year’s participants.
I thought this piece, called “Penny the Goose” was fun- and then I realized it is comprised of Canadian and US pennies. Considering the penny was recently put out of production by our government, this was an interesting take by artists Robert and Lisa Ferguson. At 16 feet tall, it’s quite large and I bet pretty heavy! When not at Burning Man, she resides in San Francisco, California.
It’s not all art all the time. A lot of the fun of Burning Man is walking around and visiting the various theme camps. With over 1000 camps, there’s always something going on near you. We discovered that Spanky’s Wine Bar, one of our favorites, was just a couple of blocks from us this year. Spanky’s is guaranteed to give you a good time, especially if you’re brave.
What originally started as an art car was turned into a 200 foot, broken Titanic ship, half buried in the sand. It featured ropes you could climb and swing on, flame cannons, and interactive lights. It was burned the night before The Man burned this year, amidst a raging wind storm. What will this group think of next?
What, you’ve never been on a disco mushroom merry-go-round? Then you haven’t lived. This piece featured over 10,000 disco tiles and recycled wooden spools, with a polka-dot canopy. It’s basically a cousin of their piece, Disco Snail. We thought this picture should be titled “Chris on Shrooms”, lol.
Once you’ve conquered your fear of the dust, there’s nothing better than surrendering to it and laying down to look at the night sky- especially if right above you is the LED mechanical manta ray sculpture called Hahalua (Hawaiian for manta ray). Even better, it moves and undulates the way a manta ray would, as it plays music ranging from classical to modern. I heard that they were doing a “Dark Side of the Moon” at midnight after the Man burned, but I didn’t go out to check.
I find the messages in Burning Man art can be applied to my own life, and this one was no different. “Do what you love” reminded me to seek out the joy in life. As I was trying to take a selfie, a man on a bike came along and offered to take the picture for me. I handed him my camera, a gust of wind came up, and this wonderful photo came into being, like kismet.
There’s so much more to profile, but I’ll close this year’s post with one of the temple burning. To me, it’s always the best burning piece because you can see the scaffolding for several minutes come alive inside the flame. The curved pieces often create a wind and fire vortex that is so beautiful. This year’s temple was no different. For a look at the Burning Man temple art pieces from the last 25 years, check out this exhibit at the Reno airport. Isn’t it amazing what we can do when we give artists a place to create and display their art?
