Serpent Mother lights the night sky at Burning Man in 2015.
The art at Burning Man is what pulls me back to the event year after year. Its unending creativity, sense of humor, quality and sheer quantity capture my imagination. I can’t get enough. My next three blogs will focus on what I consider Black Rock City’s most powerful art form: sculpture. I have already done posts on Medusa and R-Evolution. Today I will feature a 168-foot flaming serpent, a unique and moving sculpture from the Ukraine, a massive fish monster that emerges from the sand, a series of strange bronze sculptures with an out-of-world beauty, and a huge storybook shoe.
The first time I met Serpent Mother coiled around her egg was in 2006. To say she caught my attention is an understatement. I was delighted to see her back at Burning Man in 2015. Created by the Flaming Lotus Girls (and guys) out of the San Francisco Bay Area, the large-scale, fire-breathing snake is a classic example of the group’s work.
Serpent Mother on guard duty. I don’t think she is in danger of anyone messing with her egg.
Her impressive head with its flaming teeth can rise 20 feet above the desert floor.
A crowd of Burners gather to watch her egg hatch. She appears to be warning people to back off.
As the egg opens, it shoots flames 40 feet into the air. Check her head. I think she is smiling.
Alexander Milov from Odessa, Ukraine titles his sculpture of two people sitting back to back, Love. While communication between the two adults has broken down, their inner children are reaching out to each other, touching hands and hoping to reestablish contact. How often do we let out anger, or pride, or jealousy get in the way of our friendships and love?
I felt that this sculpture was quite moving. The seated people provide perspective on size.
Rebecca Anders from Oakland, California is responsible for creating the Illumacanth, a huge fish that rises out of the Playa and is obviously hungry. Walking into the monster’s mouth reminded me of Jonah and his whale. Too bad Rebecca didn’t give her fish jaws that snapped shut. But that probably would have been a heart attack waiting to happen.
Hard to imagine something with a bigger mouth than Illumacanth.
Don caught this photo of Illumacanth at night. Are the Burners about to be eaten? (Photo by Don Green.)
There was an old woman who lived in a shoe— She had so many children she didn’t know what to do. I can never keep myself from adding “obviously.” Five Ton Crane, which is an interesting name for an art group, created this rather large boot of a home. Maybe they needed a giant crane to move the boot. I was really hoping to get inside, treasures were promised, but the doors were not open the two times I visited. Still, I was hardly disappointed.
A Burner is peaking in a window on the left, hoping for a view inside. This boot had a lot of ‘sole,’ so to speak.
So, do you think you could live here? The sun behind the shoe provided dramatic lighting for the photo.
I was intrigued by how well the two-ton bronze sculptures created by Mario Martinez in Berkeley, California fit into the Black Rock Desert landscape. Each of the molecule-like structures took three to four months to make. Designed on a 3-D printer, Martinez used the ancient lost wax method to create the sculptures. They were among my favorite pieces at Burning Man in 2015.
The ‘molecules’ felt like they belonged in the Black Rock Desert, left behind by an alien race.
Another view of Mario Martinez’s art.
Black Rock City and a mountain provide the back drop in my last photo for this post.
42 thoughts on “A Shoe, a Serpent and a Fish— Plus… The Intriguing Sculptures of Burning Man”
leggypeggy
Truly wonderful sculptures. Thanks so much for sharing the pics.
Curt Mekemson
I always have a lot of fun putting up the Burning Man blogs, Peggy. –Curt
Alison and Don
Milov’s sculpture is sublime. And the dragon spectacular.
Alison
Curt Mekemson
Yes and yes. 🙂 –Curt
Sue Slaght
Unbelievable! Really I’m at a loss for words. How do these sculptures arrive? Imagine meeting that on the road!
Curt Mekemson
A whole line of large trucks make deliveries, Sue. I have a photo coming up that shows the truck that carried the large dancing skeleton that I featured earlier. –Curt
Sue Slaght
Great! Looking forward to it!
spanishwoods
Amazing. Thank you for this great post.
Curt Mekemson
You are welcome, Sylvia. And thank you. –Curt
JoHanna Massey
This series of photos that you are sharing on Burning Man are so spectacular that I am beginning to really consider that I MUST GO TO BURNING MAN.
I’ve known of this event for many a year and never considered going previously. So persuasive is your capture of the art and creativity gathered there.
Curt Mekemson
The art is what makes Burning Man so special, at least for me. I believe it has become the greatest outdoor gallery in the world. –Curt
JoHanna Massey
I totally agree with you. Appreciate and enjoy your photos so much.
Curt Mekemson
Thanks. 🙂 –Curt
lumar1298
Love this post… Great place to visit. I want to go…
Curt Mekemson
Glad you enjoyed the sculptures, Lumar. There are a lot more coming. –Curt
davekingsbury
Another stylish travelogue, thanks!
Curt Mekemson
Glad you are enjoying them Dave. Burning Man provides lots of blog material. –Curt
Animalcouriers
Have to agree with you about the molluscs – gorgeous pieces.
Curt Mekemson
Indeed. I was really captured by them… even more when I went back and looked at my photos. –Curt
Mithai Mumblezz
Incredible pictures and very fun to read. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Curt Mekemson
Thank you, Mithai. I am glad you are enjoying the Burning Man series.
Mithai Mumblezz
I definitely am 🙂
livelytwist
All the sculptures reflect a high level of creativity. I liked Love the most… for it’s meaning.
Curt Mekemson
It was special Timi. I think everyone at Burning Man could relate to it. –Curt
shoreacres
The molecules rock! They’re my very favorite, and for some reason, maybe my favorite of any sculptures I’ve seen from Burning Man. Of course, I see there’s another post to come, so perhaps I shouldn’t judge so quickly.
Curt Mekemson
Never know what’s coming next, Linda. But the molecules are among my all time favorites from Burning Man. And that is saying a lot. –Curt
hilarycustancegreen
These really are the aspects of Burning Man that fill me with most delight too. The dragon/serpent and the stranded illumacanth appeal to the wild creative and fun part of my brain and the Milov and Martinez sculptures have both aesthetic and intellectual appeal so satisfy the brain all round. Thanks.
Curt Mekemson
Interesting observation, Hilary. I always look forward to your input on sculptures. Can you imagine your work out on the Playa? –Curt
Chips Off the Old Block
Wow–amazing images! Thanks for continuing to share your Burning Man visuals! I can see why you go back every year.
Curt Mekemson
My pleasure. It’s addictive, for sure. 🙂 –Curt
Crystal M. Trulove
The molecules are captivating. At once alien and naturally suited to that environment. Your photos of them are stunning.
The second photo of the boot is also stunning. Love how you presented that one. Do the creators get to live inside their artwork while there, or are there rules about staying in a designated living area? Because I would like to live in the shoe. Or, in the cat car…
The sculpture Love brought tears to my eyes. It is powerful indeed.
Curt Mekemson
I don’t know if people lived in the shoe, Crystal, but people do live in the art on occasion… or at least sleep in it. Many of the living quarters in Black Rock City are art in themselves. Weren’t the molecules interesting? –Curt
Crystal M. Trulove
Interesting and beautiful…and mathematical I think. They make me think of geometry and concepts like the Fibonacci sequence and fractals.
Curt Mekemson
Whoa, you lost me on the Fibonacci sequences, Crystal. 🙂 –Curt
Crystal M. Trulove
heh heh. Ok, so I get a little geeky when I let my guard down. It’s the mathematical expression that describes a seashell. The spiral that gets bigger – so beautiful.
Curt Mekemson
🙂
Oh, the Places We See
Here again, I’m blown away. These mammoth sculptures are not only artsy; they’re downright phenomenal. Loved your photo of the shoe with the blue sky background. And, I, too, am smitten by the wire figures with inner children communicating. Thanks for sharing.
Curt Mekemson
As always, my pleasure. Glad you have enjoyed the series. –Curt
Mustang.Koji
The photo of the soleful shoe with the dramatic sky was superific, Curt. I still don’t know how these art pieces are transported there… And a question: where’s the pictures of Peggy??? 🙂
Curt Mekemson
Part of the transportation is on big trucks, Koji. Most are taken apart, containerized, brought here, and then put back together. As for my favorite model, she had just returned from England on a trip with her sister. –Curt
Mustang.Koji
BTW, the melding of the names coelacanth and the deep sea anglerfish was very apropos!
Curt Mekemson
Yes.