This huge rabbit out on the Playa had a message of love, transformation and living in the present. After staring at it for a moment, I thought it might also be a lesson in watching which brownies you eat at Burning Man. (Photo by Tom Lovering.)
I am going to wrap up my posts on whimsical and weird sculptures at Burning Man with something of a hodgepodge today. Bugs Bunny is a good place to start. I had looked at this sculpture from several angles before the rabbit made its sudden and obvious appearance. And I am pretty sure that is what the artist meant to happen. The big Alice in Wonderland type rabbit at the top was much less subtle!
I was thinking that this was a random, modern art kind of wood sculpture as I walked around it at Burning Man…
And then I came to this view and thought immediately of the ‘wascally wabbit,’ Bugs Bunny. For those of you not up on your cartoon history, “wascally wabbit’ is what Elmer Fudd called Bugs,
Our friend Tom Lovering took the photo of the zonked out rabbit at the top of the post. Here Tom is snuggling up to a Playa dinosaur. The look on Dino’s face is what led me to include it here with my whimsical and weird photos. It’s kind of the look of a puppy after it has puddled on your floor.
The dinosaur.
The bone tree has been around Burning Man for as long as I have, I think. At least I can never remember not seeing it since I first started in 2004. It lives at First Camp where most of the original organizers of the event hang out. The combination of skulls and bones place it in my weird category. Liking weird, it has always been a favorite of mine.
The Bone Tree at Burning Man is a regular at the event.
Here’s a close up.
The Bone Tree comes with its own set of wheels so it can move around.
The old woman’s shoe, a fork of cork, an excitable mantis, metal devils, giant specks, and a couple of toothy sculptures finish out my selection for today.
“There was an old woman who lived in a shoe. She had so many children she didn’t no what to do.” I like to add ‘obviously.’ How would you like to have that guy outside your window? I’d be dialing 911!
Another view of the shoe.
I thought these glasses with their blue eyes made an interesting sculpture. The Man can be seen in the distance.
Does this fellow with his fish strike you as weird?
Metal devils seem to be a thing at Burning Man. The teeth are marvelous.
I was always pleased with the way I caught this fellow with his red background, especially the way it shows through his right eye. Evil!
And then there was this scary praying mantis that appeared out of a dust storm.
Its front legs are something else! I don’t think you would want a hug.
Okay, this is fun. It wouldn’t be nearly as much if you didn’t know that the fabulous bathrooms are porta-potties, which can be far from fabulous!
Have you ever seen a cork fork?
How about a fork in the road?
Definitely weird.
This little shark that found a home way out on the Playa just had to make it into this collection. I’ll close with it.
Wandering through Time and Place 
People certainly have fun creating all this weirdness.
Yes they do Peggy. Lots of creativity and talent go into many of the works. –Curt
It seems a playground for the imagination of adult kids. The world is a better place for it.
I like your definition, Gerard. And I agree. –Curt
Some amazing stuff here Curt. My faves are the dinosaur, the bone tree, the shoe and the mantis. And your comment under the opening rabbit had me rofl.
Alison
All good choices, Alison. As for the rabbit, got to watch those brownies. 🙂 –Curt
The guy with the fish? Clearly, he’s been noodling: hand-fishing for catfish in Arkansas, or Oklahoma, or wherever. The first thing that came to mind was Ray Wylie Hubbard’s version of James McMurtry’s terrific “Choctaw Bingo.” McMurtry’s version is a little faster, and in some ways I prefer it, but this video makes clear that a certain kind of family reunion could be seen as an Okie Burning Man.
We used to catch catfish by hand when I was a kid. 🙂 Quite tasty, sort of earthy like. Definitely an Okie something, Linda. (laughing) –Curt
Wow some of them looked like really complex origami works!
Ok, perhaps not the ones with the skulls…
They can do pretty amazing stuff with wood, Suan. Wait until you see some of the temples. And the Bone tree, well you don’t forget it. 🙂 –Curt
Wowweee! Weird and wonderful, Curt! 😀 These are a feast to view…the Bone Tree is startlingly amazing and I love how you framed the Burning Man in the glass photo. All fantastic and yet again mind-boggling! 😀
The bone tree is possibly the strangest of all. It even struck me as sadistic. Maybe the “artist” thought gathering and using those pieces was better than leaving them in the desert to rot. Who knows?
Maybe, Beth. Traveling through the West, you often see displays of bones, skulls and horns by ranchers and hunters. –Curt
The praying mantis, the bone tree, the wascally wabbit and the hangdog dinosaur did it for me.
That’s a fair collection, Hillary. 🙂 –Curt
The praying mantis is the stuff of nightmare … and is the guy on a bike for real?
If the mantis showed up in a dream of mine, I would certainly call it a nightmare, Dave! The guy on the bike is indeed real. –Curt
Great shot!
The rabbit is my favorite of all of these, but then again, maybe it’s the praying mantis. Or the shoe. Oh, I give up. They’re all fascinating. And I’m sooo glad you get to go and take pics and share.
I’m just like you, Rusha, when it comes to choosing favorites. 🙂 –Curt