The Temple at Black Rock City… Burning Man 2012

September 7, 2012January 24, 2015 / Curt Mekemson / 22 Comments

The 2012 Temple at Burning Man captured in the early morning light by my friend Tom Lovering. The courtyard and Temple are already filled with visitors.

My first trip to Burning Man in 2004 became a quest. A neighbor of mine, a veteran Burner, suggested I would enjoy the event. He was a strange fellow. I guess he thought I was too.

His description of Black Rock City reminded me of the Mos Eisley on the planet Tatooine, the Spaceport where Luke Skywalker began his journey to the outer worlds. Strange creatures resided there. Adventure beckoned.

Most quests involve a similar location, a jumping off place between the world you know and wherever it is you are headed. Your challenge, if you accept it, is to go out into the beyond, do battle with the bad guys, and come back with something good for your community.

I didn’t find any bad guys at Black Rock City but I did have a wonderful time. And the journey expanded my perception of reality, which is always a good thing. I returned to Sacramento and immediately begin recruiting friends to go with me the next year. Today I regard my treks to Burning Man as exotic, art-filled vacations with a dash of pilgrimage thrown in.

The pilgrimage part involves visiting the Man and the Temple. Today’s blog will feature the Temple, Burning Man’s spiritual center. It is the place on the Playa where Burners go to say goodbye to loved ones who have passed on or to simply give thanks. Visiting is a moving experience that I believe people of all faiths, or none, can relate to.

The 2012 Temple at Burning Man was exceptionally beautiful. Reflecting an oriental theme, its spire reached for the sky while its large courtyard opened to the desert and welcomed visitors. Intricately carved wood invited thousands of messages and photos about parents, friends, lovers, children, husbands, wives, other relatives and even cherished pets.

Normally raucous Burners become quiet when they enter the Temple Grounds. While it isn’t a place of formal worship, it is a place of quiet meditation, reverence and respect. People sit quietly, post messages, or wander around and read what has been written.

The following photo essay is designed to capture the essence and beauty of the Temple in a way that words can’t. My friend and fellow Horse-Bone Camp member, Tom Lovering of Davis California, got up at 5:30 AM on Wednesday to catch the sunrise pictures. My wife Peggy and I took the day, night and burn photos.

The sun greets a new day at Black Rock City and gently bathes the courtyard of the 2012 Temple. (Photo by Tom Lovering.)

Early morning sunlight provides a golden glow and captures the intricate woodwork inside the 2012 Temple at Burning Man. (Photo by Tom Lovering)

Music is found everywhere at Burning Man, including the Temple. I love the obvious joy of these performers caught on camera by Tom Lovering. I also think this photo provides a good perspective on the size of the 2012 Temple’s courtyard.

This daytime photo provides an overview of the 2012 Temple at Burning Man and the courtyard, which extends an equal distance on the other side. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson)

Peggy captured a fun perspective here of the 2012 Temple at Black Rock City. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson)

I took this photo of the 2012 Temple at Burning Man to show the intricate wood work. Much to my delight, the light shining through created a sense of eyes creating a cat-like face.

Speaking of kitties, the people owned by this cat memorialized her in the Temple with this picture. Thousands of Burners use the Temple to say goodbye to relatives, friends and pets who have passed on with messages of love and gratitude.

I took this photo to provide an idea of the number of messages Burners leave for loved ones. Previous photos have shown the size of the 2012 Temple of Burning Man and its courtyard. By Sunday, when the Temple was burned, close to every inch of reachable space on the inside and outside of the Temple plus structures in the courtyard had been covered with messages.

The 2012 Burning Man Temple at night.

A night-time view from the inside of Burning Man’s 2012 Temple.

Things burn at Burning Man including the Man and numerous works of art. Impermanence, deconstruction and celebration are all involved. The Temple has these elements, but it also includes the burning of the thousands of messages, sending them skyward, or Heavenward if you prefer, and providing closure to those left behind.

Silence accompanies the burning of the Temple. No mutant vehicles spout fire, no music is played, no Burners dance. Only the sound of crying or the shouted “I’ll miss you,” breaks the stillness. We too have honored those who have passed on. This year we remembered my sister’s Mother-in-Law Betty, a woman full of life who had adopted us all as family and who had passed away shortly before Burning Man 2012 began. Go in peace, Betty.

Eventually, all that is left of the Temple and the courtyard is the structure… and then, it too collapses, returning to ash and dust. A very special thanks to David Best from Petaluma California, the architect and builder of the 2012 Temple at Burning Man, and to the Temple Crew that devoted thousands of hours to putting the magnificent building together.

Living at 5:50 and Foxglove… Burning Man 2012

September 4, 2012January 24, 2015 / Curt Mekemson / 6 Comments

I’ve just arrived home from Burning Man 2012. For me, it was the Year of the Burn. Featured above is the lighthouse, which was one of numerous regional sculptures that surrounded the Man and went up in flames on Thursday night.

The world disappears and then magically reappears. Strange beings wander by. A huge jack rabbit with 15-foot long ears slips past in the dust followed by 30-foot tall Conestoga wagon filled with gyrating people. An 80-year-old man strolls down our road, naked.

A rabbit with large ears slipped by our camp on Foxglove Street in Black Rock City. A dust storm limits our view.

The next day I went to visit the rabbit. He lived down the street from us.

A large Conestoga Wagon with blaring music, gyrating Burners and clearer skies followed the rabbit.

Welcome to Burning Man 2012.

These are the sights from our front porch at 5:50 and Foxglove. We have just arrived and I am sitting outside with Luna, Adios, and Punkin watching the world meander down our dusty road. Just opposite us a gypsy cave billows. A man-sized stuffed bear sits inside on the left. There’s a piano on the right.

The gypsy tent directly across the road from us at 5:50 and Foxglove on the inner circle at Burning Man 2012.

Past the gypsies and past the Intense-Intents-In Tents Camp from Los Angeles the Purple Platypus Band is setting up on top of their bus. Soon they have added their raucous music to the ceaseless rhythm of the Black Rock City. Two women climb onto the RV and begin working hula-hoops in time with the music. Outlined against the sky, they are quite sensual.

The Purple Platypus Band at 6th and F on top of their bus in full swing and wearing their Playa get-up.

A pest control man walks through our camp and sprays Luna and Punkin. Is he for real?

I consume a couple of cold brews and my bladder suggests I hike over to the porta-potties. It’s insistent. Grumbling, I leave my comfortable chair and front row seat. Thirty-two toilets and a crowd greet me. I line up behind a Martian, two vampires, and a statuesque six-foot tall woman wearing purple pasties, a purple G-string, and purple platform shoes. My attitude improves.

Back in camp the desert gods are playing the devil with dust. The Man is there and then he isn’t. Center camp disappears and suddenly we are in a whiteout. Dust trickles into our eyes, ears and noses. Our shirts, shorts, shoes, hats, bandanas and socks turn playa white.

A dust storm rapidly approaches, wiping out the view and guaranteeing we and our vehicles will soon be covered in Playa dust.

It is good to be back in Black Rock City.

Over the next two weeks my blog will feature Burning Man 2012. Join me as I explore the colorful world of Burning Man at night, attend burns, check out the art and spend time with fellow members of the Horse-Bone Tribe.

While Burning Man is fascinating by day, at night it approaches magical.

From Daliesque to Mandalesque… Burning Man Art

August 26, 2012January 24, 2015 / Curt Mekemson / 8 Comments

it isn’t unusual to find artists at work during Burning Man. This Burner was creating a painting at Center Camp.

I want to express my appreciation to WordPress for featuring my Burning Man Mutant Vehicle blog on Freshly Pressed. It is truly an honor.

Art is often the focus of my Burning Man Blogs. This year I have featured sculpture, mutant vehicles and costumes. Paintings of various types are also common in Black Rock City. They range from mural to mystic. My blog today will take a quick look at Burning Man’s non-sculpture art.

Salvador Dali would have stopped to appreciate this work.

I am heading out to Burning Man as this blog is posted. I am excited… almost as excited as I was when I made my first journey in 2004. Burning Man lists 354 art pieces for 2012. Ninety-three are scheduled to go up in flame. There will be much to blog about. Internet service is limited at Burning Man. I will blog from there if possible. Otherwise check back in a week.Thanks for stopping by.

A vacant fence becomes an excuse for mural art at Burning Man. I like the bright colors and the facial expressions on the fish and sea horses.

Luna, AKA Peggy, checks out a giant BUNNY in this mural. Odds are it is connected with the Billion Bunny March which makes its way through Black Rock City.

Eastern mysticism often makes its way into Burning Man art. Several huge paintings were on the inside wall of a 20 foot high tent. They were lit up by the sun much like a stained glass window in a church.

This painting had the feel of a mandala to it. I felt myself being drawn in.

I’ve already featured the photo montages of Montage Camp but I like their work enough to post two more.

What I like so much about the Montage Camp artists in Black Rock City is their ability to capture the feel of Burning Man.

Many art projects in Black Rock City are interactive. I caught Luna checking out her image in a kaleidoscope.

I found these mirrors at Burning Man created a Picasso-like Cubist self-portrait.

On Becoming Outlaw… Burning Man Costumes

August 24, 2012January 24, 2015 / Curt Mekemson / 12 Comments

The best dressed member of the Horse Bone Camp is Ken Lake, AKA Scottie.

I am a minimalist when it comes to costumes. In fact I am a shorts and T-shirt kind of guy. For Burning Man, I add a black hat and a neckerchief and consider myself dressed up. I become Outlaw.

Here I am in my Outlaw persona sans neckerchief. The Great Ape was part of a sculpture on evolution. Playa dust decorates my T-shirt and hat.

Everyone is allowed his or her little fantasies at Burning Man. In fact wearing a costume is highly encouraged. It is a key element in the principle of involvement and an expression of personal art. In theory, and to a degree in practice, people go to Black Rock City to participate, not observe.

Costumes have a liberating influence. They allow us to escape whoever we happen to be in everyday life and become, for a brief time, someone else. There’s a bit of the outlaw, or vamp, or siren, or shaman in all of us. One year at Burning Man, fairies and angels were in and it seemed like every other female Burner had spouted a pair of wings.

This is the most graceful pair of wings I have seen at Burning Man. Note the shadows.

Some guys like to get in touch with their feminine side. Or at least I think that’s what it is. Dozens of men don dresses. If nothing else, their costumes come ready-made.

A manly man dons a dress.

In 2006 I was standing outside of Camp Center with my camera when the annual costume contest was going on. It’s where Burning Man’s best dressed strut their stuff. Somebody assumed I was ‘paparazzi’ and ushered me over to where participants were having their photos taken, a sort of Burning Man Red Carpet. I dutifully snapped away.

Many of the following photos are from that 2006 experience. Others are more random. I have also included photos by Don Green, a fellow Horse-Bone Camp member who is handy with cameras.

This is one of my favorite photos by Don Green. I can’t help but wonder if this is a costume, or whether it is who the woman truly is. For me, she defines exotic.

Another favorite of mine because the man absolutely bursts with personality.

This shaman represents how elaborate costumes can get at Burning Man. Think of the hours and imagination that went into producing it.

Another costume that caught Don Green’s eye. The pink tint to the glasses and the pink lip stick add a nice touch.

Henna Tattoos and body painting often become part of costumes. This woman was quite striking with her stripes.

I usually don’t post nude or partially nude photos out of respect for Burners and my readers. I couldn’t resist this cute pair of umm… kitties, however.

Purple Man.

Green man.

Yellow lady.

Age is no limit. This woman is in her 70s.

Frequently costumes are coordinated. This pair makes for an interesting fantasy.

I’ll conclude with this young woman because I like her hairdo and her smile.

The Man at Burning Man

August 22, 2012January 24, 2015 / Curt Mekemson / Leave a comment

Since the beginning of Burning Man, the Man has dominated the event, providing a convenient meeting place, landmark, and viewing platform for six days and burning on the six night.

The Man goes to his fiery death in 11 days. Drummers will drum, fire dancers twirl, mutant vehicles gather, fireworks go off, and some 60,000 people witness the event. It is the highlight of the week, the one must-do event… and almost everyone participates.

But the Man is more than one final, fire-filled happening. For six days he will tower over the Playa and Black Rock City serving as a meeting place for friends and as a guide for misplaced Burners. Major events will start and end at his feet. He is the dominating figure at Burning Man both during the day and during the night.

With thousands of people wandering around in the dark, mutant vehicles lit up like Christmas trees roaming the playa, and dozens of events happening simultaneously, it is easy to become disoriented at Burning Man. Unless there is a whiteout and zero visibility, the Man is always there to provide a landmark. (Photo by Don Green)

Each year the Man is given a new base that reflects the annual theme. Burners are invited to explore the structure, check out the art, and climb up to high platforms that look out over Black Rock City. The following pictures are taken from five of the six years I have visited Burning Man.

The Man viewed through a metallic flower sculpture in 2009.

A close up and side view of the above photo at Burning Man.

The structure for the Man is always designed to burn. The site is closed down on Saturday while preparations are made. Art is removed and fireworks are inserted.

The 2006 Man provides a good example of how dramatically different each year’s structure is at Burning Man.

The Burning Man structure in 2010 provided great platforms for viewing the surrounding mountains and Black Rock City. Finishing touches are being put on the structure here.

A telephoto view looking into Black Rock City from the Burning Man tower in 2010.

Another view from the Burning Man tower. In this one I emphasized the surrounding mountains of the Black Rock Desert. Note the bank of porta-potties on the left: not scenic but essential.

In 2007 the unimaginable happened and a misguided prankster lit the Man on fire Thursday night. By Saturday, Burning Man had replaced the structure. In this photo by Horse-Bone Tribe member Ken Lake, the Man (without his head) is being placed on the replacement structure.

A final view of the MAN in Burning Man.

Sixty Thousand Bikes… Burning Man 2012

August 20, 2012January 24, 2015 / Curt Mekemson / 7 Comments

Not everybody, but almost everybody, brings a bike to Burning Man. This 30 foot tall archway made from used bicycles by Mark Grieve and Ilana Spector for Burning Man in 2007 reflects the importance of bikes in Black Rock City.

There will be close to 60,000 participants at Burning Man this year and close to 60,000 bikes.

You can walk at Burning Man; in fact I enjoy it. Every block of Black Rock City offers new sights and adventures to experience. The City covers some seven square miles, however. A bike is a necessity of life for getting around.

The primary requirement for a Burning Man bike is that it have big tires and be old and beat up or Wal-Mart cheap. Translation: the black Rock desert is not kind to bikes. Skinny tired expensive bikes, or for that matter, fat tired expensive bikes will not be happy. Bring a clunker. Dust gets into everything. If it rains, mud gets into everything. Actually mud grabs on to tires and feet alike with super-glue tenacity and brings everything including mutant vehicles and bikes to a screeching halt.

In addition to being messy, Playa dirt is corrosive.

Preparation for night is important. You want to be seen. As you might imagine, thousands of bikes wandering around on a dark night is a disaster waiting to happen. Bikes are adorned with headlamps and tail lights or at least glow sticks.

Smart Burners also bring spare tubes, bike oil and basic tools. Remember the motto of radical self-reliance. You will also want a bike lock. In a city of 60,000 there are bound to be a few thieves, or at least people who borrow your bike for a short ride or several days and then abandon it.

The Horse-Bone camp is lucky. Punkin-Beth, owner of B&L Bikeshop in Davis California is a master bike mechanic and member of our tribe. In addition to helping us with bike problems, she gifts our neighbors. There are camps at Burning Man dedicated to helping with bike repair.

Pimp your bike! Decorations can be simple or elaborate. Burning Man is all about art. Your bike is a blank canvass waiting for your creative touch. Burners will appreciate your efforts, your bike will be easier to find in a crowd of several thousand look-alikes, and people are less likely to ‘borrow’ it.

Bikes lined up in front of Center Camp looking a lot like each other.

A bike with a personality… easy to find and unlikely to be stolen.

Tiger Bike.

Wild horses are often spotted in Nevada. These are actually steeds of the Horse-Bone camp.

Luna, AKA Peggy, adds decorations to her horse.

Fender art.

Crash testing a bike?

The biggest bicycling event at Burning Man is the CT Parade where over a thousand women take off their tops, decorate, and go on a joyous bike ride.

Another picture of the bike tower, surrounded by bikes.

Mutants in the Desert… Burning Man

August 18, 2012January 24, 2015 / Curt Mekemson / 81 Comments

If you find a convertible that has morphed into a cat, the odds are you are at Burning Man.

If you wish to drive a vehicle at Burning Man, you have to obtain a permit from DMV. I am not talking about the Department of Motor Vehicles here; I am talking about the Department of MUTANT Vehicles.

Cars, golf carts, trucks, and busses have to change into something completely different and unrecognizable to cruise through Black Rock City and out on the Playa. Only bikes are allowed to roam free. And even they are known to morph into dragons, horses, camels and a multitude of other creatures. (Check out my next blog.)

The same creative energy that goes into art, costumes and performances at Burning Man goes into the production of mutant vehicles. A tractor pulls a false-front house and bar across the playa while an outhouse trails behind. An old bus changes into a riverboat, the Lady Sassafras, courtesy of Fractal-Nation. A convertible morphs into a cat. Dragons, polar bears, bugs and pirates roam the playa with impunity. There is even a vehicle for the couch potato.

A closeup of the cat car that prowls the nighttime streets of Black Rock City.

Out on the edge of Burning Man’s Playa we found a false front house and bar being pulled by a tractor.

Dragons are common themes for mutant vehicles at Burning Man. As for the dancing lady on the left, who knows?

This River Boat, the Lady Sassafras, was created by Fractal Nation, one of the major theme camps at Burning Man. (Photo by Tom Lovering)

A mutant vehicle for couch potatoes. Note the license plate.

I am not sure whether this Praying Mantis or her shadow was more frightening.

A human-powered mutant vehicle? Note the fuel in the engine’s left hand.

Like the man pulling the piano, I am not sure Mama Bear qualifies as a mutant vehicle. (Actually I am sure they don’t, but I have to put these wonderful images somewhere.)

This Conestoga Wagon seems appropriate for the desert. Pioneers once made their way through the Black Rock Desert on their way to Oregon following the Applegate Trail. The device on the side of the wagon is for shooting out flames at night.

My all time favorite mutant vehicle is the Neverwas Haul, a three-story Victorian house with the characteristics of a railroad steam engine including a cattle catcher. Horse-Bone Camp member Sailor Boy, AKA Tom Lovering, likes the Haul so much that he donated an antique ship-telegraph last year. The telegraph was designed to allow the pilot to communicate with the engine room.

The Neverwas Haul.

Center Camp… A Tale from Arabian Nights: Burning Man

August 16, 2012January 24, 2015 / Curt Mekemson / 2 Comments

Festooned with welcoming flags, Center Camp provides around the clock entertainment, coffee drinks and iced tea. Most Burners visit the Center daily… some, like me, visit several times a day.

I was preparing to write this blog on Center Camp at Burning Man and the image of a yuppie oasis popped into my mind. My mind, behaving as it usually does, made the leap to the Arabian desert and the book of ancient tales, One Thousand and One Nights, which led me to think about Scheherazade. This in turn led to go in search of my iPod and the music by Rimsky-Korsakov. All of which explains why it takes me so damn long to put up a blog.

Naturally I had to Google everything. In the process, I came across the following image. How much more Burning Man can you get?

One Thousand and One Nights has seen numerous movie and book spinoffs. I found this representative painting on Google. It looks amazingly like Center Camp at Burning Man.

For ongoing entertainment conveniently located in one place, Center Camp Café is the place to be. It is the only location on the Playa where Burning Man’s unique wildlife can gather and actually purchase lattes. But it is much more than a desert watering hole.

An ever-changing kaleidoscope of exotic entertainment and colorful characters wander through its doors. Sensuous belly dancers are replaced by even more sensuous hula hoopers. Poi twirlers practice ancient Maori rites while drummers pound away in ecstatic, almost religious, fervor.

This young woman was part of a belly dancer troupe that came jingling and jangling through Camp Center.

I had never realized how sensual twirling a hula hoop could be before I came to Burning Man.

An impromptu jam session at Camp Center.

A beautiful, semi-clad black woman moves to the music and a mysterious shaman peers out from behind a painted, bone in nose face. His feather headdress dazzles the eyes, as does the large fan of a clown painted woman. A beautiful girl draped in damask white skillfully plays her flute with closed eyes. A naked man painted silver holds an animated conversation with a tattooed lady.

This shaman with his bright yellow feathers demonstrates how elaborate costumes can be at Burning Man. Center Camp is one of the best places to see and be seen.

Several photographers lined up for this photo-op of a clown woman with a bright fan.

This talented flutist played a haunting melody. While many performers at Burning Man are in the learning stage, others are highly talented. Everyone is encouraged to participate.

Yoga masters practice contorted moves while costumed Burners are invited to show off their zebra striped and pink finery in the annual fashion show. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, a suit attired right-winger charges on to the runway and threatens to blow up Black Rock City. In the end, the good vibes of Burning Man win him over.

Welcome to Center Camp.

Coffee drinks and ice tea are available at Camp Center. It’s about the only thing you can buy at Burning Man. (Ice is also available for purchase.) Volunteers do the work. Horse-Bone Camp member, the Papester, takes a turn at the latte machine.

Center Camp is also a prime location for Burning Man art.

While I’ve come to expect almost anything at Burning Man, I never expected to find this Center Camp fowl.

While you can obtain a cold drink and avoid the sun at Center Camp, you can’t avoid the dust storms that come whirling through. This is a photo of my wife Peggy, AKA Luna, doing everything she can to hide. A reminder to all of the new Burners coming to Burning Man this year: major dust storms are expected. Come prepared.

The Whimsical Art of Burning Man

August 14, 2012January 24, 2015 / Curt Mekemson / 3 Comments

What’s not to like about this lovely face? Burning Man art often comes with a sense of humor attached. See what’s attached to this face below.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that many of the artists who display their art at Burning Man have a sense of humor. I mean anyone who is willing to brave hundred degree plus weather, unending noise, towering dust storms, minimal bathing and a week of well-used porta potties must have a sense of humor. Right?

I like the word whimsical. It means to be playfully fanciful in an appealing or amusing way. It also means acting in a capricious manner. Both seem to fit Burning Man. Each year I wander around Burning Man with my camera in a totally capricious ramble looking for amusing art. I am never disappointed.

Here’s the body attached to the face above… a suave sphinx.

Art doesn’t get much more whimsical than these sculptures created by Pepe Ozan.

This dog by Pepe Ozan was particularly amusing. My friend Ken Lake, a noted contrarian, immediately climbed on the dog and rode him backward. Imagine trying that at a museum.

I keep coming back to this rabbit in my blogs because he makes me laugh. Isn’t that a OMG expression on his face? There is an annual bunny parade at Burning Man where a thousand or so people put on rabbit costumes and hop around Black Rock City.

Dragons are common at Burning Man… no surprise there. But this guy struck me as more whimsical than ferocious. After dark, his fire-breathing personality takes over, however.

Here’s another sculpture with scary potential that I found humorous. His creator, Diarmaid Harkan, named him Metaluselah but I dubbed him Pitchfork Man.

Certainly a see-through goat with trash in his stomach qualifies as being fanciful. Check out the shadow.

This violin fiddling hare was found in Center Camp, which is always a great place for art. (Photo by Don Green)

This amply endowed Statue of Liberty welcomed visitors to Silicon Village. Apparently her baby default mode was off and she and an ear piece for translating guy speak. Silicon Camp has over 200 members, most of whom come from Silicon Valley.

One day I was wandering around Black Rock City, I found a camp that specialized in photo montages. There must have been a dozen works and each captured a unique slice of Burning Man. Check out this photo carefully. What you see reflects the fun of Burning Man.

And finally, the Peripatetic Bone insisted on being included in this section on whimsical art. He jumped on the nose of my noble steed, Horse with No Name, and declared the horse was a Unicorn. “Art,” he claimed, “is the process of changing the usual into the unique.” I told Bone he looked more Rhino-like that unicorn-like. He said, “Whatever.”

The Big Rig Jig, Bliss and Ecstasy… Burning Man Art

August 12, 2012January 24, 2015 / Curt Mekemson / 2 Comments

I return to Burning Man for a number of reasons but the art is what truly captures my imagination. This sculpture by Dan Das Man and Karen Cochrane is titled Ecstasy. At night, fire shoots from the statue’s hands.

Art, for me, is the essence of Burning Man. Today I am going to feature three monumental sculptures that I found to be particularly impressive during my six visits to Black Rock City.

The 2007 theme for Burning Man was The Green Man. Artists were encouraged to develop pieces with an environmental message. Mike Ross, a New York sculpture artist, chose to cut up and weld together two 18-wheel oil tankers as a reminder of the impact oil consumption has on our environment. Like much Burning Man art, people were invited to climb over and into this 42-foot high sculpture titled the Big Rig Jig.

Two 18 wheel oil tankers were cut up and reassembled to create this 42 foot high sculpture created by Mike Ross of New York.

Another view of the Big Rig Jig by Mike Ross at Burning Man. Each year Burning Man selects a new theme and encourages artists to create works of art that reflect the theme.

I really like this photo of the Big Rig Jig taken by my fellow member of the Horse-Bone Tribe and friend, Ken Lake.

Dan Das Man who works out of the Bay Area has had several sculptures featured at Burning Man over the past decade. My favorites are his colossal human figures.

The statues by Dan Das Man at Burning Man are guaranteed to excite photographers and elicit emotions from Burners.

A new definition for spiked hair?

The bikes and Center Camp provide a perspective on the size of this sculpture by Dan Das Man at Burning Man.

In 2010 it was the 40-foot high, 7000-pound sculpture Bliss that caught my attention. Treasure Island was the birthplace of this piece by artist Marco Cochrane.