This is the fourth post in our focus series on Burning Man including one on mutant vehicles, one on sculptures, and an overview from our last trip to Burning Man in 2023. Today, I am going to feature the Temples of Burning Man, which are both beautiful and sacred— as suggested in the headline. A quick look at the Temple of Grace above speaks to the beauty of the structures. I will provide examples from seven more years below, plus an introduction to what Burners will see this year. Given that there have been 25 Temples so far, my objective is to simply provide a sample. In our 12 years of attending Burning Man, we have never seen a temple that we didn’t consider special.
The process of selecting and building the Temple each year starts with various artists submitting proposals to Burning Man for different designs. This is an artistic rendering of the temple selected for 2026— James Gwertzman’s proposal for the Temple of the Moon. His inspiration was the Queen of the Night desert flower, a flower that blooms and dies in one night. The design rendering of the Temple above is by Gwertzman, and the dawn rendering is by artist Annie Locke Scherer. (Burning Man Journal)Artistic rendering of the 2026 Temple at night. (Burning Man Journal)Artistic rendering of the inside of the 2026 Temple. (Burning Man Journal)Early morning view of the 2014 Temple of Grace at Burning Man. Temples are funded by a major grant from Burning Man plus fundraising. A close look at the structure speaks to the amount of work that goes into building one of the temples. It is mainly done by volunteers. The work starts as soon as the project is chosen. Wood is cut prior to Burning Man and then brought to the site. Depending on the complexity of the project, a volunteer crew of 100-200 people arrives at Burning Man 2-3 weeks before the event to assemble the pieces.Looking up from inside the Temple of Grace.The 2013 Temple of Whollyness at Burning Man was a pyramid-shaped structure of interlocking wood that used no nails, glue, or metal fasteners. It was surrounded by four smaller pyramids.A large altar or ‘cairn’ constructed of black, igneous basalt was located inside the Temple. Cairns are normally large piles of rock arranged in a cone-like formation as a way to mark routes through wilderness areas. I’ve often followed them, or their smaller cousins, ducks, as I’ve hiked and backpacked through the wild regions of North America. In case you are wondering what a ‘duck’ looks like…The temple was filled with them. The symbolism was obvious: Helping people find their way. This photo also shows how some of the wooden, interlocking devices were use to build the Temple.The 2010 Temple of Flux at Burning Man stressed impermanence in life. This photo was taken from the Man looking out across the Playa to the mountains of the Black Rock Desert. While the creators of the Temple noted that their inspiration came from desert canyons carved by wind and water, I thought that the outer structure resembled a sand dune, a perfect example of impermanence. The people on the pathway are biking/hiking between the Man and the Temple. At night, the poles held lit lamps. The buildings in the back were an urban representation of Wall Street. It was located close to the fence that marks the boundary of Burning Man.One of the entrances to the Temple of Flux We included the Temple of Heart in the Post we did on our 2023 trip to Burning Man. Unfortunately the rains hit the day before we had planned to visit it. Everything we saw from the outside was beautiful, however. I read that it took 1000 volunteers to build the Temple.The 2007 Temple of Forgiveness at Burning Man. This Temple was created by David Best, who was responsible for the design and building of several Burning Man Temples. Looking up from inside the 2007 Temple of Forgiveness.The top of the 2009 Fire of Fires Temple was designed to look like flames, reflecting that temples are burned on the last day of Burning Man.The Fire of Fires Temple at night.Of the Burning Man Temples that Peggy and I have seen, the 2015 Temple of Promise was one of our favorite because of its beauty and design.Early one morning, we joined hands with a few hundred other Burners surrounding the Temple as the sun rose.This back view provides a perspective on its cornucopia-like structure.A daytime view inside the Temple of PromiseThe Temple of Promise at night.My rendering of the Temple of Promise in black and white. Note the single lamp.The theme for the 2012 Burning Man was fertility. The name of that year’s temple was Juno, a Roman goddess of fertility, motherhood, and childbirth.This is an early morning photo of the Temple of Juno by our friend Tom Lovering.The Temple of Juno at night.Looking up inside the Temple of Juno at night. Note the intricate carving.A large courtyard surrounding the Temple of Juno provided places for people to gather and relax. It also provided space for Burners to leave messages expressing love, grief, hope, fear and anger, as well as thanks for blessings received. Literally thousands of people leave messages annually, most inside of the Temple.Sometimes, it seems like every inch of available space is used. A quick glance gives an overview on the breadth of messages. I particularly liked the one in the upper left hand corner: “Goodbye to who I thought I was.” More than one person has left Burning Man with that perspective!Another example. Numerous pets are also memorized: a final opportunity to say goodbye.A loving tribute to Zippy: Zippy’s ball, hairbrush, and bed.Whatever the message, it burns along with the Temple on the last night of Burning Man each year. This is the Temple of Juno going up in flames, releasing the thousands of messages that Burners left in, on and around it— honoring those who have passed on, expressing love for those who still live, and letting go of anger, hate and other negative emotions. Our Burning Man focus next week will be on unique structures found out on the Playa such as La Llorona, the large ship seen above.
My next blog-a-book post this Thursday will be my childhood experiences of “looking for God in all the wrong places.” While I don’t have a photo, I thought that this picture I took at Burning Man below is relevant…
Art comes in many forms at Burning Man— from massive sculptures, to mutant vehicles, impressive buildings, costumes, performances, photography, murals, etc. There is no other place in the world that inspires as much creativity for a one week period.Today, I am going to consider some of Peggy and my favorite sculptures from our 12 years of visiting The Black Rock Desert. Where else could one find oil tankers welded together?Or Medusa.Not a ‘do’ you could get (or want) from your local hairdresser.Can you imagine the amount of work that goes into putting these creations together?While Medusa may give you nightmares, many of the sculptures are created with a sense of humor. Meet the Queen Bee with enormous boobs.Or join me as I photograph the nostrils of the sphinx…You probably didn’t see this coming.A 20 foot tall goofy rabbit. (Tom Lovering took this photo.)As I recall, these colorful characters were outside the Silicon Valley Village. Was there a message for us? The one on the left looks a bit like Elon.I really liked this dog.And these cats.It isn’t surprising that a flying saucer crash landed at Burning Man. It is located, after all, in the Nevada desert and all the ETs wandering around have to come from somewhere. This baby flying saucer, on the other hand, was a bit surprising.Was the Man keeping an eye on Junior from his flying saucer perch? There is plenty of mischief one can get into around Burning Man. Adult supervision is required…(Photo by Tom Lovering)Like dancing to this wild rabbit fiddling away at Center Camp. It’s not the dancing that would impact baby flying saucer, it was dancing into the wee hours as Burners do. Babies need their sleep. (Photo by our friend Don Green.)This guy, listening to the rabbit, came close to losing his pants while getting down to boogie.The little fellow might run into a dragon.Or, worse, a dragon guarding its egg! That’s one ferocious momma.Best to pass by when it’s sleeping.Then, there is pitchfork man who was seriously unbalanced…And monstrous bugs hatching and spreading out over the Playa. (Photo by Don Green.)One certainly wouldn’t want to run into this horny spider with crossed swords after dark.Or a Texas longhorn emerging from the Playa.The little guy needn’t worry, however. There is plenty of love at Burning Man.The key is letting go of your ego…And believing. For example, this monster robot was just out walking with his dog and carrying a flower.The large pink rabbit let a little kid run up and hug its leg.And the giant butterfly invited folks to relax and enjoy the view. (Photo by Don Green.)A 50 foot tall couple was willing to share hugs…And the ferocious looking Coyote was only howling at the moon.Babies (inner children) reached out to each other, providing hope…And lots of aliens cleverly disguised as topless Burners were available to look out for baby saucer. (Otherwise, they might be stuck on Earth, which they had serious doubts about at this time.)A lighthouse was available to provide guidance…To wherever in the world the little guy might want to travel…There were plenty of bicycles to borrow for local transportation (some fixing required).And a rocket ship to provide a boost into outer space if needed.Woohoo!And now that the baby flying saucer has been taken care of, here are some of our other favorite Burning Man sculptures…These blocks seemed to be reaching for infinity…A head made of bricks was Earthy, according to his forehead.A mask with glowing eyes stared out at passing Burners. Not sure what this was meant to signify, but it has always been a favorite of mine. One wonders where all of the Burners are. But if you get far enough out on the Playa, they are few and far between. Big feet, big heart? Yes, there is a person up there. A general rule at Burning Man is, if it can be climbed, it is climbed.Ghost tree made out of bones. No climbing this. A sign told Burners to stay off. But….no guarantees.Mirror image. Every time we passed by this sculpture, someone was taking a selfie. Usually posing. I took a photo of myself taking a photo of myself while sitting on my bike. Flight.Lotus flower with a distant view, which brings us to…Giants. This was from 2006 Burning Man. Several giant male and female statues were facing an oil derrick. The oil tankers shown at the beginning were from the same year. “Hope and Fear: The Future” was the theme.The human body has fascinated artists forever. Burning Man was blessed with these sculptures. There were three in the series. This was known as Truth Is Beauty.And she was beautiful at night as well as during the day. The sculpture was constantly changing color.R-Evolution was another of the three giant sculptures by Michael Cochrane. A close up. Note the internal structure, which also shows up prominently in the two photos above.And finally, Bliss. My favorite because she is obviously having fun.I’ll conclude with this close up. I had fun playing with both the form and colors. Like much that happens at Burning Man, these sculptures rightfully received world-wide attention. I was surprised to find that one of my photos even showed up in a French poetry magazine. (They didn’t ask, but they did give credit.)Next in the Burning Man Focus Series, we’ll take a look at the striking and unusual Temples of Burning Man.
On Thursday, I’ll post the next in my UT-OH! blog-a-book series: The tale of how MC the Cat barely avoided having his danglies cut off, which, much to his dismay, would have ended his tomcatting ways.
We are continuing our focus on Burning Man today with a look at the wild, whacky, weird (and, I would add wonderful) mutant vehicles that roam the Playa and make their way through Black Rock City every year. Other than official vehicles and bicycles, they are the only form of transportation that is allowed besides walking. Each year brings a new crop to admire as well as old favorites to appreciate. While who knows what 2026 will bring, my goal today is to provide a perspective of what is possible based on past years. The ‘mutations’ that people come up with are prime examples of the creativity that goes into making Burning Man special. BM encourages this artistic flare with mutant vehicles by requiring that they must be extensively transformed, unrecognizable from their original form. Throwing a few baubles on your vehicle and calling it mutant so you can drive around the Playa and Black Rock City doesn’t work.
This is one that does. Valentine’s Day may have come and gone a few days ago, but this polar bear at Burning Man would be the perfect way to deliver a rose to your sweetheart, regardless of the date. I guarantee she or he would be impressed. (Photo by our friend and fellow Burner, Tom Lovering.)Beyond transformation, safety is the other requirement for mutant vehicles. Factors such as sturdy railings to keep passengers from falling off and “radical” nighttime lighting are considered as well as the usual, like good working brakes. Special requirements are added for the many vehicles that spout fire at night. A 5 MPH speed limit is required as are rules pertaining when and where you can play loud music. BM maintains careful control over both the ‘look’ of your vehicle, its safety, and the number of mutants allowed. It starts with a detailed application process. Assuming you are granted a permit, your first stop at Burning Man will be at DMV (The Department of Mutant Vehicles) where a safety check is performed. Only then are you free to roam.
Following are photos of 40 different vehicles. While that seems like a lot for a post, they are easy to scroll though, heavy on photos, light on words. Enjoy.
El Pulpo Mechanical, a giant octopus that shoots flames out of its tentacles, is a long time favorite. Here, El Pulpo is waiting for the Man to burn, along with dozens of other mutant vehicles and 50-70,000 people. Folks sitting up on his arms have prime seats.El Pulpo Mechanical on the move.El Pulpo during the day. Most of the parts that went into building the giant octopus came from a scrap yard in Arcata, California.El Pulpo isn’t the only mutant vehicle to have a connection with the ocean. This hermit crab with its colorful shell would fit right in on ocean’s edge.While this angler fish with its strange dangly designed as bait to lure smaller fish into its scary teeth would be found between 200 to 2,000 meters (650 to 6,561 feet) under the oceans surface. It appears that the angler has caught dinner. It probably offered drinks. Photo from the Monterey Bay Aquarium of an actual Angler Fish. BTW if you are ever near Monterey, be sure to include the Aquarium in your visit. It’s magnificent. As ferocious as this guy looks, it would fit in your hand. You might lose a finger, however.Here are two more angler fish that were roaming the Playa.This one is camouflaged with a desert look. Note the bait. It’s designed to spout fire at night.This rather distinctive narwhal is also a creature of the ocean. This one came with what I assume was a captain’s cabin and some pretension of being a sailboat.A closeup of narwhal. Great lips, sneaky eyes.And now we come to a ship for sailing the seas, or desert, complete with three well-rigged masts. There are lots of mutant vehicle boats plying the Playa. Once upon a time, around 15,000 years ago, the Black Rock Desert was part of the huge, glacial ,Lake Lahontan that was 500 feet deep and covered a substantial portion of northern Nevada.A yacht lit up at night. Speaking of expensive boats, several billionaires have made the pilgrimage to Black Rock City over the years including Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Besos, Larry Page and Sergey Brin. In fact, for several years, there was a Silicon Valley Village at Burning Man. The yacht is an example of the radical nighttime lighting I mentioned above. When you are walking or riding your bike out on the Playa you want to be able to stay clear of large mutant vehicles.It isn’t surprising to find a mermaid at Burning Man…Or an alien. We came on this fellow with his rocket ship wearing Burning Man garb. He fit right in.ET phone home. Off “Da Hook!” was one of the most unique mutant vehicles we have seen.In addition to the polar bear featured at the top, numerous other mutant vehicle animals make their way to Burning Man. This is the cat car/mutant vehicle.A side view.The Cheshire Cat of Alice and Wonderland.A golf cart cat with blue balloons! (Photo by our friend Don Green.)Possibly a very large cat, with dreadlocks for a mane? The tongue makes a very comfy chair, but it reminded me of the angler fish. Beware!Along with the ‘dreaded’ lion, the wart hog is another African animal.As is the rhino. (Photo taken by our friend Tom Lovering.)Moving on to the domestic side of the animal kingdom, we found this large red rooster…And where there are roosters, one expects to find chickens.A friendly dog. Or is it a friendly bunny?An enormous cow. The guy walking beside the cow is required as an extra safety measure for the large mutant vehicles. This is a sparkle pony. The Burning Man definition of a sparkle pony is “a Burner who is under-prepared for basic survival but still manages to pack 2 suitcases full of fabulous outfits.”One scary looking unicorn.Giant rubber ducky…Steam punk duck. It shot fire out of its head at night. Your basic wooly mammoth. Note: Several fossil mammoths have been found in the Black Rock Desert.Even insects end up as mutant vehicles.A buggy bug eyes.A spider, I think. Check out the lips. Dragons are ‘big’ at Burning Man. We introduced this giant in our introduction to a Burning Man post.They can appear quite ferocious. Usually you will find them out on the Playa at night spouting fire.A rear view of the green dragon mutant vehicle.Peggy goes on a wild dragon ride— in her imagination. Not that she wouldn’t have tried it for real. (Photo by Tom Lovering.)Many designs were more ‘vehicle-like’ in their mutant sort of way, such as this steam engine house.Tom Lovering’s all time favorite mutant vehicle at Burning Man, the Victorian-like, Neverwas-Haul. (Tom took the photo.)Once upon a time, this would have been a school bus. As a mutant vehicle, it would have made riding to school a lot more fun. I can see the first graders screaming as they exited via the slide, and the principal turning three shades of red.Before it mutated, this giant VW bus named Walter was once a fire truck in the historic mining town of Jerome, Arizona.A steam punk mutant vehicle.A rear view of a hot rod mutant that found its way onto the Black Rock Desert one year.A high flying stage coach. Giddy up! Who needs reindeer…A smart car?Modern art.And in conclusion, the eye. It may win a prize for being the most unique mutant vehicle. We hope you’ve enjoyed our tour of mutant vehicles at Burning Man. We have featured lots, but they are a mere fraction of what you might see.Next Monday on our Burning Man focus series, we will feature some of our favorite sculptures.
Thursday’s blog-a-book memoir will relate how a greyhound and a black cat got banned from sleeping on my bed.
Do you feel a little bit nervous about what’s waiting for us in 2024 as we all travel around the world and the US— like maybe we will be up to our tail-bones in crocodiles? Peggy and I photographed this fine fellow on the shore of a small pond in Chobe National Park, Botswana.
2023 was a great travel year for Peggy and me with our trip up the Nile in the spring, 10,000 mile road trip around the US in the summer, and safari visit to southern Africa in the fall. I’ve been blogging about these experiences and will continue. I never get caught up, but, on the other hand, I never run out of material. Grin.
We also have fun travel plans for 2024. The highlight will be a three month road trip up the Pacific Coast from Big Sur to Olympic National Park. It will include some of the world’s greatest ocean scenery and is an area that I have returned to time and again during my life. A trip to the Everglades next month and a trip up into the New England states and possibly Canada’s Atlantic Provinces is scheduled for this fall. We plan on finishing off the year in Costa Rica for a month (or some other warm tropical place). Maybe we will be looking for a place to live…adding to our choices for “base camps.”
I’m a little nervous about 2024. Who knows what global warming will do to our travel adventures. We plan on being flexible. That’s one advantage of doing most of out wandering this year with our pickup and small travel trailer. At the first sign of a flood, forest fire, tornado, hurricane, or snow storm, we’re out of there! We will also memorize the earthquake/tsunami escape routes when we are driving/camping along the West Coast. One never knows when the next big one will strike.
Then there’s the election: No escaping that. We’ll do our bit to support rational, humane, environmental friendly decisions but keep it to a bare minimum on “Wandering through Time and Place.” Peggy’s and my focus will continue to be on the beautiful, the quirky, and the historical. We believe our followers deserve to have somewhere they can go that maintains a sense of perspective and humor. Speaking of humor, here are a few photos from this past year that possibly relate to 2024:
How’s this as an approach for 2024? Peggy and I photographed this ostrich in South Africa, a mile or so from the Cape of Good Hope. Was it burying its head in the sand or being hopeful? Actually, it was being practical, stuffing its mouth full of grass.If times really get bad, a nice mud bath may be the solution. It worked for the elephants and it worked for this warthog in Hwange National Park.Lacking mud, this buffalo we photographed in Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota last summer, opted for a dust bath! Whatever works. Is that an ecstatic grin on his face?This camel we photographed at the Pyramids seemed to have something to say about the situation…As did this cat hanging out in the Alabaster Mosque in Cairo.It’s more than likely that mud will be flung every which way as the campaigns get under way. This is from our trip to Burning Man last August.It’s likely to get deep!Maintaining balance may be challenging. We caught this giraffe drinking water in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe.Maybe we will get lucky, however, and Falcor, the Good Luck Dragon from “Never Ending Story” will come to our rescue. He was hanging out at Burning Man.Possibly there will be a rainbow along with all of the rain and mud as there was at Burning Man.And we will end up the year with a smile on our face like this small hyrax we found perched on Table Mountain overlooking Cape Town, South Africa. The hyrax’s closest relatives, BTW, are the elephant and the manatee!
Whatever happens, Peggy and I want to wish you and your family a happy and healthy New Year in 2024. And safe travels! Next post: We will take a look at the closely knit elephant family and the matriarchal society that holds it all together.
A robot boy and his dog check out the building of Medusa. She will show up in my next post. Beware of her eyes! (Well, maybe my next post— after I report on how the Russians used WordPress as a key tool in their efforts to disrupt the American elections of 2016.)
I often think about how are lives are impacted by robots. Peggy and I even have one of the small vacuum cleaners that runs around and cleans our floors and carpets. We call her, Robota. As I grow older, I look more fondly on the robots of the future. In 10 or 15 years from now when the world decides my driving leaves a bit to be desired, I am hoping there is a self-driving car sitting in my yard or readily available to zip me around to where I want to go. Next stop, Grand Canyon. Then there is the downside. Maybe when robots are given quantum computer brains, they will decide we aren’t necessary. I seriously doubt that they will approve of our ‘pulling their plugs,’ under any circumstances.
What’s the danger of a flower sniffing robot, however? This fellow was given one of Burning Man’s prime locations, just in front of the Center Camp Cafe bordering on the Playa. The woman provides some perspective on his size.
Fido appears a little questionable. Maybe she is howling at the moon.
It appears our robot is more sinister here. What happened to the rider of the bike he is holding? Is it time to run?
This robot looks like it was an extra in a 1950’s sci-fi movie.
No question here. Run for it!
Spotting this creature, I’d want a bunch of Burners between me and it.
I think the red eye glowed a dangerous red at night.
A bit more personality.
Aliens are another matter. Maybe they are already here. I’ve blogged several times about the UFO I saw over Sacramento circa 1968. If there are aliens, it seems obvious to me that they would show up at Burning Man. Think about it: a remote desert where it is easy to disguise yourself and people don’t care if you are an alien. Each year there are a number of candidates.
This guy shows up as a master of ceremonies every year at the annual costume contest. What better way to infiltrate Burning Man?
This one showed up in our camp and demanded a beer, an expensive beer. (Photo by Tom Lovering.)
I’ve always been suspicious of purple people. Remember, “He was a one eyed, one horned, flying purple people eater?” Or are you too young?
Or maybe their disguises are more subtle. Slap on a few tattoos and you can get into any party at Burning Man.
Flying saucers aren’t unheard of in the Black Rock Desert. One year we even had one crash.
How much more attractive can a flying saucer get? Aliens contracted with a group of kids in the Bay area to create this one.But then there was the crash…Rumors were that a human the aliens had captured was a notorious back-seat driver and had caused them to crash.The way she buddied up to aliens later seemed to confirm this suspicion.Undoubtedly part of the crew.Alien buzzards tend to be a little scary.And they may be the reason that there are so few alien bodies found. They are also known to snack on Big Foot, or is that Big Feet?
Enough on Invaders from Outer Space. My next post will feature invaders from Russia.
In 2010, Marco Cochrane introduced the first of his magnificent nude sculptures to Burning Man, the 40 foot tall Bliss Dance.
When I first ventured out onto the Playa on my 2010 visit to Burning Man, I was immediately drawn to a large sculpture of a nude woman that struck me as being beautiful and full of life. The sculpture, I learned was titled Bliss Dance and had been created by the Bay Area artist Marco Cochrane based on his model, the dancer Deja Solis. Bliss Dance would go from Burning Man to Treasure Island next to San Francisco and is now on permanent exhibition in Las Vegas. Here’s what Cochrane had to say during the unveiling of the sculpture in Las Vegas:
What I see missing in the world is an appreciation and respect for feminine energy and power that results when women are free and safe. It seems obvious to me that feminine energy is being suppressed and that this must change. If we are to find real, lasting solutions to the problems facing humanity, men and women must be able to work together as equals. Bliss Dance is intended to focus attention on this issue.— Marco Cochrane, Feb. 2016 press release
This sentiment also applies to the two other sculptures that Cochrane created for Burning Man as part of a trilogy: Truth Is Beauty in 2013 and R-Evolution in 2015. I consider myself privileged to have been at Burning Man on each of these years. Truth Is Beauty is now on permanent exhibit overlooking the BART station in San Leandro, California.
Truth Is Beauty at Burning Man in 2013.
An 18-foot rendition of Truth Is Beauty and several other art works from Burning Man were recently on display at the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery in Washington DC. An introduction to the exhibit stated:
Burning Man, one of the most influential events in contemporary art, is both a cultural movement and a thriving temporary city of more than 70,000 people that rises out of the dust for a single week each year in late summer in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. During that time, enormous experimental art installations are erected, some of which are then ritually burned to the ground. The desert gathering is a uniquely American hotbed of artistic ingenuity, driving innovation through its philosophies of radical self-expression, community participation, rejection of commodification and reverence for the handmade.
Nora Atkinson, the Lloyd Herman Curator of Craft at The Renwick went on to say this about the exhibit’s title: No Spectators
“‘No Spectators’ is a long-standing saying on Playa. You are encouraged to fully participate. It’s all about being there, being fully present, and not just observing. Two of the ten principles of Burning Man are radical participation and radical inclusivity, meaning that there are no outsiders. Everyone is part of the experience.”
If both of these statements seem a bit familiar, they reflect what I have been saying about Burning Man art and Burning Man in my posts over the last several years. In ways, I believe that Burning Man has been fostering a mini-renaissance in art and is now being recognized world-wide for its contributions.
R-Evolution, the last of Cochrane’s trilogy was actually scheduled to be exhibited on the National Mall in Washington DC between the Washington Monument and the White House. The group responsible for moving and installing the sculpture had written to me and asked for permission to use photos from my blog in a documentary it was preparing for the exhibit. The exhibit was cancelled. It may have been that the idea of a giant nude on the mall was too controversial. Anyway, here is one of my favorite photos of the sculpture:
R-Evolution at Burning Man in 2015.
Peggy (my wife) says what she loves about sculpture is that it is three dimensional art that you can touch and feel as well as see. One of her favorite things about Burning Man is that the art has an up-close and personal aspect, a hands on policy. Most museums have a hands-off policy. The three dimensional aspect of sculpture also has great appeal to me. I believe that that you should be able to appreciate sculpture from any angle. I’ll use the concluding photos on this post to further look at the three sculptures.
BLISS DANCE AT BURNING MAN 2010
TRUTH IS BEAUTY AT BURNING MAN 2013.
My friend Tom Lovering caught this beautiful shot.
At night, LED lights inside the sculptures light them up in a number of ways, changing every few minutes.
A final view of Truth Is Beauty.
R-EVOLUTION AT BURNING MAN 2015
One of my favorite views of R-Evolution because of the Black Rock Desert background. (Photo by Don Green.)
That’s it for today. NEXT POST: UFO’s, aliens, and a giant robot at Burning Man.
While partying, music and a unique culture draw thousands to Burning Man each year, it is the art such as this brass sculpture and the giant woman in the background that pull me back to the event year after year.
Today, and for my next several posts on my 11 years at Burning Man (2004-5-6-7-9-10-12-13-14-15 and 17) , I am going to be featuring my favorite Burning Man art, starting with sculptures.
First, however, I want to address the conflict between the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Burning Man Organization (BMO), which has been in the news recently. While recognizing the right and responsibility of BLM to protect the lands it manages, much of what it is proposing seems excessive given how BMO already addresses the issues that are being raised.
TRASH: BLM wants BMO to place large dumpsters throughout Black Rock City. Burning Man has always had a policy that Burners carry out whatever trash they generate during the week. And a very strict policy on keeping Black Rock City and the Playa clean. I commented on how trash-free the grounds were on the first post I ever wrote about Burning Man. I had never been to another event involving large numbers of people that could come close to matching it. That has not changed. Furthermore, a large group of volunteers do an inch by inch search of the grounds for trash following the event. Detailed records are kept and camps that leave an excessive amount of trash are put on notice. One camp was disinvited from further participation in Burning Man last year. When I visited Death Valley National Park during the time that President Trump shut down America’s National Park System in January, I found that visitors had left behind much more trash than I have ever seen at Burning Man.
Concern has been raised about Burners leaving their trash behind in surrounding communities. Burning Man presently lists the places that are willing to accept trash. Normally, communities, nonprofits, or private businesses charge five dollars per bag to properly dispose of the trash plus make a profit. Personally, I would see nothing wrong with creating a more formal structure and have BMO subsidize the efforts to the benefit of the local communities and Native American tribes in the area. It would be a much more positive solution than BLM is proposing. A win-win for all.
CEMENT FENCE: I don’t get the BLM proposal to force BMO to build a large cement fence around the event. As I have mentioned several times in my posts over the years, I spend a lot of time out on the edges of Burning Man. I like it out there. I am the only person I have ever seen ‘illegally’ cross the small fence that exists. And Black Rock Rangers were on me in a minute. Unless BLM has evidence that really bad things are happening out there in the remote area beyond what I am unaware of, the idea seems totally unreasonable and much more devastating to the environment than the present minimalist effort.
LIGHTING AT NIGHT: BLM is claiming that Burning Man creates light pollution and disrupts migrating bird patterns. BMO argues that birds are not migrating through the area at the time of the event. It would be interesting to see BLM’s backup data. It seems to me that an independent wildlife biologist could quickly resolve the issue. My own glance through the literature on the subject suggests that the main migration takes place in the spring when the area is flooded. I’ve seen a few birds in my years at Burning Man but nothing that would suggest major migrating patterns, and I would notice. The half dozen bird ID books I keep in my house and the ever present binoculars speak to my interest.
Night at Burning Man is a magical time complete with fire-breathing dragons and beautifully lit sculptures. The major burns, such as the Man, can light up the sky. Except for that, Burning Man is dark. Lanterns provide what light there is and they don’t extend into Black Rock City. I can guarantee that any city of 70,000 in America generates far more light than Burning Man. And Burning Man is only for one week. The issue I am not sure about is laser lights. Unless they are used to enhance art projects, my assumption is that they could be eliminated.
LAW ENFORCEMENT ISSUES: Taxpayers at the local, state, and national level should not be expected to subsidize the Burning Man event. Law enforcement agencies, medical care providers, and any other public entities that provide vital services at Burning Man need to reimbursed for any necessary and reasonable expenses created for them by the event. And BLM should be adequately compensated for the use of public lands. Looking at available figures, this seems to be happening. (It would be interesting to look at what BLM receives from the mining and ranching interests that make extensive use of public lands in comparison to what it receives from Burning Man.)
I have three concerns here. One, what is reasonable and necessary? Crimes such as assault and theft obviously deserve law enforcement attention. But what about broken tail lights or the private use of marijuana? Marijuana is legal in Nevada but not on federal land. But do we really want our law enforcement agencies focused on busting pot users? Alcohol is the drug of choice at Burning Man. Two, while it is important that taxpayers not be responsible for covering costs at Burning Man, neither should Burning Man be responsible for supplementing the budgets of government agencies beyond Burning Man costs.
Third, and reprehensible from my perspective, BLM now wants to set up a separate area where vehicles coming into the event can be searched by police without warrants or reasonable cause for drugs, i.e. marijuana, and weapons. I am sorry, but police state comes to mind. Here’s the Fourth Amendment: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. I, for one, will not return to Burning Man if this comes to pass, and it isn’t that I have anything to hide. Burning Man has a policy against both drugs and guns and does its own search when we enter the grounds. That’s bad enough. I find armed people entering my van without cause unacceptable and un-American.
I have tried to be fair here in my assessment. I recognize that BLM has a responsibility in terms safety and the environment. But I also believe that unless BLM can prove that its efforts are reasonable and necessary, they are more in the form of harassment, and may even evolve from a desire to eliminate the event. I hate to be overly paranoid, but if so, the question becomes, why?
I’ll conclude on a more positive note with the beginning of my series on Burning Man art. But, I will also note here, this art, and the opportunity for artists, is what will be lost if Burning Man is eventually forced to close its doors.
I’m not sure what these brass sculptures were suppose to represent, but I found them beautiful in the Black Rock Desert setting.Fantasy came to mind when I first saw this.Like much of Burning Man art, people were invited to be a part of the sculpture by climbing on it.A close up…And at night. You are looking at the type of light pollution you can expect at Burning Man.I’ve always found this simple sculpture made of bricks powerful.All types of media are used in the art at Burning Man. This is a carved wood sculpture of an Easter Island figure.From the front.The sphinx backlit by the sun.The Statue of Liberty, the symbol of American freedom and promise. ““Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…”A ninja warrior.A clay bust of Maya Angelo symbolizing her book, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.”This wild, metal dragon, guarding its egg has always been one of my favorite Burning Man sculptures. It was created by a group of women artists out of the Bay Area.The dragon with its egg.Lit up at night. The drama is increased by just how dark the Burning Man night is. I’ll conclude today’s post with this. When the egg opened and the baby dragon was born, it shot these flames into the night.
Deserts can have great beauty. The Burning Man festival is fortunate to be located in the remote Black Rock Desert of northwestern Nevada where it is surrounded by dramatic mountain scenery.
Situated on a flat playa that stretches out for over 100 miles, Burning Man is dwarfed by surrounding mountains and a vast, flat, desert floor. Once, the playa was filled with a huge, glacier fed lake that was over 500 feet deep. Wooly mammoths and Native Americans lived on its shore and called it home. Like other Great Basin Lakes, there were no outlets. Water that flowed into the lake stayed there and sediments carried in from the surrounding mountains sank to the bottom. As the climate changed, becoming hotter and drier, the lake dried up and the sediments became the base for today’s Playa.
By the 1840s and 50s pioneers and gold seekers from the young United States of America made their first forays into the desert heading for the goldfields of Northern California and Southern Oregon. The Applegate brothers created a trail through the Black Rock Desert that bears their name. I live in the Applegate Valley of Oregon beside the Applegate River, all named for the family. I also have family connections. Applegates and Mekemsons intermarried in the early 1800s.
Today, I am going to post several photos that place Burning Man in its Black Rock Desert surroundings.
I like this photo because it emphasizes how flat the Playa is. You can barely see the fence that marks the outer boundary of Burning Man. Art can be found even in this remote section but it takes a bit of effort to get there. The flat playa has enabled some land speed records to be set here. It has also provided a good base for launching rockets.Of course, I like to spend time out there given my love of wide open spaces, desire to escape the crowds, and interest in the art. Here I am on the outside looking in. It was shortly after this that the Black Rock Rangers, the Border Patrol of BMO, came roaring over in an official truck. I hopped the fence and zoomed off on my bike. (Photograph by Peggy Mekemson.)The Border Patrol is wise to be vigilant on the outer edges of Burning Man, however. Aliens are known to hang out there.Some even resemble cats. This doesn’t surprise me. I’ve always thought that cats have a taint of alien blood. It may be more than a taint. Have you ever found your cat staring at you in a strange way and wondered what alien thoughts were passing through its mind?Another perspective. Note the rain clouds. The Black Rock Desert receives less than 10 inches a year, which is the definition of a desert. At times, it seems like the majority falls during Burning Man! All traffic is stopped. A thick, caky mud clings to vehicle tires, bike tires and shoes. A small garbage bag worn on the shoes helps feet avoid the worst of it.We’ve seen some spectacular rainbows accompany the storms.Another example.My friend, Ken Lake, caught a photo of this double rainbow hanging over Black Rock City.The first rays of the morning sun touch the mountains surrounding Burning Man. Early morning and evening are the best time to photograph the scenery.A few minutes later.This sunrise photo is an example of how the large event is dwarfed by its surroundings.Another example.The sun sinks into the west, signifying that life at Burning Man is about to be seriously ramped upward. While many Burners think party as night approaches, others pause to enjoy the beauty.And beauty there is.As the sun sets, the moon rises.With a beauty and drama of its own. (Photo by Don Green.)I’ll conclude with this photo of the moon hidden by the clouds— a contrast in light and dark.
NEXT POST: I was reading Walter Isaacson’s book on Leonardo Da Vinci this morning and Isaacson was discussing how incredibly observant Da Vinci was. This led me to look up at our house from a slightly different perspective. I was struck by some of the weird things we collect and decided it would make a fun post. The next post: A Home Full of Whimsy… What’s in your House?
The point about wandering through Black Rock City is that you never know what you are going to find, such as a goat with purple hair wearing a sagging tutu and a bear necklace.
I spend the majority of my ‘out and about’ time at Burning Man on the Playa. That’s where the major art pieces are displayed, and seeing them is my primary reason for going to the event. Some, I return to several times to admire and photograph in different light. And there is night, where they take on a totally different personality.
Peggy and I always reserve a day for walking around Black Rock City, however. The same creativity found in the creation of art, mutant vehicles, and major camps is found in BRC as well. In fact, you never know what you will find, such as the goat above. In addition to the fun and curious, there are things to do, food to eat, more art, and camps to admire. People watching is also fun, as it is out on the Playa and at the Center Camp cafe.
I’ll let today’s photos reflect our walks over the years. Most of them were taken by Peggy and me, but some were taken by the two other photographers in our camp, Tom Lovering and Don Green.
Joy riding isn’t encouraged at Burning Man. This was an exception. (Photo by Don Green.)Safety on bikes is critical with 60,000 or so running around in BRC and out on the Playa. Bike crashes do happen, however, and it’s amazing there aren’t more. One year, bikers were invited to crash into empty boxes on the Esplanade.This guy welcomed Peggy and me with open arms..This fellow, not so much.And this creature stuck its tongue out at us. Looking at it now, I’m sorry I didn’t pose Peggy sticking her tongue back out at it.Hungry? The PB&J camp had a solution. Lots of peanut butter, several different types of jam, and bread! It was all free and is an example of Burning Man’s gifting philosophy.A close up.The Kentucky camp developed a Kentucky Fried Chicken theme one year and offered fried baloney sandwiches with a shot of bourbon— for breakfast. That woke me up…Restrooms, as it turns out, are a major focus at Burning Man. The reason: the restrooms are the modern version of an outhouse, the porta-potty. If you have ever used one, you know they are not the epitome of having a pleasant bathroom experience. There are banks and banks of toilets, hundreds of them. This is a view of the back side.Veteran Burners wait until they are cleaned. A whole fleet of trucks is kept busy.Another view. You want to camp close enough to the porta potties for convenience, but not too close!Humor is the best approach when it comes to outhouses. There was actually a bowling alley set up next to the toilets! As I remember, I rolled a strike.I’ll drink to that!In addition to large trucks running around emptying the toilets, water trucks are constantly watering down the roads to reduce the dust. Nothing stops the dust storms, however. One’s coming. Burners used to run along behind the trucks getting their daily bath and washing their clothes at the same time, assuming they wore clothes. I saw more than one naked person running by, giving a new meaning to streaking. Today, Burning Man claims the water is recycled from sewer operations, effectively putting a stop to the showers.Lest you think that Burning Man is a lawless party in the desert, there are police everywhere including the feds, DEA, state police, BLM rangers, and local sheriffs’ departments. It’s best to behave yourself!I am assuming that Burning Man is not a favorite event of the present administration in Washington, although Ivanka reputedly has a Burning Man photo in her office. Let me report, however, in my 11 years at Burning Man, I have never once seen an illegal alien cross over. I did once, however. How could I not, given Burning Man’s iron clad rule that no-one is to cross the barrier. Within seconds an official BMO truck was bearing down on me. A Black Rock Ranger yelled at my departing back: Do Not Cross the Fence! Be that as it may, bear with me and I will move on to more officially acceptable Burning Man activity you can see when you walk around BRC.Such as stacking blocks.Or playing a trumpet in drag…Or getting married on top of a bus…Or checking out Burning Man in a hot air balloon…Or riding a fish…Or having a free nipple covering business. Pastie Dan is close to a legend at Burning Man.Or checking out a Barbie Doll camp.Or reading the messages on a large birdhouse. Most had to do with being forgiven for something. Burners, apparently, have lots of regrets. Or wondering why the grinning dinosaur bit the woman’s head off.It’s hard to get bored at Burning Man, but if you do, there’s always a lending library of some type or other around. Books are free and there is never a requirement that you bring them back.The book mobile.Checking out people’s homes is an honored activity just about anywhere. Apparently, it was moving day for this Burner. You don’t have to be a large camp to have an interesting residence, even if it is only for a week. This gypsy type home was right across the road from us one year.And last, but not least, is Zsu Zsu’s Home. There was a suggestion on the side that you might want to give her a kiss. (Photo by Tom Lovering.)
NEXT POST: A look at the Black Rock Desert, home to Burning Man and Black Rock City.
The creativity that goes into making the mutant vehicles I have featured in my last several posts about Burning Man also goes into most other elements of of the event. For example, the Burning Man Organization, BMO, requires commercial media operations to check in and obtain credentials. BMO could put up a nondescript building for this purpose. Instead, this is what they built in 2015 to reflect that year’s theme, A Carnival of Mirrors.As I recall, the mouth opened and served as the door. I wondered if a person with a fear of clowns would go through the door.
If you have been following my Burning Man posts over the past couple of months, you now have a fair idea of what mutant vehicles look like. Today, I am moving off of the Playa and into Black Rock City, starting with a look at the structures built by large camps (villages). A camp is usually made up of people who share a common interest or background. All of these photos were taken during the 11 years I have attended the event: 2004-5-6-7-9-10-12-13-14-15 and 17. It is interesting to note that these structures are built to last one week, going up at the beginning of Burning Man and coming down at the end.
I never did find the name of this particular village, so, I called it Camp Bubbles. Note how the mutant vehicle at the right follows the camp’s white theme.The NOLA Camp recreates a bit of old New Orleans. There is even a cafe where free beignets and chicory coffee is offered to Burners.This structure provided shade for the Sacred Spaces Village at Burning Man one year.The entrance. Inside a variety of meditation options were featured.One year, a Burner who wanted to get married at Burning Man built this church for the purpose.The ceremony after the wedding. For those of you who follow the Bone story, Bone was also married in the chapel to Bonetta. Bone and the lovely Bonetta are married at Burning Man 2013.The Elvis Wedding Chapel offered an option. And no, I didn’t see Elvis wandering around Burning Man. But I wouldn’t be too surprised…Many camps build facilities that double as lounges or bars where free drinks are disbursed to Burners. This is the Shipwreck Tiki Lounge.I was particularly fond of these Teepees that were set up on the edge of the Playa along the Esplanade. The Esplanade serves as a division point between Black Rock City and the Playa. Most major camps are located along the Esplanade. Looking out from Center Camp across the Esplanade and out into the Playa.Vamp Camp was located within the city.As was the Firehouse with its burned out graffiti look.A number of camps along the Esplanade located on the outer edges of the city offer music venues, very loud music. Those are speakers. The DJ for this music venue had the nose of a 747 to spin his tunes.Celtic Chaos had a castle.Another music venue.Looking for a mystic experience? Camp Mystic is the place to be. Numerous classes were offered throughout the week.This was its mutant vehicle.This giant fellow (who may be familiar to you, except for his pink Tutu) was found lurking among the buildings. Maybe Kong was in disguise, or drag.I don’t know whose camp this was, but I liked the eagle with a large heart. Again, massive banks of speakers. I conclude with this jolly devil whose mouth provided an entry into the Kostume Kult.
NEXT POST: A view of Black Rock City outside of the large camps, out in the boonies where I lived.
Wandering through Time and Place 