A Look at the Art and Artists of Burning Man 2019, Metamorphoses

As of September 28, 2019.

We cover 140+ pieces here. Miss yours? Have a better photo? Please send them to us via email or Reddit.. Please specify what attribution you would like. We rely on photographers and artists for virtually all the information in this article, so please contribute!

Watch Why Art Thrives at Burning Man TED Talk.

Watch videos of the art: 4K art tour Retrospective of art (2011-2018).

1UP - Christina Anthony - Los Angeles, CA

From the artist: 1UP is an art installation that brings out the inner child in all of us. Playing on 8 bit design, we're bringing 80's nostalgia to life with wood and LED lights. 1up will be made of wood and will glow at night with retro 80's style lighting. The piranha plant center piece will be the largest element, reaching a height of around 16'. Other smaller pieces will be waist high, giving you the real feel of being Mario-sized. 

Adventure Mobiles - Stacey Newman Weldon - Corvallis, OR

Adventuremobiles offers the opportunity to hail a ride to whereever one’s imagination will go. Have a seat, close eyes and imagination does the rest! Hop on the bright, iconic yellow cabs, black town car or even the taxi of the future (the wooden platforms hold are tested to hold a few burners at a time!). Rest, play, dance! Enjoy the views of the Kostume Kult NYC themed frontage, the art nearby or look into playa at The Man.

Airfield for Walking in the Clouds - Weld Queen - Moscow Russia

Airfield for Walking in the Clouds is a model of an airfield, featuring ten “Armchairs for walking in the clouds”. Airfield for Walking in the Clouds is created by Weld Queen and a team based in Moscow. All parts of the installation will be created in Russia and sent to the playa via a sea container.

Andromeda Reimagined - Playa Muses - Bay Area, CA

In myth, Andromeda earned the god’s respect by her earthly deeds and was rewarded with celestial immortality as a constellation. We reimagine the Andromeda Myth, evolving it from a classic male hero focus to a strong feminine and collaborative paradigm. This art piece brings Andromeda back to earth, and asks, should we aspire to immortality? Can our fleeting actions ultimately stack up to monumental outcomes?

The piece, built by first-time playa artists, consists of a 26 ft spire, with ornate star-patterned walls. It shines like a Moroccan lantern at night, and beckons viewers to rest in a plush interior, seek shade, duck a windstorm. It incubates change. People come to reflect on their course, and to feel inspired to set their sights higher.

Archaeopteryx — Nicholas DeBruyne — London, United Kingdom

Archaeopteryx is an interactive kinetic light sculpture. Centered around the theme of evolution, it draws parallels between primordial nature and the human condition. Resembling bird wings in motion, ocean waves, wind in sails, or a bioluminescent ocean creature, the sculpture is a modular construction (approximately 10 x 5 x 7 meters) made primarily from timber.  It will also have kinetic parts operated by participants, functional communal seating, responsive LED lighting, and interactive projection mapping.

The work is brought to life through a unique marriage of both physical and digital means of collaboration:  Participants can physically activate the wheel that drives the kinetic motion of the wings.   Projected video of vibrant real-time graphics illuminate the moving wings, where users can interact with other participants in a digital microcosm.

The fabric wings become a canvas for participants to explore via live generative graphics inspired by the work of pioneering computer scientist Allan Turing.  As they are seated, pressure and proximity sensors detect and relay their presence into the projection canvas where one's virtual "cell" is able to grow, divide, and merge with other participants in real time.

The work is open to multiple interpretations.  We like the idea that it might help one to see and situate themselves in an evolving and connected world.  By drawing parallels between the primal nature of evolution and the current human condition, we believe it has a powerful message that empowers others to evolve towards a better future; one that is more inclusive, equitable, and harmonious.  From the individual to the collective scale, the theme encapsulates the characteristics of something much larger than itself.

Art Park - Olivia Steele - Berlin and Mexico City

Olivia Steele brought 11 pieces of art to the Playa in 2019. Her showcase piece departed from her well-known neon medium, using propane to illuminate “I wish you were here”.

Awful’s Gas & Snack — Matthew Gerring and Crank Factory — San Francisco, CA

Awful's Gas & Snack, Your Gateway to the Big Wild! See one of the few remaining gasoline stations, painstakingly preserved since the mid-21st century. Travel back to a time when hardy men roamed the "open road" seeking fortune & freedom.

Bee Divine Hive Temple — Elizabeth Huebner and The Hive — Fairfield, IA

The Bee Divine Hive Temple is an interactive participatory Temple dedicated to the Divine Feminine. Our aim is to actively engage the imagination of our participants through sacred play. We do this by inviting our female identifying participants to be guided into an ecstatic embodiment of their self-created sacred expression, and creating customized rituals of worship around that expression. We then invite all participants to engage with these representatives of the Divine Feminine, exploring and discovering their own relationship with the Sacred Feminine as witness and worshiper. 

Bee Dance - Andrea Greenlees - London (fabricated in Reno, NV)

Bee Dance is a 20 ft high and 25 ft wide tubular steel structure. It is designed to be strong and climbable, while appearing to sit lightly on the playa, akin to a bee on a flower. Work was fabricated at The Generator in Reno.

The Artist, Andrea Greenlees, and the Design Engineer, Josh Haywood, are both from London and the Lead Fabricator, Andy Tibbetts, is based in Reno where Bee Dance is being made.  Andy is ably supported by steelworker Skiland Judd.  Andrea's previous large scale artworks include the Cirque de Reflexions, 2015, Trasparenza, 2016, It's a Chicken and Egg Situation, 2017, and Bebot, 2018.  Josh's previous installations include the Hayam Sun Temple, The Arbour, The Lost Temple, and The Lantern.  Andy's previous works include the Clock Ship Tere, the Space Whale, and the Chicken and Bebot.

Bee or Not to Bee — Mr & Mrs Ferguson — Alameda, CA

Mr & Mrs Ferguson have brought memorable art to Burning Man, including Penny the Goose in 2015 and Ursa Major (Penny Bear) in 2016, which was part of the Burning Man: No Spectators exhibition at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. Their follow-up bear, Ursa Mater (Mama Penny Bear) for Burning Man 2017 was later displayed in downtown San Jose thanks to the joint effort of the San Jose Office of Cultural Affairs and Burning Man Project. Currently, Ursa Mater is presiding in a public park in Tahoe City, CA. Mr & Mrs Ferguson created a bald headed eagle for Burning Man 2018 using their trademark pennies and also nickels and dimes. The eagle, called Let U.S. Prey was also shown at SF Decompression. (More here)

2019 Project: The honey bee is big. Comparing yourself to this sculpture yes, but so is the contribution a bee has to the world's food supply. Don't be intimidated. Get close. Draw your hands over its body. It has long hair, curved limbs, penetrating eyes. You're not at all vulnerable, but the bee species is.

Our first new material, nylon industrial broom bristle. Appearing as the long delicate hair of a bee, they will be delightful to run hands through, yet durable to bounce spring back into form. This 8 foot tall Bee will be hand carved from styrofoam covered in yellow and black concrete.

Multi-layered, deep gloss painted black eyes will be a drawing feature, while the legs and feelers will be made with steel covered with foam and hair. The wings will be fine mesh aluminum.  The flower base is made of thousands of glass marbles, delightful to touch, a memory from childhood and durable. This glass marbles will also be the source that at night, where the bee is lit.

Our art installations are a visual trick that become a tactile experience. Touch is a sense often overlooked in our world of visual and audible stimulation. We have learned from past experiences with penny bears and penny birds that visitors stay longer with the art as they can touch and explore it. This year's use of broom bristles and marbles should deliver a unique tactile experience that we hope surprises participants once again. Some may realize that the bee hair is broom bristle and find that amusing but most participants will enjoy seeing and feeling cat's eye marbles as the flower. 

Bottled Up Genie - Valerie Elizabeth Mallory

The project is an elaborate giant wooden bottle with a captive Genie perched inside on a tree.  Genie is embedded in our consciousness as a creative, intelligent, mythological, guardian spirit. His magical role is to make dreams come true, thereby allowing something to happen that can't be stopped.

The piece is a 20 ft genie bottle painted a bright blue patina upon the open desert. On the surface of the bottle are human casts  as architectural reliefs. The cap of the bottle is made of three women casts holding a round lamp. Entering the bottle there's a petrified tree shape with a single genie perched upon the branches with a Book of Wishes at his feet.  Daylight will drift through  top windows painted with gold trim. At night the bottle will have colored lights reflecting off of the genie perched in a tree. A smoke machine creates steam at night. Genie is a human animal, sentient, immortal, ephemeral and spirit-like. Genie is a full cast from a real man. Casts are made from real people; there is a poignant realism about this. Burners bond to the casts on a human scale.  Circling the bottle is 6 lanterns.  At night colored lights light up Genie and emanate from the windows creating shadow work on the ground.

At the base of the genie's feet is a giant Book of Wishes. Participants may use this to write out their dreams.  This is a place to come to acknowledge wishes that are active affirmations of how we imagine our best selves into being.  Genie allows us to have no restrictions on our requests. Your dreams are not just your own, your dreams are connected with everyone else's. Some people will connect with the piece by getting very close to the figures for photos because the effigies are hauntingly, poignantly real. 

Past installations: The Garden of Relationships (2018); The Bridge and the Cage (2017); La Musa de Davinci (2016); Soulrefuge (2015); Womantree (2014)

Bounce Back - Sarah Gonsalves aka Sassy Galaxy — Los Angeles, CA

Bounce back a large scale, hand fabricated, pedal powered kinetic art installation that signifies resilience, juxtaposes order/chaos and industry/play and reminds us of the transformational magic of imagination while encouraging cooperation to achieve a spectacular visual and audio spectacle. The oddly paired elements of industry, science & leisure objects each carry weight, literally and metaphorically. Human interaction and patience is required to activate & transform the installation for each group that encounters it. It "sings" in beautiful notes when activated! For art on Playa, the challenge to create a visually stimulating yet contained art piece (no M(atter).O (ut) .O(f). P(lace)) necessitates function informing form and begs the question - which is more valuable, the solid infrastructure & human effort behind the spectacle, or the spectacle itself?

Broken but Together - Michael Benisty - New York, NY

Brown Chakra Project - Kyle Eding

After years of asceticism, I became enlightened with the epiphytic discovery a chakra previously unknown. I have been revolutionizing peoples’ lives with my knowledge of the Brown Chakra. A flowing Brown Chakra is the wellspring from which all life manifests. My followers and I hope to smear the message across the globe. The Brown Chakra Project is sculpture celebrating cathartic release through metamorphosis and whimsy in the transitory. Join us in relieving yourselves with the sculpture’s immolation. More fire in B.M. 2019!

BYTE - CampByteThis - Guttenberg

Underneath Chip and Terra will be cozy hangouts for lovable burners. Terra's belly will be lined with vibrant fur, illuminated by a heart shaped disco ball, for a comfy trip in deep playa.

Chip's belly will offer an artificial hanging garden of colorful leaves, vines and flowers, as well as a cargo net bed, made of power cords, for lazy days out of the beating afternoon sun. At night, the garden will be lit up with multi-colored ambient light.

Carousel Zarya — Alexander Dovydenkov and Carousel Zarya — Moscow, Russia

Carousel Zarya is a rotating, interactive art installation and ride. It is hand-powered, and the energy transmitted by the human motor flows into the creativity and joy of the people spinning on the platform.

Catharsis — Nova Ukraine (Non-profit group) - Seattle, WA

Catharsis is an art installation that represents an emotional cleanse. It's a four meter tall butterfly that's going to be built out of metal, wood and other material. mycatharsis.art, Facebook Page, Instagram 

Cathenge — David Normal — Stinson Beach, CA

Cathenge is a Cat Temple. Think tall, elegant, mystical cat statues, nine of them, standing in a circle like the standing stones of Stonehenge….

Standing 13' tall, the 3D printed sculptures symbolize the nine lives of cats. Each one is an interactive musical instrument which when touched and petted emanates harmonic purring frequencies. 18 lasers from 9 sets of eyes will, create a geometric array, a mandala of interweaving beams of light creating a tapestry of spiritual truths expressed as geometric patterns.

Listen to an interview with the artist here.

Centered — Darrell Ansted — Boulder, CO

"Centered" is an interactive day and night sculpture serving as a gathering space for participants to discover, climb, bike through, and play with light. Centered is seven 7'2" tall rings arranged in a line stretching over 60-feet long. Each ring represents one of the seven chakras, each of which represent different aspects of our life - the psychological, the physical, the energetic, and the spiritual. Each ring is painted and decorated with hidden words and meanings for the participant to discover. Centered will give the participant a unique opportunity to interact with this ancient Eastern tradition day and night. 

Chakra Cannon — Joshua Pipic — Oakland, CA

Chakra Cannon is interactive installation revolving around a large-scale "Light Cannon" powered by the human voice. The light source is a massive custom LED spot light with a liquid-cooled core. The cannon will generate a super bright beam of light that will blast upward into the sky when participants collaborate, making sounds into microphones to create a shared vibration. The installation encourages releasing one's individual chakra energy and using the sculpture as a conduit to channel the group's vibrations that will be visualized as a beam of light. This sculpture aims to communicate the true potential and beauty of our collective voice.

The lead artist is Joshua Pipic a Creative Director at Obscura in San Francisco, specializing in bringing large-scale installation art to special events around the world.  

Chapel of Chimes - Michael Verdon & Infinity Gathered - San Francisco, Washington DC, etc.

From the artists: The Chapel of the Chimes is a sacred space created from other sacred spaces. This installation includes the tablets from the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery's David Best Temple that was open to the public during their "No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man" exhibit, and parts of Temples from 3 Catharsis on the Mall vigils. These pieces have been publicly installed and touched by so many; they are coming home to where this tradition was ignited! It is with reverence, respect, and love that Chapel of Chimes will be installed at Black Rock City.

Bridging the gap between Black Rock City and its adjacent lands felt increasingly important, and, in 2015, the team built and burned a Temple at a public university in Fairfax, VA. Later that same year, they built and burnt a Temple at "Catharsis on the Mall", a Burning Man-inspired event focused on healing and community that is free to the public and inclusive of everyone that is held on the National Mall - across the street from the White House!  

The team consists of an ever growing number of artists and builders from across the globe. This crew has worked on numerous projects over the years in Black Rock City and beyond, but the creation of sacred spaces always brings us back. It is a beautiful experience to share; and, as it can facilitate transformation in us, we hope it will transform you.

We are metamorphosing these parts from caterpillar into butterfly in this last flight from DC to Black Rock City. We bring with it hundreds of thousands of prayers and wishes that need to be burned, transformed, and put to rest.

Chapel Perilous — Robert Leifheit and Enchanted Booty Forest — Los Angeles, CA

Artist statement: Only two walls of the ruins of Chapel Perilous still stand, sunken heavily into the ground over time. From the Black Rock City, the chapel appears dark and mysterious, but from inside, four stained glass windows and a large rosette illuminate the piece. Custom light patterns and ambient sounds engage visitors to learn more about the eight circuits of consciousness and the trappings of Chapel Perilous — a state one enters when facing truth that disagrees with their notion of reality. Once you enter, will you ever leave Chapel Perilous?

Circus Fabulae — Benjamin Jones and Populus Ludere — Brooklyn, NY

Circus Fabulae is a two story swing set with beautiful, custom designed mosaic roof and circular play space for performances of all kinds. At it's a heart a community space produced by a community of artists for the community to interact on. Circus Fabulae is a  whimsical colosseum structure of telephone poles two levels tall and 30' in diameter. Ladders are installed along the outside structure so that people can get up and down. 

The first level has six porch swings facing inward onto a circular performance space. The second level has six porch swings all facing outwards that can pivot inward to view the performances below. The ceilings will be etched/laser-cut panes of plexi-glass to create a stained glass effect. The floor and ceiling above the center performance space is cut away to give a view through to  the sky above. Each swing and roof panel will be designed and executed by a different artist or group. On the inside of the entire structure for participation encouragements will be written like "Tell a story"  or "Play telephone", in the hopes that the community will take the lead and initiate an interactive exchange.

Cloud Swing / Dream Swing — Lindsay Glatz, William Nemitoff and Miracle Wonderland Carnival Co. — New Orleans, LA

Cloud Swing consists of swings suspended from a glowing cloud. Through utilizing a ubiquitous symbol of childhood, the work remains accessible and unassuming. The swing itself generates feelings of nostalgia and simplicity.

Cone Down - Looking Up Arts - San Francisco, CA

Cone Down is a whimsical acknowledgment of life's little indignities. This fallen ice cream cone has a steel frame, with vacuum formed polycarbonate panels lit with LEDs. Cone down is climbable with a viewing deck on top. Inside of the ice cream scoop will be a padded 'chill' area which will be a delightful respite during the day. The LEDs will illuminate the scoop from the inside and out, so at night the 'chill' area will be a beautiful glowing room as you watch folks ascend and descend this tipped-over tasty treat. Ice cream to be served.

Cocoonap - Alona Ishchenko - Seattle WA

From the Artist: Cocoonap is a combination of two words: Cocoon and Nap. Installation-transformer, which smoothly changes its appearance and telling a small parable. This is a visualization of a metaphorical dream about the changing and cyclical nature of life, about what is its basis. Birth, flourishing, development, dissolution in eternity.

Connections - Oxana Belka - Chicago, IL 

The art piece represents the human experience.  We live in a symbiotic relationship where we influence and affect change in one another.  Through creativity, expression, and vulnerability, we are able to transform those around us, and they in turn transform us.

Corpus — Michael Christian — Berkeley, CA

Michael first attended Burning Man in 1996. Since then he has created icon large scale sculpture on the playa. In 2019, Michael brought two works to the playa. Elevation, a 2008 piece, returned. And he also erected Corpus: Muscles in tension or hyperstimulation. Strong exaggerated and dynamic. Larger muscle like forms branching from the base moving up into more chaoticuncertainpositions.Foldingandwrapping on, around and into itself. A voluptuous or sensuous feeling at its base, more visceral than cerebral, evolves upward into more chaotic experience.

Cosmo — Roger Heitzman — Scotts Valley, CA

Roger is an artist that specializes in wind sculptures. He will be bringing a large scale sculpture to the playa in 2019, a prototype of which can be seen at the video to the right. Take a look at his Kinetic Wind Structure Facebook page.

What we got vs. we were promised:

Critonium Clock — Alena Starostina — San Francisco, CA

This project examines the subject of time with a purpose to challenge our perception of the accuracy of clocks. This sculpture is to discover ways to distort time, exaggerate perceptions or to embellish the estimation of time, all within the shifting sands of Playa time.

Desert WAVE — Anthony Rowe and Squidsoup — Cheltenham, United Kingdom

From the Artists’s Blog

We are super-excited that a new variant of our WAVE project has been selected for one of this year’s Black Rock City Arts Honoraria. We’re going to be putting a DESERT WAVE in BURNING MAN!! Details of the announcement here

Wave (the original piece) was initially commissioned by Salisbury Cathedral, and has since been shown at Southampton, Birmingham and Dundrum (Dublin) Light Festivals.

Many more pictures here and here

Diver UP - Victor Spinelli - Ibiza, Spain

The inspiration and symbolism behind “Diver UP” refer to the Age of Aquarius, where metamorphosis and spiritual awakening lie in the air. The combination of an industrial helmet juxtaposed against the feminine form in its purest state highlight the contrast of man-made versus Mother Earth. The motif shows the Goddess freeing herself of the controlling force that has been imposed on her, a metaphor for society, history and mankind. The intention of “Diver UP” is to open up a conversation about a new world of equality and, within that, the divine feminine goddess celebrating womankind and mankind in unison. A beautiful new world that invites/allows/accepts/celebrates everyone for their individuality as part of the NOW.

I created the Original image of Diver UP on the magical Isle of Ibiza, in 2005. The connection between Ibiza and Burning Man is a very beautiful and spiritual one. Both with their own cacophony of pirates, merrymakers, hippies, and all other sorts of funny little earthly beings.

Dwelling - The Movers - San Francisco, CA

The Dwelling is an outer playa art installation for Burning Man 2019. It is an alien spaceship that is stranded in the playa. From the outside, it looks like a 6 foot tall shiny metallic gem, half buried in the ground. Its metal surface changes color. From some angles, it blends with the playa. From others, it shimmers pink and green. At night, the gem’s edges glow in pulses of color.

As you step in, immediately in front of you there is a journal, written by someone calling herself “The Pilot.” Her journal, carved into metal sheets, tells the story of The Pilot and The Companion. It tells how they came here, and what they are seeking. The interior of the craft is her home, and she has filled it with objects she has gathered and made through all of her travels through the different layers of reality. Costumes she has worn, friends she has made, and an alien map of all of the places she has been decorate the walls. A control panel nestles in one corner.

You can come into her home and rest, try to make sense of the alien objects inside, or hope for her to return. Many things inside are not designed for us. Our hands do not fit on the controls, and our eyes cannot see all of the markings inside. What does she look like? Will she come back? Come visit and see.

El Diabla - Crimson Rose and Iron Monkeys - Seattle, WA

On the first Monday of the event, Crimson Rose extracts a flame from the Sun to light a fire in El Diabla, a special cauldron located in Center Camp. For the flame to continue burning it must be stoked, disturbed, and kept alive throughout the entire week.

We encourage all those that encounter El Diabla to help keep this flame alive. The flame from El Diabla is used to light the temple.

Electric Dandelions - Abram Santa Cruz

Electric Dandelions are three 23-27 ft tall dandelion sculptures that double as fireworks at night. They come with a sound reactive controller and are iPad controlled.

Elephantes: Hommage au Dali — Jack Champion — Oakland, CA

In 2016, Jack Champion brought his first solo artwork to the playa at Burning Man: a group of five resin crows collectively called Murder. Champion later cast this pair of sturdier, oversized bronze birds in the image of the originals.

In 2019, Champion intended to bring Elephantes: Hommage au Dali to the playa. However, the truck and trailer that included his work was stolen shortly before heading to the playa. One report noted: “ack had come down to check on them and was shocked when he saw a person in the driver's seat of his truck, and of course it then dawned on him. So he ran to the truck and grabbed onto the truck racks, the thief drug Jack through the streets for several blocks.”

Media coverage can be found here.

Expansion Pavilion — Shrine — Pasadena, CA

Facebook; Instagram; Website

Fan Coral — Bryson Allen — San Diego, CA

Fascination — Joe Culpepper — Montreal, QC, Canada

"Fascination" is defined by the OED as either the "casting of a spell; sorcery, enchantment," or "the state of being under a spell." Magic and optical illusions require interaction from spectators to exist. Fascination gives wanderers of the playa the opportunity to engage with it passively (by watching its magic effect from afar) or actively (by using their own muscles to power the illusion for others). Some may choose to try out both of these modes of engagement thereby switching between the roles of the magician (the illusion-maker or fascinator) and the spectator (the perceiver or the one fascinated).

Dr. Joseph Culpepper is a performance scholar, magician, and magic consultant from Montreal, QC, Canada.

Flow Nexus — Nick Heyming and The Emerald Village — Vista, CA

Nick Heyming first attended Burning Man in 2006, and has been involved in other playa projects, including in 2007 helping to build a massive solar array in the shape of the Zia sun to power the man, setting up time-lapse cameras, and preparing for interviews of all the technologists arrayed under the man. In 2017, Nick brought a mobile flow tool library to the playa (as well as his regional burn Youtopia).

The Flow Nexus will be a place for burners to gather and get out of their heads and into their bodies.  This multi-tiered exploration zone allows for participants to learn and flow using hundreds of publicly available fire and movement arts tools and balancing equipment.  By day, the shade and the flooring provide respite from the sun for impromptu workshops, by night the play zones will be lit with the glow and fire of dancers of all skill levels and backgrounds.  The goal is for ultimate accessibility and fun - anyone can play and try whatever way of moving strikes their fancy.

Fragments, 2019 — Marc Ippon de Ronda and ATO Designs Studio — Paris, France

Marc Ippon de Ronda is an internationally recognized artist. He questions space, movement and time through light sculptures and abstract pieces. Alongside his artistic production he has worked on immersive stage designs as well as digital art experiences as creative director of ATO Studio. Fascinated by the human eye and vision, his work is focused on the perception of light as a limit to reality.

Fragments will direct the citizens to the gift of sunrise and sunset along the Black Rock City's horizon line." Creating the artpiece means building a central staircase leading to the sun and surrounding shards reaching 32 feet high with mirror and Video LED. The artist gathered a team of talents including ATO Designs's creative studio based in Paris and Rbhu’s engineering firm in the US who helped design numerous stunning artworks on the BRC sand. The team is working hard on making the artwork come to life. Follow fragments on Instagram.

Fucking Useless — Amy Lamboley and Don’t Trust Wizards — San Francisco, CA

Artist description: The useless box was invented by artificial intelligence pioneer Marvin Minsky to make a philosophical point about information theory. Almost immediately, his small black box that didn't do anything but turn itself off, started fascinating thinkers and tinkerers. Science fiction author Arthur C, Clarke described it as  "unspeakably sinister", and DIY electronics enthusiasts popularized it as an approachable project for beginners.

Our gigantic take on the useless box will be activated when four people simultaneously play with the interactive elements that surround it. Like all useless boxes, turning it on will accomplish only one thing: a hand that emerges to turn itself back off. But unlike most useless boxes, our box is going to start getting really annoyed that you won't just leave it alone...

The box, and the surrounding smaller elements, will be covered with translucent black acrylic. By day, they'll be shiny, inscrutable cubes gleaming on the playa. At night, individually addressable LEDs beneath the smooth exterior will light up with rainbow patterns that increase in intensity the more the box is used.

FUTILITY FIGURE - Faye Schoolcraft - Nevada City, California

FUTILITY FIGURE is an abstract figurative sculpture, thirteen feet tall with a stainless steel patina.

Garden of Bright Children - Gudenky - Kiev, Ukraine

‘The Garden of the Bright Children’ is a group of fire ceramic figures. They are children with oil candles burning inside. When one comes closer to admire them, the children give off light. When one turns to them to get some warmth in the night, the children raise their hands to him/her. 

There are two ways to interact with the art. The first one implies that everyone can visit our ##Darkart camp to create his/her own child, widening the range of the figures every day. The second way is to interact on playa with the previously prepared children. One may wander across the garden of the children, examining them and warming his/her hands and touching them.

Through our art we would love to bring joy and warmth to people’s lives.

Giant Harmonic Pendulum - Gyuszi Suto - Hillsboro, OR

A harmonic Pendulum of 12 RGB LED illuminated transparent bowling balls. The installation will about 10′ tall. A set of electromagnets releases the pendulums simultaneously. The starter person lights a fast burning cannon fuse that slithers through the dust of the playa, then runs up the frame and triggers an electronic release signal. Each pendulum will have a slightly different swinging period. They will all start together and then slowly deviate and exhibit sine-wave patterns of various shapes and eventually coming back into synchronization 3-4 minutes later. Each translucent ball is illuminated from the inside with color LEDs in various light patterns, as well as the entire structure will also have its own LED show.

Giant Pinball Machine — Benjamin Newman — Roseville, CA

Benjamin Newman lives and works with his wife and two sons near Sacramento, California. His art reflects a passion for vintage transportation parts and the natural world. Recently, he completed a book titled Recycled Insects.

I Love You - WhIsBe - Brooklyn, NY

“I LOVE YOU” will be a large light installation.

Taking a look at this year’s theme, this neon sculpture can serve as a playful counterpart, with its engaging interactivity and constantly changing meaning, it provokes Metamorphosis.

Using a subversive formula of colliding seemingly innocent images with meaningful messages, my subtle alterations to known designs irrevocably disrupt their meaning. This juxtaposition between the nostalgic and sinister has become a hallmark of my body of work—in presenting attractive images that viewers initially feel safe absorbing, I cleverly and strategically encourage them to examine their own critique of their feelings and emotions related to present day culture along with the principles of Black Rock City.

Intersection X - Invisible Pink Unicorns - Moscow, Russia

This art installation is a real-size intersection with traffic lights, lanterns, road signs, and a bus stop with ads (you can put on yours!), postbox (send us a letter!) and DJ lineup/BM events plans (have a look while you wait for your artcar to arrive).

By placing such a familiar for the urban eye installation into the foreign landscape of the Playa, we aim to conjure a feeling of a mirage in the desert, as two realities overlap each other and travelling between them is made possible. The most usual thing – the intersection – is may be the last object you expect to see at Burning man. It contradicts with other art objects, enhancing the feeling of you being in another reality. 

This intersection is much more than a mundane street a person knows from their everyday life. Upon closer inspection, the intersection seems to have appeared from a parallel universe. The universe where Burning Man expanded beyond the trash fence, found a way into the urban realm, and modified it.

In this world, unicorns can be found side by side with robots and the city interacts with its inhabitants in a casual way. In this world, the green man on pedestrian crossing lights does not just indicate when one can safely cross the road, but suggests that activities such as meditation or hugging a stranger next to you as well as unicorns are rightful participants of the traffic.

We want to make The Intersection a place of attraction for burners’ activities, the bus stop – a meeting point, and the lineups schedule will help to plan the day. On The Intersection, burners will be able to send mail or leave an ad about interesting activities in their camps. We will also invite music, food and art projects to be guests on our intersection. Oh, and there is a Big Red Button you can push if you want a mutant vehicle to pick you up and take you on a ride! (we can’t promise it will though). 

For most of us, the world of Burning Man and the everyday world are parallel universes, and The Intersection represents our dream of a place where these realities meet and exist simultaneously.

I.L.Y. — Dan Mountain — Portola Valley, CA

I.L.Y.. It will be 27ish feet tall. It will have a steel framework. The fingers and hand will move. There will be flames and pyrotechnics. There are more secrets and surprises.

Inter-dimensional Enchantment - Sarah Sekula - San Rafael, CA

The environment is designed as a place to relax and be transported into a magical realm. The tree will be accessible inside a 7’ x 10’ x 8’ room. The entrance will be a small door leading to a bed-like surface for people to rest on, while gazing up at twinkling LED's in the ceiling. People will be invited to write a few words about how they feel in the space, and string the notes on the tree's branches. 

From the artist:
When I was younger, I knew fairies and elves coexisted with our tangible, physical world. I had a friend convince me that just past the hedges in her front yard and around the corner, there was a place where trolls lived. It wasn’t only me that knew these things to be true, but the way in which I saw this world was different from anyone else’s. In a further search for fantastical mystery, I asked my brother to dig a hole for me on the top terrace or our backyard: it was to be a portal into an Alice in Wonderland-like world of crazy magic. I believed it would be the entrance to this world. I imagined walking down wooden steps leading to this new dimension. I would fill my head with magical energies. For me, the excitement of these moments linger: I have never outgrown that feeling of a glorious fifth dimension that exists-but like a tip-of-the-tongue-stumble- is frustratingly difficult to articulate with a name or word. And that brings me to the inspiration of this fantastical installation. It began with the memory of a long-ago hike with my dad. He brought me to a withered tree where tiny trinkets were placed inside a hole where a branch used to be. I felt like the collective energy from the people that contributed to it was enough for anyone to believe in Magic. My world was filed by fairy tales that spoke to this enchantment. However, parts of it still felt fuzzy to me. As much as I searched, I was never able to find the clear entrance. This project represents a marriage between childhood discoveries and the nourished-embellishment of time. By creating this alluring fantasy, I am opening the door to the world that lives within my mind, and manifesting it into reality.

Internal Exposure — Jessica Levine — South Lake Tahoe, CA

Jessica Levine is a metal sculptor from South Lake Tahoe, CA, who is interested in the idea of reality in physical space versus the one that exists within the mind. Never quite feeling “real” even as a child, she creates art to bridge the gap between the space inside her mind and the space in the physical world her body (and so many other bodies) reside in. Jessica studied fine art and sociology at the University of California Santa Cruz, where she found her unexpected interest and area of focus in metal fabrication. In her sociological studies, she discovered that many ideas humans perceive to be truths are actually learned ways of thinking, further inspiring her exploration of ideas of reality through art.  Jessica has exhibited her works at festivals internationally and completed private comissions.

More information on Jessica Levine’s 2017 & 2018 playa projects here

Island of Lost Buoys - Lillian Heyward; a Create Change Project - Bluffton, SC

On the playa is an Island, a wooden tree dominates the center made of recycled pallets, crates and drift wood. Leaves of sculpted plastic bottles rustle in the wind. Strung from a branch is a hammock made of fishing net attached to a ocean buoy marooned on the beach. Hanging from the branches are sea buoys and balls providing a place to write names or leave a message to those who will come after. 

Hanging from branches are bamboo wind chimes that softly clatter in the breeze. It is an island, a refuge, a place of calm and childhood in the stormy seas of life. It appears out of the playa as a mirage, the fantasy playground of youth. Discarded materials transform into an oasis, as our adult lives transform back to childhood. Bangarang!

Joy Cat - Rebecca Totman and Love/Hate Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA

From Joy Cat:

Joycat 2019 was borne from a deep desire to transmute the whole-body emotion of joy to the infinite masses. Through the powerful alchemy of Prana Vinyasa Yoga, Meditation, Shamanic Practices and Art, artist Rebecca Totman has been working on transforming her own fear from personal trauma and societal constrictions into freedom and joy. And now, it is time to share! Joycat 2019 is intended to be a vehicle for the metamorphoses of fear into joy for every individual who participates in her creation and interacts with her; whether in-person or via the Burning Man Webcam/Website or social media. Follow on Facebook @joycat2019 and Instagram @rtots.

Kaleidoscope Kandeo - Deniz Nicole, Krista An & Michael Hartmann - Ventura, CA

Kaleidoscope Kandeo was a 20 foot tall faceted teardrop-shaped tower that illuminated the playa's evening skyline. Gazing upwards within the hexagonal interior, participants observed a colorful glass gem suspended above a conical mirrored structure. Participants were invited to create a shared experience with each other by powering & observing the spinning gem box. The artists sought to create a sense of childlike wonder that so many adults lack access to. Utilizing spinning elements, sparkling lights, & places for hands to tinker, they induced a somatic response by asking participants to witness the spectacle above & create the same awe and wonder a child feels when it looks into a kaleidoscope. Kaleidoscope Kandeo created an environment primed for these moments of connection & play.

Klein's Playground - Klein's Playground Collective - Berkeley, CA

Klein’s Playground is a rendition of a Klein bottle made with 2×4 wood. The base is a bulb that converges to a tube at the top. This tube folds over and intersects the base to form a non-orientable surface. The structure is completely climbable. Participants are able relax inside the base or explore other interactive experiences at higher levels.

Koro-loko - Emily Nicolosi and Ian Robinson - Salt Lake City, UT

Koro-loko, or “heart place” in the universal language Esperanto, is a sanctuary to reflect on the action of love. In our koro-loko, you will discover an 8-foot tall billowing heart filled with thousands of tiny dichroic plexi-squares refracting a rainbow of light in all directions. Benches under light posts encircling the heart will provide a place to hunker, hang out, and daydream. 

Like the exuberance of colors reflected by this heart, always-present and ever-shifting, this heart conjures the thousands of expressions and materializations of love we uncover in the human experience.

The heart structure will be built out of a steel frame, which will be minimally visible to the viewer, with clear cast acrylic rod ribbing in order to support and provide the shape the wire net fastened around it. A dichroic Plexiglas square will be attached to each 2’’ square in the wire netting, with over 4,000 total squares. 

Lead artist Emily Nicolosi and build lead Ian Robinson are building this project over the summer in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are supported by their camp, The Pink Spot- an old school crew that loves interact as much as possible and get everyone on The Big Bunny, our art car.  Follow them on Instagram

What we got vs. what we were promised (last image):

Le Metamorphose Des Animaux Extraordinaires — Esmeralda Nadeau-Jasso — Winlaw, Canada

Le Metamorphose Des Animaux Extraordinaires will be a lifesized pop-up book, which will not only be whimsical but is also designed to teach about a few of lesser known creatures of nature.

A video of her vision can be found here and a video of the final project can be found here.

Level Six - Dan Zahn, Los Osos, California

Six unique wooden eggs ranging in sizes from one foot tall to six feet tall will be hidden throughout the Playa and within Black Rock City. Discover one, and it will provide clues to find another. This is the first of six levels. 

The largest egg will be located somewhere in the middle of the playa and have intricate geometric designs cut out of it that double as clues. It will sit on a large metal pole and serve as a beacon for those who choose to participate in this experiment. Make sure to be around on the night that this main egg is lit on fire, only to reveal a secret sculpture and special clue for later levels. 

The smaller eggs will open/unlock and hold a cryptogram that is part of a larger puzzle. Pass this first level, and create your own Playa Player Character (PPC) which you will morph into when engaging in the remaining levels. Your PPC will receive a special armband and a specific mission to complete by the end of the week. When you are playing the game, wearing your armband will signify to other players that you consent to interactions. But beware; while some players are trying to find you to collaborate, others will be on the hunt and trying to take over your mission. 

Want a night off from the shenanigans? Remove your armband and even if another player recognizes you they must leave you alone. This is a multi-year interactive project providing participants with an opportunity to unlock hidden layers to Burning Man that they never knew existed until now! Been looking for a way to change up your routine at Burning Man? Looking for something deeper? A real challenge? Meet new allies and adversaries while you try to unlock the next level, each of which are completely different and require more and more…participation.

Want to get even more into it? Sometime early this summer we will launch a website where you can enter as much information about your PPC as you want. People who join the network before the burn will receive special missions and story-lines so they can really get into it. Like anything else, the more you want to put into this experiment, the more you will be able to get out of it. So help us make this project possible and see how deep the rabbit hole goes!

LOVE - Laura Kimpton with Jeff Schomberg - Venice, CA and Reno, NV

Rainbow LOVE is celebration of love — reminding us that everyone should have the right to love who they love, and to love themselves.

Lumina - Sarah Holden - Los Angeles, CA

Lumina is a refuge that casts colorful patterns of light and shadow. The piece gives participants a chance to sit and watch colorful lanterns sway in the wind while music boxes fill the space with a nostalgic noise. During the day it provides shade and some relief from the sun, while at night provides a soft shadowy beacon or meeting space. The Instagram page is here. Here’s Facebook.

Mariposita — Chris Carnabuci — Cold Spring, NY

Chris has previously created a smaller scale egg as part of the Fabergé Big Egg Hunt New York in 2014. He will bring a larger version of this concept to the playa in 2019.

Mariposita, or Little Butterfly, is a 26 foot tall sculpture depicting a female figure emerging from a newly hatched egg, grasping the edge of the shell and propelling herself forward. The piece represents transformation and rebirth. The sculpture will be built out of stacked plywood, utilizing 3D modeling and CNC fabrication techniques. 

A good news story on the creation of Mariposita can be found here. Learn more about the project here.

MEGACAKE - The Piece of Cake Crew - Norfolk, VA

MEGACAKE is a multi-tiered installation art piece, with large platforms that participants can stand on. A smaller version has already made an appearance at a regional burn.

Mega Mega - Kevin Bourque - Los Angeles, CA

From the Honorarium Grant proposal (provided by artist): Theme: Expectation vs Reality. A two-part project: A BILLBOARD advertises the promise of a wondrous amusement park way off in the distance… THE SITE is not that: instead, an unfinished noisy construction site disappoints at first glance. but hidden within: a twist on the promised adventure.

This is a two part project that work in tandem.

Part 1: THE BILLBOARD: A classic roadside billboard with a detailed drawing of a steampunk inspired rollercoaster, merry-go-round, Ferris Wheel and midway. A flashing arrow points to:

Part 2: THE MEGA MEGA INSTALLATION: An "unfinished" 40 x 40 ft. construction site is fronted by the same billboard but with a banner stating "COMING 2020". The site is walled off by 8 foot tall plywood. A crane towers above, dangling a partially built roller coaster. Construction noises emanate from within. Progress windows in the sides (LCD Monitors) display the supposed interior of the site but only reveal stop motion animated toy trucks at work. A secret door and an interior tunnel, like those found on sidewalks under scaffolding, leads to an upper level deck for viewing the "construction". The walls are plastered with "OSHA" posters and hard hats/vests line the entrance next to a punchclock. Giant letters on the inside wall reveal a hidden message.

Metamorphic Cinema- Farzaneh Bahareh Safarani - Walpole, MA

Metamorphic Cinema will consist of a front wall covered with a large painting (16'x.8'), featuring the desert’s horizon. Onto the painting, a sunrise, sunset and subtle motions of sand will be project, along with other projections, including: birds flying, clouds moving, and a thunder storm.

We believe the project was cancelled. Please send us any information you might have on the project’s status.

Metamorphatoad -Taylor Trinket - South Lake Tahoe, CA

METAMORPHATOAD is a giant toad. Its inspiration is toad medicine.

Its bones are made from steel bar that have been welded together geometrically. Then it was sculpted using chicken wire. A game of sanding and reapplication was played. Fiber glass resin was applied, until the toad felt ready to be painted (dressed). Finally being covered with a shiny lacquer finish. What we got vs. what we were promised:

What we got vs. what we were promised:

Night Light Tree — Kat Smith — West Hollywood, CA

The Night Light Tree shines brightly during the day, reflecting the sun’s rays across the playa. The tree is composed of bronze wires that twist up and out of the gemstone base. Each branch holds several different gemstones. The gemstone base towers at 7 feet tall. In the day the sides of the base are reflective, but at night the base turns into 7 infinity boxes containing lights, gemstones, and tree roots. The tree’s branches will dance with light as well.

Niloticus — Peter Hazel — Reno, NV

Peter Hazel will return to the playa in 2019 with a 40 foot long mosaic crocodile. Prior work: 2017, 2015

Nirmanakaya — Michael Emery — Santa Cruz, CA

Nirmanakaya is a 7′ tall rectangular monolith. The monolith is covered in ceramic tile. The tile are sculpted and carved and stamped to create a hieroglyphic storyline. The monolith appears to be in a state of transformation as it becomes engulfed with vines. The monolith has a window in it. The monolith is flanked by two smaller cubes. Each cube as well as the window in the central monolith contain a human head in a state of metamorphosis. Two microphones fitted with voice synthesizers are placed below the window on either side of the monolith. The voice synthesizers guide speakers through a continual process of vocal transformation. There are two seats placed on either side of the monolith. There is a “metamorphic” audio montage.

No Place Like Home — Trey Watkins, Mara Greenberg, Alan Becker and Frogma — San Francisco, CA

In prior years, the artistic team has brought fire to the playa in the form of kinetic sculpture. (see 2017, 2015, other work).

In 2019, they intend to expand their work with an installation featuring a farm house in poor repair, with a whimsical path leading to a fire feature.

O.A.S.I.S.C.A.F.E. - Jeremy S. Smith and OASISCAFE Lunar Module Project Crew - Salt Lake City, UT

O.A.S.I.S.C.A.F.E. is a full size, artistic representation of the Lunar Module that first landed on the moon in 1969. The lower half, or Descent Stage, will house various sub-installations related to the theme of the piece. The upper half, or Ascent Stage, will be constructed to look and feel similar to the actual Lunar Module, to experience what the astronauts lived in while on the moon.

Our Mission is to remember the biggest and most daring adventure humanity has ever taken. It is to allow the younger generations to connect with and understand what has just been a fact of history that happened before they were born. It’s celebrating something that humanity will still be remembering and celebrating 1000 years from now.

Owl’s Nest - Vlad Sofronov and Daria Generalova - Bear and Owl - Vancouver, BC

From the artists: We made Owl’s Nest out of driftwood, which was mounted on the steel rebar frame. It had heated blankets for cold nights and played bird sounds for the complete audio-visual experience. We were also renewing ziplocks with dried fruits and nuts hidden in the branches for the nest guests to snack. 

We picked the size of the nest so two people would be comfortable inside but close to each other (though we heard reports of 7 people hanging out there at once). The lighting was made of LED rope light and everything was powered by 2K silent inverter generator. We had to build it in Washington state, from wood collected on one of the beaches there. The reason for that is that you can't bring wood across the border, because of the bark and agricultural reasons, you just can't. So, first of all, we had to weld the frame in Vancouver (thanks to our friends at Vancouver MakerLabs ) and bring it across the border to Washington state.

O NOME DA ROSA – Solar ignition fire & mechanical energy generator — Nuno Paulino & Artelier? TNR Studios— Loures, Portugal

Artist note:

“The Rose is "the Godess’s" playa name, a fire sculpture waiting for the sun. After traveling 97 million miles in 6.8 seconds, the Sun's ray arrives to the desert concentrating power in the Fresnel lens center, producing...Fire. Time to put the Rose upside down and see the goddess burn in a perfect fire beam shape. Night and day inspiring presence, an impactful Art Form, and a sun and Bioenergy generator all built in sustainable materials because we believe that there´s no true aesthetic without an ethic.”

Ilustration and art : Jose Baetas : 3dArt : Eduardo Caramujo : Assistence : Tiago Poeira 

Read about the lead artist here: Article on artist in Portuguese

Paraluna — Christopher Schardt — Oakland, CA

Enough said? One of the best installations returns in 2019.

Penguin Colony and Acavallo Roost — Quill Hyde and Acavallo — Tonasket, WA

The colony is to draw in people that are in transit, going in or out past the keyhole - a burner trap, as it were, to cause participants to pause in their rush, and meet each other and hang out for a minute or an hour. The fires provide comfortable warmth, the benches a place to relax, the penguins a visual treat. The shack a secret place, rewarding the curious with crackers and anchovies.

The roost is able to hold a swarm, big enough to bring together a community, but with spaces at a personal scale - to encourage both large and small interactions between the participants. You can climb the towers, cozy up in nests, array along the planked jetty, dance on the deck, interact with the carousel and all the other art-cars it'll draw in. Designed to be accessible at any physical ability or comfort level - ramps to reach the lower levels (jetty, stage, and lower nest), ladders to reach the upper nests, and on up to the top if you want to - but always with ropes at easy reach, and a net beneath. 

A daytime chill-space, nests for lounging burner-birds, secret under-pier space for shaded dialogues, a tree-fort for grown children and their little ones to enjoy. At night, the carousel party, all sexy ambiance and fat beats, a spontaneous and constantly shifting dreamscape as participants flow through the piece.

The Phoenix and The Butterfly - Swig Miller and Andrea Brook - Topanga, CA

The Phoenix and The Butterfly will be a huge, powerful art piece bringing people together to connect, play and experience awe.

It is the brainchild of Swig Miller and Andrea Brook who see the phoenix as a symbol of masculine metamorphosis, the butterfly as an embodiment of feminine metamorphosis.

The intention the two together is to add to the the evolution of the human story. At this moment in history our society is at a crossroads. We are redefining how we see and treat each other as women and men, we are deciding if we will move towards more inclusion or exclusion. It is a special time in which we get to create the foundation for our future. We get to set the stage for how our children, and our children's children will experience the world.

The Phoenix and The Butterfly is being born through teamwork, inclusion, cooperation, and love. It is our hope that when it's released to the world these attributes will take root and spread. View the teaser video here.

Phoenix Rising — Lisa Nigro and Draka Arts — San Antonio, TX

Read more on Lisa here. Contribute to Phoenix Rising at their Gofundme page here.

Phoenix Rising is an interactive fire sculpture made of steel and repurposed materials. She will look much like the mythical bird - a hybrid between rooster and peacock - and contain a complex flame effects system, so that visually one will see and feel the heat of a giant Bird on FIRE! The interactive element involves the placement of a pulse sensor to one’s finger in order to detect the heartbeat. This sensor remotely triggers a signal to the sculpture’s fire effects system and causes the flames of the bird’s wings to pulse in unison with the beat of the participant’s heart. There will be two people at a time participating, and if at any one moment their hearts beat in unison, the large flame emanating from the bird’s mouth will be triggered to go off.

The creation of Phoenix Rising was inspired by human beings need to let go of the old, and transform, so as to reemerge anew through the mythos of the Phoenix Rising from it’s own ashes. Historically, this mythological bird of East Asia reigned over all birds and was named “Feng Huang,” where males were Feng, females Huang. In modern times, however, such a distinction of gender is no longer made, but blurred into a single feminine entity, so that the Phoenix is now paired with the Chinese dragon, which is deemed male. In essence, this sculpture reflects upon the role of woman in our society, and symbolically represents Her struggle with inequality – yet She Will Rise above the centuries of oppression.

Also, dedicated to loved ones who perhaps passed before their time due to illness, or suicide; and also to those we've lost from our Burning Man community over the years - Larry Harvey, Dana Harrison, Joy Orbella, and so many others from BM-DPW: Tex, Shooter, Johnny Blue Eyes, Eric Close... Art Car Artist Tom Kennedy... Their spirits are held close in our hearts as the Phoenix Rises from the Rust in the Dust of our City of Black Rock.

Phoenix Rising was partially funded by FreezerBurn of Texas, and Apogaea of Colorado - Burning Man Regionals. She is slated to travel to Glastonbury Festival UK in 2020.

Plaza of Introspectus — Iron Monkey Arts — Seattle, WA

The Plaza of Introspectus is a 60’ wide gathering space laid out in the shape of a compass. In the center, a tall pedestal supports a large steel armillary. Benches and fire zen gardens fill the space offering rest and reflection.

The perimeter is defined by four arrow shaped alcoves pointing inward. The alcoves will be made out of curved steel panels and each will have a solitary bench inside. Participants seated on a bench will be privy to a view of the playa augmented by a bright polestar hanging in front of them.  

In the center stands an 8’ tall steel paneled pedestal. On top of this is a large steel armillary. Inspired by celestial maps, the armillary is 6’ across and will be lit at night with copious amounts of propane fire.  Inside the perimeter will be four ornate, two-person s-shaped benches. There will also be four fire zen gardens which are steel bowls filled with sand and piped with propane.  Many components of this project are repurposed pieces from past projects. 

Playa Nebula - Mark Richards - Los Angeles, CA

The Playa Nebula is intended to appear as though the installation is a nebula taken from space & placed on playa. Nebula photos are colorful and soft; it evokes both the cloud-like and colorful character of these images. We celebrate the other-worldly presence that the playa provides us.

Playa Nebula is both seen and experienced; neither one without the other. It invites the viewer into a participatory act; first with the piece itself, second with surrounding environment. It acts as a place to connect to one another & witness the desert as universe. The soft-scape provided affords a place for participants to sit, climb, & play. It will allow for moments of internal reflections, for small intimate moments, & for inclusive social interactions.

Portal — David Oliver and Art City Monsters — Ventura, CA

A Portal possible of transformation… not to that which is coming, but to things here. With a ring 12′ in diameter made from 4,608 stained glass tiles with a total of 24 colors, graduating the color wheel in a flowing mosaic that is two sided. Two 7-thousand-pound basalt stone columns stand guard from the left and from the right. Portal will also be lit with an increasing laser light show controlled on a theremin device, with sound effects that go off when one enters.

Positive Reactor - Assaf Allouche - El Sitio de Playa Venao, Panama Republic

The Reactor is a large complexed geometric structure made of endless triangles. From the ground it looks like a crown or a pomograne, but from its center it forms the sacred geometrical shape of the Merkaba. 

Its purpose is to remind us that acts of kindness reward the giver, the receiver and the witness of the good acts, with a boost of oxytocin, producing good feeling to all and taking nothing in return. Therefore creating energy — a Reactor!

Purr Pods — Paige Tashner and Laser Eyes of Love — Richmond, CA

Experience the healing power of the purr.
Feline forms gaze with Laser Eyes of Love and envelop participants in sonic vibrations. Snuggle down into the cozy bellies of the Purr Pods and be revived.

Read more about the Purr Pods here. Watch the latest update here.

Paige has been a long time participant, and brought her first art to the playa in the form of a mutant vehicle in 2014. In 2018, she created her first installation art piece, Stardust (pictured below). More on past work can be found here, and here.

Puzzles and Prayers – Reinventing the Prayer Wheel — Gwen Darling, Gwen and Josh Art— Reno, NV

Prayer wheels have been used in Tibetan culture for almost 2,000 years as a visual aid to guide prayers for compassion and enlightenment. It is said that the spinning wheel radiates the prayer written within and is as spiritually potent as if the prayer was spoken aloud. I'd like to reinvent the prayer wheel. Typically, seen as individual wheels aligned in long rows, the "Puzzles and Prayers" wheel components will be arranged in a grid. Each ceramic wheel will be a puzzle piece. When spun into alignment with the rest, the wheels will compose a beautiful mural.  It will give the participant a unique opportunity to interact with this spiritual tradition as well as discovering the hidden image of the contemporary mural. [More]

Quality of Life — Josh Vaile — Reno, NV

Quality of Life will resemble a flock of migrating birds balancing on each other heads. The sculpture will incorporate large wood birds made from reclaimed wood beams salvaged from a demolished commercial building. We will resurface the beams down to a restored finish. Large custom bearing plates will be incorporated at each balance point of the birds that will rotate independently allowing the sculpture to slide in the wind. The axis of the piece will stretch ascending linearly in orientation to the Man. A large steel metal feather will sit at the forward apex of the sculpture symbolizing the fragility of the balance. The kinetic sculpture will honor the migration and the collaborative movement of nature and its processes.

Past work of Josh Vaile. More information on Quality of Life from the Union Phi Facebook page.

Reared In Steel’s Fire Kethedral — Kevin Clark and Reared in Steel, LLC — Petaluma, CA

Sabbatical - Neophyte Nexus - Toronto, Ontario, Canada

A nexus where Burning Man participants contemplate the experiences they have engaged in, help to inspire and guide the participants to bring the beauty and power of their BRC selves to rest of the world. Sabbatical is visual representation of the relationship of BRC, Participant and inspiration. The purpose of the sculpture is to inspire effort, engagement, empathy and expression. The message of the Sabbatical is to come to BRC, learn, experiment, be open, invite new experience, contemplate, then take positive action in the default world. The sculpture will hopefully inspire people to drive their own interactive and participatory actions in the future, both in the committees they reside and Burning Man.

Sacred Ground - Michael Benisty - New York, NY

Sagrada Perihelia — Brandon Harvey — Los Angeles, CA

See Trees - Heather Shaw Bischoff

See Trees is an interactive, life-sized sculpture of aspen trees with peep holes to observe various scenes. The forest is customizable to fit any space that people of all ages will wander through. Viewers may pass by or notice twinkly lights and curious imagery in the bark patterns. Closer examination of an aspen’s eye will lure people to discover the inside of the tree trunks—a portal to another realm. Internal trunk space holds power for rewarding discovery and creating experiences—kaleidoscopic images, shapes, and colors; simple mirror illusions for viewing a diorama; mini LCD screens that play reverse loops or live feed from cameras on-site.

See Trees has a self-sufficient build plan with massive potential for participation and collaboration. Aspens are constructed of varnished papier-mâché reinforced by cardboard sonotubes, steel skeleton/base, and a fabric canopy. This installation presents a balance between known/unknown and situates the audience as both a voyeur and vulnerable subject, exploring paranoia and surveillance. We invite you to examine your relationship to nature in modern society. Pondering questions of a multi-faceted universe; in what ways might lifeforms relate and communicate to each other and what stories do we all share?

Serenity — Flaming Lotus Girls — San Francisco, CA

SERENITY is an immersive sculpture made of metal, fire, light, and sound. A large broken jar supports three giant fireflies, featuring interactive fire and LED illumination at night. Around the jar pieces are smaller fireflies that glow with LED light in a coherent color pattern and add to the whimsical nature of the piece. Cozy wooden benches are nestled in the jar pieces, offering sheltered places to linger, while subtle sounds permeate the space, adding to the immersive experience, both at night and during the day. Interacting with these fireflies feels magical, it brings you a sense of warmth and belonging.

Fundraising efforts can be found here.

Shots Fired - Joe Miller -Tucson, AZ

While not strictly an art project, Shots Fired serves coffee during the Build Week (when Center Camp Cafe has not yet opened), and then moves to the playa when the gates open. Artists and DPW members will tell you that Shots Fired is art…. or at least music to their ears, serving over 500 cups last year.

Poco Joe and his team rely on public donations to bring coffee to those building BRC before the gates open.

Skywhale: The Not ShyWhale — Blake Marcus and Accidental Adventure — Amherst, MA

Slonik - Mikhail Tsaturyan - Moscow Russia

It’s a 75 ft fluorescent elephant which was hard to miss on playa.

#Slonik is designed to draw attention to elephant mistreatment in Africa and Asia. We should not let the elephants go extinct. If you take one element away from the ecosystem it will affect all the other creatures including humans themselves!

Slonik — transliteration from Cyrillic — is the diminutive form of a Russian word that means elephant.

Some Bunny - Michiel VD and Team - Utrecht, The Netherlands

Some Bunny is an 18-foot Rabbit. The artist notes that the Rabbit as a spirit animal represents Love, Fertility and Abundance amongst other things.

[Project cancelled]

Sputnik Theremin — Ulf Ljungdahl — Oxelosund, Sweden

View a video of the prototype here.

Still Alive - Kontana Kas - Santiago, Chile

“Still Alive” is a heptagonal wooden structure covered with acrylic mirror sheets that generate a highly sensory interactive atmosphere. This art piece projects and receives light through its entrances and skylights that are in synchrony with the sounds and the light that is emitted. It reflects the landscape of the desert from its exterior layers and an infinite universe in the interior.

Thus, this static installation mixes images from the surroundings in its mirrors and the trajectory of the sun combined with the vibrating pulse of Burning Man giving a semblance of a living form, as a metaphor of the cycle of life.

Stone 27 — Ben Langholz — Berlin & other points worldwide

You will be invited to walk among the stones, the highest of which will be 20’ above playa. There will be 28 stones total, 27 of which are hanging. Each stone will weigh about 500-800lbs

Stone 27 invites you on a journey between the energies earth and sky. Temporarily experience a alternate reality where potentially destructive energy has been harmonized with our most basic law of nature to create a moment of physical and mental elevation as you make your way along the path of 27 floating stones 20 feet off The Playa floor. The project’s website includes more information and photos. They are also seeking volunteers, space in for fabrication in Reno and financial contributions on their website.

Syzygy — Taylor Dean Harrison — Oakland, CA

Syzygy is a viewer-responsive sculptural installation that reveals a drawing made from light as the sun fades. The shadows and light on the ground move around as the sculptures respond to viewers walking amongst them. When the work’s center point is occupied, the various colors of the massive drawing move to their true alignment. Taylor’s prior work.

Taking Flight — Nicki Adani — Mill Valley, CA

"Taking Flight" represents the metamorphosis of women leaving behind what has weakened us, speaking up, and coming home to who we truly are.  Connecting with inner strength, spreading wings and taking flight

"Taking Flight" inspires viewers to claim their authentic selves, inspiring them to leave behind what is holding them back.  A 10-foot tall feminine bird-like figure, welded from raw steel rods and tubes, her wings spread wide, lifts off and takes flight from her perch upon a 10-foot tall spoked wheel, representing the circle of life.  Participants interact by making colorful ropes and weaving them into the wheel as a metaphor of releasing and transforming one's past. Experiences already lived through can't be erased, but they can speak their truths, and be let go.  In the process, individuals can connect to their inner strength, allowing them to spread their wings to fly.

 Artist statement:

I like big tools. Powerful tools. At first, they intimidated me. But In the midst of extreme heat and flying sparks, with liquid metal pooling before my eyes, I have seen new life emerge from raw material, and an entire universe open up. The process of building “Taking Flight” serves as a perfect metaphor, allowing me to conquer my fears and persevere.

I met my husband at Burning Man in 2004, and we returned almost every year until our first child was born.  It is the biggest playground and most awe-inspiring art exhibit in the world; being there gives me a sense of joy and freedom that I have never found anywhere else. I knew we would go back when the children were old enough to appreciate it, but until last summer, I had no idea that I would return as an artist.

Birds and wings have been the emphasis of my sculpting work from the start, as they inspire a feeling of freedom and empowerment.  A few months ago, an image of a falcon taking flight off a giant wheel came to me. A second later, that image was superimposed on the canvas of the beautiful Black Rock Desert where Burning Man takes place, and I knew I had to build it.  

It was not until I took an early maquette to a foundry to be made that the image of the playa reasserted itself, and I knew that “Taking Flight” was not meant to sit on a shelf. It was destined to be a giant figure at Burning Man, carrying its meaning of awakening and spreading one’s wings to fly freely into the world. Once I made the decision, the Burning Man application deadline was due in exactly nine days. There was no time to waste or to second-guess myself. I would have to learn a million things I did not know, including metal fabrication. Luckily, I like a challenge so as soon as I got back to the studio I began to build a prototype.

My dream quickly became a reality when Burning Man accepted my piece and awarded me a grant to get me started on bringing ‘Taking Flight’ to life.

Not too many months from now, after days of intensive labor, my 20-person crew (some of whom are old friends coming from overseas) will lay down our tools and look up at this beautiful, illuminated bird lifting off from its wheel, ready to spread her wings, just as the process of constructing her has allowed me to spread mine.

 Talking Heads - Oleg Lobykin - Palo Alto, CA

Talking Heads is an abstract sculpture, a spatial composition based on a balance between negative and positive space in conjunction with a line that can create an image or point of reference to spark imagination.

This is a work of imagination, inviting the engagement of curiosity with creativity. The viewer can experience a multiplicity of meanings, depending on what goes on inside their own heads. Some may prefer looking at an object, while others like looking through the object. Maybe everyone lives in different realities. Talking Heads can show the power of imagination to lead us into a metaphysical and magical experience of metamorphosis.

Tatanka - Peter Hazel - Reno, NV

Tatanka is an Indian word for buffalo. For the Northern Plains people Tatanka meant life. Ceremonies and daily life revolved around sacred reverences to Tatanka. They relied upon the bison for food, clothing, housing, tools, just to name a few. This piece is a 9′ tall mosaic buffalo created in Reno, NV by large scale sculpture artist Peter Hazel. The piece is made up of thousands of handmade tiles of various colors, textures, and sizes.

The Temple uv Enlightenment - Debi Cable and Dave Taylor - Los Angeles, CA

A beautiful oasis of color and light, this sacred space provides a spectral beacon for all who pass by. Brilliantly colorful by day, it comes alive at night under UV lighting. The Temple uv Enlightenment is a gathering point for passing minstrels, artists or any who seek to be soothed in the beautiful space, surrounded by beautiful 3D ultraviolet artwork.

Tetractys — Robyn Hines, Keenan McCune, Daniel Young and Thirty Circles - Portland, OR

The Tetractys is an ancient symbol used to represent the geometric organization of known dimensions and the four classical elements (fire, air, water and earth). Our installation is an ancient forge of eternally reflected flames paying homage to the monoliths and obelisks of old. Within the heart of Tetractys is a sphere of fire embodying the power of the stars and mirroring the magnificent phenomenon that is humankind’s fleeting yet purposeful moment within our observable universe. The massive expanse of the cosmos can feel dark and overwhelming, yet we aspire to find meaning and purpose, carving out a small corner of consciousness while illuminating the darkness around us. Humanity has seen fire as both an agent of purity and symbol of righteousness and truth; of creation and destruction. Fire cleanses and allows new growth while also captivating and offering moments of self reflection and wonder to those who watch it’s dance. It is an explosive metamorphosis of bright energy, much like humanity itself.

The Bard's Branch - Pam Ward - San Francisco, CA

I would like to bring my childhood joy of books and climbing trees to the playa by building a tree library. A comfy armchair will be in the nest at the top for folks to read in, shaded with branches. It will look like an old organic library with bookshelves, staircases and books stacked all over it. Recessed shelves will be hidden in the trunk and books will have light up letters, inspiring words and pop-up images inside. There is a playful childlike energy to the piece. The Bard’s Branch will bring joy & stir the imagination.

The Beat Box - Frankie Myers - Berkeley, CA

The Beat Box is a vintage wooden crate emblazoned with images of delicious red beets. As you approach, you hear the sounds of beatboxers who’ve come before you. You push one of the five pulsing arcade-style buttons on top of the crate and lean into a microphone: “Bah dum dum kah! Dum da dum kah!”. You let go of the button and your fresh beat continues on loop. Your friends each take a turn and together you make a joyous cacophony of silliness! 

Burning Man shifts the paradigm of art from a commodified object of consumption to an interactive, participatory, shared experience of creative expression. Everyone loves music, but many people have never experienced the joy of making music. This piece illustrates how easy and fun that process can be.

The Dollhouse — Tiana Husted and House of Strange Rituals — Eugene, OR

The Dollhouse is a life-size dollhouse replica, modeled after a turn of the century Victorian home, where participants are encouraged to discover haunted elements by interacting with objects that trigger light and sound. Through exploration, participants uncover the story of The Eddy Family, notorious for hosting occult events. The back side of the home has the illusion of being completely exposed to open playa, but is enclosed with clear acrylic paneling. This allows citizens of Black Rock City to see the illuminated structure, and the people inside, from afar. Each room has a unique interactive sound installation, which plays off the concept of a seance gone wrong. The Dollhouse transports participants to an ethereal world on playa, captivating and enticing all to play and discover more secrets within.

House of Strange Rituals is an art collective led by femmes, based out of Eugene, OR. As a collective, we are driven by a fascination with oddities, strange art, and technology, and strive to create unique and immersive experiences.

The Flybrary — Christina Sporrong — El Prado, NM

From the artist:
The Flybrary is an extraordinary library within an enormous human head, partially cut open at the top allowing a flock of illuminated birds to emerge. Within the head are several levels of catwalks to climb, and nooks and crannies in which to sit and enjoy the selection of books. The eyes and mouth are portholes to the outside world. Up above, the open ceiling holds a large forged chandelier radiating soft light within.  It's a dreamy, transformative space providing an intimate and surreal refuge for contemplation, written wisdom and freedom of thought.

Please visit the artist’s blog for the latest news.

The Folly — Dave Keane and Folly Builders — San Francisco, CA

“The Folly is an old shanty village of towers, bridges and little western store fronts. Cobbled together from salvaged and reclaimed lumber from old San Francisco victorians and reborn in the desert, The Folly will afford shelter, entertainment and visual perspective to Black Rock City residents.” The art will be the stage for many performance, and look for hidden rooms and other surprises…

Read more about the Folly here, or here.

The Heads — Jeremy Suurkivi and Major Crimes — San Francisco, CA

The Head Maze - Matthew Schultz, The Pier Group - Sparks, NV

Head Maze is a 4 story mediating mind, resting on one hand and ripping its face off to reveal a crystalline stained glass being. Inside of the mind is an immaculate interactive 4 story, 18 room maze of our subconscious and dreams. It's a massive collaboration dedicated to the complexities of cognition, our common struggle between body and mind, nature and nurture and our persistently fluctuating perception of self. At its most basic, the Head Maze is our attempt to help everyone who struggles with their mind know that they are not alone, that we struggle too, and it’s ok to feel a little mad in this society that we have created. The Head Maze will premiere at Burning Man in 2019 and return to Reno for permanent display in 2020.

The Head Maze is a purposeful juxtapositions of 2 forms, a peaceful meditative reflection and our inevitable struggle with the nature of our cognition. Its a monolithic mind caught in time between multiple selves. The head towers 40 feet over the playa floor, encased in mulberry paper and epoxy modeled after the work of Yoshio Ikezaki. The head, rests in repose while its left hand claws at its mind fighting to reveal a crystalline stained glass structure being akin to The Space Whale inside.

A series of hidden doors in the mouth, wrists and head open into a 4 story, 18 room maze. Each 10 x 8 foot modular room creates a unique space dedicated to the nature of our minds, our struggles with being and the weird and fanciful process of dreaming. An interactive participatory playground hidden inside a beautiful monumental mind.

The Larry Memorial -Dana Albany, Andrew Johnstone, David Best, Flash Hopkins -San Francisco, CA

A stepped pyramid crowned with a palanquin and large spire, flanked on each corner by lamplighter spires.
It serves as a physical representation of Larry’s mind palace and contains some of Larry’s books and mementos.

The Man - Yelena Filipchuk, Serge Beaulieu, David Best - San Francisco, CA

Conceived by Yelena Filipchuk and Serge Beaulieu, the 2019 Man emerges from a cocoon accessed bya winding, ascending walkway, lit at night from within, throwing patterned light across the playa.

The Centerpiece was designed and created by David Best. Sit and take in the creative vision of small vignettes that reflect the metamorphoses of a variety of insects, capped by an abstracted sense of plant life that emerges from the center. On the 12 o’clock side of the Man, artist Kelly Smith Cassidy createdE Pluribus Unum: Out of One, Many, which invites seating, socializing, and people-watching.

On the 3 o’clock side, artist Benjamin Rowe is installing Small Community Shelters, which has delightful moments of canopy and shade designed for hanging out and taking in the view. Finally, on the 9 o’clock side, the Man Pavilion Build Crew added their contribution to the center of Black Rock City.

The Man’s Army — Michael Ciulla — Los Angeles, CA

The installation opens with 100 life-size human figures arranged in a 10x10 grid. The project draws the seed of its inspiration from the terracotta warriors of china. Each artisan put his face on a statue generating individualism in a sea of conformity. This inspires the first phase. At a distance, they all look the same but once among them you can see that they are individual. Each figure’s face is made with a scan of a person’s face or a combination of the scans of a group of people. This is achieved with point-cloud scanning and 3d printing. The body is constructed of sealed wax so that paint can be applied. The shape combines a point cloud scan of a man and a woman, creating an androgynous form.

In the second phase each body becomes a canvas, some for artists, others open for burners to transform. This reflects how we are vandalized, altered, and stretched by the intentions of others; draw on them, paint them, add a camp necklace…

The third phase is the burn, everyone is transformed by a shared expression of impermanence. All these individuals are all the same, drawn to this place by an open heart. This is revealed post burn; transformed from figures with their own likeness to a body of steel all the same, a heart is revealed to represent our shared humanity.

Follow the project on Facebook here. Follow the project on Instagram here.

The Monumental Mammoth — Tahoe Mack, with The Protectors of Tule Springs, Dana Albany, and Luis Valera- Rico — Las Vegas, NV

The Ovule - Zoe Fry and The Introverts Collective - Mill Valley, CA

An Ovule in botany is the part of the ovary of seed plants that contains the female germ cell and after fertilization becomes the seed. The Ovule is a self-portrait; an exploration of the feminine self and the value found there. Appearing as a large amber egg, it will contain two sculptures, a figure and a tree symbolizing humanity in all the beauty of its gender and color spectrum. Zoe Fry describes the project here.

The Portal- Jonathan Hamilton and Nicky Alice - Los Angeles

The Portal is a large scale interactive kaleidoscope you can climb up into. The body structure is a dodecahedron. It has 10 pentagon shaped inward facing mirrored panels with LED patterns. The outside of the panels will have geometry based LED patterns on wood, then caged for climbability. The top face will be used for sunlight entry and will house a spinning star powered by a wind turbine, the bottom face will be used for a standing platform and human entry. The body will be off the ground, suspended by steel legs. Humans can climb into the body from the bottom and will have standing room. The visual impact from the outside will be a climbable geometric vessel. Within will be infinite patterns of light which the user becomes a part of.

The Sabbatical — Andrew White and Neophyte Nexus — Toronto, Canada

The Shrine of Sympathetic Resonance — Tyson Ayers and Sympathetic Resonances — Oakland, CA

The Shrine of Sympathetic Resonance immerses participants in the phenomena of 20,000 musical strings sympathetically resonating the sounds they make while inside. The wonder & joy induced by this experience invites participants to play with their own sounds by singing, laughing, crying, or howling.

A sanctuary dedicated to experiencing the phenomena of sympathetic resonance. Walls made of piano harps surround the participant with 20,000 musical strings that echo back every sound. Strings are tuned to pentatonic scales based on the Schumann Resonance, the earth's fundamental frequency.

The Spa at Lake Lahontan — Catie Magee, Jennifer Blakeslee, Ben Anderson & Aaron Dana, FLUX Foundation — San Francisco, CA

This year, we're bringing a teaser of the Spa experience to Black Rock City as part of Golden Guy Alley -- a magical neighborhood of micro bars and immersive experiences that fosters community and conversation modeled after the Golden Gai district in the Shinjuku area of Tokyo. The Spa in its full glory needs time to germinate and evolve. So, we're taking a full year to develop the concept.

Full art installation coming in 2020.

The Temple - Geordie Van Der Bosch - San Francisco, CA

The Towers of Crete — The Towers of Crete Crew — Oakland, CA

The Towers of Crete stand as a monument, connecting the dirt to the stars, the ancient to the modern, and the abstract world of forms to the our world of the three dimensional. At nightfall the crowns of the towers alight with flame, each tower taking turns in a dialogue with its visitors.

The Tree of Life — Tyler J. Rivenbark & The Institute for Human Creativity — San Francisco, CA

The Tree of Life Project is a long term art, innovation and environmentalism project with the objective to transform and improve our relationship with the natural world. The project includes the creation of a large scale interactive art and architecture piece, and the long term activation of programs that are focused on environmentalism. The 10-story art piece, reminds us of our deep connection with each other and all life on this planet, while inviting us to participate in opportunities of transformation and creative interactivity. This large-scale art installation will be showcased at Burning Man 2019, and placed in a permanent location after. We are grateful to have received an Honorarium from Burning Man Arts and thankful for all the volunteers helping with this vision. 

Learn more about the project here. This project will be seeking a permanent home after Burning Man, which could include a city, organization or a private patron location.

The Wheels of Zoroaster Resurrection — Anton Viditz-Ward — Telluride, CO

The fiery banner at the top of this article is one of Anton Viditz-Ward’s past projects. Here are some others.

Welder, architect, artist, Anton Viditz-Ward works out of an abandoned mine several miles outside of Telluride Colorado, and showcases his work there as well. Working with heavy steel on a large scale, Anton constructs living, breathing shapes that he loads with wood, torches and spins via huge axles.

Theophany — Matthew Goodman and Coup De Foudre — San Francisco, CA

From a distance, the observer may see what appears to be a larger and life lantern or lighthouse.  As they get closer, drawn by the warm light, they discover that the swirling flame is fed by intricate helical latticework of curved glass forms.

The visitor pulls a curiously large lever. Suddenly, the flame shape shifts to a louder buzzing blue trail, culminating in a cacophonous blue electric arc swirling through the fire. [More]

More of the artist’s past work.

Trinity Light Chimes - Sean Michael Kenny - Baltimore, MD

Combining the power of wind and light, Trinity involves the use of large polished aluminum disks that have lengthy "chimes" dangling below them. Anchored on reflective metal stands, the chime's base includes a rim outlined in LED strip lights.  Light is then projected onto the ground. A paddle made of lenses catch the wind and moves a circular hammer, also made from lenses, to gently connect with the chimes and produce a relaxing sound.

Along with the metal rims, I will be utilizing a myriad of optical lenses and other reflective material to manipulate the physical properties of light and the emptiness of space to create the work of art. Flowing and undulating in an organic pattern, the lighted rims and reflective material will flow and ripple in an organic pattern.

The lights symbolize harmful bright lights from buildings in large cities that can mask stars used for navigation resulting in birds getting off course. The aluminum disks reference birds ingesting carelessly disposed of metals that can affect birds breeding behaviors and negatively affect the health of bird populations.

Trinity was put on hold until 2020.

Trippity Twitchit — Kyle Jensen and True North Absurdities — Calgary, AB

The creators of Notorious BAD, the fire breathing metal dragon that appeared at Burning Man, are planning a return to the playa with Trippity Twitchit. The project is a twisted vine metal garden filled with venus fly trap inspired characters. The project has three separate interactive flame effects, each of which participants can control.

Toxic Unicorn — Madeleine Hamann and Unicorn Liberation Front — San Diego, CA

Toxic Unicorn is a mesmerizing, life-sized sculpture of a unicorn. She is made of translucent, rainbow-swirled, recycled HDPE plastic that is pelletized, extruded, wrapped, and molded onto a waffled plywood frame. The frame, designed to hold the weight of 5 adults, is laced with tri-color, addressable LEDs that shimmer like rainbow mist. Her mane and tail are fibrous strands made from 2L soda bottles with their edges left raw so that they are beautiful but scratchy and unpleasant to the touch. Her golden horn is wrapped in cow tape that delivers a safe but memorable 120V shock at 120 microamps. A spring mechanism attached to her tail opens a valve briefly to spritz water vapor, release ammonium sulfide, and dispel the smell of rotten eggs. She is supported by carousel pole that run through her centerline and beckons you to climb aboard, but proximity sensors on her back trigger disturbing, discomforting sounds if you stay too long!m

Most Burners have run into a real-life Toxic Unicorn or two–those enchanting humans that draw you in until you realize there’s something a little… off. Outwardly, Toxic Unicorn seems to encourage a superficial level interaction–a perfect prop for an insta-worthy photo. Her unpleasant reactive features, though, force participants to reckon with a playful, unexpected piece and her multi-level message.

On one level Toxic Unicorn is a shimmery facade warning that a focus on outward appearances can lead to disappointing, dissatisfying relationships rather than genuine interpersonal connection. On another level, Toxic Unicorn’s composition begs us to reflect on humanity’s relationship with our favorite toxic unicorn material. Since post-war popularization, plastics have enabled incredible innovation and permeated human culture; now, we’re beginning to see something a little… off!

Though each will have a unique experience, Toxic Unicorn aims to instill curiosity and provoke reconsideration of those things in life that appear to be beautiful and perfect.

Toxic Unicorn is birthed by the Unicorn Liberation Front: a budding collective of artists, scientists, engineers, designers, and radical humans that stand to liberate the unicorn from its social stigma and the constructs of fantastical standards. We fight to end expectations about how we look, how we behave, and WTF we’re actually capable of. We will regain magical sovereignty and ultimately dismantle the delusional mythological-caste system. Join us! Oh, we make art, too.

Transmutation — Arturo Gonzalez and Arte Conciencia S.C. — Saltillo, Mexico

Is extinction forever? This work seeks to generate a reflection on the increasingly possible cloning of extinct species. Since the origin of life, evolution has never returned to a vanished species. However, human science is about to break this rule. Is it ethical and moral to play gods? Through scientific reproductions of a neanderthal and a saber-toothed tiger that emerge from the earth (extinction) to cross a DNA helix and reach our present with a paleo-reconstruction where the visitor can interact and then go through a series of circles that forms the geometry of life arrive at a mythical alebrije that represents the transmutation of our matter.

Traversing Through Dust — Ramiro Martinez Jr. and MATH Collective — San Diego, CA

Life can sometimes feel as though we are aimlessly traversing through the dust while we try to get to our destinations. The path is not always clear or visible, or for that matter, the path may not even exist. A bridge is defined as a structure carrying a pathway or roadway over a depression or obstacle. A bridge is also defined as a time, place or means of connection or transition. Traversing Through Dust aims to remind participants that the means for transition/bridges are ours to create. In the end the decisions and self-reflections we make, pave the path to where we want to be and whom we choose to become.

Out of the dust citizens of Black Rock City will see a metal bridge made up of 5 towers with 6 decks suspended from the towers. These decks will be made of wood and held up with lifting cable. Decks will start at ground level. They will rise to a height of 20 feet. The bridge will take up 6 sides of an octagon. Participants will be able to interact with lights which will be attached to the towers. The lights will produce shadows and trail effects that will cause participants to question their reality. Participants are encouraged to write on the structure about their experience at designated locations. Participants will be able to climb the structure.

Tulpa Ashrams - One Art Museum - Peking, China

TULPA ASHRAMS is a tower group represents the fusion of senses. Tulpa is a concept in mysticism and the paranormal of a being or object which is created through spiritual or mental powers. It was adapted by 20th century theosophists from Tibetan: སྤྲུལ་པ་ which means “emanation” or “manifestation”. 

Emerging from a study into the geometry of Chinese art and architecture, the tower group references motifs and elements traditionally found in Tibetan Buddhism, chanting music, sacred places, and daily objects though in itself. 

Tulpa Ashrams has ties to no religion. It transcends time and space, memories and culture.They are chaotic eons of the past and a distant future of the unknown.

Ursula — Kelly Schott and A.S.A.P. Arts Collective — San Diego, CA

This beautifully ornate octopus will create an ethereal essence of submersion underwater into the deep depths of the sea by bringing the ocean floor to the BRC.

Made of stainless steel, copper, and brass textured metals – the body form will feature delicate seaweed filigree accents, LED lit suckers, and stained glass mosaics. An assortment of colors, textures, shape, line, and movement will be used to create contrasting visual effects and accentuate certain detailed decorative aspects of the body. “Pieuvre” will be grounded by the support in her home of beautiful coral reef, swimming fish, and delicate sea anemone flowers that dance by our feet as we stand beneath her alluring light show. She will hold fire lanterns to light up the night and heat passerby with her warmth.

ASAP Collective
A talented group of friends – welders, woodworkers, artists, and creatives who have been making beautiful things, building art, and integrating their work into the BM community throughout San Diego for the past couple of years.  Design team includes San Diego Community Members: Kelly Schott, Bryson Allen, Kristen Williams, Dawn Sardenas, Wiley Weldy. ASAP projects include: Kinetic fire sculpture, “Genesis“; Fire breathing, “Worm“; Venus firetrap, “Dionea“; and “The Punkin” Art Car.

See other past projects here.

Vortex - Martin Taylor - San Francisco, CA

Vortex is a kinetic light sculpture that participants can rotate with a large hand-wheel at the base.

A series of parametrically generated iridescent panels adorn the outside of the sculpture. Each panel reflects a different color depending on its orientation to the viewer, creating a rippling effect.

Welcome Home — Joey Howell and Salt Mind — Salt Lake City, UT

Burners call the playa home. Home not because of the location, but because of the people we share it with; friends, family, lovers, strangers. Welcome Home creates an absurdly normal setting by taking a space associated with default homes and bringing it to our true home. This fully decorated parlor in the sky invites wanderers to climb, explore the interactive elements, and enjoy the view.

See more at www.saltmindslc.com

Why People Can't Fly - Vasily Klyukin and Zurab Ermilov - Moscow, Russia

Artist statement: “Why People Can’t Fly” is a work that I feel represents myself. I, much like most of us, have baggage, problems and worries that drag me down. Because of this baggage, I feel like I can’t fly, metaphorically. I’m being pulled down by my obligations and my inner immaturity.

I know I’m not the only one with these issues. Each of us has baggage that weighs on us. Whether it’s financial, familial or personal, these problems are at the base of each of our lives. We as a species and individually cannot grow unless we change, we cannot fly without it. Seven sins underly these problems. These are our own, personal sins and the sins of those people on whom we rely and depend.

Windchest — Ange Sarno — Watertown, MA

Windchest is an interactive architectural landscape comprised of art deco styled columns surrounded by actuator pads. The sculpture is reminiscent of a pipe organ and aims to combat cultural isolation through group curated play. Participants collaboratively activate Windchest by jumping on nearby LED-lit pads that compress like bellows which sends a signal to one column to produce sound and light.

Windchest fosters singular creativity through group action and expression, encouraging not only large scale participant play, but facilitating collaboration and interactivity among groups of strangers. From afar, Windchest is a series of softly lit monolithic columns rising and falling out of the desert, reminiscent of ancient architecture and evocative. Upon arrival, users enter an implied space, delineated by the pads strewn across the playa around the columns. Participants will feel tentative at first, reluctant to step on the pads, but after testing their surfaces, feeling the platforms sink under their weight, they are rewarded with the immediate response of light, fire and music from the columns. Bringing the sculpture to life encourages participants to experiment with the other pads and encourages others to join in. Participants weave in and out of the space between columns to immerse themselves in the music as others run from pad to pad to play the sculpture.

Windchest is being brought to the playa by a diverse group of fabricators, architects, engineers, and pyrotechnicians based out of Boston, MA. We are looking to build up our crew and engage in fundraising to ensure that our fire system becomes a reality.

Follow them on Facebook.

Wing Portal - Suki Summersal - Malibu, California

Built as a gift for California, a sculpture of transcendence made from the ruins of the 2018 fires. As a visual metaphor to transcendence, our team is building a monument out of the ruins from the fire and is bringing it to another place of deep personal transformation: Burning Man. After the Burn, the sculpture will be publicly installed in California. The wings span 60 ft. across , and are built out of recycled metal, iridescent panels and thousands of LED lights.

This past fall our community here in California was hit by the devastating fires that destroyed hundreds of homes and affected so many lives. These events have deeply changed us.  As a visual metaphor to transcendence and metamorphosis, our team is building a sculpture out of the ruins from the fire and is bringing it to another place of deep personal transformation: Burning Man. And after the Burn, the sculpture will be publicly installed in California. 

The wings span 60 feet across, and are  built out of recycled metal, iridescent dichroic acrylic panels and thousands of LED lights. 

Wings of Glory — Adrian Landon and the Dusty Sparks — New York, NY

Wings of Glory will be a giant interactive kinetic mechanical metal Pegasus sculpture, elevated on a pedestal and base. With a sculpted skeleton and most of the mechanics visible, the Pegasus will run and fly in slow motion, making 6 gallop and flap cycles per minute, all running off of one electric motor. The pedestal will be covered in moving, swirling cloud shapes. The Pegasus will also have a propane flame effect system that will shoot large flames out from certain points and spread out along channels, such as down the mane of the neck, along the wings, tail and body. Inside the base of the pedestal will be a room with information on the project and a Mini Mechanical Horse encased in Plexiglas. There will be 8 buttons on small stands along the perimeter of the base, where if 8 people coordinate to push all the buttons at the same time, they can make it run for 2 minutes. 

More of the artist’s past work.

Wishing Wings Project - Mariel Pauline, Brooklyn, New York

Overview

The Wishing Wings Project is an interactive art installation meant to invoke intention-setting and goal-getting. With your help, the Wishing Wings will continue to catalyze the waking of dreams into reality at events across North America this summer and beyond! We invite you to invest in intention. With your support we will continue spreading our wings.

An Alter For Intention

The Wishing Wings are an event-specific installation meant to inspire people to speak their wishes into existence.

The base of the Wings is typically shaped using a combination of chicken wire and scrap wood, with responsibly-sourced local bark and branches used to form the exterior. The Wings are then adorned with crystal garlands, flowers, and found #prettyshinythings.

Community members are invited to write/draw their wishes on a heart, and attach the hearts to the Wings - allowing others to witness and hold space for their intentions. At the closing of each display, the Wings are saged and each heart is carefully removed by Wing guardians - who then transport the wishes for burning.