Burning Man: Art on Fire

The desert festival known as Burning Man has evolved far beyond its 1990 origin as a simple party on a San Francisco beach centered on the immolation of a humanoid wooden sculpture. Now taking place on a dry lake bed in Nevada, the event is a giant noncommercial hedonist blowout for thousands of people revolving around a climactic incineration. This volume is an opulent photographic exploration of the artistic side of the celebration ranging from static sculpture to fire-breathing mutant cars. Short prefatory essays define Burning Man's history and ethos and give brief glimpses of the design and construction of the varied pieces on the unbelievably difficult terrain of the desert. The sculptures are as various as the minds of the creators and include free-form blobitecture, steampunk vehicles shooting flame, giant comic-book pirate ships, filigree steel female nudes, 40-ton granite boulders suspended overhead, dragon-shaped aluminum can smelters, vast wood and canvas temples, and a multiplicity of personal expressions designed to enhance the experience of the attendees.