Why every year ten of thousands of people spend 10 days in Nevada’s desert? Burning Man festival has become a worldwide phenomenon. From stunning and eclectic art installation, good music and the absence of money, Nevada’s desert turns into a place of aggregation and unity.
As the festival takes place in the middle of nowhere, cellphone service and internet is very limited and many Burners takes the opportunity to unplug from the outside world. This hasn’t stopped the social media machine with tons of video and photos already available.
No money, only barter. Despite the ticket price varies from € 420 to € 550, inside the playa money is banned. The only way to obtain things is via exchange.
Historic Burning Man’s artists will return on the Black Rock Desert as Laura Kimpton. You may remember him for her giant sculptures of words like “believe” and “magic.” This year festival features more than 400 art installments.
Burning Man 2019 will see stars from the light of Madonna, Paris Hilton, Katy Perry joining the festival. This year edition, according to the organizer, is focused on the feminine universe. You will spot a lot of art installment that reflects the mantra.
The festival features also a billionaire row, a real camp with all the optional needed to live without compromises even in the middle of nowhere.
If you want to see more besides the Instagram feed, you must check Burning Man live stream that is on 24/7 all festival long.
Because the insane number of art installations, we’re going to feature only a few so, let’s jump into them.
Andromeda Reimagined: A Sanctuary in Deep Playa
The structure is a Moroccan-style lantern sitting atop and 5 sides adorned with CNC-cut star patterns. Fins emerge from each edge, evoking planetary orbits. The inside pays homage to female heroes—paintings of the Greek myth of Andromeda reimagined, and a sculpture of Maya Angelou. Markers will hang from the walls, prompting visitors to participate and share their stories and visuals of female heroes.
We imagine new love spurring between two here, the young person we inspire to create her own Burning Man art, and all the Burners that rewrite their own myths underneath Andromeda’s stars.
It honors female heroes and invites others to share their own. It offers refuge and stillness from the gusty Playa coltivating connection and inspires a shift in perspective.
The Folly
Probably one of the most iconic installment of Burning Man 2019. The Folly, out of the dust, an imposing clock tower looms high above a public square densely packed with passageways, chambers, and puzzles for you to explore and conquer. Performances unfold around you while a windmill overhead spins lazily in the breeze…
The Folly of Man has been described as the state or quality of being foolish; lack of understanding or sense. It is said that if a person commits no follies, they lose their wits through weariness.
The man building this Folly is Dave Keane, along with his motley crew of Folly Builders. Mr. Keane has been a lead carpenter and volunteer on some of the largest builds featured in Black Rock City.
You can donate to keep the project running here.
Temple of Direction
The Temple is a unique piece of art at Burning Man because it provides a service to whoever needs it. It is similar to a vessel where people can leave or take what they need. This typically involves death, grief, loss, and pain but also remembrance and love. The Temple of Direction and it’s collaborators will be providing this service to the attendees of Burning Man Metamorphosis 2019.
The Temple of Direction ideally create a similarity of experience among visitors and hopefully foster the realization that we share this journey of life together.
This installment is the temple for Burning Man Metamorphosis 2019. Projected and brought to life by Geordie Van Der Bosch.
You can donate to keep the project running here.
Desert Wave
The wave lands at Burning Man. Consists of some five hundred individual suspended orbs, points of presence brought to life through light and sound, that collectively create a resonant and dynamic audiovisual experience – a sustaining space within which each orb resonates in changing harmonies to create an enveloping and entrancing physical presence.
Each orb in the wave is an autonomous sensate unit consisting of LED lights, speaker and microcomputer, with movement sensor and wireless connectivity. Together they create a walkthrough immersive experience.
The Man
Yelena Filipchuk and Serge Beaulieu fashioned the Man gorgeously cocooned by a winding, ascending walkway, lit at night from within, throwing patterned light across the playa.
The cocoon is lit internally… revealing cracks from the transformation.
