The Burning Man Festival

My husband Andrew and I recently visited the Cincinnati Art Museum to see the installation of No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man. I had read about it in the May 2019 issue of Ohio magazine. Since we were planning on heading down that way anyways to attend my company summer outing being held at the aquarium in Newport, KY it seemed like killing two birds with one stone.

If you’re like me, you may not have ever heard of The Burning Man Festival. The only reason I know a little about it is because a character from one of the sitcoms I watch visited there during one episode. I do not quite recall which sitcom or which character, but I found it interesting all the same. Honestly, I cannot imagine ever visiting this festival (the desert heat being one reason), but I admire the spirit behind it as it’s nice to know there’s still a bit of peace and love in this post-Woodstock world 50 years later.

photo from Art of Burning Man book by NK Guy

According to Wikipedia, “Burning Man is an event held annually in the western United States at Black Rock City, a temporary city erected in the Black Rock Desert of northwest Nevada, approximately 100 miles (160 km) north-northeast of Reno. The late summer event is an experiment in community and art, influenced by ten main principles: radical inclusion, radical self-reliance, radical self-expression, communal effort, civic responsibility, gifting, decommodification, participation, immediacy, and leave no trace. The event takes its name from its culmination, the symbolic ritual burning of a large wooden effigy ("The Man") that traditionally occurs on the Saturday evening of the event.

First held 33 years ago in 1986 on Baker Beach in San Francisco as a small function organized by Larry Harvey and Jerry James who built the first "Man", it has since been held annually, spanning from the last Sunday in August to the first Monday in September (Labor Day). The 2019 event will run from August 25 to September 2.

At Burning Man, the community explores various forms of artistic self-expression, which are created to be enjoyed by all participants. "Burning Man is about 'why not' overwhelming 'why'," one "Burner" said.^[6] Said NPR, "Once considered an underground gathering for bohemians and free spirits of all stripes, Burning Man has since evolved into a destination for social media influencers, celebrities and the Silicon Valley elite."^[7] Participation is a key precept for the community; selfless giving of one's unique talents for the enjoyment of all is encouraged. Examples of creativity include experimental and interactive sculptures, buildings, performances and art cars, among other media. These contributions are inspired by a theme that is chosen annually by the organizers.”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_Man

The first item we saw from Burning Man is a paper arch that is like one giant collage of monochromatic photos and two secret dioramas inside that you can view from peepholes in the sides of the arch. 

‘Paper Arch’ commissioned specifically for the Renwick, expands the pair’s (Michael Garlington and his partner, Natalia Bertotti) canon into secular architecture and evokes the symbolic threshold participants cross as they enter Burning Man. Exploding into a plume of paper flames that rises to the ceiling, the piece also suggests the ritual conclusion of the weeklong event and calls attention to the sculpture’s ephemeral nature.” https://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/burning-man/online/michael-garlington-natalia-bertotti

I could have easily spent all day studying the various black and white photos trying to decipher where they were borrowed from, but there were plenty more exhibits to see.

Between the staircases on the second floor is a beautifully sculpted dancer called ‘Truth is Beauty’ and was designed by Marco Cochrane. “In 2007, Marco Cochrane’s first trip to Burning Man inspired him to enlarge his work to monumental proportions. Together with his wife and partner, Julia Whitelaw, and with the help of dozens of volunteers (the Bliss Crew), he embarked on a series of three colossal sculptures of singer and dancer Deja Solis for the playa—Bliss Dance (2010), Truth is Beauty (2013), and R-Evolution (2015), collectively known as The Bliss Project. For each sculpture, Solis chose her own pose and expression.

Cochrane first sculpts his pieces by hand before constructing them from steel triangles at grand proportions. Built using a mold of the original clay sculpture, the version of Truth Is Beauty in the gallery is one-third the size of the fifty-five-foot tall figure that appeared at Burning Man in 2013.” https://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/burning-man/online/marco-cochrane

Though most of the pieces were scattered throughout the museum, there was one room with multiple items, the star attraction being ‘Tin Pan Dragon’ which was designed by Duane Flatmo. “…Flatmo has since created more than thirty-three mutant vehicles, usually from recycled scrap metal and other found objects, including several entries for Burning Man… The pedal-powered Tin Pan Dragon (2008) was the first contraption Flatmo brought to Burning Man.” https://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/burning-man/online/duane-flatmo

I like ‘Tin Pan Dragon’ because of all the collage work as the piece was constructed of various common objects like a cupcake tin, cookie cutters, hub caps, etc. Again, I probably could have spent all day studying the detail, but had to move on.

In another room there are several delicately created steel orbs – one of which can accommodate up to six (adult) people. As the light constantly changes, so does the feeling of these orbs, so they’re somewhat mysterious and beautiful. I love them because they’re also very photogenic.

“In 2014, the duo, Yelena Filipchuk and Serge Beaulieu, brought their first collaborative installation, Hyperspace Bypass Construction Zone (HYBYCOZO), to playa—three steel polyhedral sculptures that, by day appear solid and, at night, cast otherworldly patterns of light and shadow on the surrounding earth. Soon after, they took the name HYBYCOZO for their continued collaboration, focusing on installations that reflect patterns drawn from mathematics, science, nature, and culture. The moniker comes from Douglas Adams’s classic sci-fi novel, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, for which the artists share an affinity, and the titles of several subsequent works by the pair are drawn from that same source.” https://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/burning-man/online/hybycozo

Probably the most whimsical of all the pieces are the paper mushrooms, or ‘Shrumen Lumen,’ designed by the San Francisco-based collective known as Foldhaus. These mushrooms expand and contract when a visitor stands on a circle under the shroom, once the circle turns green. You better believe there were a lot of group shots and selfies taken under these shrooms (someone asked us if we would take their picture, and they were happy to oblige in return). Yes, some of these exhibits are definitely hands-on.

"The elements of this sophisticated, interactive cluster of fungi each has its own particular character and all delightfully respond to human interaction. As participants step on the footpads located beneath each cap, the mushrooms gently grow and ‘breathe.’ In daylight the grouping appears ethereal white, while at night, it magically transforms with embedded LEDs that glow through the translucent outer skin to bring the installation to life.” https://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/burning-man/online/foldhaus

One of the most entertaining structures, and definitely one of my favorites that I could have easily spent a lot longer at was ‘Capitol Theater.’ It was a mobile movie theatre showing the silent film, “The Picnic.” Andrew and I boarded and watched about five or ten minutes of the film before exiting the theater to allow more guests to sit down in the velvet plush seats (which I’m sure were taken from an actual cinema). I love the idea of a little mobile theater, especially in the age of tiny house living and more and more people living in converted campers and buses.

“Commissioned for this exhibition, Capitol Theater is Five Ton Crane’s latest large-scale work of art; it is a 1920s-30s art deco movie theater on wheels, replete with bespoke silent films. Like all of Five Ton Crane’s pieces, it has been conceived, designed, and fabricated with audience interaction and playfulness in mind, and displays a focus on craftsmanship down to the smallest detail.” https://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/burning-man/online/five-ton-crane

There’s definitely a lot more I could say about this exhibit and festival, but go check out the exhibit (or the festival) for yourself. The exhibit is currently on display at the Cincinnati Art Museum until September 2^nd, but may travel to your local art museum in the future.