Burning Man 2022, Paradisium by Dave Keane & Folly Builders – Photo via IG, follow @davekeane.
Architecture, Art – Burning Man 2022 celebrates dreamers’ ability to connect to other-worldly dimensions, get inspired, and inject reality with surrealism and magic. Because, after all, what is Black Rock City if not a collective manifestation of the community’s dreams? We have selected ten stunning installations and pavilions on show in Black Rock City, the 80.000 people ephemeral metropolis rising from the desert of Nevada before being set on fire to leave no trace.
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Empyrean Temple
Photo by Rand Larson.
In ancient cosmologies and contemporary theologies, Empyrean is the region beyond the physical realm, the heaven of pure light, wisdom, and consciousness, and the birthplace of fire and dreams. The Empyrean Temple by Colorado architect and artist Laurence Renzo Verbeck is a monumental monument in the shape of a compass rose beacon. The architecture features tessellation pattern latticework and a hanging lantern flame at its peak and is illuminated in colored lights at nightfall.
Catharsis
Photo via IG, follow @mamou-mani.
Eco-parametric architect Arthur Mamou-Mani and his multidisciplinary crew have created Catharsis, “a forum, a ceremonial place for rituals, a community centre, a fractal gallery to our infinite dreams welcoming all forms of arts.” Its shape resembling a lotus flower, is inspired by nature and consists of an amphitheatre made of amphitheatres with a 3D piazza. After Burning Man, the architecture won’t be burnt to ashes. Instead, it will be disassembled to travel around the world like “a time capsule for dialogue between cities.”
Paradisium
Photo via IG by Scott London, follow @scott.london.
Paradisium is an interactive grove of geometric trees built primarily out of reclaimed lumber and trees burnt in the CZU Lighting Complex fire in Santa Cruz. The project “reminds us of the forest’s beauty and our interconnectedness and interdependence with nature, while also fostering a sense of community and an investment in our shared future.” The forest includes 27 trees of different sizes, all decorated with intricate geometric patterns. Walkways connect the tallest structures, while digital color mapping shows the change of seasons throughout the week. Project by Dave Kean and the Folly Builders.
Point of View
Photo via IG, follow @janeshamaeva.
Serge Beaulieu and Yelena Filipchuk of art collective Hybycozo present Point of View, a large-scale installation playing with light and geometrics inspired by folk art, cross stitching, and embroidery patterns from Yelena’s birthplace, Ukraine. “It is not possible for us to think of this year without thinking of her homeland and wanting to represent the beauty and spirit of Ukraine while working through the emotions of this challenging time in our artwork.” SaysSerge Beaulieu. A portion of the artworks’ acquisition proceeds will be donated to organizations supporting Ukraine.
Unbound Library
Photo via IG, follow @janeshamaeva.
Mixed media artist Jules Nelson-Ga and her husband Dave created Unbound, a library and “a temple to human thought, altered by time, space and energy and collaged with over 3000 deconstructed books infusing the piece with a debris field of human thought.” Emanating from the walls are recorded readings contributed by individuals from around the world. “This piece is meant to reveal the boundless potential of human thought, creativity, and collaboration as well as question how time can change our understanding of what once was considered fact.”
Spacecats Final Landing
Photo via IG, follow @hexenkult.
Artist, entrepreneur, and cat enthusiast Ayda Keshtkar presents Spacecats, a whimsical tableau dedicated to cats that have passed away. Inside the categon-shaped mothership burners, find a retro-futuristic interactive interior. “You can play with human-sized cat toys, lounge on human-sized plushy cat beds, and slide down the giant cat tongue. Spacecats are out of this world.”
Black Rock Station
Courtesy of Wes Modes.
The Black Rock Transportation Company has built a 1930s rural and oscillating train station that has become unstuck in time, haunted by ghost trains heard but never seen. Railroads emerge and disappear from the sand, and a lonely bench faces the desert’s vastness. “We hope visitors ask: Where exactly am I? When am I?” The mysterious Black Rock Station comes with an ever-shifting interior life and a subtle narrative that cuts against conventional historical themes.
The Last Ocean
Photo by Matt Emmi, ©Jenlewin Studio.
With The Last Ocean, Jen Lewin explores the crisis of plastic pollution in our oceans, global warming, and dwindling natural resources. Composed of over 300 interactive pentagonal tilings made from reclaimed and recycled ocean plastic, the installation features Lewin’s in-house mesh network LED technology. During the day, the platforms highlight the transformation of reclaimed ocean plastic with a swirled surface of blue and white particulate. At night, visitors can splash and dance in waves of light. Ursa Minor, a large polar bear sculpture, overlooks the large, fractured ice field.
Evolution Field
Photo via IG, follow @mcconnellstudios.
Evolution Field by sculptor and designer Matt McConnell is a 15ft tall x 50 ft long triple layer moiré wall that blends color and light in visual waves reminiscent of galaxy forms. The slightest change in perspective creates an evolution in form, which will be seen from great distances, especially at night. The three layers create valleys that participants can walk through. “The work is meant to reflect on the complexity of layering energy and relationships, which shifts with only the slightest change.”
The Solar Shrine
Photo via IG, follow @williroger1.
The Solar Shrine is an Afro-futuristic, interactive architectural installation inspired by the magical realism of Ancient Egypt and Nubia. “As all of humanity traces back to Africa, we believe that this art installation can bring that connection of our shared past into our present, and through expression and interaction, help shape our future together at Burning Man.” Explains architect Antwane Lee. The project comprises a 35 feet-tall tower with giant flames blasting into the sky. A two-story shrine/observatory hosts an altar on the ground level and a rooftop terrace for meditation and yoga during the day, parties, and DJ sets at nightfall. A smaller monument houses the fuel needed.
Point of View by Hybycozo – Photo via IG, follow @janeshamaeva.
