Art

Black Rock City was awash with fantastical, thought-provoking, laugh-inducing art in 2010, thanks to the hard-working artists who pour their heart and soul into their work for the sake of bringing it to exhibit at Burning Man.  From the sublime to the ridiculous, and every stop along the way, artists made their statements about the “Metropolis: Life of Cities” art theme, or paid it no mind, as was their wont.  From a 40-foot tall steel female figure reveling in the bliss of her dance to a temple composed of canyons and a monorail that literally went nowhere, Burning Man continues to develop and expose art that stretches the imagination.

The ARTery is the Burning Man Art Department’s headquarters for processing art on the playa. The ARTery team works year-round to anticipate all the challenges that go into creating art in a hostile environment, and to make the project registration process as smooth as possible. The two safety teams created in 2008, Eyes on Art and Man Watch, continued to monitor art installations on the open playa and the Man base, respectively.

Art Support is the Art Department’s liaison to DPW Support Services, coordinating heavy machinery for artists who need cranes, fork lifts, trenchers and cherry pickers, making large-scale art possible.

The Fire Art Safety Team (FAST) (previously known as the Performance Safety Team) once again worked to ensure that artists who work with fire do so safely, whether it be open fire, flame effects or pyrotechnics. While 2009 saw a small dip in the number of fire art installations, the team was kept busy as the number of flame effects on mutant vehicles continues to grow.

The Fire Conclave remains the largest group of fire performers and support staff ever to assemble in one place, and their performance before the Burn was once again spectacular.

The Special Events Team keeps the fires burning the other 51 weeks of the year, as it essentially acts as the San Francisco Bay Area’s own Regional group. As long as there are Burners in the Bay Area, they will create those special gatherings that make this a vibrant place for our community.