The Man

2012 marked an important year for the Man Pavilion, upon which the Man stands. Its beautiful honeycomb design was the last structure conceived by Rod Garrett, our beloved and belated City Designer.

The exterior walls of the structure were painted in such a way as to reflect the environment surrounding us. With its playa dust-covered bottom, reaching up to its brilliant blue center and topped with an explosion of colors reflecting those experienced in the night skies of our event, the Pavilion seemed to fit as a natural addition to the landscape.Constructed to evoke the form of a beehive, the Man Pavilion acted as a hive of activity at the heart of our city. With three floors and a climbable Pistil in the center, the Man Pavilion was awe-inspiring space that could hold up to a thousand participants at a time.

Encircling the structure on the outside, the Fertilibee Lights, designed by Jack “Opa” Haye and his team, expressed the 2012 theme of Fertility 2.0 in a humorous manner, while also providing a resting spot for those who wanted to just enjoy the view of the Pavilion.Standing inside the Pavilion, participants could look up through the center occulus to where the Man’s feet rested. Choreographed lighting basked the inner buttresses and alcoves in ever-changing shades of blue, green, pink and more. The lighting seemed to dance along the structure, making the Pavilion beautiful from every angle.

While Rod is gone, and his absence is profoundly felt, he’s left behind a universe of beauty that those of us who have been lucky enough to experience will always treasure.

Submitted by,
Beth Scarborough