Big Art
This portfolio includes photos of my notable work as a lead on teams of 20-200, helping to dream up and create large-scale immersive art installations for the Burning Man Project. These were some of the most ambitious installations in the event's history, and have been featured in major publications such as Business Insider, Rolling Stone, CNN, Vice, and Smithsonian Magazine.
My contributions included design, carpentry, metalwork, pyrotechnics, lighting, and more, from conception to completion. Project builds typically consisted of 8+ months of full-time work: planning and fabricating the modular components in town, and one month building onsite.
The Mazu Temple 2015 · The Dream Community
Inspired by the traditional Chinese temples dedicated to the goddess Mazu, built from intricately carved wooden panels, with a 20 ft diameter lotus flower and eight fire-breathing dragons on top. The interior was filled with ornate sculptures, altars, and offerings, and was designed to be a peaceful and contemplative space for festival-goers to reflect and connect. On the final night the temple was burned, symbolizing the release of negative energy and the renewal of the spirit. A primary contribution of mine was the lotus atop the temple, which proved a far greater technical challenge than anticipated.
Main entrance at night. Image credit: Wobserazzi
Lotus petals up close. Image credit: Aleksey Bochovsky
Dragons at ground level. Image credit: Aleksey Bochovsky
Lotus crane lift during build. Image credit: Aleksey Bochovsky
Burn ceremony. Image credit: Wobserazzi
Embrace 2014 · The Pier Group
A pair of towering wooden sculptures depicting two human forms in an embrace, complete with mechanical beating hearts, inviting the audience to contemplate the beauty of the human form and the power of connection. The sculptures were over 70 feet tall, each with five floors and spiral staircases up into the heads, where the audience could look out through the eyes upon the desert. The structures were then burned, symbolizing the precious yet precarious nature of relationships.
Crew photo (I'm far left, freshly down from a boom lift).
Blueprint work. Image credit: The Dusty Fish
View inside the head. Image credit: Galen Oakes
Burn. Image credit: Art Gimbel
La Llorona Spanish Galleon 2012 · The Pier Group
Full-scale Spanish Galleon ship replica wrecked upon the end of a 200 ft pier. The interior of the ship consisted of myriad rooms and passageways, all fully furnished. The ship's interior was filled with elaborate sculptures and artwork that depicted the legend of La Llorona, along with hammocks, block and tackle, barrels, and other period pieces.
Image credit: Shay Harting, 2012
Installing hull ribs during build
Crew photo
Image credit: Grant Kaye, Smithsonian Magazine
The Temple of Transition 2011 · International Arts Megacrew
The Temple of Transition was 120-ft tall structure consisting of six outer temples surrounding a central temple, connected by intricate wooden bridges, with a design inspired by ancient cathedrals and Hindu temples. Participants left messages, mementos, and offerings symbolizing grief and loss. On the final night, the temple was solemnly and silently burned in a ceremony of collective catharsis. For two weeks, the temple held the world record for the largest temporary wooden structure.
Image credit: Bentley Meeker, 2011
Image credit: Scott London
Image credit: Reuters/Daily Mail