For Burning Man, you have to transport everything in, so innovations like modular housing, which is now popular all over the world, have been there for years. The wood is laser-cut into pieces and then slotted together like a puzzle. This Zonatopia Zome made by Rob Bell was a nice resting spot; the beautiful shadows created some protection from the beating sun. —Nick Vivion
Festgoers adopt a different name at Burning Man—our waitress went by Megatron. She was a volunteer at the Café de la Fin du Monde, which was part of the French Quarter–themed camp. It was a great place to get some fresh coffee. The guy who owned the place was shirtless. Because it’s so hot at Burning Man, the people making your food are often scantily clad.
The art is all about being interactive. In Bryan Tedrick’s Coyote, you’ll notice a ladder and people hanging out on the structure. Part of the promise of Burning Man is that you can do things that you wouldn’t do elsewhere.
The Boring sign, in my opinion, is a statement on people who say Burning Man is over or Coachella is over or whatever event is over because there are too many people there. I think they’re trying to say to those people, “Yup, this is boring. Go away.” It’s not at all boring.
The city of Burning Man is laid out like a clock, and at the three o’clock, six o’clock, and nine o’clock plazas there are spaces called “keyholes.” Each keyhole has art in it. This was early on in the week, when a lot of art was still being finalized, so there is still some construction fencing around it.
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I was in line for the restroom when I saw the Neverwas Haul art car. The woman in front is a minder. She’s there to make sure people don’t end up under the bus.
You don’t usually get dusk shots of propane-fueled night art, but this structure had some technical difficulties and they were doing some tests. The top had time-release propane tanks that would do big spiral fire installations. And those flags were another installation you could bike through, weaving in and out. It was really pretty with the wind.
This is Yehonatan “Yoni” Koenig and his girlfriend, Daphne. He was responsible for a lot of the food at the French Quarter. He really took us under his wing. We made runs with them and a guy named Gadget on a mini sailboat art car to get produce from their vans.
