Each year some 70,000 or so people descend on the plains of the Black Rock Desert in Nevada for a huge celebration of culture, community spirit and an endlessly surreal array of sculptural artwork and makeshift architecture. The 2019 edition of Burning Man has now drawn to a fiery close, but not before attendees snapped and shared a wondrous stream of images portraying the dusty playground in all its psychedelic glory.
Burning Man in years past has been graced with all kinds of wonderful, but temporary, structures and art installations. Each year, the makeshift community known as Black Rock City rises out of the desert to wow visitors with spectacles such as otherworldly yachts, giant astronauts puppets and massive inflatable disco balls.
“The Temple” has been central to proceedings since it was first introduced in 2000, and the centerpiece for the 2019 event took its inspiration from the iconic torri gates of Fushimi Inari Shrine in Japan, offering attendees a place of reflection until it was ceremoniously burned to the ground on Sunday.
But scattered all around “the playa” were equally intriguing sculptures and artworks, designed to create a sense of inspiration, contemplation and probably confusion. Here are a few of the highlights, sourced from those on the ground.
