BM2K5 (the movie) SF -> BRC Kids Camp Kids Camp Fun Kids Camp Art Car Life in Kids Camp Chazz's Tacos bicycling the playa art cars Dicky / The Temples Passage / Clockworks The Machine / daytime art nighttime art nighttime scenes participant-citizens Center Camp The Man Rangers Lamplighters Contessa treasure hunt The Man Burns BRC -> SF desktops Ranger patch Ranger jacket
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Burning Man 2005: The Machine / daytime art
Wednesday 31 August 2005 (continued)
This stunning bit of architecture is The Machine (by Chris Airola, Nils R. Christian, Connor Cunliffe, Tom E. Hall, Jordan Howland, Chuck Kralovich, Domenica Lovaglia, Chris McMullen, Michele McMullen, Ian Page-Echols, Christopher Pfeifle, Leslie Rosen, Jeremiah ('J') Steinhebel, Gabriel Stern, Steven Withycombe, and Thomas York; Seattle, WA).
As participants move the millstones (in the towers, one of them is picutred, at right) the power is transferred to the central monolith and put to use either raising the arms or rotating the top. It's pretty impressive.
In the middle of The Machine is a pair of ladders, perhaps 20 ft (6 m) tall, which both of my children demanded to climb. I couldn't believe how much faster they ascended, compared to the tentative adults. Here's Lila looking down at the ladder, proud of herself.
Our next objet d'art is Star Wheel Returns (by Paul Cesewski), a hamster-ish Ferris wheel. Beautiful to see going across the playa.
This is a close-up of the Angel of the Apocalypse (by Flaming Lotus Girls, San Francisco), a much-talked-about fire structure that I sadly missed on my evening patrols. I'm hoping they set it up somewhere local so I get another chance to see it.
This is one of those double-take pieces of art: it appears to be The Man buried up to his forehead, with only the crown of his head and one arm visible. Really, really impressive.
This is eDave's art; what we call "FridgeHenge", a ring of refrigerators, each with an interactive exhibit. In one you're asked to leave some DNA in the form of hair, glued to the display. In another you're asked to make a self-portrait from modelling clay. And so on. It was well-received, especially the one with the computer which plays back what you tell it.
Heading back towards Center Camp we pass a piece I think of as "The Man as Atlas"; eye-catching.
This one, near-by, I think of as "The Man, Drunk, at Lampost". I walked by this one several times, perhaps as many as a dozen times, before I realized what it was.
Anchoring the entrance to the Center Camp loop is Colossus (by Zachary Coffin, Atlanta). It's neither as brutally impressive nor as accessible as his creation of last year, the Temple of Gravity, but it's a worthwhile addition to our fair city.
Three large boulders, attached to cable, are suspended from steel arms which attach to a central column, from atop which rise three twenty-foot spikes. The spikes move as the boulders are spun by participants. Fifty feet tall and about 50,000 pounds.
The only downside to Colossus was that people falling from the boulders tended to bang their heads on the metal base. Sub-optimal, at best.
Let's do another pass of the playa, but this time at night.
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