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Burning Man: Art in the Desert
For one week in August the Burning Man Festival in Nevadas Black Rock Desert brings people together in a spirit of self-reliance and creativity. Art has become the defining feature of Burning Man, as the festival continues to be a testing ground for a growing circle of artists seeking engaged audiences. Their most compelling works are large-scale constructions that are burned at the end of the festival, and radically altered vehicles, or art cars.
Art at Burning Man, like the experience of being there itself, is a way of being outside routine existence: People return home rejuvenated and inspired to seek ways to express the spirit of the festival in their everyday lives. For more than a decade, A. Leo Nash has been creating a photographic document of this work, and in his photographs we see the wellspring of a new art movement.
Art at Burning Man, like the experience of being there itself, is a way of being outside routine existence: People return home rejuvenated and inspired to seek ways to express the spirit of the festival in their everyday lives. For more than a decade, A. Leo Nash has been creating a photographic document of this work, and in his photographs we see the wellspring of a new art movement.
- GenresArtPhotographyNonfiction
160 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2007
2 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
A. Leo Nash
2 books2 followersA. Leo Nash is a photographer whose work has been widely exhibited. He is a creative participant at Burning Man and collaborates with the artists whose work he documents. He lives in Oakland, California. He participated in Light Work’s Artist-in-Residence program in December 2000.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 20, 2018
The art work at Burning Man is usually unique and interesting, bizarre, and creative, a lot like the event itself. However I expected any collection of photographs from Burning Man to be extremely colorful and I was disappointed to find that this collection was in black and white, and not necessarily a hight quality of black and white either.
August 27, 2024
Made me want to plan a 2025 trip to burning man!!
February 23, 2010
The Inconstancy of Art
For those unfamiliar with BURNING MAN, the promotional material for this annual unique art event is described here: 'Once a year, tens of thousands of participants gather in Nevada's Black Rock Desert to create Black Rock City, dedicated to community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance. They depart one week later, having left no trace whatsoever. ' Or in other places 'Art at Burning Man, like the experience of being there itself, is a way of being outside routine existence: People return home rejuvenated and inspired to seek ways to express the spirit of the festival in their everyday lives.' And as Wikipedia expands 'The event starts on the Monday before and ends on the day of the American Labor Day holiday. It takes its name from the ritual burning of a large wooden effigy on Saturday evening. The event is described by many participants as an experiment in community, radical self-expression, and radical self-reliance.' BURNING MAN: ART IN THE DESERT is as fine a documentation of this phenomenon as is available. The author is a photographer A. Leo Nash who with his funky photographic kinks has captured thirteen years of this week of art in the desert, and the results are exciting and rewarding.
This well designed and produced book offers insights into this ritual. The art created for this event varies from construction of found objects to three-dimensional sculptures brought or transported to the site for the fellow artists (and growing public of art lovers) to 'experience'. There is something about the light of the desert that transforms this work, making the whole seem more important than its component parts. And much of that art is due to Nash's experimental photography that has become very much a part of this episodic, temporary contemporary art exhibition/happening. Reading or viewing this beautifully slipcovered memento will likely result in an increased audience for this very fresh and invigorating art. Some of the works in the BURNING MAN have included the 1908 "The End" by Bob Marzewski, a very impressive huge sculpture of stacked blocks that spell out THE END. But the variety of what is here in this book will definitely entertain the reader and give further credence to the idea that great art can be of the moment, then dismantled and moved on. BURNING MAN says more about our current way of experiencing life than perhaps the artists and even A. Leo Nash expected. It is well worth the attention of everyone who craves creativity, even transient creative works.
Grady Harp
For those unfamiliar with BURNING MAN, the promotional material for this annual unique art event is described here: 'Once a year, tens of thousands of participants gather in Nevada's Black Rock Desert to create Black Rock City, dedicated to community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance. They depart one week later, having left no trace whatsoever. ' Or in other places 'Art at Burning Man, like the experience of being there itself, is a way of being outside routine existence: People return home rejuvenated and inspired to seek ways to express the spirit of the festival in their everyday lives.' And as Wikipedia expands 'The event starts on the Monday before and ends on the day of the American Labor Day holiday. It takes its name from the ritual burning of a large wooden effigy on Saturday evening. The event is described by many participants as an experiment in community, radical self-expression, and radical self-reliance.' BURNING MAN: ART IN THE DESERT is as fine a documentation of this phenomenon as is available. The author is a photographer A. Leo Nash who with his funky photographic kinks has captured thirteen years of this week of art in the desert, and the results are exciting and rewarding.
This well designed and produced book offers insights into this ritual. The art created for this event varies from construction of found objects to three-dimensional sculptures brought or transported to the site for the fellow artists (and growing public of art lovers) to 'experience'. There is something about the light of the desert that transforms this work, making the whole seem more important than its component parts. And much of that art is due to Nash's experimental photography that has become very much a part of this episodic, temporary contemporary art exhibition/happening. Reading or viewing this beautifully slipcovered memento will likely result in an increased audience for this very fresh and invigorating art. Some of the works in the BURNING MAN have included the 1908 "The End" by Bob Marzewski, a very impressive huge sculpture of stacked blocks that spell out THE END. But the variety of what is here in this book will definitely entertain the reader and give further credence to the idea that great art can be of the moment, then dismantled and moved on. BURNING MAN says more about our current way of experiencing life than perhaps the artists and even A. Leo Nash expected. It is well worth the attention of everyone who craves creativity, even transient creative works.
Grady Harp
December 21, 2014
A. Leo Nash's Burning Man: Art in the Desert shares his account of years of participating as an artist and a photographer of the Burning Man art festival that has occurred for years in the Black Rock Desert outside Gerlach, NV. Ostensibly a coffee table book of black-and-white photos, the book gives a quick history of the festival and helps one appreciate the huge range of folks who participate and the many needs this seasonal set of communities meets.
August 11, 2013
Great book to flip through and learn something about what's behind the big exodus to the desert. I've been intrigued about Burning Man for some time now and this photographic journey, accompanied with a veteran's perspective of the event, was definitely worth reading. Maybe I'll make it out there some time soon...
June 29, 2007
This is seriously one of the coolest books I've ever seen in my life. I've never been to Burning Man (wouldn't want to), but these pictures are AMAZING. It might have been worth enduring desert discomfort dust storms and camping just to see the 2996 "Uchronia" structure-- wow!
August 22, 2007
AMAZING! Gorgeous B/W documentary of the stillness Burning Man can create. Text gives a great account of the experience as well.
January 21, 2008
Wendy gave this to me for Christmas and I read it with my head light on in the dark. Man I can not wait to be back on the playa. Read this book.
September 5, 2008
B A pictorial (b&w) view of BM.
May 14, 2009
Can't wait to read this book- i've always wanted to go!
December 31, 2008
This book proves I have neither the artistic vision nor the technical ability to truly participate in Burning Man. But the pictures are cool.
July 13, 2011
I used to make fun of "Burners," but this book is actually really interesting, and a reminder to not prejudge that which I know little about.
October 29, 2011
Well, reading the introduction and then looking at all the pictures...
January 20, 2013
A fascinating look at a uniquely american subculture expressed in sculpture. The photographs and commentary challenge the reader's definition of art.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews