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Burning Man: Art on Fire Hardcover – August 8, 2014
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| Hardcover, August 8, 2014 | $32.26 | — | $29.99 |
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Every August, tens of thousands of participants gather to celebrate artistic expression in Nevada's barren Black Rock Desert. This vastly inhospitable location, called the playa, is the site of Burning Man, where, within a 9-mile fence, artists called Burners create a temporary city devoted to art and participation. Braving extreme elements, over two hundred wildly ambitious works of art are created and intended to delight, provoke, involve, or amaze. In 2013, over 68,000 people attended - the highest number ever allowed on the playa. As Burning Man has created new context, new categories of art have emerged since its inception, including Art to Ride, Collaborative Art, and of course, Art to Burn. Burning Man: Art on Fire is an authorized collection of some of the most stunning examples of Burning Man art. Experience the amazing sculptures, art, stories, and interviews from the world's greatest gathering of artists. Get lost in a rich gallery of images showcasing the best examples of playa art with 170 photos. Interviews with the artists reveal not only their motivation to create art specifically for Burning Man, but they also illuminate the dramatic efforts it took to create their pieces. Featuring the incredible photography of long-time Burning Man photographers, Sidney Erthal and Scott London, an introduction from Burning Man founder Larry Harvey, and a foreword from Will Chase, this stunning gift book allows Burners and enthusiasts alike to have a piece of Burning Man with them all year around.
- Print length208 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherRace Point Publishing
- Publication dateAugust 8, 2014
- Dimensions10.5 x 1 x 12.25 inches
- ISBN-101937994376
- ISBN-13978-1937994372
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Editorial Reviews
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"Burners wait all year to travel to a remote desert where they create stupefying art and build amazing sculpture - then burn it all down a week later. Fortunately, someone took some pictures!" - Paul Reubens (aka Pee-wee Herman)
"Burning Man: Art on Fire provides a fine authorized collection of some of the amazing art work of the Burning Man annual gathering, collecting the sculptures, art installations, and stories from attendee artists and presenting a gallery of some 200 images representing the best of Burning Man creations. From photos to an aerial-view poster, this pairs full-page color photos with discussions of how each piece was created within the Burning Man festival. From silicon rays that use technology and art to the outer limits of self-expression to the creation of Burning Man temples, this is a fantastic art book packed with full-page color images all paired with discussions and packed into an oversized coffee-table creation accessible to art collections and individual fans of Burning Man culture alike." €” The Midwest Book Review, California Bookwatch: November 2014
"The desert festival known as Burning Man has evolved far beyond its 1990 origin as a simple party on a San Francisco beach centered on the immolation of a humanoid wooden sculpture. Now taking place on a dry lake bed in Nevada, the event is a giant noncommercial hedonist blowout for thousands of people revolving around a climactic incineration. This volume is an opulent photographic exploration of the artistic side of the celebration ranging from static sculpture to fire-breathing mutant cars. Short prefatory essays define Burning Man's history and ethos and give brief glimpses of the design and construction of the varied pieces on the unbelievably difficult terrain of the desert. The sculptures are as various as the minds of the creators and include free-form blobitecture, steampunk vehicles shooting flame, giant comic-book pirate ships, filigree steel female nudes, 40-ton granite boulders suspended overhead, dragon-shaped aluminum can smelters, vast wood and canvas temples, and a multiplicity of personal expressions designed to enhance the experience of the attendees. VERDICT The lush photography and fine printing will appeal to art and nonart audiences and the breezy text is aimed at inclusion rather than erudition. Whether you like the art pieces is a matter of taste, but this book is a great way to experience a bit of the thrill." - Library Journal
About the Author
Jennifer Raiser is a writer, nonprofit leader, and Burner. Burning Man: Art on Fire (2014/2016/2023, Quarto/Epic Ink,) is a love letter to her happiest place on earth, Black Rock City. Known on playa as CocoCabana, she volunteers with the Black Rock Rangers and Gate, Perimeter, and Exodus departments; she has served as the Treasurer and Board Member of the nonprofit Burning Man Project since its founding. She is the author of In the Spirit of Napa Valley (2015, Assouline) and The Art of Being Bill: Bill Murray and the Many Faces of Awesome (2018, Quarto/Race Point Publishing), and has written extensively for the San Francisco Chronicle, Huffington Post, and numerous other publications. Previously, she founded Raiser Senior Services, managing luxury retirement communities as described in her book Designing Retirement Communities for the Future (1998, John Wiley and Sons). She has gratefully served on thirteen nonprofit boards. She earned both a BA in English Literature and an MBA from Harvard University. A San Francisco native, she lives near the Presidio with a superabundance of pets, books, and costumes.
Sidney Erthal has had his camera poised for the past seven Burns which is how Burning Man aficionados carbon-date their experience with the festival. Born and educated in Brazil, he has lived in the San Francisco Bay area for the past decade.
Scott London is a longtime photographer of Burning Man, and his photos have appeared in Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, GQ, and National Geographic Traveler. He is the former host of NPR's "Insight and Outlook."
Larry Harvey is the Founder of Burning Man and Burning Man Project. He currently serves as head of the Burning Man Project's Philosophical Center, conceives the theme of the Burning Man event each year, and determines the design of the Man and its base. He is passionate about books and art, and resides in San Francisco.
Will Chase is a writer best known for his role as publisher of Burning Man's online newsletter, Jackrabbit Speaks, and as editor of The Burning Blog. He is also a long-time art curator and arts consultant through his company, Will Chase Arts.
Leo Villareal is an artist who works with light and scale. He has created numerous iconic works including Multiverse for the underground walkway of Washington's National Gallery of Art, Hive for New York's Bleecker Street subway station, and The Bay Lights, spanning the Bay Bridge between San Francisco and Oakland.
Jennifer Raiser is a writer, strategist, business leader, and Burner. She has written for the San Francisco Chronicle, Huffington Post, Harvard Business School, and her online magazine, SFWire.com. She serves on the board of the Burning Man Project, volunteers as a Black Rock Ranger, and welcomes participants aboard the Kazbus Mutant Vehicle.
Sidney Erthal is acclaimed for his photography, with a special emphasis on spontaneous portraiture. He has spent the last decade engaging with and photographing the people and phenomenon of Burning Man, and he works with the Documentary Team welcoming journalists to Media Mecca.
Scott London has been documenting Burning Man for more than a decade. His award-winning images have appeared in books, newspapers, and magazines worldwide, including Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, GQ, Elle Decor, Marie Claire, and National Geographic Traveler. In addition to his photography, Scott is a longtime print and radio journalist and was the former host of NPR's "Insight and Outlook."
Product details
- Publisher : Race Point Publishing (August 8, 2014)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 208 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1937994376
- ISBN-13 : 978-1937994372
- Item Weight : 3.61 pounds
- Dimensions : 10.5 x 1 x 12.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #416,788 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #187 in Mixed Media (Books)
- #373 in Collections, Catalogs & Exhibitions
- #914 in Pop Culture Art
- Customer Reviews:
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Born and raised in Curitiba, Brazil, I decided to spend some time in California to improve my English. After earning a degree in Tourism, by "accident" I ended up in Sausalito, where I had the opportunity to meet many wonderful people who introduced me to the art of photography.
At first photography was just a hobby; suddenly people started to appreciate my photos and they began hiring me for small projects. Working behind the camera I realized that I had an innate ability to bring out the true character in each of my models, and that the pictures were truly special. I began to focus on translating my hobby into a life’s passion, working with other photographers and also educating myself in photography techniques, and most importantly taking on projects to hone my skills and develop a style all my own.
Who is Sidney Erthal as a photographer, what special character do I bring to my art? It is hard to define exactly what type of photographer I am. I simply love to be behind the camera, I am passionate about pictures, and the subjects that occupy each photograph. It can be nature, events, people, pets, food, weddings, or products. I just love doing what I do. And I do it with passion, and it is that zeal for life and living that is reflected in each of my photos.
When I am photographing people, I want to capture their true essence, and have their spirit shine through and be the central focus of each photograph. My goal is only to capture the best of each individual that poses for me. Children’s photography is priceless, they are pure and innocent and I love to capture them in their most spontaneous moments. Maternity photography is another kind of photography I love to do. It is the most beautiful time of a woman's life.
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Reproducing the beautifully done photographs across both pages, captures the scale of the art within the vast background of the Playa.
And so importantly, the words of the artists who endure the extreme elements, spend all their money, and enlist all their friends to produce this fantasy world that could exist nowhere else. This book comes as close to being there as you will ever find in print. And for me, a blessed reminder of the wonder and magic I have experienced through the years.
Thank you
Patty Cole
Or . . . our descendents may one day open this book on a hydrogen-fueled day in the future and see here the under-pinnings of the ethos that turned everything around during the Age of Restoration (1986-2125).






