Burning Man 2022

7 Sep 2022
By Deshal Shah

After a long wait of 2 years, Burning Man was back this year. With the theme: Waking Dreams, the festival explored "transformative power of dreams, both literal and figurative, and celebrating the dreamers who channel this potent energy in eye-opening, often surrealistic, sometimes life-changing ways". It showcased numerous installations and pavilions, that celebrate "community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance".As the Burning Man is a temporary city in itself that comes together by its citizens, this time it featured several structures that interpreted the theme in different ways.

The Last Ocean And Ursa Minor

The Last Ocean and Ursa Minor by Jen Lewin studio at Burning Man measures 8,000 square feet. Made up entirely of 10,000 lbs of recycled ocean bound plastic, The Last Ocean calls to mind the fragility of our natural landscape, prompting reflection on our impact on the environment.

Point Of View

Hybycozo "Point of View" was on display at Burning Man. The project is inspired by folk art, cross stitching and embroidery patterns from Ukraine. The sculpture celebrates the inherent beauty of geometric form and pattern. The goal of the composition is to harmonize the experience of sculpture, light, and shadow.

The Man

While the overall design of the effigy remains consistent from year to year (with some notable exceptions, like 2014’s “mega man”) it is traditional for the builders to vary certain details to reflect each year’s theme.

For the “Waking Dreams” Man significant inspiration was drawn from this Zhuang Zi quote:

“I dreamed I was a butterfly, flitting around in the sky; then I awoke. Now I wonder: Am I a man who dreamt of being a butterfly, or am I a butterfly dreaming that I am a man?”

The 2022 Man reflects this question through two different sets of embellishments on each side: sleeping (facing 6:00, and the city) and waking (facing 12:00, and the deep playa).

To represent sleeping dreams, the ornament (the five spars radiating up from the Man’s pelvis) was topped with softly glowing rings depicting the phases of the moon. These discs float above a sea of neon light, undulating in the moon’s tidal pull, and representing the deep waters of the unconscious realm.

Moving up the Man’s torso, just below the collarbone, a butterfly is taking flight. Its wings are carved with elaborate markings.