"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." a?a? The Midwest Book Review, California Bookwatch: November 2014 "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) "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
JENNIFER RAISER is the founder and editor of SFWire.com, and she has written for The San Francisco Chronicle and The Huffington Post. She is also the Treasurer of the Burning Man Project.
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.”