The Shark Mobile
Not all art installations at Burning Man are stationary. In fact, one of the event’s highlights is decorating vehicles to construct mobile works of art that will move around the compound and interact with people. This neon-accented great white shark on wheels is one of these spectacular rides.
All aboard! The shark mobile was crafted for Burning Man 2012. Designed to undo what the Jaws franchise did and purge the fear of sharks, this enormous great white had Burners climb into its gut, look through the razor-sharp teeth to see where they’re heading, and, most importantly, have a wonderful time traversing the Playa.
The Tower of Pink
We know what you're thinking. You take one look at this spiky top and your brain automatically goes "Oh cool, it's the Empire State Building. Now what are we having for dinner? Also, we're out of eggs." But tell your brain to take another second and another look to understand that this is actually a ginormous model of a rocket ship.
Where else might you find a towering flaming neon pink rocket ship, constructed exclusively for adults? Nowhere, we're quite sure. And at its base this thing has wheels! It’s a mobile rocket structure. Burning Man is a special and unique spectacle.
A Flaming Recycled Scrap-Metal Octopus
Here is one of the more unique vehicles to have ever cruised the Playa. Enormous flaming tentacles crown this contrivance like no other. It’s a 25-foot-high flame shooter. It first visited Burning Man in 2011. The contraption of mechanical parts and labor is endearingly named El Pulpo Mecanico, or the Giant Flaming Octopus.
This piece is a combination of art and technology based on a 1973 Ford 250 pickup truck. The monster artwork consumes 200 gallons of propane per night, so the Humboldt County creators took up donations to bring her back. Here she is at that 2012 event pictured under a magical sky.
The Pyramid Jungle Gym
Another way to unleash the Burner’s inner child is to climb away on this gigantic structure. The 21-foot-tall sculpture is a work of art called Bat Country. It was chosen as one of the 2013 Burning Man Honorarium Art Projects. When you first look at it, the triangular, multi-leveled climbing cage looks like it is made out of the same metal rods that make the monkey bars at your interest playground.
However, the magnificent climbing structure is pieced together by 384 aluminum baseball bats and 130 individual softballs, used as joints. For the brainiacs out there, Bat Country is a mathematical presentation of a third-generation Sierpinski tetrahedron.
Stairway to Heaven
Given that all Burning Man goers do their best to live in for a few days of the fantasyland of their own doing, it is no surprise to find some fantastic beasts there. Like this giant unicorn that we see in this picture. In line with many of the sculptures and installations at the festival, this sculpture seems to have been specifically designed to bring out the Burner’s inner child.
It’s a giant unicorn rocking horse with a tail in the form of a rainbow staircase that leads the way to mount the sparkly animal. What better way to cleanse the Burner’s soul than to take a rocking ride on this plaything?