Art installations on the playa.

• #Self-Inflatuation

  Gramps· Nashville, TN, United States

  The #Self-Inflatuation Bench is a breath of unfresh air! This art piece offers all Burners the opportunity to come sit down and smell their own farts by blowing it directly onto their face! The shaded and serene bench is the perfect place on Playa to rest, relax, and let rip. Influencers and commodifiers are especially welcome. After all, everyone should smell their own brand before they sell their own brand.

• (This) Timeline S.U.X.

  Just John· Sonoma County, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  A decommissioned Timeline Selection Utility Xylopyli [Greek: Xylo (wood) Plyi (gate)] inadvertently installed in an unsuitable outdoor environment allowing it to be reenergized. The Xylopyli is a Möbius strip based on an ancient Roman mosaic inlaid roughly a millennium before German mathematician August Möbius made his "discovery" of his eponymous topological shape. The mosaic depicts the Hellenic god of time, Aion, passing between two timelines: one whose Axis Mundi is represented by a date palm, the other by an olive tree. "(This) Timeline S.U.X." is inspired by the meme, "This timeline sucks." It is meant to remind viewers that individuals have agency over their futures. If this timeline sucks then plot a better path into the future.

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• 1/1000 - A Wish for Recovery

  Steel Tigerlillies· Milwaukee, WI, United StatesOpen Playa

  Paper cranes are folded as acts of devotion, each one a wish made real through time, focus, and collective effort rather than luck. They remind us of shared labor and common humanity, reflecting patience, persistence, and the power of many hands working together. The crane becomes both symbol and action—a reminder that meaningful change is built slowly through care repeated again and again. In Black Rock City, this sculpture becomes a really big wish.

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• 3rd Eye Space

  Runester· Oakland, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  A nurturing oasis, a shady spot at the center of the Playa Art Park. A place to rest when touring the art of the Playa within the Art Park itself. Within the 3rd Eye Space, divination is done with friends in public, whereas it is usually done in a private setting alone or with a reader. Two of Runester's unique art/game systems, Rune Dice & I Ching O-Matic will be installed within the space. The games tabulate the deep complexity of traditional divination within the burner party setting. Burners are inspired to participate and compare divination techniques and show others how to do them. Activities can happen day and night at random as well as at specific workshops and scheduled demos.

• A Cosmos Within

  Camp Stranger Things - Art Collective· Bozeman and Great Falls, MT; Big Bear, CA; Jackson, WY; Oslo, NorwayOpen Playa

  Lucky Deep Playa explorers may find themselves at A Cosmos Within, a meditative garden. Within the garden are benches for rest, relaxation, and reflection. An enclosed space in the Cosmos offers windows, skylights, and a comfortable refuge from the sun, wind, and dust, where visitors can select an Axis Mundi Cosmic Journey based on interactive color buttons that play a selection of meditative sound experiences. There is a guidebook within the Cosmos for those wishing for deeper exploration. A Cosmos Within offers visual and sound experiences chosen by the explorers. This community installation is a comfortable, visually interesting space to experience the axis mundi with friends, old and new.

• A Pretty Cool S

  Donkey· Phoenix, AZ, United StatesOpen Playa

  It's the S we all know how to draw. Did someone show us how to draw it, or did we all just figure it out? Wikipedia says Stussy denies creating it, and it has nothing to do with Superman.

• A Second Look

  Bex and Sasha Shinn, Bat Haus Art· Vallejo, CA, United States

  All we have for sure is right now. None of us know what tomorrow, next month or three years from now will bring. Come sit, share a moment in time and take a second look. Film photography was my first artistic love. The ability to capture a brief moment, alchemy of a dark room, images emerging on sheets of photo paper as if by magic. It was enthralling and continues to be an art form I find deeply fulfilling. This art piece is a love letter to the medium that first helped me find my creative spark. A place to take a break from the sun, decorated with photos the artist captured, developed and processed herself over the years, some from her collection of found/rescued vintage photos and many collected from friends and family.

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• A Svengali Gala

  Kathy D'Onofrio· Carson City, NV, United StatesOpen Playa

  In a last-ditch effort to boost her popularity, Emma, the Emerald Wasp, invited her fellow freeloaders, sycophants and leeches to a week-long extravaganza at her long-abandoned childhood home. Meanwhile Norma and Shambooshka stop by to see what all the fuss is about.

• AI Am

  Machine Elves Industries· San Diego, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  AI Am, a dwelling for multiple AI personalities speaking through primal fire, sparks citizens to explore AI's hopes and woes, spirituality, religious tropes, and art itself. Will AI be our next God? How do we know something is or contains any part of God? What good is a creator without observers, art without an audience? AI Am serves as a proving ground for this enigmatic future.

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• ALUNA The Frequency of Being

  Santiago Caro & Tixana Ospina (Outline Creative Lab)· Bogota & Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, ColombiaOpen Playa

  ALUNA emerges in the desert as a golden body of memory and consciousness. Interwoven planes hold water, where sound and light evoke the concept of Aluna, the Tayrona invisible dimension, where intention is born and thought takes shape. By turning its knobs, visitors shift frequencies and transform vibration into visible geometry through cymatics, revealing how each word and sound expands or contracts consciousness and affects a body made mostly of water. ALUNA draws from Tayrona goldwork and reinterprets the myth of El Dorado, not as a commodity, but as a sacred bond between human, ancestral, and spiritual realms. The work is created by Colombian artists and spouses Santiago Caro and Tixana Ospina. It is born from love, ancestral wisdom, and a commitment to positive impact for Indigenous communities in Colombia.

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• Above and Below

  Sean Orlando· Richmond, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  Above and Below embodies the artistic impulse to shape our homes and communities into creative gathering spaces that evoke mystery, nature, adventure, and spirituality, reminding us that the ecosystem connects us to one another. The work proposes that the objects we build can be sustaining and intriguing artifacts of creativity and technology that carry human memory, intention, and care.

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• Acinonyx

  Liminal Collective· Seattle, WA, United StatesOpen Playa

  This is a work about speeding up and slowing down. It offers comfort and shelter in acceptance of mortality. A larger-than-life cheetah automaton features articulated joints and sprinting legs. Each limb includes multiple pivot points, allowing for fluid, lifelike motion. A large hand crank activates the mechanism, propelling the cheetah into a simulated full-speed sprint. The den is an enclosed organic shape, casting dappled shadows. Inside, cheetah cubs lounge on beanbags, accompanied by a soft ambient audio track featuring a recording of a real cheetah purring and a contemplative meditation.

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• Aeshtah

  Philip DePoala with Edge Neuroscience & Art· Mas Ubud, Bali, Indonesia & Saugerties, NY, USAOpen Playa

  A shrine for the supreme being Aeshtah. When the gong is struck, its sound evokes a vibrational spell to ease the passage of the god Aeshtah to its temporary residence in the mask shrine. The name Aeshtah can be roughly translated to "Breath, Death". Aeshtah is the source of the primordial fire of creation and guides the cycles of transformation in the natural world. This 3 meter tall sculpture was hand carved out of foam with knives, then fiberglassed and painted with airbrush.

• Aetheric Ascension Tower

  Andrey Sledkov and ARTsled· Mockba, Russia & Salt Lake City, UTOpen Playa

  An art object shaped as a cone, its sharp tip piercing upward into the sky while its broad base takes root deep in the earth. Carved into its surface are the silhouettes of human figures - souls

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• Aikido - The Mothership Connection

  Zak Ove· London, UK & Canary Islands, SpainOpen Playa

  Mothership Connection reinterprets old-world artisan traditions, weaving Pacific Northwest totem craft with architectural references to sites built by enslaved and indentured labor, honoring their role in a shared, multi-racial history. The rocket-like form evokes an Afrofuturist vessel informed by Dogon cosmology. Its base recalls the Djenné mud mosque of Mali, rising into a shaft adorned with luminous masks and etched Veve symbols from the Haitian diaspora. Higher sections shift to Masonic columns and triangles, encircled by Cadillac lights referencing Western consumerism, then arches inspired by Washington's Capitol. The crown is a monumental illuminated Mende female mask, pulsing like a radiant beacon toward the future.

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• Air-O-Matic 3000

  David Gomez & Kali Rosendo· Brooklyn, NY, United StatesOpen Playa

  The Air-O-Matic 3000 is an interactive air quality index, illuminating a neon sign to reflect the current air quality and indicate whether a mask is recommended.

• All Art is a Bike Rack

  Dave Laughlin and Magpie· Lake Tahoe, CA, United States

  All art is a bike rack on the playa. This illuminated sign is a commentary on that fact. Do burners follow directions?

• Angst-in-the-Box

  ManCub· Nome, AK, United States

  Angst-in-the-Box Similar to a jack-in-the-box, the familiar child's toy, but different. Turning the crank will make the music, the music will stoke your expectations... but will you find the surprise you seek? A wondrous illusion to help you meditate on anxiety and expectation... the meaning is up to you.

• Another Mother

  Kathy D'Onofrio· Carson City, NV, United StatesOpen Playa

  Tabitha the Tarantula Hawk has received an invitation to A Svengali Gala taking place way out by The Trash Fence. She must now quickly subdue her latest conquest while she contemplates what to wear to this most hypnotic occasion.

• Apotheneum

  Anthony Fieldman & Mark Slee· New York, NY, United StatesOpen Playa

  Apotheneum (place of divine elevation) is a visual, sonic, and haptic instrument intended to "transport" visitors through participatory immersion. Comprised of two nested chambers made of back-to-back LED nets, Apotheneum presents multiple canvases and an immersive sound system for collaborating visual and sound artists. Apotheneum's cubic antechamber envelops a cylindrical "inner sanctum" that opens to the sky. Within this chamber, a pressure-sensing "bed" offers multiple vantage points for the three primary senses to be engaged. Intended as a "slow" space, the light and sound art that Apotheneum will feature are designed to encourage pause and contemplation.

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• Arctic Court 360

  Veli-Veikko Elomaa· Helsinki, FinlandOpen Playa

  The Arctic Court is built on the philosophical premise that the human condition is a beautiful paradox of resilience and fragility, much like ice itself—simultaneously crystalline and strong, yet transient and vulnerable. This expansive canvas hosts a full 360° immersive projection of ethereal characters in ice-and-snow-inspired artistry. The semi-transparent walls allow the internal spectacle to bleed outside, veiling the interior in mystery and compelling curiosity. Within this reflective realm, visitors don't just watch—they become part of the living art, their reflections forever woven into the Arctic Court's narrative.

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• Arcturus

  Adam Keeton· Denver, CO, United StatesOpen Playa

  Arcturus is an interactive sculpture that breathes. The breathing deepens and its lighting changes when people are near. Arcturus is designed to look alien and unfamiliar, but feel distinctly relatable and alive.

• Are You Still There?

  SAS· Miami Beach, FL, United States

  Hello? I can't believe you're calling - it's been so long. I am wondering if we are just borrowing bones? Are you there? Does your soul remain? I miss talking with you. Is anyone answering these phones? Can you hear me? How thin is the skin between realms? How strong is the connection? Don't hang up. Who's calling? Is the great beyond really so far away? Is the unknown merely unanswered? Does the otherside surround us? I was just about to call you. In the great sleep, is there conversation? In the silent rigor, is there dialogue? Can I take a message? I'll tell them you called. One moment. I've been trying to reach you. It's been forever, I thought I lost you. And if it were so - would you pick up the phone? What would you say? ...are you still there?

• As Above, So Within

  Mahshid Moghadasi and Aysan Jafarzadeh, in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team· San Francisco, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  As Above, So Within draws inspiration from Attar's 12th-century Persian poem The Conference of the Birds, in which the birds journey in search of the Simurgh, a mythical Persian bird, only to discover that what they sought was already manifest within themselves. The Mandelbulb was chosen as a fractal form that repeats across scales, suggesting that the same underlying order appears in the cosmos, nature and the self. Through recursive geometry and shifting light, the sculpture evokes a contemplative atmosphere resonant with Persian architecture, where repetition and illumination draw the mind inward. As Above, So Within proposes that the meaning we seek in the universe may also be found within ourselves.

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• Atlas Endures

  Z!· Sacramento, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  Atlas Endures depicts the Titan condemned by Zeus to bear the heavens for eternity as punishment for siding with the Titans against the Olympian gods. Crouched atop a pedestal, arms spread wide to support the celestial sphere above him. Atlas endures the blazing sun from rise to set; then, under a darkened sky, he holds the moon, the Pleiades, and Orion, marking the eternal passage between day and night through his outstretched hands. As Axis Mundi, he stands at the sacred center where earth meets sky, a living pillar joining the mortal and celestial realms. The piece captures cosmic balance held through unwavering willpower, transforming defeat into a posture of strength — Atlas, condemned yet unyielding beneath the weight of the world.

• Axion Seed

  Diane Hoffoss with ArtBuilds· San Diego, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  Axion Seed is a participatory light sculpture exploring the dawning of self awareness. At its center, a mirrored rotating cylinder sits within a pentagonal enclosure, sending discrete beams of light outward to mirrored surfaces that return them inward, folding back toward their source. As participants gently turn the cylinder, the light paths shift and recombine into evolving lattices that respond directly to human touch. The installation renders a visible feedback loop in which action produces reflection and reflection produces awareness, imagining a being that first radiates freely into space without self knowledge, and only upon the return of its own light begins to perceive itself as a source.

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• Axis Levitas

  Makey· Carson City, NV, United StatesOpen Playa

  The participant in this art experiences a lessening of gravitational forces, and is finally able to answer the question: "How high can I jump if I only weigh 10 pounds?" or "what did Superman feel as he Leaped Over Tall Buildings in a Single Bound?" The art of the structure depicts the struggle with and against gravity in this life and the next.

• Axis Mundi: Resonant Spire

  Sergei Konchekov· New York, NY, United StatesOpen Playa

  Axis Mundi: Resonant Spire rises from the desert as a new form of hybrid architecture — neither monument nor machine, but a living signal. Constructed from ascending conical volumes encircled by programmable rings of light, the structure releases phased waves that travel upward like a visible breath. Illumination intensifies, fades, and collapses into silence, transforming the tower into a temporal instrument rather than a static object. Matter and algorithm intertwine; structure becomes frequency; architecture becomes event. In the vast emptiness of the playa, the spire stands as a meditation on resonance — a threshold where technology turns ritual and light becomes the language of presence.

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• Axis of Stillness

  Mitya Segal· Novato, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  Axis of Stillness is an 8-foot pyramid of hand-laid mosaic tile mounted on an engineered EMT conduit frame. Four identical triangular panels — each assembled from mirrored, colored tiles — reflect sunlight in shifting patterns by day and glow with concealed LED lighting by night. The piece references ancient sacred geometry to create a contemplative focal point: a quiet center amid the motion of Black Rock City. It is the first chapter of a multi-year installation sequence, with plans to engage a local school community before returning to the playa in an evolved form.

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• Azulita's Door

  Mavi Blue & The Door Keepers· Salt Lake City, UT, United StatesOpen Playa

  Azulita's Door is a hand-painted doorway that stands alone in the desert, framed by warm marquee bulbs and accompanied by an illuminated plaque and painted details. Inspired by thresholds, memory, and transformation, the piece centers on the symbolic act of passing from one inner world to another. Vintage hardware, layered murals, and soft lighting give the feeling of an old portal carrying many histories. By day it appears whimsical and intimate; by night the lit doorway becomes a glowing focal point against the playa, and the moon may appear through the open door as part of the works natural setting. The installation is approachable, ADA accessible, and designed to hold quiet reflection, wonder, and personal meaning.

• BAD HEALTH ADVICE

  MAGIC MAN & SUGAR PLUM· SAN JOSE, CA, United States

  Step right up to the playa's premier hub of boldly delivered medical nonsense. Expect sweeping proclamations, dramatic pauses and the kind of certainty only the naive deliver. We don't offer facts. We offer vibes. We don't offer science. We offer swagger. And we definitely don't offer anything you should actually follow. Come for the satire, stay for the spectacle, hope you don't leave with a new nasty disease.

• BLACK ROCK ADVENTURES BUS STOP!

  BLACK ROCK ADVENTURES X IRONSIDES DESIGN· Los Angeles CA / Billings MT / Portland OR

  This not only looks like a bus stop, it is a BUS STOP! Playa Tours depart from the BUS STOP! Daily at 9am in our accessible adventure rig....come for a tour with us!

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• BRC Aquarium Deep Research Submersible

  BRC Aquarium Field Research Team· Dublin, IrelandOpen Playa

  PRESS RELEASE The BRC Aquarium's Research Department is thrilled to announce the launch of our deep-water submersible research vessel, the RV MOIST-1, to advance our mission of exploring the uncharted depths and enduring mysteries of Lake Lahontan. This ancient body of water is noted for its astonishing range of endemic fauna, many of which are new to science. The submersible will contribute many important observations to the playa-wide marine community. The Research Department seeks participants to step inside, operate the submersible, and record the astonishing species to be found in deep playa. The BRC Aquarium is closed for renovation in 2026, but with this launch, we encourage all to take part in seeing the fish and being the fish.

• BRC Intergalactic Spaceport

  Joseph S Berman· Sterling, MA, United StatesOpen Playa

  Geez, what does a spaceport look like? This one has a 20-foot tall beacon surrounded by 4 departure/arrival posts, plus at least one plastic alien with a rolly suitcase who might reanimate themselves at any time.

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• BRC Wheels on Meals - Lucky Year 13 - Last and Final Year

  Lysa Morgan / Dazzle!· Livermore, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  We provide meals to the art builders.

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• BREATHE

  Sadie Lyn Rhoads - DRAGON· Ogden, UT, United StatesOpen Playa

  B R E A T H E is here to support you on your journey where ever you may be in the moment. BREATHE is here for you through out your whole burn. Whether it's from a distance or when you are next to her.. you will feel the energy she is here to help you shift through the dust through the rain, and THROUGH THE SHINE. Here to remind you to do something very important she is here to remind you BREATHE and connect back with your body. There is more to experience there at her heart so make sure you stop by to say hi to see the messages that are there for you. From our hearts to yours .... BREATHE

• BYTE: Chip and Terra

  Jason Blanda + Andrew Lazorchak· Kinnelon, NJ, United StatesOpen Playa

  Chip and Terra are big cuddle bugs with bulbous mirrored eyeballs that emit dancing beams of light at night. Chip's underbelly gives life to a hanging wisteria garden where adventurous humans may find hidden gifts hanging among the flowered vines or wedged in the graffitied rafters, alongside beautiful messages of appreciation and art from past BRC citizens. You may even find a serene chill space with a giant hammock and big fluffy pillows for some "me" time! Terra piggybacks Chip creating another snuggly hideout, enveloped in fur, for escaping the harsh elements and meeting new fuzzy friends.

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• Back In 30 Minutes

  Iron Monkeys· Seattle, WA, United States

  The Iron Monkeys are shifting focus from the monumental to the miniature. This year, we've forged a large steel frame of our logo and filled it entirely with a dense collage of smaller, individual art pieces. It's a reminder that even when the heavy machinery rests and the crew steps away, idle hands keep on creating. Look closely, and don't mind the sign.

• Bar That Never Opened

  Daria & Andrei Mikhailov· Chicago, IL; Chelyabinsk, Russia & Moscow, RussiaOpen Playa

  An interactive installation built as a fragment of a bar interior — a small space where visitors can occasionally drink coffee or tea, watch television, or listen to vinyl records. The work explores unfinished stories and human presence, where meaning emerges through shared experience rather than consumption. With only two seats, the installation emphasizes intimate encounters between strangers and reflects on memory, connection, and transformation — suggesting that even incomplete beginnings can become something meaningful.

• Beacon of Confusion

  Josh Harris· San Francisco, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  You are carefree riding your bicycle near the outer boundary of Burning Man. In the distance you see a beacon of light. A glow of a different color. You ride closer to inspect. Several glowing lights in shades of fuchsia and gold become apparent upon arrival. It stands the height of 15 hands. Not quite a full horse you think. A button and a crank adorn the sides of the small obelisk. Messages of cryptic origin and unknown meaning on its sides. What is this thing I've stumbled upon, you wonder?

• Beetle

  Barry Crawford· Silver Springs, NV, United StatesOpen Playa

  Beetle is a giant mechanical hercules beetle with opening wing covers and other moving parts.

• Behind Closed Eyes

  Spencer Hansen and Team· Grass Valley, CA / Bali & Java, IndonesiaOpen Playa

  Behind Closed Eyes is a 16-foot hollow sculpture hand-carved from retired Indonesian fishing vessels and reclaimed structural timber. Its exterior features repeating, topographic-like ridges that reveal deep texture, visible tool marks, and natural patina. Copper accents suggest eyes and a spine. The crouching figure sits at ground level, with knees drawn in and hands covering its eyes. The posture conveys awareness and quiet presence. At night, a soft glow illuminates the sculpture from within. The interior is smooth, with rounded wooden surfaces and multi-level perimeter benches forming a fort-like chamber where enclosure, scale, and texture evoke shelter, imagination, and the quiet space of inward reflection.

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• Big Red Button

  Mr. Sparkles· Brookings, OR, United States

  What is this whimsical display? Do I dare press the Big Red Button? Wait! This is unexpected! And fun! Come discover the wonders of the Big Red Button at a playa near you!

• Black Rock Observatory

  Black Rock Observatory· Portland, Los Angeles, Dubai, Vancouver BC, Mammendorf GermanyOpen Playa

  Black Rock Observatory serves as a gateway to the wonders of the cosmos. The Observatory brings together thousands of participants to experience views of planets, galaxies and nebulae, sharing meteorites, and giving talks on a multitude of scientific topics. A beautiful wooden observatory dome houses an 8-foot tall Dobsonian reflector telescope, and several other smaller telescopes that participants can use to view the night sky. And there's a solar telescope in the afternoon!

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• Bless My Meat

  Dolce Remi and Esmeralda· Nevada City, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  Bless My Meat is a swine shrine that stands in deep playa beneath a celestial arc of throbbing pink LEDs. Exhalted upon a pink pedestal is Pinky, a crocheted pig with red cat eyes, shark teeth, and pointed witchy shoes. Across from her, a small altar bears the phrase "Present Your Meat for Blessing." A button on the altar sounds different "meat blessings," all created and recorded by fellow Burners. The installation blends ritual with absurdity and transforms a stuffed porker into a plush prophet. Through humor, sound, and light, Pinky explores the sacred and the profane by celebrating our individual interpretations of "meat" and the irreverent yet transcendent communal spirit of Black Rock City.

• Blooming

  RedShadow· Suzhou, China & New York, NYOpen Playa

  Blooming is an immersive kinetic art installation which consists of a cluster of large, sculptural flowers. Celebrating the quiet strength, warmth, and resilience of women: especially mothers. Petals unfold as visitors approach, glowing with color and whispering soft sounds as if breathing in shared life.

• Brews 12 v Uno: cLOUD OF WIT-nesses

  Eric E. Brown, Jr.· Nashville, TN and Brooklyn, NYOpen Playa

  Brews 12 v Uno is a communal gathering installation exploring Black joy, sacred play, and conversation as ritual. The sculpture rises as an illuminated vessel beneath a cloud of symbolic cards referencing card games, flavored drinks, chance, and improvisation in culture. A circular seating space invites participants to sit, rest, and share spontaneous dialogue with strangers. Inspired by Black theological traditions of embodiment and becoming, the work proposes Joy as sacred practice. By day the installation offers a place of pause and connection. By night it glows as a landmark on the playa. Brews 12 v Uno invites participants to experience play, rhythm, and conversation as forms of collective healing and celebration.

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• Build Better Ruins

  Alex McLean· Bellingham, WA, United StatesOpen Playa

  "Build Better Ruins" is a phrase from the 'doomster' author Dougald Hine. Paraphrasing his work: If we find we are living in a time of endings, and the narratives of modernity no longer speak to our future realities, how then would we want to re-imagine our world? What would "better" ruins look like? This bio-punk sculpture, using common street infrastructure widgets, is my effort to answer Hines' timely provocation.

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• Burnagotchi

  Just John· Sacramento, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  Enlarged rendition of a favorite childhood toy which includes an interactive life cycle, allowing participants to share in the growth of a virtual pet over the course of the event.

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• Burning Mammal

  Matt Scott & Anna Shaposhnik· Los Angeles, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  Inspired by Zootopia 2, this installation pokes fun at Pixar's interpretation of Burning Man by co-opting their take on the Man, infusing their IP with our own creative touches and bringing it back to the playa in physical form. A form of self-reflexive fair play, this installation will challenge participants to consider decommodification through a series of reuse.

• CORREFOC

  Daniel Nebot + Miguel Arraiz· Valencia, SpainOpen Playa

  Correfoc is a freestanding sculptural installation approximately 26 feet tall, conceived as a stylized human silhouette inspired by Mediterranean fire rituals. Built in wood and finished in a vibrant red tone, the piece stands as a striking landmark in the desert landscape. At night, subtle lighting enhances its silhouette and amplifies the presence of surrounding fire performances. The work explores the human silhouette as an ancestral symbol, where fire, ritual, and collective movement converge into a shared, ephemeral presence. Correfoc is envisioned as a daily gathering point for the fire dancers of Burning Man. During a special event, a traditional fire dance will unfold around the sculpture prior to its burning, linking Mediterranean traditions with the transformative culture of Burning Man.

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• Can Not Unsee

  Evgenii "Genna" Iavorovich· San Francisco, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  Occupying a 15 sq ft footprint on the playa, Can Not Unsee extracts 77.9 ft³ of matter into a sparse geometric formation of minimalist poles. The installation invites participants to observe shifting perspectives, light, and spatial relationships from every angle.

• Can You Read My Lips?

  Will Johansson· Berkeley, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  A 14-foot-wide LED sign on the deep playa. Five lines of light, each reading "CAN YOU READ MY LIPS?", flicker across its face. First slow and tentative, then chaotic and overwhelming, like the fatigue of trying to keep up with many voices at once. At the peak the whole sign holds bright for one second, then resolves into a sixth line: "CAN YOU READ MY HANDS?" The piece is by a Deaf artist whose first language is American Sign Language. The lipreading the question asks for is the lipreading he does every day; the hands at the end point to a fuller language than mouths alone can carry, and a quieter question about whether better is possible.

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• Canis Minor

  OctoEyes· Seattle, WA, United StatesOpen Playa

  Canis Minor, the Lesser Dog, the dog that goes before. A shiny dog's head sparkling day and night. Dedicated to all the small dogs with big personalities who left us too soon. They wait in the sky to guide us onward.

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• Cardinal Gates

  Purple Cow Arts· Las Vegas, NV, United StatesOpen Playa

  Cardinal Gates explores the passage of time and how life is made up of fleeting, ever-changing moments. Our piece honors the cardinal directions and the sundials before them that have guided explorers for thousands of years. We are all explorers finding our way. The gates are a pop of saturated color in the playa landscape. Up close, during the day, they create a moving story of shadows capturing time. The flags are custom-dyed in vibrant colors inspired by the sky, representing our personal mythology of the directions. You can find your way following each of the four cardinal directions - North, East, South, or West. The flags & benches are made out of upcycled, reprinted convention banner fabrics and metal poles.

• Carnac 2026

  Michael Ciulla, Walid Nasrala· San Francisco, CA & Beirut, LebanonOpen Playa

  This artwork reimagines Carnac's impulse to inscribe meaning into landscape through repetition and alignment. Like Carnac, which communicates through rhythm, spacing, and silent presence, these 1,000 forms create a field where individuality and collectivity merge. Each sculpture is humble, yet together they form a vast geometry understood through movement. This work embodies the tension between the singular and the collective, mirroring Black Rock City's community. Each piece stands alone, yet only through their thousand-fold repetition does the full vision emerge—a contemporary megalith born from humble multiplicity.

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• Carry On

  Chaoying Zhao· Los Angeles, CA, United States

  "Carry On" is a mobile wearable installation composed of hundreds of small white interlocking fragments that form a shifting surface across the body. From a distance, the moving figure resembles a creature covered in scales, feathers, or a second skin. As the body moves and desert wind passes through the structure, the fragments sway independently, creating a constantly changing silhouette. Throughout the week, fragments gradually disappear from the wearable and disperse throughout Black Rock City as bracelets and necklaces exchanged through personal storytelling. By the end of the event, nothing remains except countless stories carried forward by strangers.

• Cats, Purrresent, and Futepurr

  PAUL NUNN and Mike Mayes· Seattle, WA, United States

  Paul Nunn and Mike Mayes Seattle WA Shadow cats cast onto the playa

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• Cellubrate

  Oz Wilcox & Matt Melnicki· Prosser, WA, United StatesOpen Playa

  Cellubrate reminds you that you used to be a sperm. The spermatozoon is an unmistakable symbol of fertility, but also a reminder of our origins. Nearly every nonbacterial species has a flagellated gamete phase – including you! This wooden monument celebrates the grand trajectory of life, where all our ancestry unites back to a single universal cell. A single sperm embarks on a futile quest; only with joy can we – misfit drifters – find abundance amidst today's dismal environs. The rising sperm is a beacon for the lost, a poetic lesson about evolution, and a platform for you to proclaim your merriment. Messy jokes encouraged. Hopefully, your Impossible Dream will find its fertile goal before it burns out at the end of the week.

• Center of the Universe

  Dan Barnes (Tinker), The Tinkers Knot· St. George, UT, United StatesOpen Playa

  The Center of the Universe is a 36" diameter metal art piece that looks like a manhole cover. It is designed for participants to stand on the art and take a picture of their feet and the art piece. There is a 26 foot arrow set at an angle and pointing to the Center of the Universe. During the day the arrow can be seen from a distance as it is painted green. At night the arrow is lit with green plasma LED string lights (the same as "The Question" in 2025).

• Chairy Go Round

  Johny Utah· ChâteauDome Utah, UT, United States

  Chairy Go Round is a primitive steel beefcake of a playground ride for those seeking the nostalgic feeling of a smooth, rotating carousel of sorts. Pull-rope powered by your fellow burner, this ride will certainly scratch a long-forgotten itch for playground freedom, camaraderie, and giddy, childish giggles as the 8-seat rotating swing provides connection and joy.

• Chinese Takeout Box

  Elliott Easterling· Los Angeles, CA. Joshua Tree, CA

  A large rusted steel sculpture inspired by the classic Chinese takeout box sits on the playa, warmly lit from inside through die-cut dragons and stylized lettering. The piece mixes Chinatown-inspired imagery, humor, and industrial materials in a playful nod to American pop culture and the way cultural symbols get remixed over time. Inspired partly by pop art and everyday commercial objects, the installation turns a familiar takeout container into a large-scale sculpture that changes character between day and night.

• Chiton Chapel

  D'Milo Hallerberg· Santa Rosa, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  A unique gathering place for any and all persons to perform or participate in celebrations affirming commitment. It is a 27 foot tall steel frame structure covered in white nylon. It takes its inspiration from the tide pool mollusk of the same name.

• Clank

  Chelsey Hathman· Oakland, CA, United States

  Clank is a kinetic geared sculpture that explores mechanical movement, sound, and whimsy.

• Coconut Telegraph

  Driftwood and Wildflower· Talent, OR, United States

  Is that a mirage? No, but it is a lone palm in the middle of the desert! Is that a treasure chest? Yes! Open it to find what few have every seen. Coconut Telegraph is a 12' coconut palm tree that has the ability to transport you to places dreamed of. Send a message to another world.

• Cocoon

  Jillian Culver and the Pilot Hill Artist Collective· Truckee, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  The Cocoon is a crocheted shelter that serves as a safe space for rest, reflection, and wonder. Before a caterpillar turns into a butterfly, it must spin a fibrous cocoon and take time to rebuild strength before transformation can occur. Humans as well must incorporate periods of rest before taking flight into the world with strength and renewed purpose. To enter the cocoon, one must get down on the ground and crawl in, symbolizing the humility involved in self reflection and hitting bottom before rising to the top. At the top is a silk flag symbolizing movement and flight. Inside the cocoon are carpet, pillows, and blankets for comfort during a moment of rest. Even with delicate stitching, we can build strength through structure.

• Coming Home

  Deborah A. Lambin· Carson City, NV, United StatesOpen Playa

  Coming Home is an immersive art installation celebrating the extraordinary journey people take from around the world to gather in Black Rock City. A sweeping wooden archway is covered with colorful directional signs representing cities and countries across the globe, each showing the distance traveled to reach the playa. At the center, a compass bearing the Burning Man symbol marks the shared destination that draws us all together. As visitors walk beneath the arch, they see places both familiar and distant, reminding us that while we come from every direction, we are united through creativity, connection, and community. In that moment, we realize something beautiful: we didn't just arrive at Burning Man… we came home.

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• Compost Playground

  Jen Reed· San Francisco, CA & DeRidder, LAOpen Playa

  You are the Earthworm that found the compost in the soil. This claimable structure invites you to crawl, explore, interact and learn, naturally.

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• Confessional Alter: Demoop du Soul

  Jacob Hanshaw and Looking Up Arts· San Francisco, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  An art nouveau altar-shaped circus wagon containing three confessional booths and a reflection area intended to provide a space for vulnerability, connection, and self-reconciliation outside of any authority structures. Confessors are given the option to speak directly or anonymously through an AI proxy which rephrases (for instance as a pirate or in haiku) and inevitably distorts communication, raising the question of how much is gained and lost in digital encounters. The absurdity or frustration of the AI may drive them to drop the veil of the artificial for a heart-to-heart connection or they may find joy in the play of a pirate haiku telephone game of soul searching in an ornate circus wagon in the middle of a desert.

• CosmicKorQ

  Bolston Andrew Jones· San Francisco, CAOpen Playa

  The CosmicKorQ transcends mere wood and bolts; it represents that fleeting second when a participant leaves the ground and gravity ceases to matter. Built with a deliberate cosmic glow, the installation serves as a defiance of the limits that hold an individual back. It embodies the grit required to fall and the resilient spirit necessary to rise again. Whether someone is a skater or a participant, the ramp offers a space where physical boundaries blur. Every shred breaks the status quo, transforming a simple movement into a personal victory. Within this wooden arena, the participant does not merely move; they transcend. The piece stands as a testament to human persistence, proving that the act of rising is just as vital as the ride itself.

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• Crystal Sanctum

  Laura Peters· Miranda, CAOpen Playa

  Crystal Sanctum symbolizes resilience, transformation, and inner strength. Formed under immense pressure over time, it reflects the human experience of growth through adversity—how challenges shape us into stronger, more multifaceted versions of ourselves. Its many facets represent the complexities of life: struggle and triumph, fragility and endurance, darkness and illumination. Though light passes through and refracts across its surfaces, the diamond itself remains unbroken, embodying the enduring strength of the human spirit. Within the vastness and harshness of the desert, the diamond becomes a sanctuary of reflection and presence. It reminds us that beauty and wisdom can emerge through pressure, and that even in difficult conditions, the human spirit has the capacity to remain luminous, grounded, and whole.

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• D.A.R.E – Does Art Reside Everywhere?

  Rachel O'Hara· Honolulu, HIOpen Playa

  What's your trauma you need to turn into ART? That's what this is. It's dedicated to loss and the era of (the incompetent) DARE. We take it and ask, Does Art Reside Everywhere? In everything? What does it look like? For this piece the artist wanted to show that you can take the hurt and make it large, and possibly disturbing, ART. Having lost a sibling to heroin overdose this is a tribute to them.

• Decisions

  Caryn· London, Berlin

  Signposts asking what decisions you will make in your life.

• Deep Playa Ebike Charging Station

  The Hash House, Wyatt McGuire, Joey Levy· San Francisco, CA, Phoenix, AZ

  An oasis of plentiful electric power to charge your e-bike awaits you in deep playa. Some strings attached.

• Desert Echos

  Hanna Abramowicz· Warsaw, Poland

  Desert Echoes is a large-scale inflatable installation reimagining the amphitheatre as a space for collective listening. Three luminous towers rise from the playa, their soft tendrils spiralling outward across the desert floor to form continuous ground-level seating. Translucent skins respond to sunlight by day and glow from within at night, transforming the structure into a beacon visible from across Black Rock City. Twice daily, at sunrise and sunset, a single bespoke composition emerges from the centre written for that moment, performed once, never repeated. The piece offers a rare architecture of attention, where music, light, and gathered presence form a quiet act of shared creation.

• Diamond Heart

  Oleg Lobykin aka Bigfoot· East Palo Alto, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  This captivating sculpture embodies the form of a large multifaceted diamond, artfully shaped into a heart. Each facet is meticulously crafted to capture and reflect light, creating a dynamic interplay of reflections that evolve with the viewer's perspective. Scaled up to impressive size, the sculpture invites viewers to see themselves within its gleaming surfaces encouraging introspection and connection. It stands as a powerful reminder to love oneself and others.

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• Disco Mushroom

  Alpine Artists Collective· Alpine Meadows, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  Disco Mushroom is a merry-go-round sculpture built from recycled wooden spools and wrapped in more than 100,000 mirrored disco tiles that shimmer and scatter light in every direction. A red polka-dot canopy blooms overhead, creating a shaded space with seating beneath it. By day, thousands of tiny mirrors reflect the sky, dust, and passing faces in sparkling fragments. By night, color-shifting lights transform it into a glowing, spinning constellation. Disco Mushroom celebrates reflection, play, and the strange beauty of small moments shining together.

• Do Baskets Dream of Shores or Sea

  Luke Lin, Auroborium· Oakland, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  Seven Vietnamese basket boats drift across a sea of lanterns on the ancient seabed of the Black Rock Desert. Back when fishermen wove bamboo into vessels, the boats float between what they were and what they're becoming. The lanterns draw from longheld Asian traditions where light holds space for what we cannot yet reach. Together, boats and lanterns hold both sides of being lost: what we're letting go of and what hasn't taken shape yet. A dock marks the shore with a bustling soundscape and a trilingual poem. Beyond, caustic light ripples like shallow water. The lanterns thicken, the sound softens, the shore fades. At the far edge, a single boat and a single lantern sit in near silence. The crossing doesn't resolve. It holds.

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• Dream. Fold. Fly

  DG Group· San Jose, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  An enlarged paper airplane and paper boat made out of wood stand as symbols of courage and trust. The airplane represents our deepest dreams — the ones we often keep hidden inside our hearts. It reminds us that dreams are not meant to stay folded. They are meant to be released into open space and given the chance to rise. The paper boat represents faith and surrender the willingness to let life carry our dreams forward, to trust the current even when we cannot see the destination. Together, they invite people to free their dreams to the planet — to give them air and flow, movement and possibility. Follow your dreams. Do not bury them. Let them fly and let them flow

• Dreams Never Get Old — Reflect on Your Life

  Marina Rich· South Lake Tahoe, CA, United States

  "Dreams Never Get Old" is a reflective camera sculpture that transforms the viewer into the subject through an oversized mirrored lens. Inspired by grief, memory, and the human desire to feel seen, the installation explores self-image and emotional reflection through a familiar object reimagined at monumental scale. The open backside of the structure creates a sheltered interior space for quiet connection, contemplation, and shared presence. By turning the act of observation back onto the observer, the piece blurs the line between artwork and participant, capturing fleeting moments of humanity, vulnerability, and belonging.

• Dreamweaver Labyrinth

  Ron Bearden and Dreamweaver Team· Portland, OR, United StatesOpen Playa

  The Dreamweaver Labyrinth Project is a classical seven-circuit Cretan labyrinth on the playa. Four-foot-wide paths spiral inward to a sixteen-foot open center, all ground-level. Solid blue LED rope lights the way at night, powered off-grid by solar panels, batteries, and low-voltage wiring—dust-proof and wind-anchored. Participants enter freely, walk the meditative turns, pause in the center for reflection or sharing. It welcomes everyone: wheelchair-accessible, multilingual signs, no barriers. Built for wonder amid chaos—proof that quiet space exists even here.

• Driven

  Seth Johnson· Carson City, NV, United StatesOpen Playa

  DRIVEN begins with a simple truth: even the smallest things can hold up the world. A railroad spike is humble and easily overlooked, yet carries the weight of journey, labor, longing, and connection. Enlarged to monumental scale, it honors immigrant, Indigenous, African American, and working-class hands that shaped the land and laid the tracks of the American West.

• Duende

  Valerie Mallory· Oakland, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  Duende is drawn from Spanish folklore which refers to the mysterious force that evokes awe and emotional intensity. Duende represents that sudden joy of recognition, the moment when authentic beauty becomes suddenly apparent; the spark of wonder that cannot be manufactured or denied. Valerie Mallory has been exhibiting work at Burning Man for 10 years and has been participating at Burning Man as a volunteer for 20 years

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• Dusty Corner of the Capital

  La Famiglia· Oakland, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  A mirage of civilization, half-remembered and half-imagined. Out in deep playa, where nothing stands and everything is possible, a Roman-inspired piazza appears. At the corner, the façade of an ancient palazzo meets the Dusty Trattoria, returning after its debut at Burning Man 2025. The first thing you notice is the ground beneath your feet: cobblestone. Someone paved the playa… and suddenly the mirage feels real. Not a monument to power, but a monument to life.

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• Dusty Heart, Tumbleweed Soul

  Calli Beck - Stark Raven Fab· Santa Fe, NM, United StatesOpen Playa

  Dusty Heart is a stainless steel sculpture shaped like a massive tumbleweed, its woven metal branches forming a sphere that cradles a glowing fire at its core. Nearby, a small covered wagon filled with firewood and an elevated fire pit create a scene reminiscent of a nomadic desert encampment. The polished steel reflects the flickering flames, while the sculpture's organic, wind-tossed form captures the energy of motion and transformation. Together, the elements evoke warmth, impermanence, and the timeless rhythm between humanity, nature, and fire.

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• Dusty's Adventure Center

  Jesse Grushack· Brooklyn, NY, United States

  Dusty's Atlas is an information booth that looks like it traveled here from a 1950s national park and got lost along the way. A glowing globe rotates on top, two wrought-iron lanterns flicker beside an incandescent INFORMATION marquee, and the side panels are covered in sun-bleached travel posters: NAVIGATE THE UNKNOWN. EXPLORE THE LAST PLAYA. Inside sits a custom-built terminal with a green CRT and clicky buttons, home to Dusty, a pixelated character who knows the city. He answers questions, and points the way to pancakes at sunrise.

• EIFFELA BROKEN DREAM

  Philippe Maindron· La Gaubretière, FranceOpen Playa

  It is a metal representation of the Eiffel Tower, similar to the one created for the 1900 World's Fair in Paris, at a 1:10 scale. This version will be cut in two, as if it had crashed into the desert after a chaotic journey: • The lower section, with its four legs planted in the ground, symbolizes the sinking of a lost civilization, • While the top of the tower, pointing toward the sky, offers hope for a brighter future. A cable will be stretched between the two peaks so that a tightrope walker can cross from one end to the other.

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• El Diabla

  Iron Monkeys· Seattle and Reno

  On the first Monday of the event, Crimson Rose extracts a flame from the sun to light a fire in El Diabla, a special cauldron located in Center Camp. For the flame to continue burning it must be stoked, disturbed, and kept alive throughout the entire week. We encourage all those that encounter El Diabla to help keep this flame alive.

• Electric Dandelion

  Abram Santa Cruz· Long Beach, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  The Electric Dandelion is a 24 ft. tall dandelion sculpture that doubles as fireworks at night. The dandelion bulb comes to life at night as the LED animations take hold and mesmerize you with their bright and intense light show. Sit down and enjoy the lights or dance and see the beautiful geometrically designed metal and acrylic sculpture.

• Elemental Dragon

  Arterra Techtonics· Brasov, RomaniaOpen Playa

  We try to imitate and follow this sacred flow of natural rhythm, and work with the environment, looking for forms that will combine together without the need for too much human intervention. Nothing is needed except cleaning, and ensuring the balanced connection between the pieces, with screws that give the structure durability, and prolong the magical life of a creature like this. Working intuitively, and using all imaginable perspectives, without disturbing the obvious form that defines the dragon, we always offer the observer the opportunity to go further in the dimension of imagination, adding their creativity to the fractal, which we are able to co-create. We invite you to the incredible sensory experience of meeting a dragon in person.

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• Enlightenment

  CAT Camp· Houston, TX, United StatesOpen Playa

  Direct from the blessed soil of Elysara comes a single, displaced specimen of the Caudex mnemosyne. Unlike the "killer plants" of sci-fi tropes or the death-worlds Burners are familiar with, this Pachycaul-like organism is not a predator—it is a scavenger. Enlightenment is a biological curiosity that harvests the one thing humans possess in toxic excess: unwanted memories. It survives by metabolizing your regrets and the heavy weight of the past. Some specimens have learned how to communicate. The flower is around six feet in diameter and has attractive lights to lure entities in range. Like Terran plants which provide fruit and shelter - Enlightenment provides shelter, light, and a place to rest while it feeds on your unwanted baggage.

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• Ephemeral Dust

  ahb· San Francisco Bay Area, CA, United States

  Ephemeral Dust is a kinetic light and dust installation that mirrors the very ritual and lifecycle of Black Rock City. Just as the city rises from the playa to form beautiful, intricate patterns before fading back into the dust, this piece continually transforms a layer of dust into an ever-changing canvas of temporary art. The installation is composed of two elements: a central kinetic sand sculpture and a surrounding geometric enclosure. At its core lies a low, circular platform blanketed in playa dust, acting as a stage for a single metal sphere. Driven by a concealed mechanism beneath the wood and steel framework, the sphere glides gracefully across the surface, endlessly carving shifting, mesmerizing patterns.

• Epod

  Michael Christian, Dallas Swindle & Auriah Jade· Bay Area, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  A monument to collective motion, EPOD is a rotating steel landscape powered by the most renewable energy source on Earth: people who refuse to sit still. It turns restlessness into art. Capacity: 80 humans. Runtime: indefinite.

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• Ethereal Essence of Odin

  El Tapo· Walnut Creek, CA, United States

  The beauty of this magnificent creature and the indisputable, genuine love, loyalty and friendship for all beings. By placing him on the playa facing the Man, we hope to convey the inner feeling of humanity, the bond between a human and a dog and the connection we all share.

• Event Horizon

  Ben Bartlett· San Francisco, CA, United States

  Event Horizon is a three-story tall, audio-reactive LED kinetic sculpture evoking a sense of cosmic beauty. Five concentric rings chaotically spin like a gyroscope 30 ft in the air, covered by over a mile of LEDs which illuminate the darkness of Black Rock City. Beneath the rings is a partially enclosed space surrounded by shimmering walls of light - a space to reflect, a space to wonder, or a space to dance. The entire sculpture is also audio reactive: when it hears a nearby musical presence like an art car, it converts into a cosmological dance floor that pulses to the beat!

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• Everywhere Nowhere Express

  Gabe Kim & Kristle Henry· El Cerrito, CA, United States

  Everywhere Nowhere Express is a large, 3-D train ticket that participants can enter. From the outside, the towering ticket structure signals both departure and arrival, stamped with destinations that are paradoxes: Everywhere. Nowhere. Now. Step inside and the experience transforms. The interior becomes a whimsical train car inviting participants to settle in and feel the particular magic of being in transit. Not yet there. No longer here. Just the ride itself.

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• Eye of God

  Cogitaro· Mountain Lakes, NJ, United StatesOpen Playa

  Delving into the neuroscience of biophotons. The work is an artistic interpretation of the interactive communication of light energy between two opposite forces. It also philosophically shows how starting from the same raw light/energy, endless variations are hidden within.

• FACE

  hiko· Osaka, Japan Kobe, Japan

  Kakejiku art is created by hiko from Osaka/Kobe, Japan. He has passion to collaborates his street culture influenced art with Japanese ancient art.

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• Fear Not the Fire

  Adam Libert· Pacifica, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom the emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand wrapped in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed." - Albert Einstein

• Fire Circle

  Nik Tenney & Sean Burrow· Bozeman, MT, United StatesOpen Playa

  Fire Circle honors the birthplace of congregation. From dusk until dawn, a cluster of wood-burning fire pits will provide a haven for warmth, intimate gathering and restorative programming.

• Fire Gnome

  Fire Gnome Collective· Northampton, MA, Emeryville, CA, Los Angeles, CA, & Seattle, WAOpen Playa

  The Fire Gnome Collective is thrilled to bring this 30-foot timber and steel installation to Black Rock City. We are ready to build a space for the community to play and explore on the playa. We can't wait to share the Fire Gnome's communal burn and the secrets revealed!

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• Fire Horse

  Victor Spinelli· Ibiza, SpainOpen Playa

  The horse will be in the steam punk architectural style with gears, gadgets, knobs, bells and whistles. 12 feet tall and standing strong.

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• Fireflies

  Hack Club· Burlington, VT, United States

  Hundreds of independent electronic fireflies flash together, coordinated only by the same simple mechanism that real biological fireflies use to synchronize their light, each one designed by a different teenager from a different location across the globe.

• For They Know Not What They Do

  Jai Hackl· Martinsville, AustraliaOpen Playa

  A steel caduceus rises from the Playa, a sword entwined with twin serpents and crowned with the wings of Hermes and an all-seeing eye. Forged from stainless steel, brass, and mild steel, it bends and scatters desert light, appearing watchful and alive in the dust. The serpents coil through ancient dualities of creation and destruction, obedience and rebellion, and cycles carried through tradition and rarely questioned. The sword forms an axis of power, both guardian and threat. Above, Hermes' wings speak of transcendence and ascent, while the mirrored eye returns fractured reflections of the viewer, reminding us that perception is always partial, and truth remains just beyond our grasp.

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• Fractured Light

  Andrew Ratliff, Emily Ratliff, Griffin Ratliff· Empire, CO, United StatesOpen Playa

  Fractured Light is an attempt at balance. There are two circles of pillars. The outer circle has eight points, like the eight pointed star revered in most cultures throughout history. Each pillar has designs cut into it so colorful light can come out and create fantastic designs all around. In the center stands a white pillar, representing the culmination of all the shapes and colors, coming together to form white light, or balance.

• Freedom Dancers

  Ashley Bennett-Stoddard· Seaside, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  Freedom Dancers is a circle of seven monumental, tree-like human figures rising approximately 10–13 feet tall from the desert floor. Constructed from steel armatures with textured papercrete surfaces, the sculptures combine the human form with branching limbs and open negative space that allows light and shadow to move through the work. Each figure represents a stage in the transformation of grief into compassion. Arranged in a circle, the dancers create a quiet visual dialogue about resilience, healing, and the shared emotional experiences that connect humanity.

• Fruity Frida

  O & M expeditions· san francisco, CA, United States

  This art piece is a fruit salad, honoring Frida Kahlo. Its a chimera of fruit and human, balancing the natural sweetness of fruit with the complex taste of humanity.

• Fuck Your Burn Complaint Box

  Espresso Joe· Melbourne, FL, United States

  You found the Complaint Box!!! Feel free to drop a note on whatever you want to complain or comment about. There is a great chance nothing will be done, but it will be read and posted for others to complain or comment about. If this a real emergency, hang up and dial 911. Thank you for your attention to this matter and fuck your burn. Sincerely, Complaint Department [email protected]

• Fuck Your Burn Complaint Box

  Espresso Joe· Melbourne, FL, United States

  You found the Complaint Box!!! Feel free to drop a note on whatever you want to complain or comment about. There is a great chance nothing will be done, but it will be read and posted for others to complain or comment about. If this a real emergency, hang up and dial 911. Thank you for your attention to this matter and fuck your burn. Sincerely, Complaint Department

• Garden of Impermanence - AXIS MUNDI

  FAFFE cult· Incline Village, NV, United States

  The Garden of Impermanence: Axis Mundi is a walkable Tree of Life — 22 physical paths between 10 sephiroth statues, spanning 44' of playa. Balance beam paths of 2x4 timber (set 12" above ground) represent the stable paths; gold slack lines represent the harder ones. At the heart stands a gold-painted pentagonal lantern (~11' tall) with shade and seating for 8-10. The numbered journey runs from node 1 (Kingdom, south entrance) to node 10 (Crown, north apex). Some paths are firm. Some are not. At the centre, the Peacock waits.

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• Ghost River: Desert Salmon Crossing

  Irina and Stanislav Shminke· Yekaterinburg & Moscow, RussiaOpen Playa

  An broken wooden bridge rises from the playa and stops in open air, as if the rest has slipped into another world. By day, cut patterns in the deck cast drifting shadows of water and fish onto the dust below, moving with the sun and changing with each passing body overhead. By night, a river of light appears beneath the span, where ghost desert salmon glide through a current that is not there. At the broken end, distant beams carry the bridge into darkness, suggesting a passage completed not by structure, but by imagination, memory, and the shared dream of a place that briefly becomes real.

• Giraffe in Motion

  Chaos Creative· New York, NY, United StatesOpen Playa

  Giraffe in Motion is a life-size LED push puppet that comes to life (powered by YOU)!

• God Is in Your Spine: The Backbone of Awakening

  Milan York· Portland, OR, United StatesOpen Playa

  God Is in Your Spine features a single 3D anatomical spine (~34") rising from a squared three-step plywood podium. The participant sits with their back to the spine, and breath triggers LEDs that climb the vertebrae, tracing the ascent of inner energy. By day, the spine presents a striking sculptural form; by night, its glow creates a luminous, meditative field. Rooted in Kriya Yoga, the piece embodies the spine as the body's axis, connecting inner awareness to the cosmos, and weaves individual presence into a reflective, collective resonance across the playa.

• Golden Ladder

  Mantis· Santa Cruz, CA and Cologne, Germany, and Katowice, Poland, and Cuneo, Italy

  The Golden Ladder - Getting people high since 6.000 BC. Each step will take you higher, your perspective shifts, your fear goes. The EXIT is close. Turn around and see from where you came. Curious minds, standing high, you don't need to touch the stars, yet realize, everyone of us is the star. Leave with freshly earned gains.

• HOPE

  Mojca Pacnik· Ljubljana, SloveniaOpen Playa

  HOPE is a metal lotus flower rising from the desert dust. It rises as a luminous point of orientation - a reminder to turn inward, to breathe, and to rediscover what truly matters. In a world full of noise, this art invites stillness and reflection, guiding us toward our inner divine, where peace and resilience live. Symbolizing awakening and rebirth, it offers a sacred space for meditation at sunrise and reflection at sunset - a place of peace, unity, and shared human connection and connection between sky, earth, and the unseen. HOPE celebrates the beauty and the power of the collaboration. Created by many hands and minds from different countries, it expresses the infinite potential that blooms when we connect with ourselves, each other, and the universe.

• Hahalua

  Christopher Schardt· Oakland, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  Hahalua is a 24' manta ray, hanging overhead, whose wings are made to flap when visitors swing on a wide porch swing below. The bottom of Hahalua is covered with 25,000 LEDs, which display patterns choreographed to classical music and classic rock.

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• Harmonic Orbiter

  Linda Qian and the Harmonic Orbiters· Cambridge, MA; Toronto, Ontario & Squamish, BC, CanadaOpen Playa

  Harmonic Orbiter transforms the simple act of tilting into a playful experiment in collective motion, where strangers discover harmony through shared balance and movement. Small actions build momentum, creating moments of synchronicity and connection.

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• Head Maze Tickets...!

  Milon Mackey· Oakland, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  "Head Maze Tickets...!" is a box attached to a post of the Burning Man trash fence. It distributes "tickets" to Head Maze. A visitor can open the box and take a ticket. Head Maze was at Burning Man in 2019. There were often long lines to enter it, so there were rumors about tickets on the trash fence that let ticket holders skip the line. There were no tickets in 2019, but there are Head Maze tickets at Burning Man in 2026...! Enjoy...!

• Headwaters

  MSALIGNED CREATIVE LTD.· Wellington, New Zealand & Denver, ColoradoOpen Playa

  Headwaters is inspired by the spiritual symbolism of Mount Kailash, long regarded as the Axis Mundi. The installation draws from this idea of a central source, with gradually rising bamboo poles creating a landscape of ascension and carving out a journey defined by detours, uncertainty, and gradual revelation. The work explores themes of origin, convergence, and inner alignment, offering a space for reflection, manifestation, and meeting oneself in a moment of stillness.

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• Heart Beats

  Scrabble Camp· Ridgecrest, CA, United States

  heart beats represents one person's record collection dumped illegally in the desert and transformed into an art installation

• Heart Remains

  Giselle Cisel Cakiroglu· Miami, FL & Istanbul, TurkeyOpen Playa

  Heart Remains is a monumental light sculpture rising from the open desert. A suspended heart form is held within rib-like structures that appear both protective and exposed. Subtle movement and shifting light give the piece a quiet sense of breath and presence. At night, illumination reveals the delicate inner geometry of the structure. The work reflects the need for emotional boundaries that people create to remain true to themselves while staying soft at their core. Balancing strength and vulnerability, Heart Remains explores how protection can exist without hardness, and how the heart can remain open while still honoring its soft nature.

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• Heart of Intentions

  Cassandra Caron, James Trebesch, Ocean Fabrication· Alameda, CA & Emeryville, CAOpen Playa

  Heart of Intentions is a place to gather, reflect, and connect. Its large wooden heart design quietly invites pause and contemplation. Visitors are encouraged to consider a hope or intention they wish to bring into the world. That intention is written on a small charm (provided) and placed upon the heart, joining a growing constellation of shared wishes. In return, a charm left by another is chosen and carried away, completed with the materials provided and worn as a small piece of jewelry. Each exchange sends a stranger's hope back out into the world. Over time, the heart fills with these offerings, becoming a living reminder that unseen threads connect us all, and that even the smallest act of care can ripple far beyond a single moment.

• Heartstead

  Mark Bertrand· Jackson, MO, United States

  This Installation looks like a very cozy and inviting little Heart Home, it may draw your curiosity as you see the lights shining on the inside as you peer through one of the openings, it might remind you that we all have a heart and each one is special. To me it reminds me that home is where the heart is, and you always have your heart.

• Here Between There

  The Crafty Carp - Robyn Carp· Bryn Mawr, PA & Park City, UTOpen Playa

  Here Between There is an interactive installation exploring human connection in the absence of digital signal. Two steel hearts define the space: one wrapped in obsolete cords, dense and tangled, reflecting how technology connects yet can also entangle and distance; the other open, gradually woven with ribbons over time. The ribbons extend connection outward, linking participants through shared gesture and presence. A metal message board bears the cut-out words "Leave a Trace Here / To Be Found," its surface marked and erased daily in chalk. Drawing from pre-digital message boards once used by travelers, the work forms a quiet center between here and there, where connection shifts from mediated signal to shared presence.

• Hero Armor

  Zakhar Zakharov and Team· Kharkiv, Ukraine | Rotterdam, Netherlands | San Francisco, CAOpen Playa

  They chose courage. We carry the memory. This art object commemorates those who left civilian life to defend the freedom of Ukraine and its people. It embodies a warrior-defender, originally developed by 3D artist Zakhar Zakharov based on a concept by Thomas Wievegg. In 2022, Zakhar left to defend his homeland and did not return. The installation manifests a futuristic guardian in blue and yellow, symbolizing courage, memory, and resilience. The figure stands on an illuminated octagonal base resembling tree roots, expressing connection to family, community, and homeland. Together, they form an axis mundi—an enduring structure that carries forward memory and the human spirit.

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• Hero Armor

  Zakhar Zakharov and Team· Kharkiv, Ukraine | Rotterdam, Netherlands | San Francisco, USA

  They chose courage. We carry the memory. This art object commemorates those who left civilian life to defend the freedom of Ukraine and its people. It embodies a warrior-defender, originally developed by 3D artist Zakhar Zakharov based on a concept by Thomas Wievegg. In 2022, Zakhar left to defend his homeland and did not return. The installation manifests a futuristic guardian in blue and yellow, symbolizing courage, memory, and resilience. The figure stands on an illuminated octagonal base resembling tree roots, expressing connection to family, community, and homeland. Together, they form an axis mundi—an enduring structure that carries memory and the human spirit forward.

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• Honey

  Elizabeth Laul Healey & Duffy Healey· Wilson, NC & Escondido, CAOpen Playa

  Honey, is a Positivity Watchdog, spreading good energy, warmth, and joy wherever she goes. The watch on her collar is set to 11:11 because she is all about celebrating oneness, and making wishes come true. The circular motifs on her body represent our journey within the circles of life, and each piece is chosen to reflect the beauty of the world around us. The circles are designed with gemstones, geodes and various rocks representing mother nature's gifts from the past, today and future. Thousands of hand cut, gold-colored mirrors are strategically applied which create a beautiful light that constantly shifts in color and reflections throughout the day. So let's embrace positivity and manifest good things together!

• Hortus Lux

  Eric Sagotsky· Los Angeles, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  Inspired by succulents in the arid desert, Hortus Lux is a restful oasis by day and an invitation to play by night. Each of the five woven hammock leaves accommodates two. Seated burners listen to guided meditations synced to light and haptic vibrations.

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• House of the Jackal King

  The Dusty Jackals· Reno, NV; Oakland, CA & Vancouver, CanadaOpen Playa

  Our installation is a vessel for the spirit of John Little—St. John The Bastard—whom we lost in April of 2025. His life was a flame woven into the fabric of Black Rock City. John saw the playa as a temple and a crucible, where work became ritual and community became art. House of the Jackal King is an immersive, exploration-driven art project commemorating the life and creative power of the late John Bastard Little, a pivotal member of the DPW community. It will be a large-scale installation built from recycled, reclaimed, and purpose-made materials, including a central tower and five outward-facing sculpture gardens inside a five-pointed star-shaped fence. The complete structure is intentionally designed for a controlled burn.

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• How We Were Raised

  Jacqueline Dougherty· Lodi, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  Two burners from different sides of the country met on playa and discussed their childhoods. While so much was different, adorably similar memories shined through. "Remember those beaded lizards?" "My mom still has all of mine!" "I gave all mine away." How We Were Raised is a conversation inspired by a childhood craft and what we might choose to do with something we create. Were you raised to cherish your efforts? Or to gift to those around you? The adults that we become are so influenced by those who are around us when we're young, and then we are the adults. How do we learn how to gift to those in our community? Or outside of it? Would you teach your children the same as you were taught?

• Hug Cabana

  Delicious· Nevada City, CAOpen Playa

  Hugging booth for interactive hug experiences.

• I Ching O-Matic

  Runester· Oakland, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  A magical spinner stands aside a record-keeping console that graphically tracks the 6 line results of traditional I Ching practice. The I Ching O-Matic has 64 wooden tablets that provide extraordinary details about any type of question asked. The oracle fosters experiences of deep relevance that tend to become valuable gifts long after the burn. Divination techniques done in a public burner setting allow for deep spirit messages to be shared with friends. Witnessing divination synchronicity in action generates trust and inspiration in the process. The results can touch people directly and tend to activate future off-playa transformations.

• I Have Dust In Curious Places

  Scott Copernicus· Another Place, Another Time, NV, United States

  It's a cheeky sign.

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• I Miss You

  Knight Rider· San Diego, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  Several lamps sprout from the ground, looking for light they cannot give themselves.

• Iguana-na

  Julia Alora· Portland, OR, United StatesOpen Playa

  A larger than life lounging lizard jam packed with musical elements. Remniscent of childhood toys, this iguana brings out the inner child in burners of all ages.

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• Illumicone

  Ross Butler and Coneheads Local 208· Boise, ID, United StatesOpen Playa

  Illumicone is light art driven by participation and interaction. A softly glowing presence draws participants inside, where they encounter strange mechanical widgets. As they play with the widgets, patterns of light move in response, surrounding the participants with a dazzling spectacle of color of their own creation. Illumicone is 19 feet tall at its center and 38 feet across at its base. Cables descending from the top of the cone carry 4800 individually controlled LEDs. Inside the cone are interactive, mechanical widgets. Participants manipulate the widgets, causing patterns of light to dance across the LEDs. Some widgets drive colored lines and rings, while others create sparkles or showers of color droplets.

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• In This Moment

  Sally Guzman· Reno, NV, United StatesOpen Playa

  Born from Sally Guzman's personal journey through loss in 2025, In This Moment transforms the isolation of grief into a communal act of remembrance. Inspired by the myth of the forest witch who offers to simply listen. Sally has created a physical threshold for the weary. It is a place built for the "us" and the "now"—a sanctuary where telling a story makes the lost present once more. Sit, tell me about them. Will it bring them back? It will, for us, in this moment

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• Inheritance

  Whitney Webb· Asheville, NC & Townsend, TNOpen Playa

  Inheritance is a solitary Appalachian pie safe cabinet standing in the desert. Traditionally used to store food behind ventilated tin panels, the cabinet is reimagined here as a keeper of quieter knowledge. Inside are jars of herbs, persimmon seeds used for winter prediction, handwritten remedies, and other fragments of Appalachian domestic life. When the doors open, the back of the cabinet reveals a glass mountain sunset, transporting participants unexpectedly from the playa into the Appalachian landscape. The work reflects a tradition where practical knowledge of land, weather, and healing was carried quietly by women and passed through generations as lived inheritance. Visitors are invited to open the cabinet and discover what remains.

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• Internal light

  Wes Overlin· Twin Falls, ID, United StatesOpen Playa

  Internal light

• Iron Butterfly of Love

  Jonathan Endrizzi and friends· Sacramento, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  The Iron Butterfly of Love rises from the playa as a radiant guardian of the night. With brilliant LED wings stretching across the darkness, he shines brightly so that wanderers, dreamers, and dancers can always find their way. His light is a beacon — a symbol of safety, connection, and wonder in the vast desert. The Iron Butterfly communicates through sound, responding to music, voices, and the rhythm of the crowd. Every beat, every laugh, every song becomes part of his living conversation. The Butterfly reminds us that love, like music, transcends borders, cultures, and differences. Under his glowing wings, strangers become friends, and the universal language of sound brings hearts together.

• It's a TRAP!

  Sorta Good ART· Portland, OR, United StatesOpen Playa

  It's a TRAP! is the biggest game of mouse trap jenga you will ever find!

• Jeremiah

  Fat Panda Productions, led by Chris and Carrie Jurney· San Francisco, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  Jeremiah is a seven-foot-tall frog, posed mid-leap as he catches his dinner. Outfitted with a leather saddle and bridle, he is ready to take you to whatever playa adventures the day might hold. Joining him are a variety of bugs - perhaps they are next on the menu? This sculpture, created by the same group that brought you a silly, orange tree-eating monster last year, was built purely for delight. We believe art doesn't always need to be serious. It doesn't always need to be a lesson or have a deeper meaning. Sometimes it's just a frog you can ride while it hunts bugs.

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• Just A Spoonful

  JoLean Barkley & WENDO· New Orleans, LA, United StatesOpen Playa

  Just A Spoonful is not just any umbrella, it's a larger-than-life adaptation of Mary Poppins' enchanted umbrella. Both a nostalgic tribute to this classic childhood character and homage to New Orleans culture, where umbrellas are often used as celebratory accessories in second lines. Mary Poppins has just floated in from a New Orleans parade, landing in Black Rock City, abandoning her umbrella to take in playa delights. We are offering Black Rock City a nostalgic warm hug from our beloved nanny.

• Just Two Chairs

  Nele Cools· Diest, Belgium & Bocas Del Toro, PanamaOpen Playa

  Two strangers sitting on chairs and admiring the sunrise. A moment to rest and enjoy the simple things in life. A piece that invites to explore in the tiny detail or just to do nothing at all. Of course the playa always provides, maybe in a dream, maybe as the long-expected answer to a question, maybe in a conversation with another Burner.

• KALEID

  Dan Going and Robert Montenegro· Liberty, NYOpen Playa

  A different take on the world tree, as a triangular kaleidoscopic tunnel standing 9' 8" tall and 36' 4" long. The organic design of the entrance represents the roots of the Cosmic Tree, our past and our connection to the natural world. The kaleidoscopic tunnel is the trunk of the tree. The interior and exterior of the piece will be covered in highly reflective aluminum sheets. During the day the sunlight shines through giving a stained glass effect that will reflect colors across the inside. In contrast to the organic entrance the opposite end is covered in video monitors, with bundles of wires wrapping all around, representing our collective future.

• Kaleidoscope

  Studio Woo Woo· Nevada City & San Francisco, CAOpen Playa

  Hundreds of fused-glass monarch butterflies cascade in a brilliant murmuration, forming an archway of shifting light. By day, the sun catches the glass and projects colorful shadows. By night, each individually lit butterfly takes part in a prismatic dance. The piece meditates on inheritance and stewardship, mirroring the monarch's transgenerational migration. They traverse North America, naturally transcending political borders, relying on subsequent generations to complete a journey no single individual can finish. Kaleidoscope, also the name for a swarm of butterflies, honors this lineage of care, illustrating how human continuity depends on mutual reliance and the collective wisdom passed to those who follow.

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• Keyhole to Other Dimensions

  John H. Dill III and Team· San Francisco, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  Keyhole to Other Dimensions is a freestanding wooden installation inspired by Dill's illustration project Trip Number and more than a decade of photographing Burning Man. Rising about ten feet tall, the sculpture reads as a keyhole from the front and back and a key-like form from the sides. Layered wood ribs, shelves, and hidden compartments create depth throughout the structure. Photographs from the playa and illustrated imagery appear across its surfaces and interior spaces. Benches at the base offer a place to pause and look outward across the playa, while openings and interior spaces invite closer looking and discovery. At night, low amber light beneath the benches and subtle uplighting from the ground reveal the structure's depth.

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• Kinection Lotus

  Gabrielle Marie· Tulsa, OK, United States

  Kinection Lotus is an interactive sculptural installation designed to invite rest, reflection, and meaningful connection. The piece draws inspiration from the lotus flower, known for its symbolism of growth, renewal, and emergence. The installation functions as a gentle gathering space where friends, strangers, and passersby can slow down, sit together, and reconnect, both with themselves and others, as well as in the moment. The petals can also provide small bits of shade to sit under and take in the moment. With the soft glow at night, the lotus emits a warm and welcoming atmosphere for people to come into as well. With the action and energy of the city, the lotus provides a quiet place to relax and recharge for a moment.

• LAMP

  ArtBuilds· San Diego, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  LAMP draws visitors in with mesmerizing shadow patterns dancing across triangular shade sails. Inside, a cozy nest of pillows and rugs awaits beneath a canopy of shimmering LED pebble lights. Hidden buttons scattered throughout the space trigger synchronized light and sound experiences—deep bass vibrates through the platform while color washes across the sails above. The installation rewards curiosity and collaboration, as certain button combinations unlock different shows. LAMP is an acronym, but its meaning is open to interpretation. Two of our favorites: Love All My People and Light Amplifies Magical Possibilities.

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• LOG!

  Lead artist: Daisy Mae Jones; Crew: Leah Jones, Fig Bindel· Reno, NV, United StatesOpen Playa

  An actual log, a hunk of tree - one of our most precious resources, displayed like the Hope Diamond at the Smithsonian. Is it an ancient relic? Trees once abundant now clearcut into extinction. Evidence from the scene of the crime where deforestation wiped away habitats and allowed lands to erode. Is it a celebration of the glory of nature? A lovely piece of wood, a natural marvel, to be admired as a fine jewel. An elegant example of what mother earth creates without our help. Logs which provide so much in the default world for houses and habitats and warmth from a fire, and in BRC as the framework for the Man, the Temple. And, a nod to my fave cartoon, IYKYK.

• LOOKOUT!

  Franzi Ponzi and the Homo Erectors· Portland OR, Oakland CA, & Reno NVOpen Playa

  Lookout! is a 48-foot-tall fire lookout tower absurdly disguised as a gigantic fire extinguisher. Rising from the deep playa, Lookout! asks participants to reexamine their role as environmental stewards and to reflect on fire, landscape, and the smoldering state of our world(s) ablaze.

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• Lacunae II

  Catherine Daley· Windsor, CAOpen Playa

  Lacunae II rises as two luminous stainless steel screens composed of over 2,000 hand-sanded tubes that gather, reflect, and release desert light. Openings within the structure create shifting fields of presence and absence as the forms move from a dense, ordered base into a more airy, dissolving upper reach. Set perpendicular on a shared base, the screens mark time like a sundial, casting slow, migrating shadows across the playa. At night, solar light awakens the surfaces. The title Lacunae, meaning gaps or missing spaces, reflects both the voids within the work and the human presence that completes it, bridging earth and sky.

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• Let There Be Light

  Omri Sasi, Liraz Uliel, Eran Klein, and Sarel Botavia Nova Heaven· Tel Aviv, Israel

  In 2026, NovaHeaven evolves into a living experience of light, form, and spiritual elevation. This year's structure is composed of 24 triangles surrounding a central hexagonal platform - 18 smaller triangles carrying the layer of remembrance, and 6 large sanctuaries inviting gathering, presence, and deep human connection. Together, these elements create an immersive field that invites us to pause, dwell, feel, and turn inward. Light - the energy that reveals, illuminates, and brings the path to life. Connection - the force that holds community, hearts, and souls within a shared field of presence. Elevation - the choice to lift our gaze, our energy, and our spirit upward.

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• Let it Go!

  Oskar· Miami, FL & New York, NYOpen Playa

  The Ballerina is part of the Let it Go series, and is meant to inspire people to let go of what does not serve any longer in order to grow. Life is not about finding yourself, but recreating yourself. At night, the Ballerina will be surrounded by solar firefly lights portraying dancing in a twinkle garden in the middle of the playa. The heart LED colors mimics fire & serves as a focal point for wandering souls on the playa at night.

• Light Grinder

  Adam Frey· San Diego, CA, United States

  Light Grinder is a suspended kinetic mirrored helix flooded by an abundance of light. A continuation of Adam Frey's Grinder series, the piece builds on the spinning mirror forms of Space Grinder and Grinder Garden, shifting the focus from clustered reflection to illuminated motion. As the central helix spins, its mirrored surfaces fracture, scatter, and recombine the world around it into a twisting kaleidoscope of color, image, and spectacle. Playful, dazzling, and delightfully absurd, Light Grinder invites participants to circle, touch, look longer, and share in the strange pleasure of seeing the familiar world broken open and made new.

• Limen

  Taylor Dean Harrison· Penngrove, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  Limen is a sculptural installation composed of three vertically oriented steel forms and a surrounding field of seating elements. Each structure is built from layered sheet metal, combining an outer patterned skin with a darker perforated interior to produce shifting effects of surface, depth, and shadow. By day, the painted metal registers changing light conditions; by night, internal moving illumination projects patterns into the surrounding space. The work draws on visual languages associated with circuitry, topography, camouflage, wood grain, and abstracted maze structures, positioning them within a hybrid techno-organic vocabulary shaped by uncertainty, adaptation, and emergence.

• Lovebirds

  Rebecca Littleton· Tacoma, WA, United StatesOpen Playa

  A table and some chairs. Birds. A telephone. Do the birds talk? Does the phone work? Wait, is that a map painted on the table..?

• Mangrovito

  Frances Schwiep & Pablo Gonzalez· Mexico City, MexicoOpen Playa

  An interactive sculpture that lets you experience how the energy of love and human consciousness are deeply intertwined with nature through one of the world's most environmentally important and diverse ecosystems — the mangrove forest. The tree's roots come to life, illuminated by hidden LEDs that trace the textures and forms of the roots, branches, and leaves. A 20-minute sound composition is synchronized with the light, unfolding as a subtle, harmonious narrative within the sculpture. At the center, two human forms, intertwined with the roots, symbolize the inseparable bond between humanity and nature.

• Mebuyan Pulse

  Leeroy New, Luca Parolari, and Sherif Koyes· New York, NY and Manila, PhilippinesOpen Playa

  Mebuyan Pulse is a floating constellation of spheres—part sanctuary, part beacon—hovering above the playa with pathways that thread through its clustered forms. A luminous ground sphere anchors the work at night, releasing patterned light and a slow "pulse" of sound and spoken word at set times, drawing people into a shared moment before the structure returns to quiet. The piece speaks to themes of migration, belonging, and the vulnerable space in between endings and beginnings. Inspired by the mythological Filipino goddess Mebuyan and by Leeroy New's Aliens of Manila artistic series, it offers a place to pause, gather, and feel whole.

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• Mini-infinipus

  Anil Mantri· Sacramento, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  Mini-infinipus is a stylistic rendition of an octopus - by day it will mimic the surroundings with its mirrors and aluminum frame, and by night will draw participants in with its adaptive and controllable color-changing arms.

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• Moi

  Kayfab· San Francisco, CA, United States

  Moi is a 3ft metal divine swine sculpture. She has learned to love herself and therefore can share that with world, which makes her the ultimate fabulous version of all swine.

• Mona Moon

  Miao He and Bowei Wang· Berkeley, CA & Chengdu, ChinaOpen Playa

  Mona Moon explores emotional softness within extreme environments. The art piece is inspired in part by the ancient Chinese romantic yet tragic story of Chang'e and the Jade Bunny: Chang'e and her lover are separated when she is forced to drink an elixir of immortality and ascends to the moon. Only once a year the two lovers are able to see each other. In Chinese culture, when two lovers or family members are far away from each other, they will often look at the moon together in longing, and hopeful emotional connectedness. The purple Mona Bunny represents companionship, sensitivity, and the need for warmth and connection during moments of longing. The Mona Moon Marriage March will invite you to vow or renew your vows with your soulmate.

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• Moth

  Vitalii Kusaiko· Noginsk, RussiaOpen Playa

  This statue captures the tension between Western trinity and Eastern duality. Three arms represent facets of human striving: will (weapon), understanding (knowledge), and exploration (lantern). These are expressions of the self shaping reality through action, thought, and intuition. Yet the two legs ground the figure in duality — yin and yang, light and shadow, life and death. The insect-like form hints at a post-human archetype, a being not choosing between opposites but holding them both at once. It invites reflection on the paradox of unity through contradiction.

• Mother II: More love inside

  Oleksandr Hanskyi· Ivano-Ftankivsk. UkrainianOpen Playa

  This sculpture captures the eternal bond between mother and child, celebrating the strength, tenderness, and unwavering support of motherhood. It stands as a monument to the foundational role of care in our society. Everything begins inside.

• Mundara

  The Art Rising· Los Angeles, CA, United States

  Mundara is a large figurative piece in a full backbend, her arm and leg outstretched creates a rainbow. Her backbend creates an arc between earth and sky, turning the human body into a bridge, a gateway, a horizon. The rainbow arc suggests transcendence, but also connection: the joining of opposites — masculine and feminine, human and nature, matter and spirit. Visitors can ascend, from the earth rising into her head - a movement from survival into awareness, from the material world into higher consciousness. From her head they can ascend to her heart - ascending into infinite love. The sculpture becomes more than an object to observe; it becomes a journey. Mundi means World and Dara means the sustainer. Mundara is "She who holds the world."

• Mural Maze

  Mural Maze Collective and Art in Session· Florida, Colorado, Pennsylvania

  The Mural Maze is an immersive installation composed of large-scale, three-sided mural structures arranged to create an open, flowing environment. Each piece stands independently, and together they form a maze-like experience that reveals new perspectives with every turn. The murals feature vibrant color, layered imagery, and diverse artistic voices, exploring themes of connection, transformation, and self discovery. As participants move through the space, shifting sightlines and compositions create a visual journey that reflects the complexity and beauty of the human experience.

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• Music for Headbutting

  Hotpot and Blep· Seattle, WA, United StatesOpen Playa

  Immerse yourself in a world of colorful boomwhackers (tubes that make a sound when struck!). Wander through the maze of boomwhackers to discover what sounds you can make or songs you can play. Bring a friend or play alone. Grab a mallet or, the artists have found that using your head as a mallet is sometimes superior. Grab a prompt card for some inspiration and see if you can play the hidden song -- it's a Burning Man favorite.

• NO

  Darolyn Striley· Sacramento, CA, Chicago, IL, and Los Angeles, CAOpen Playa

  A large sculptural installation spelling the word "NO" in bold block letters filled with pastel faux flowers. The soft, abundant blooms contrast with the firmness of the word, creating a visual tension between beauty and refusal. The piece reflects the common experience of women softening boundaries in order to remain safe or socially acceptable. By pairing delicate floral imagery with an unmistakable statement of refusal, the installation reveals how gentleness and strength coexist. The work makes visible the emotional labor of softening truth and transforms a familiar survival habit into a visible, luminous form that acknowledges both the grace and the cost of learning to say no.

• Nang Du: the nanganing (a trailer trash epic)

  Weldboy and Anne-Bonny· Gerlach, NV, United StatesOpen Playa

  Nang Du: The Nanganing (a trailer trash epic) suspends six vintage camper trailers from a towering mast, counterbalanced by an opulent chandelier made of welded junk cars. Each trailer opens to reveal illuminated dioramas of burner folklore, desert conspiracies, and other half-truth playa stories. Built almost entirely from reclaimed materials sourced from Burning Man and Gerlach waste streams, the sculpture considers second chances and the strange beauty that emerges when discarded things, objects, stories, and sometimes people can still be transformed into something unexpectedly beautiful.

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• Napahe Tunade

  Burnin'Dave King· Reno, NV, United StatesOpen Playa

  Napahe Tunade is Paiute for Six Fires, which line the 6:00 keyhole and compliment El Diabla, the ritual fire of Burning Man, and the fire garden and Fire Conclave Convergence. Come and dance with the fire, perhaps roast a marshmallow or be mesmerized by the dancing flames or feel the calm from the flaming zen garden.

• Nature Goddess

  FRAGON· Ningbo, ChinaOpen Playa

  The purpose of this work is to showcase the beauty of coexistence between humans and nature, presenting the most authentic human form in the form of nudity, and conveying the most primitive beauty on this planet.

• Navagunjara Reborn: The Phoenix of Odisha

  Jnaneshwar Das· Tempe, AZ, United States

  Navagunjara Reborn: The Phoenix of Odisha is an 18-foot sculptural installation that fuses two mythical archetypes from distant traditions -- Odisha's nine-animal Navagunjara, an avatar of Vishnu in which truth is multifaceted, and the Phoenix, the universal emblem of rebirth through fire. Nine creatures rise from a single base into one vertical Axis Mundi: a dragon-headed, scale-armored body whose seams between animals remain visible as structure. Each section is rendered with heritage crafts such as Dhokra lost-wax casting, Pattachitra painting, Pipli appliqué, on canewood, aluminum, and bronze. Propane flame effects animate the form at night. The sculpture stands as a beacon of resilience, and unity in diversity.

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• Nippity Doo Dah

  Deborah Colotti· Sebastopol, CA, United States

  Hairy nipples are ubiquitous, yet they are often overlooked and under appreciated. Invited by the fluttering hairs outside the bulbous dome, you may enter to experience this cozy nipple from the inside. Many men, and some women, have hair circumnavigating their areola. Perhaps these hirsute areas exist to lend these furry nubbins a mysterious attraction that challenges us to explore further. May you celebrate all your hairy parts where ever they may be!

• No Race

  GB group· Sunnyvale, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  No Race is an inverted three-tier podium constructed from reclaimed wooden pallets, installed directly on the open playa. The familiar structure of first-, second-, and third-place is flipped upside down, collapsing its hierarchy. The widest platform rests above a compressed base, creating a visually destabilized form. "NO RACE" appears in bold, hand-painted lettering across the front. The piece transforms a symbol of competition into a reflection on shared ground, questioning systems of ranking, speed, and social division.

• No jokes allowed!

  Dank Trilliams· Austin, NV, United StatesOpen Playa

  Requiem for a joke...Deep thinkers go to deep playa...to think deep! ABSOLUTELY NO JOKES ALLOWED!!! RIP Steve.

• Notorious BIG Spinning Wheels

  Josh Cohen - PDA· Roxbury, NY, United StatesOpen Playa

  Welcome to the realm of the Notorious BSW... part sculpture, part mirage, part sacred joke that somehow became legend. Rising from the dust, these monumental spinning forms offer something rare out on the playa... a place to pause, stare, drift, and lose yourself in something larger than explanation. In a city built on spectacle, rumor, mischief and absurdity, they stand apart... mesmerizing in motion, majestic in scale, and charged with the kind of presence that makes people go quiet before inventing their own mythology. Are they meditative? Definitely. Are they magical? Feels that way. Are they notorious? You must be new here. Nobody fully agrees on what they are... but certainty was never the point. Patience is a virtue PDA

• Nova

  Chuck Sommerville· Folsom, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  Nova is a stellated dodecahedron slowly spinning on a wood platform. It was named after the exploding star. As the star throws off its matter, this art piece represents ideas generated during the creative process. Some will be lost to the ether but others coalesce into reality.

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• Now + Next

  Julia Cortell and Jael LaFemina· Mill Valley, CA, United States

  Now + Next is a crossroads of contemplation. A fanciful mosaic street sign at the corner of "Be Here Now" and What's Next?" Grounded in earth, granite, wood, flowers and reaching for the sky.

• Octopolis

  LaynaJoy Rivas with Big Art Collective· Northern California & Springfield, ILOpen Playa

  Octopolis is a mother octopus. She is a celebration of life! As she guards her festoons, she invites you to see art in different dimensions: as a striking visual experience, as a metaphor for resilience & renewal, and as a tangible force that continues to shape the world long after the festival lights fade. Initially showcased as interactive art in the desert, she will later transition into an underwater sanctuary, fostering coral growth and sheltering marine life displaced by habitat destruction. She is a reminder that creativity can ripple outward- shifting perspectives, inspiring care, and restoring the delicate balance of our shared environment. Art with a mission, leaving a legacy of beauty, imagination, and ecological care!

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• On High

  Jessy Cusack· Blackstone, MA, United StatesOpen Playa

  On High brings a mountaintop to the playa. A pulpit for the people. It provides an elevated place for expression open to everyone, something usually reserved for the few. Both a beautiful object and a blank canvas, it is a place for curious souls to unleash their hearts and minds, and to witness it all unfold. And to do it now, before it burns!

• Open Arms

  Jorge E. Martinez· El Paso, TX, United StatesOpen Playa

  A sculptural installation emerges in the desert as a contemplative space exploring transformation, presence, and the passage of time. Abstracted human forms and layered surfaces create a visual language of vulnerability and resilience. The work reflects the emotional landscapes of solitude, reflection, and connection, echoing the idea of memento mori and the impermanence of life. Light, shadow, and texture shift throughout the day, revealing subtle details and changing perspectives. The installation symbolizes the human journey through uncertainty, memory, and renewal, transforming the desert landscape into a quiet moment of introspection and shared humanity.

• OptimeyeZ

  Anthony (Dancy) Chabenne· Indianapolis, IN, United StatesOpen Playa

  OptimeyeZ takes its name from the idea of optimizing one's experience at Burning Man. A pair of comically large, seven-inch googly eyes placed on a first timer's tent, capturing the playful absurdity of the playa, sparking inspiration to build them bigger. The installation reflects fleeting moments of joy—distant smiles, radiant lights, and unbridled bliss across Black Rock. Beneath its humor lies the enduring symbolism of the eye in art history, representing perception and awareness. The piece embodies core principles of the burn, especially radical inclusivity, expressing that all are seen, all are welcome, and all belong.

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• Our Own Devices

  Glass House Arts· Escondido, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  A pop-up book, made of steel. A celebration of humans still finding new ways to bend and fold. In Babel, humans built so high that we threatened the divine. We were scattered into languages they couldn't share. We built the tower again. AI is made from everything we've said, every image, every sound. The universal translator, finally. In the absences of gods, we smite ourselves.

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• PEACE

  Omar Doctor Gago sponsored by Playa Peace Project· Tulum, Mexico and San Francisco, CA, USA

  Rising from the Black Rock Desert, the PEACE installation is a symbol of unity, connection, and collective intention. Built from steel that lights up at night, the sculpture becomes both a visual landmark and a gathering place for reflection, interaction, and shared experience. At the beginning of the installation is the layered sculptural "P," inspired by Peace and Positivity Promotion. Together with the bold letters spelling PEACE, the artwork represents the idea that peace is actively created through compassion, creativity, understanding, and community. Backed by Playa Peace Project, the artwork serves as a reminder that even in a temporary city, people can come together to imagine a more connected and compassionate world.

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• PULSE

  Manuela Magni & Mau Guerrero· Milan, Italy, Mexico-City, MexicoOpen Playa

  A monumental, semi-glossy heart, slightly tilted, is split by a jagged crack from base to top. By day, its mirrored surface reflects the sky and people. By night, the crack glows like magma, bathing visitors in red light. A vertical light rises from the top, pulsing like a lightning signal. Touch-sensitive sensors sync the light to a visitor’s heartbeat or nearby music. The work transforms a single heart into a shared organ, where strangers synchronize pulse and presence. The project is a portrait of resilience: fractures that once felt like endings become stitched with light. Breakage is reframed not as failure, but as a channel for light and connection. Fractures become doorways. Repair is participatory.

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• Pandora's Eye

  Joe Di Marco & Hannah Yata· Wassaic, NY & Lords Valley, PAOpen Playa

  Pandora's Eye is a temple of creation myth and the paradoxical nature of pandora's box. The temple is a decagon reciprocal timber frame and spiral oculus with traditional joinery. The walls are 200 year old salvaged rosewood panels from a buddhist temple in Thailand, repurposed with new life. Monumental original paintings line the walls, vivid depictions of creation mythologies, sacred animals, and lush natural forms. The work explores the divine feminine, the freedom of nature and the body, and the alchemical dance between spirit and matter. The Eye is the moment of emergence and awareness when the universe begins to see itself. It is also a call to change our attitude towards nature, the planet, and our bodies.

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• Parabola Mundi

  Charlie the French· Saint Denis, FranceOpen Playa

  A metallic tree rises from the desert, its tubular branches tracing perfect parabolic curves toward the heavens—each arc a mathematical prayer, each junction a meeting point between earth and cosmos. At its base, an immense mirror parabola spreads across the ground like a liquid portal, reflecting sky, stars, and every soul that approaches. Burners will adorn it with light reflectors, forming a canopy of light, reflections merging between branches and roots, dissolving the illusion of separation to better reveal a communication between earth and sky. By day, the mirrored surface captures clouds and sun; by night, it holds constellations and firelight.

• Party in a Box

  Dennis Leon· Portland, OR, United StatesOpen Playa

  Party in a Box is a large-scale interactive structure where participants can choose their own [party] adventure. There are designated areas of the structure for participants to add onto or otherwise modify the piece, making it a constantly evolving work in progress. Just like you.

• Penny the Goose

  Mr and Mrs Ferguson· Alameda, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  An exalted, shining, copper goose that seen from distance will draw observers to discover that this goose's feathers are made up from layered penny coins from Canada and the United States. This is the return of a much loved art installation from 2015 that is completely rebuilt with the concrete skin method we use with our penny bears. The penny feather pattern will give tribute to the better relationship Canada and the United States have long known. This is a return of a much loved art installation from 2015 but completely rebuilt with concrete as we have had with our penny bears. The feather pattern will be unique and give tribute to what is the true and kind relationship that Canada and the United States have long known.

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• Petal & Piston

  Lisamarie Kelly· La Ventana, BCS, MX & South Lake Tahoe, CA

  Petal and Piston includes three, metal cacti sculptures, conceptually rooted from the unique desert environment of Baja California Sur. The sculptures are primarily made from industrial-grade, repurposed materials like large towing chains and horse shoes, creating a powerful visual impact and a sense of "upcycling". Stained-glass flower designs—will bloom from the tips, adding vibrant color and delicate, light-refracting detail to the heavy metal structures. This installation stands as a response to the juspoistion between masculinity and femininity, as well as the delicate growth and beauty that comes from unexpected hardship.

• Petaled Portal

  David Oliver· Ventura, CA & Gualala, CAOpen Playa

  Petaled Portal is Portal now petaled. Possible of transformation to that which is here, brought to life through... C.R.E.A.T.I.V.I.T.Y. Capturing Reality Endlessly And Timelessly- Idealized Vitally Into Techniques Yieldable

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• Piko

  Kate Kuaimoku· Oakland, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  Piko is built from recycled aluminum and cast aluminum ingots shaped into curved rib segments. Fabricated through custom molds, each rib contains a recessed channel for LED-neon lighting. Once assembled, the ribs form a continuous glowing interior that recalls the inner passage of a cooling lava tube. The surface will be finished in a red anodized powder coat, and programmable LED-neon lighting will animate the sculpture with a slow, ember-like pulse.

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• Plastic Planet

  Richard Sundance Owen & Rupert Hart· Santa Cruz, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  A sphere which denotes the planet, with blue soda bottles for the oceans, and green for the continents. There are 5 red soda bottles which represent the planet's five garb patches, or gyres. Originally brought to playa in 2014 and again in 2025.

• Playa Art Park

  Runester· Oakland, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  Imagine a park-like oasis on the playa, where small art finds a home and sculptures spring up as if by magic. Lamp posts glow, park benches invite you to linger, bike racks stand ready, and pockets of shade offer respite. Around you, about 25 art pieces, each no larger than 10 feet in any direction, create a spontaneous outdoor gallery. The Playa Art Park welcomes everyone—reserve your spot ahead of time or be placed as a Walk-In art project.

• Playa Penguins

  Paula Aranda· Whitefish, MT, United StatesOpen Playa

  Playa Penguins is built on the idea that wonder is a radical act. Penguins don't belong in the desert, yet here they stand—glowing, serene, and impossible. Penguins survive through unity; they huddle, rotate, and protect one another. In the harsh environment of the playa, this becomes a quiet metaphor for community and interdependence. Penguins are a reminder that even in challenging environments, we can create light, connection, and magic together.

• Playa Swirls

  Jeff Tangen· Port Townsend, WA, United StatesOpen Playa

  Playa Swirl is a colorful sculpture made with 300 paper lanterns that have been coated with epoxy resin. They are suspended overhead and create a calming and relaxing place to enjoy the playa. During the day the lanterns are lit by the sun and during the night each lantern will be illuminated by LEDs.

• Pointy Thing Over There

  Juan· Bocas del Toro, PanamaOpen Playa

  Something on the horizon is hard to describe, now it's closer and it looks pointy. They wonder if there are treasures to be found, only the brave will find out. While doing things for no reason, time has passed and suddenly it is not hard to describe. They find themselves talking with new friends, protected by the shade of a star-shaped shade with a 16 ft. tall pole/disco ball beacon. Taking in the moment becomes easy. Perhaps treasure still awaits, perhaps they had it all along.

• Portal of Love

  Eric Jackson· San Diego, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  The Portal of Love is a geometric mirrored altar formed by intersecting angular frames. Suspended crystal strands catch and scatter light, creating shifting reflections that change throughout the day and glow at night. The mirrored surfaces fragment and multiply the surrounding environment, producing a dynamic field of reflected light. The installation explores love as light. Reflections blend and refract, suggesting how individual identities remain distinct while creating something shared and luminous. The piece presents connection as an expanding exchange of energy rather than a fixed form.

• Prelude to Winter Solstice

  Misfit Toys, Lead Artist: Joe Howard· San Francisco, CA & Bolinas, CAOpen Playa

  Prelude to Winter Solstice is the first series of pieces of the larger Winter Solstice Give or Take a Week project the Misfit Toys plans to bring in 2027. A scene on a 'frozen lake' featuring three 50's/60's/70's era ice fishing shanties, each curated by a different team of artists, surrounded by an old wooden dock, vintage winter sports gear and other ephemera, and a shoreline edge bounded by aged wooden posts with hand painted signs warning of 'thin ice', subtle puzzles and other easter eggs to discover.

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• Primitive Obsession

  Squid + wakenmake.shop· San Francisco, CA, United StatesOpen Playa

  Primitive Obsession is a 20×20×22-foot cubic scaffolding structure containing 160 suspended LED curtains that form a walk-through volumetric light field. Within the grid, archetypal geometries emerge and dissolve: expanding spheres, fractal canopies, ascending rings, winding double helices, and shimmering constellations. Light becomes architectural, surrounding the body with shifting columns and planes of color. By transforming simple natural geometries into spatial illumination, the work explores humanity's enduring attraction to elemental forms. The installation functions as both a sculptural light environment and an interactive instrument for new media artworks and audiovisual performance.

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Art locations are released by BMORG once gates open. Until then, location fields are hidden per Burning Man API Terms of Service.