)'( BURNING MAN )'( Art on The Playa )'(

I had just driven over 10 hours and I was exhausted. But as soon as I got to Zombie Camp I had to do a walkabout. Deep in The Playa on my first night I walked upon a neon blue Man. It was 3:00 o'clock in the morning, and I had no idea where I was on The Playa. The next day it was burned. I looked but could find no trace of it afterward.

This mechanical bird spreads its wings by a passenger pedaling inside its rib cage. Somewhere on The Playa.

The spread wings of the mechanical bird.

 "The Embrace" on the eve before it was burned. The lighting had all been removed and barricades put up in preparation for its burn. Some of the major artwork on The Playa is burned much in the same style as The Man and The Temple but earlier in the week.

"The Embrace" hours before it was burned. This shot shows some perspective. It looks to be about 50 feet tall. Deep in The Playa... The next day, I went to look at the burn site but could not find a trace.

Very deep in The Playa, I found an egg. There is art everywhere on The Playa and you don't know what you will find. In the end, everything will be cleaned up including every last shard of the hatched egg. There would be no trace that anyone was ever out here. I found this near where "The Embrace" was burned.

These seemingly innocuous trees look radically different at night when they are illuminated with neon LEDs. Burning Man is actually two different worlds: daytime and nighttime. Black Rock City is like Las Vegas...it never sleeps. And in my opinion, it's much more alive and vibrant at night. At 2:00am on the edge of The Playa.

 More trees which will express themselves at night with neon LEDs. At 2:00am on the edge of The Playa.

 A kinetic sculpture of our solar system. Yes...it actually moves realistically. Somewhere on the edge of The Playa.

 Metal artwork at the center of a major intersection near Hiburnia bar.

An illuminated tree at night. Deep in the Playa.

This mechanical contraption burns large chunks of wood charcoal. Visually stunning from a distance this looks like a sphere on fire. But up close it's just two wheel-shaped cages. Somewhere deep in The Playa.

The burning wheels closer up.

  Another view of the burning wheels.

This tower is at 6:00pm and Esplanade. A person can climb up on the inside and get a pretty good view of the entire Playa...day or night.

)'( BURNING MAN )'( El Pulpo Mechanico )'(

Deep in The Playa we found Duane Flatmo's kinetic creation El Pulpo Mechanico. This mechanical octopus shoots fire from its tendrils and also carries passengers. Like all mutant vehicles it's limited to 5 mph in the city and Playa.

A different shot of El Pulpo in The Playa. According to Duane Flatmo it took 4 people more than 4 months to make this kinetic sculpture.

A daytime view of El Pulpo Mechanico at 4:00 and Kandahar.

Like most things at Burning Man, El Pulpo looks very different in the daytime. 4:00 and Kandahar.

A closer view of El Pulpo. Obviously this kinetic sculpture was made of many different materials. 4:00 and Kandahar in the city.

)'( BURNING MAN )'( MORE Mutant Vehicles & Art Cars )'(

Near the Hiburnia Bar a ship car.

Some of the cars do have upper and lower decks. Near the Hiburnia Bar.

This one could be a fox...not sure. Near Hiburnia.

Passing by Zombie Camp is a crystalline vehicle.

 

A bee passing Zombie Camp.

An elephant at Zombie Camp.

)'( BURNING MAN )'( Mutant Vehicles & Art Cars )'(

There are literally hundreds of mutant vehicles and art cars in BRC. All of them are unique and have to be approved before they can be driven around the city and The Playa.

A giant VW Beetle looks radically different driving through the streets at night than in the day. Near 4:00 and Jade in Black Rock City.

I couldn't figure out what this was supposed to be. At the intersection of 4:00 and Jade.

Nor could I figure out this either. At the intersection of 4:00 and Jade.

Out on The Playa I found a land speeder.

Looks like a pinata drives like a car. On The Playa.

Cheshire Cat out on The Playa.

This had horns of dragons. At 2:00 on the edge of The Playa.

Another interesting mutant on the edge of The Playa at 2:00.

)'( BURNING MAN )'(

)'(

)'(

Burning Man cometh. Pics to follow.

 

Duane Flatmo's El Pulpo Mechanico courtesy of AutoMart.

)'(  )'(  )'(

Waterfronts

Lake Union in Seattle. It's fresh water even though its next to the Sound.

The Sleepless in Seattle houseboat on Lake Union.

Pike Place Market is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, farmers markets in the states.

Every day fresh fruit and vegetables are brought in for the thousands of people that visit Pike Place.

Delicious fruits and vegetables at Pike Place.

Public Art -- Seattle

The Space Needle in Seattle. It's a tourist's trap, but worth doing at least once in your lifetime. Bring 20 bucks just to get to the top and another 20 to 40 bucks to eat and drink...minimum.

A large bronze pig near Pike Place. It's actually a piggy bank. On the back there is a slot where you can donate money. The collections are for the less fortunate in the Seattle area.

Right below the Space Needle are many public sculptures.

 

A different angle of the same sculpture above.

Not Seattle but San Juan Island. She's beautiful and looks like she should be on the bow of a ship...but she is mounted outside a bar and restaurant.

At the base of the Space Needle there is this bright red sculpture. It's made of large sections of metal pipe welded together. Like all the other shots I take, I waited a long time to get the shot with no people in it. Yes, you don't see them, but there are three people in this pic.. I waited about 10 minutes to get the right shot.

Black Lightning...right at the base of the Space Needle. Seattle has an abundance of public art. The city even has an ordinance requiring it for new construction.

A totem pole right at the base of the Space Needle.

An angle of the EMP Museum. Ironically proximate to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation office. Paul Allen, cofounder of Microsoft with Bill Gates, financed much of the EMP Museum's construction. The two had a falling out of sorts years ago.

The Seattle Art Museum or SAM. The is actually a kinetic statue. The hammer arm is constantly striking.

I wasn't able to figure out the name of this statuary when I was taking the pics, but later found a reference to Bamboo Forest. These are large sections of metal nearly an inch thick and chemically stained. They are beautiful. And, again, I timed my shot with minimal humans...because we are about human expression...not humans.

Another shot of the Bamboo Forest next to the EMP Museum.

 

A statue of a Native American. Seattle is a Native American name.



I Broke The Prime Rule of Blogging--Don't Stop Posting

Sorry everyone for the 6+ month hiatus. I had a relocation, semester startup, and other lame excuses. Please be patient and we'll get the posts coming again. The goal is to post at least once a week, but shooting for three posts a week. I'm also considering opening up the Google+ community. We'll see. We're in the second half of 2014 and I'm going to mix things up a bit. I'm starting a YouTube channel that will explore content like:

• Creative Writing and Composition
• Photography
• Pictorial Arts
• Wines, Wine Tasting, and Spirits
• Arts and Crafts
• The Sciences
• Other Fun Stuff

Enjoy life, keep it real, and contribute to the world in a positive way! And check us out now and then!

What's Cool in the World Today



• Watch the "Baloney Detection Kit" on Skeptic. This is one of my favorite sites. It's about education, science, and sound reasoning. I first saw Dr. Shermer on an episode of Bullshit with Penn and Teller. I've been a fan ever since.

• Check out graphite drawings at DeviantArt. **Warning** some of these "pencil" drawings look like photos.

• The self-deprecating James Altucher offers his musings on his site. I'm a big fan of his efforts and philosophy. This guy is a truly alternative thinker that believes failure is an integral part of success.

• Alessandro Acquisti has an interesting view of privacy on TED. I love TED. It is one of the best alternatives to regular television programming or other mindless garbage.

• Learn a great pulled-pork recipe on the grill at Cook's Country. This is part of America's Test Kitchen. These are productions online and on public television. Again...a big fan!

Macabre or Morbid Artistic Expression?

 

It doesn't matter what it is, these photos are awesome.  The article was posted by the HuffPost and has some interesting commentary about the shots, how they were "posed" and Lake Natron itself.  The photographer is Nick Brandt and his photos are all awesome.  Here is his home page. Below is one of my favorites of his.

Photos by Nick Brandt.