Photos: Burning Man 2011
Artists, bohemians, and revelers of all kinds have been making the pilgrimage to the Black Rock Desert in Nevada for the Burning Man festival since 1990. The festival, which started out as a small gathering in San Francisco in 1986, is now a massive event, with over 53,000 attendees this year embracing its principles of decommodification and radical inclusion, self-reliance and self-expression. This gallery of photos by Michael Holden includes some of the most awe-inspiring art created for Burning Man 2011 – such as "Orgasm" by Brian Tedrick, which you can see here – as well as images of festival-goers at play.
-
(no title)
Very small people, or very large VW bus?
-
(no title)
A nighttime laser light show.
-
(no title)
"Aurora" by Charles Gadeken, framed with the Burning Man and the Temple of Transition.
-
(no title)
A purple sky greets some morning bikers.
-
(no title)
Early risers climb on one of the many free standing sculptures in Black Rock City.
-
(no title)
A sculpture adorned with glowing lights shines on in the middle of a small-scale dust storm.
-
(no title)
A couple shares a moment during a dust squall.
-
(no title)
A temporary city withstands the desert dust.
-
(no title)
Bicyclers ride past the central figure of Burning Man at dusk.
-
(no title)
A festival attendee takes in the sunset.
-
(no title)
Balloon rides at sunrise with the Ballonatics, a.k.a. the Burning Man Balloon Operation (Bi.M.B.O).
-
(no title)
The theme of the Burning Man 2011 was Rites of Passage. Attendees create their own themes for their respective camps and mutant vehicles.
-
(no title)
The Man is set on fire by two huge explosions to represent the end of another year's festival.
-
(no title)
A solitary acrobat.