Burning Man

The tallest Man ever on the Playa. Don Clark worked with Larry Harvey, a founder of Burning Man, for two years to design “The Man.” At ten stories tall, it towered above Black Rock City.

Black Rock City, NV 2014
01 The Man on the Playa
The Man standing on the open playa beneath a full rainbow
02 Under the rainbow
The process

designing the man

01

sketches & concept renders

Early hand sketches of the Man, its base, and structure
03 Sketches
Concept renderings of the Man and its ring of tents on the playa
04 Original concept renders
02

scaling the man

Studies comparing 35, 60, 70, and 80 foot versions of the Man
05 Initial scaling comparisons
Drawings comparing the previous Man with the final Man at three times the size
06 3x larger final Man size
03

tents & siting

Plans, sections, and elevations of the tent ring around the base
07 Tent design
Elevations of the Man with its skin, and site plan
08 Sited and skinned
Color elevations of the skinned Man with the site plan
09 Sited and skinned, in color
Studies of two base options for the Man
10 Base options
04

structure

Shear wall diagrams through the legs and body of the Man
11 Shear wall design
Elevation and plan of the structural cabling
12 Structural cabling
Comparison of head sizes to correct for foreshortening from the ground
13 Head foreshortening
05

site development & final renders

Pink tensile tent studies and site details
14 Site development
Final renderings of the Man from above and from the playa
15 Final renders
06

on the playa

The finished Man rising above sculptural spires with mountains behind
16 Above the playa
Crowds gathered around the pavilion at the base of the Man
17 The base pavilion
A group gathered on the playa at night
18 Night on the playa
Ten stories

raising & burning the man

The Man under construction with lifts and scaffolding at its base
19 Construction
Visitors at the base of the Man looking up at its tower
20 The tower
A figure silhouetted against the Man as it burns
21 Burn night
The Man engulfed in flames at night
22 The burn
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