Entries by scottlondon

Burning Man: Art on Fire

The brand new 2023 edition of “Burning Man: Art on Fire” just hit store shelves this week. Here’s some background on the book and a few sample spreads, along with links to a Amazon and other booksellers.

The Phantom Lake

Tulare Lake, a vast inland sea in California’s Central Valley, dried up more than a century ago. But the lake made a surprise comeback in 2023 after one of the wettest winters in modern times, flooding a vast area of productive farmland the size of Lake Tahoe. Here are a handful of photographs depicting the sheer size the lake and its devastating impact on the community of Corcoran, California.

Bombay Beach Biennale 2023

I was back at the Salton Sea last week for the 2023 Bombay Beach Biennale. The renegade art festival has generated buzz in the art world and made headlines in newspapers and magazines worldwide. The Guardian calls it “a bohemian dream” and the New York Times, summing up what I love best about the event, describes it as “a pageantry of art and opera and weirdness.” Here are some of my photos.

Burning Man 2022

After two years of cancelations due to the pandemic, there was a lot of pent-up creative energy and an almost feverish excitement going into 2022. Maybe a little too much. There were many impressive art installations, outrageous mutant vehicles, brilliant fire performances and transcendent dance parties. But there were also intense winds, day-long whiteouts and triple-digit temperatures for much of the week. Equipment failed, activities were canceled, and systems broke down — like the chaotic 8-hour traffic jam as people were exiting the event. Here are my photos along with some reflections on this year’s event.

Renegade Burn 2021

Much has already been written about 2021 Renegade Burn. The big question on everyone’s mind is what the success of the gathering will mean for the future of Burning Man. Was it the end of the event as we’ve known it for so many years, or perhaps the beginning of something new and better? Either way, it was an incredible week. Here are some reflections along with my photos from the gathering.