For those who’ve known me for many years, you’ll know that I love the Burning Man festival. Basically it’s a big gathering of strange people in the desert. Some say it’s a huge interactive art installation, others an experiment in spontaneous social engineering, and others say it’s just a big party. It’s definitely all of those and many, many more things too.

I went over there in 1999 and 2002 but couldn’t afford to go this year, which is a real shame because some of the art looks fantastic. Here’s a few selections of photos (all pages may contain some nudity):

http://www.lennyjones.net/burn2005/comicbook2005.htm
This one not only has masses of images that capture some of the bizarre daily events of the place but it also has some silky smooth presentation. Definitely worth a visit.

http://www.moonski.net/burningman/index.html
Rick Egan has been taking Burning Man photos for years. Here’s one from this year that I like:

http://www.moonski.net/burningman/bm2005/pages/12.html
There’s something very spiritual about the desert that forces you to adjust your perception of yourself. Take away your normal home, your normal belongings, your job, and normal survival conditions and you find that you live your days in a different way. Sometimes you find yourself not watching a sunset but standing in a sunset, and that’s a whole new experience. I can’t tell you in words how it is, but it just is.

http://www.webbery.com/galleries/burningman/index.html
Patrick Roddie is another regular photographer at the burn. He makes series’ of photographs based on actions or body parts. His portraits are especially good, capturing something beautiful in every face:
http://www.webbery.com/galleries/burningman/bm05/faces/index.html
Although this one also caught my eye as something representative of the event’s spirit:
http://www.webbery.com/galleries/burningman/bm05/dance/source/05-0826.html

Enjoy the photos!