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Scott London

@scott.london

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I'm back from an extended hiatus ... and some extended time abroad. Excited to share that "Burning Man: Art on Fire," the latest edition of my book with writer Jennifer Raiser, has just won two Indie Book Awards, including "Best Coffee Table Book of the Year." The book seems to have had a life of its own since it was first published. It's garnered reviews in major publications, inspired a feature-length documentary, spawned several museum exhibits, and now been honored with two awards. (For more about the book, please see bio for additional info and links.) To celebrate the big wins—and to count down to Burning Man 2024 which kicks off next month—I'll be featuring some photos from the book (along with a few new ones) in coming days and weeks. @jennifermagdaleneraiser @allaboutthemeow @leo_villareal @willchase @stuartmangrum @siderth @duaneflatmo @quartobooksus @burningman #thankslarry #burningman #artonfire #burningmanartonfire #burningman2024 by @scott.london
65
2 years ago
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When David Best built the first Burning Man temple back in 2000, he imagined it as a place of solace and communion, a sacred space where people could “become one with the greater mind,” as he put it. But when one of his collaborators was killed in a motorcycle accident, the installation became a spontaneous memorial. “The community needed a place to gather and contemplate, to grieve and celebrate,” Best says. He recognized that Black Rock City’s intensity was not always therapeutic to the preoccupied mind. Understanding the growing desire for reflection and ritual amidst the celebration and cacophony, he began the tradition of the Temple. For over a quarter of a century now, the temple has served as the spiritual centerpiece of Burning Man. It plays a pivotal role in the emotional life of Black Rock City. As participants venture inside to leave their tributes, volunteer Temple Guardians move throughout, offering tissues, hugs, and support, as well as protecting the space from disruptive intrusions. Despite the sadness of loss, the Temple is permeated with resolution and peace. The act of leaving a tribute, and knowing that the laden temple will burn, is moving and cathartic. This year’s majestic Temple of the Moon was created by James Gwertzman along with the Moonlight Collective and the Temple Crew. It’s inspired by the Queen of the Night flower, epiphyllum oxypetalum, renowned for its large, fragrant, white flowers that open only once a year at night and wilt by morning. This cactus bloom offers its beauty without permanence or promise. There is nothing to capture or prolong, only the chance to be fully present, to witness it as it is in the moment, and to let it go with the dawn. The Temple of the Moon is a sacred space for reflection, remembrance, grief, and rebirth. Here are two aerial images I made of the temple just after sunset on the second evening of Burning Man 2026. @burningman @2026temple @gwertzman #burningman #burningman2026 #bm26 #bm2026 #burningmantemple #templeofthemoon by @scott.london
56
a month ago
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These photos — taken in 2023, 2024 and 2026 — show how rapidly the Salton Sea is drying up and dwindling away. The shoreline is receding like an outgoing tide. When Memymom and Sean Guerrero placed their art installation “The Fourth Hatch” at the Bombay Beach Biennale in 2023, they positioned it about 20 feet out from the water’s edge. Three years on, the piece is still in the same place — but today it’s standing on dry land, more than 100 feet from the water’s edge. The Salton Sea has become one of the most vexing and complicated environmental problems in the American West. As the water recedes, it leaves behind an exposed lakebed laced with decades’ worth of contaminants, including heavy metals like arsenic, lead, and cadmium. When the winds kick up, these pollutants become airborne and create toxic dust clouds that sweep through the Imperial Valley — and sometimes farther afield into Palm Springs and the Inland Empire. The environmental troubles facing the Salton Sea have wreaked havoc on communities along the shore. Many area residents have fled. Those who remain live a “marginal and peculiar” existence, in the words of The New Yorker‘s Dana Goodyear. “These people are waiting for something that will never come: enough water to bring the good times back.” Bombay Beach has become a thriving outpost of renegade art and free expression. But it’s also a town on the edge — quite literally — of ecological collapse. @memymom @seanguerrero @bombaybeachbiennale #bombaybeachbiennale #BBB #bombaybeach #whitegold #saltonsea by @scott.london
9
6 months ago
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Another new installation at Bombay Beach Biennale X @bombaybeachbiennale #bombaybeachbiennale #bbb2026 #saltonsea by @scott.london
2
6 months ago
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“Chaos,” a tantalizing tentacle sculpture by Colorado metal artist Royce Carlson. It was one of the standout artworks at the 2026 Bombay Beach Biennale which just wrapped up yesterday. @roycenita @bombaybeachbiennale #bombaybeachbiennale #bbb2026 #saltonsea #bombaybeach #roycecarlson by @scott.london
10
7 months ago
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Mutant Vehicles come from all corners of the Burnerverse. 📍 Black Rock City is where they represent. 📸 1: Der Stier (2025) Photo by Scott London 📸 2: The Front Porch by Zac Carroll (2025) Photo by Scott London 📸 3: Fibonacci by Adam Steel (2025) Photo by Scott London 📸 4: Lanterna (2025) Photo by Scott London 📸 5: Vroom Vroom (2025) Photo by Scott London 📸 6: The XO! (2025) Photo by Scott London by @scott.london
44
9 months ago
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The Temple of the Deep was both monumental and fragile, resembling a fractured black rock rising from the barren Nevada desert. It was a break from many of the design elements of previous Burning Man temples—but not from the quintessential heart and soul of what many regard as the spiritual centerpiece of the event. In a new feature, the architecture and design magazine Archipanic describes the Temple of the Deep as a “fractured sanctuary of resilience and renewal”: “Spanish architect Miguel Arraiz brought a powerful vision to the desert: The Temple of the Deep, Burning Man‘s main shrine. Built from wood, lived in, and ultimately burnt to ashes, the temple embodied both strength and fragility. Its cavernous form resembled a fractured black rock—raw on the outside, glowing from within—drawing inspiration from Japanese craft and baroque architecture. “Arraiz describes the project as a place of ‘radical acceptance,’ where people could process life’s depths in their own way. ‘Our inspiration came directly from nature,’ he told Archipanic. ‘And what better symbol than a large black rock placed in the Black Rock Desert? The design sought to evoke the sense of ancient sacred spaces, blending with the landscape while inviting reflection and contemplation.’” For the full article (which includes a half-dozen of my images) check out the complete text at: https://www.archipanic.com/temple-of-the-deep-burning-man/ @archipanic @_miguelarraiz_ @temple_of_the_deep @burningman #templeofthedeep #temple2025 #burningmantemple #michaelarraiz #burningman #burningman2025 #bm25 #bm2025 #blackrockcity #brc #blackrockdesert #scottlondon #artonfire taken in Black Rock Desert by @scott.london
43
a year ago
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People gather at the man on Friday morning to catch the sunrise. #burningman #burningman2025 #bm25 #bm2025 #blackrockcity #brc #theman #desertsunrise #abraxas #templeofthedeep by @scott.london
4
a year ago
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“Lady Helene,” a lovely sculpture by the Taproot Arts Collective (Brandon Love, Arulu Gallagher, Cat Hood, May Sun Greenewald, Freyja Leaf and Azrya Bagwell) #burningman #burningman2025 #bm25 #bm2025 #blackrockcity #brc #taprootartscollective #ladyhelene by @scott.london
5
a year ago
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Take my head, but leave my heart. ♥️ I’ll skip on past this Burning Man with a lil fomo and a lot less salty, dusty tears. 😭 You’ll likely see me rolling in your fine powdery goodness next year @burningman )’( 🥹🫶🏻🧚‍♀️ Bring a lil playa magic back for me, friends? 📸: @scott.london taken in Burning Man by @scott.london
17
a year ago
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Faces of Black Rock City #thankslarry #blackrockcity #brc #burningman #bm25 #bm2025 #burningman2025 by @scott.london
5
a year ago
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Faces of Black Rock City #thankslarry #blackrockcity #bm25 #bm2025 #burningman #burningman2025 Faces of Burning Man by @scott.london
22
a year ago
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