Moments

The photographic record. Tens of thousands of frames from 1990 onward, the people, the costumes, the dust, the art and the quiet parts between the spectacle.

3,540 moments in this segment.

1. 1986-06-22 - 049 - Burning Man, 1986. The first Burning Man was 8' tall and he was burned on a beach in San Francisco during the summer solstice of 1986.\n\n~Photo by Jerry James Photographed by Michael Mikel, a Burning Man co-founder, from his historic archive of the event. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
2. 1986-06-22 - IMG_3960
3. 1987-06-01 - 1987 Beach Burn Flier with image of 1986 Burn
4. 1987-06-01 - Burning Man, 1987. The second year of Burning Man on Baker Beach.\n\n~Photo by Stewart Harvey. Photographed by Michael Mikel, a Burning Man co-founder, from his historic archive of the event. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
5. 1988-06-01 - 88_manposter. Possibly the first documented item where event is named Burning Man. This poster was used to announce event on Baker Beach. Similar to 1987 Flyer, this poster uses a quote from the poem "The Forces That Through the Green Fuse Drives the Flower" by Dylan Thomas. Photo Edward Ingraham
6. 1989-06-01 - 89_roughdraft. The June 1989 Cacophony canon, Rough Draft invites you to call for information on the burning of a four story tall wooden man.
7. 1989-06-24 - 89_burn
8. 1989-10-17 - 504_bricks. On October 17, 1989 at 5:04 PM, the Loma Prieta earthquake struck the San Francisco Bay Area and a brick wall collapsed on the rear half of an Olds Cutlass parked by Clayton and Page streets. Michael Mikel saw it there and the creative wheels began to turn. “I bet that will still run”, he mused, and he placed a note on the car offering to buy it.
9. 1990-06-01 - Burning Man, 1990. The Mans torso being carried down to Baker Beach in San Francisco, 1990. Photographed by Michael Mikel, a Burning Man co-founder, from his historic archive of the event. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
10. 1990-06-21 - 2b029 - Baker Beach, 1990. Surrounded by scores of spectators yelling "BURN THE MAN!", Jerry James (L) & Larry Harvey (R) have a serious discussion about the police edict to forbid the burn at Baker Beach on the night of 21 June 1990. Several hours later, the unburned Man was lowered, disassembled and then taken to the Black Rock Desert two months later. Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
11. 1990-08-01 - 2b030 - Burning Man, 1990. L to R standing: Larry Harvey, Rob Schmitt & Louis Brill.\nseated: Janet Lohr, Kevin Evans, unknown (with red scarf), Bob Gridley (bald head) Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
12. 1990-09-01 - 2a226 - Burning Man, 1990 - Arrival. Crossing The Line ceremony is a ritual that began with the Cacophony Society Zone Trips. The term Zone was taken from a couple of references which refer to the disorientation with a new environment; 'Gravity's Rainbow', a 1973 novel written by Thomas Pynchon, and also the 1979 science fiction movie 'Stalker' by Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky. The Zone is a mysterious place where reality shifts Photographed by Michael Mikel, a Burning Man co-founder, from his historic archive of the event. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
13. 1990-09-02 - 90_roughdraftoffici1171vari_0097. The move to the Black Rock Desert represented an epochal change. Survival camping was a challenge. In a very real sense, everyone perforce was a participant. A pilgrimage was now required to reach the home of Burning Man, and he resided in a consecrated space, a place apart and separate from the ordinary world. The desert had enlarged the scope of human struggle and intensified involvement. It had restored the spirit of Burning Man and the community that had grown around it. Most importantly, beneath its sentinel presence, a city had begun to form.
14. 1990-09-03 - 2a223 - Burning Man, 1990. The first Man stood on the ground. We raised him by pulling on a rope attached to his navel. Everyone participated:\n<a href=\ Photographed by Michael Mikel, a Burning Man co-founder, from his historic archive of the event. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
15. 1990-09-29 - Original+Zone+Trip+#4+t-shirt+ad+(Seb+Hyde)
16. 1990-09-29 - bad_day_at_black_rock-Tshirt. The first Burning Man shirt
17. 1990-09-30 - burning-man-1990_3495905018_o.webp
18. 1990-09-30 - burning-man-1990_3495903926_o.webp
19. 1990-09-30 - 1990+The+Line
20. 1990-09-30 - Screen+Shot+2019-02-25+at+2.13.29+PM
21. 1990-09-30 - kevins-burning-man-photos_3482187912_o (5 of 19)
22. 1990-09-30 - 1990_kevin. Kevin Evans on the way to Burning Man 1990.
23. 1990-09-30 - kevins-burning-man-photos_3482187912_o (15 of 19)
24. 1990-09-30 - kevins-burning-man-photos_3482187912_o (16 of 19)
25. 1990-09-30 - kevins-burning-man-photos_3482187912_o (18 of 19)
26. 1990-09-30 - 1990_centercamp. Center Camp, Burning Man 1990.
27. 1990-09-30 - kevins-burning-man-photos_3482187912_o (11 of 19)
28. 1990-09-30 - 1990_mobia. Steve Mobia later founded the Lamplighters at Burning Man.
29. 1990-09-30 - 7867431_orig
30. 1990-09-30 - working-at-burning-man-1990_3404975262_o.webp
31. 1990-09-30 - burning-man-1990_3495904784_o.webp
32. 1990-09-30 - kevins-burning-man-photos_3482187912_o (8 of 19)
33. 1990-09-30 - 1990_miller. David Warren lit the Burning Man in 1990
34. 1990-09-30 - burning-man-1990_3495905952_o
35. 1990-09-30 - Bizen+00-blue-man-chew. Blue Man Chew by William Binzen. Dan Miller, builder of the Man, sits on his shoulder. Tristan Harvey is seen next, just above his Dan, Larry. John Law is toward the right, in dark ripped jean. To John’s left is Larry’s nephew Jared, and then kneeling is Stewart Harvey. The natural colored wood of the man replaced by Binzen to an iconic blue, and the white playa transformed as well.
36. 1990-09-30 - burning-man-1990_3495905408_o.webp
37. 1990-09-30 - 1990_johnlaw. John Law
38. 1990-09-30 - burning-man-1990_3495086651_o (1).webp
39. 1990-09-30 - burning-man-1990_3495900562_o.webp
40. 1990-09-30 - burning-man-1990_3495899860_o.webp
41. 1990-09-30 - 90_drums
42. 1990-09-30 - 1990+Drummer+BB&W
43. 1990-09-30 - burning-man-1990_3495085701_o.webp
44. 1990-09-30 - 90_brokeassstuart_psegal-e1416159022639
45. 1990-09-30 - Burning+Man+1990+_+Stewart+Harvey
46. 1990-09-30 - burning-man-1990_3495086251_o.webp
47. 1990-09-30 - burning-man-1990_3495085925_o.webp
48. 1990-09-30 - burning-man-1990_3495899654_o.webp
49. 1990-09-30 - burning-man-1990_3495083343_o.webp
50. 1990-09-30 - burning-man-1990_3495084507_o (1).webp
51. 1990-09-30 - burning-man-1990_3495086397_o.webp
52. 1990-09-30 - burning-man-1990_3495903152_o.webp
53. 1990-09-30 - burning-man-1990_3495902780_o.webp
54. 1990-09-30 - burning-man-1990_3495901820_o.webp
55. 1990-09-30 - burning-man-1990_3495902394_o.webp
56. 1990-09-30 - burning-man-1990_3495083909_o.webp
57. 1990-09-30 - burning-man-1990_3495084713_o.webp
58. 1990-09-30 - burning-man-1990_3495901600_o.webp
59. 1991-07-01 - 1991_roughdraft. Rough Draft July 1991 Burning Man in the Black Rock Desert
60. 1991-08-24 - 91_barge. Burning Man is built and installed on a barge which floats between two docks at Fort Mason. John Law creates a neon outline of Burning Man that is installed on the exterior front of the figure's wooden frame.
61. 1991-08-25 - burning-man-1991_3495090009_o.webp
62. 1991-08-25 - 9946905_orig. 1991 marked the first art car on the playa as well! Danger Ranger, founder of the legendary Black Rock Rangers, took a 1978 Olds Cutlass Supreme that had a crushed back end from a brick wall falling on it during the Loma Prieta earthquake, thought, "I bet it that will still run" and bought it. It became a conceptual art piece with a license plate reading 5:04 pm - the exact time the earthquake struck. A testament to the uncontrollable forces of nature.
63. 1991-08-26 - 90_quote
64. 1991-08-26 - burning-man-1991_3495090199_o.webp
65. 1991-08-26 - 91_crimson. Crimson rehearses in 95-degree heat for her much-anticipated pre-burn dance performance.
66. 1991-08-26 - Burning-Man-first-theme-camp-Kevin-Evans-and-Sebastian-Hyde. Kevin Evans and Sebastian Hyde started the first-ever Burning Man theme camp, where they acted like natives from somewhere, made up a language, and bartered with clay money.
67. 1991-08-27 - burning-man-1991_3495089657_o.webp
68. 1991-08-28 - burning-man-1991_3495089807_o.webp
69. 1991-08-28 - 5670373_orig. Photo: Danger Ranger
70. 1991-08-29 - 423445_orig. Photo: C. Nick Lynch
71. 1991-09-01 - 5352185. Photo: George Post
72. 1991-09-03 - Spring+1991+_+Whole+Earth+(Inside+back+Cover). Inside Back Cover, Whole Earth Review | Spring 1999
73. 1991-09-30 - burning-man-1991_3495907124_o.webp
74. 1991-09-30 - burning-man-1991_3495905786_o.webp
75. 1992-08-30 - 92_blackrock_gazette2
76. 1992-08-30 - 447_34
77. 1992-08-30 - 5480159162_8e7d381884_o. The 1992 Site Plan shows 100 yards to the Man from a Camp that is 630 ft wide
78. 1992-08-31 - Desert-House-with-Man-Burning-sunset-night_3000-ppi-copy-958x559
79. 1992-09-01 - Burning Man 1992. Kimric Smythe prepares for 'Exploding Man' performance at Burning Man 1992.\n\nL to R: Kimric, M2, Larry, John.\n\n-photo by George Post Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
80. 1992-09-01 - 1973995_orig. Photo: Danger Ranger
81. 1992-09-03 - 8274255_orig. One of 92's ambitious (for the time) art projects - a large compass constructed out of small, white wooden tiles. The artist is on the right, wearing an original Rand McNally (map). Photo: dapete
82. 1992-09-04 - 7333041_orig. Someone tried to land on the playa and it did not go well. The front wheel assembly ripped off - playa was too soft for it. It sounds like everyone was ok, however, and the photographer reports partying with a passenger from the plane at the Burn later that night. She (passenger) was quick to point what a strange day she'd had. No doubt. Photo: dapete
83. 1992-09-04 - craig-in-1992_orig. Craig on the playa in 1992.
84. 1992-09-06 - schlangerg_5033_w+(1). Desert Shower Gregg Schlanger also had an installation of sorts: a two stall, hand pumped shower. He also installed a working flume in the Desert House by William Binzen.
85. 1992-10-12 - IMG_4394
86. 1993-01-01 - larry harvey 1993. Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
87. 1993-04-01 - 194 - Cacophony Society, 1993. L to R- Dan Miller, Peter Doty, Judy West, Larry Harvey, Chris Radcliffe up on rock, William Binzen, Chandler White in bwn suit, Michael Michael, unkwn woman, Louise Jarmillowicz w\/umbrella, unkwn under skirt, John Law on rope, Madeline Puccioni, Monroe Pastermack in red jacket, Michael Lyons, Nancy Denny, Annie Coulter on red rope, Jason Rackberry. Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
88. 1993-06-10 - 1993+DSW+Lingam+Pepe+Ozan. Lingram - 1993 DSW The original Lingram, at Desert Siteworks, June 1993
89. 1993-06-12 - 1993+Lingram. Lingam (1993) The first Burning Man Lingram (photo by Stewart Harvey)
90. 1993-07-01 - 93-dsw-desert-house-black-rock-springs. Desert House, 1993 at DSW (later reconstructed at Burning Man)
91. 1993-07-14 - Let Them Eat Cake, 1993. Bastille Day Cacophony Society event, 1993.\nleft to right: Larry Harvey, Annie Coulter, Dominic Reo?, Peter Doty, Vivan Perry, Michael Michael, Jeffery Spaulding, Vanessa Kuemmerle, John Law, Lisa Archer & Phil Bewley (hidden). Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
92. 1993-08-01 - Building Burning Man
93. 1993-08-25 - 1993+Three+Day+Stubble+Postcard+front
94. 1993-08-30 - NoseTators_FIN. No Spectators BLF treatment. Courtesy of Kevin Evans from Tales of the San Francisco Cacophony Society
95. 1993-08-30 - 4074497116_b463df4746_b-e1413843381899. "…the Java Cow is a Community legend which appears with hot coffee at sunrise on the morning of the Burn and asks the question: "Do you want cream or sugar with your coffee?" I spoke with the Java Cow, and he stated that he stopped this tradition after about 1999, when the structure of the Man got so big that a one-man performance was lost in the noise surrounding it."
96. 1993-08-30 - BM41291_Mudwimmin-2. Mud Wimmin2 at the Doggie Heads
97. 1993-09-01 - 2a241 - Burning Man, 1993. Larry Harvey after the storm. Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
98. 1993-09-01 - Burning Man, 1993. The Doghead returns from Burning Man 1993. Photographed by Michael Mikel, a Burning Man co-founder, from his historic archive of the event. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
99. 1993-09-02 - 1993+authorities+are+baffled+4
100. 1993-09-02 - 1993+authortiies+are+bafled+3
101. 1993-09-02 - 1993+Authorities+are+Baffled+1
102. 1993-09-03 - No+Spectators+Bus. A banner demanding “No Specators” was hung on the side of a bus (which was quickly vandalized by the Billboard Liberation Front to read “NO S E TATORS”, but the slogan was restored and the banner above the center camp stage.
103. 1993-09-03 - JD+BBoggman. Drive by shooting range x 504 PM
104. 1993-09-03 - 1993+Harrod+Blank+and+OhMyGawd. Harrod Blank and Oh My Gawd! Art Car, Burning Man 1993
105. 1993-09-04 - 1993-timeline-hdr (1)
106. 1993-09-04 - Black Rock Gazette 04/09/1993
107. 1993-09-04 - 9520274_orig. Photo: Carvermom
108. 1993-09-04 - 1. Exploding Man
109. 1993-09-04 - Incredible+Exploding+Couple
110. 1993-09-05 - Java+Cow+Kimric. Sunday morning featured the Java Cow ritual, where Kimric Smythe would arrive at the Man before dawn, and pour hot coffee. Right before dawn, people would head to the hot springs to watch the sunrise.
111. 1993-09-05 - Black Rock Gazette 05/09/1993
112. 1993-09-05 - 7402341 (1). Photo: Danger Ranger
113. 1994-06-17 - 1994+lingram
114. 1994-08-01 - Building+Burning+Man+1994
115. 1994-08-28 - 1994_schedule_events
116. 1994-08-29 - BM30450_postg.2576. Originally in 1993, lanterns were placed on the ground to form the processional to the Man. At the burn we all noticed horizontal lightning bolts 360 degrees around us. About 20 minutes after the Man fell we were hit by a wall of dust and wind followed later by a rain shower. It was the first time we had experienced weather so extreme out there. When the dust cleared, most of the lanterns had vanished. Larry Harvey designed the first spires in 1994 which both raised the lamps out of reach and made them more visible and useful as navigation markers.
117. 1994-08-29 - shadows
118. 1994-08-30 - BM34037_Ripper-checks-out-the-Man
119. 1994-08-30 - postal-workers. Circa 1994. Image Danger Ranger
120. 1994-09-03 - 7386030_orig. Photo: Malderor
121. 1994-09-03 - 8987161_orig. Photo: Malderor
122. 1994-09-03 - 1994+art3. This temple takes the form of that mysteriously powerful pyramid which stares back at us from dollar bills. Within its darkened sanctum is a camera obscura. A rotating lens mounted on the pyramid focuses a revolving panorama of the world outside upon a concave screen. Rituals include a ceremonial Camera Burning.
123. 1994-09-03 - 1248165. Photo: Bradford deCaussin
124. 1994-09-03 - 1994+internet+8
125. 1994-09-03 - 5504880_orig. Photo: Malderor
126. 1994-09-03 - 1995+toyland+on+fire
127. 1994-09-04 - fireworks-m
128. 1994-09-05 - 1994+internet+7
129. 1995-05-08 - IMG_4387
130. 1995-06-01 - Building Burning Man 1995
131. 1995-06-10 - Building Burning Man 1995 10th anniversary
132. 1995-07-01 - Burning Man, 1995. The 1st Lamplighter costume. A total of 6 were made for Burning Man 1995.\nCostume by Jarmo:\n~ <a href=\ Photographed by Michael Mikel, a Burning Man co-founder, from his historic archive of the event. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
133. 1995-08-05 - 1995+Somarts+with+reflecting+pool. We installed the Burning Man in an upright position beneath the soaring vault of the former foundry’s 4-story high space. We equipped the inside of the figure’s head with a microphone, a speaker and a video camera. These were connected to a microphone, a monitor and headphones discreetly located in a curtained booth near the base of the statue. A rope and pulley fastened to a ceiling beam allowed participants to clamber into a boson’s chair and be raised high overhead by their friends. This, of course, required that they trust these friends. Suspended immediately adjacent to Burning Man’s large triangular face, participants were urged to talk to this authoritative presence and put questions to it. Those who lurked inside the curtained booth below would then supply the answers. Our sound system automatically transformed their voices into a deep basso profundo.
134. 1995-08-07 - bm1995_ticket
135. 1995-08-27 - Piss Clear 1995 page 3
136. 1995-08-27 - Piss Clear 1995 page 4
137. 1995-08-27 - Piss Clear 1995 page 5
138. 1995-08-28 - Img+2
139. 1995-08-30 - BM33869_sampix.1309. Trash fence was started in ’95 by a guy named Ember, or Larry Breed, a quiet guy who blossomed within Cacophony. (That’s what happens to all of us in Cacophony.) They were all going crazy over trash blowing downwind, and Ember suggested it to the ops department. "They should make a bronze plaque for that guy for starting the trash fence," John Law says. "He did it for years after I left, too. It was all Ember’s idea, and I regard him as a hero."
140. 1995-08-30 - wildopener
141. 1995-08-31 - 1995+Water+woman+by+ray+cirino
142. 1995-08-31 - 1995+Little+Men+by+Steve+Yonkman
143. 1995-08-31 - 1995+Little+Men
144. 1995-08-31 - 1995+Little+Men+2
145. 1995-09-01 - 95_gazette_ice. Friday, September 1, 1995 Black Rock Gazette
146. 1995-09-01 - Burning Man Gazette 1995 01
147. 1995-09-01 - 1st Trash Fence, Burning Man, 1995. In 1995, the first trash fence was tested at Burning Man. Concieved by Larry Breed (playa name Ember), 75 yards of 24" high orange netting was set up down-wind on the north side of the encampment to catch wind-blown trash. The Black Rock is visible to the right in the background of this photo. Photographed by Michael Mikel, a Burning Man co-founder, from his historic archive of the event. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
148. 1995-09-01 - 045 - Burning Man, 1995. Camera Obscura Pyramid constructed by Chris DeMonterrey. On the morning after the burn, this inscription was found on the side: "I AM & No Government, State, Organization or agent thereof, shall deny THE BURNING MAN the right to be born, the right to live, or the right to..." Photographed by Michael Mikel, a Burning Man co-founder, from his historic archive of the event. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
149. 1995-09-01 - 1995+art+cars
150. 1995-09-01 - 1995+toyland+2+by+rusty
151. 1995-09-01 - Drum_tin_perez_upscaled_image_x8. Imagine drifting off to sleep to the lilting sounds of a Rave...ahhhh....Photo: Max Pere
152. 1995-09-02 - Black Rock Gazette 1995 02
153. 1995-09-02 - 1995+Rainbow+over+playa+
154. 1995-09-02 - WBL-Camp-JD_upscaled_image_x4. The Weird Blinking Lights camp lured people in with its billowing orange parachute.
155. 1995-09-02 - 1995+Disgruntled+Postal+Workers. Disgruntled Postal Works on top of a Tom Kennedy art car
156. 1995-09-02 - 95_bathers. This was the year it rained on Saturday afternoon and the entire playa turned into a giant mud slick. If you've ever seen Burning Man photos of a bunch of naked people writhing around in what looks like a mud-soaked orgy, this was probably the year they were taken."
157. 1995-09-03 - Burning+Man+1995 (1)
158. 1995-09-03 - Rainbow over Burning Man 1995.
159. 1995-09-03 - throng_upscaled_image_x16
160. 1995-09-29 - PCcov_01. "Ah such auspicious beginnings. The first Issue of Piss Clear was simply a photo-copied 'zine -- two sheets of 8.5" x 11" paper folded lengthwise, so it could be easily stapled together. I think I printed just 200 copies.
161. 1996-08-01 - #299a. Floyd, Danger & Larry in the tungsten mine at Limbo, 1996. Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
162. 1996-08-25 - 4360521811_e71f025035_o. 1996 Map
163. 1996-08-26 - BM44672_Helco-Tower1. The 1996 theme art installation, Helco, by Flynn Mauther, Kal Spelletich and Seemen
164. 1996-08-26 - 96_DPW_ghetto. "Wicked and SPaZ showed up in 1995, adding Techno music to the primal mix of sound on the playa. In 1996, Turbo Ted organized Techno Ghetto a mile north of camp to cloister the large sound camps away from the general population. In 1996 "the rave was moved downwind and a mile out, with a clearly defined road leading to it. Though the previous year's issues were resolved, the distance and lack of connection with the rest of the city proved to be problematic. A breakdown of civic standards and community created chaos, ultimately resulting in serious injuries occurring to rave participants. The Burning Man organizers, and I in particular, were devastated by the experience, and vowed that no such incident would ever occur again." Harley K. DuBois - Managing Diversity: The Zoning of Black Rock City
165. 1996-08-26 - 1996_map
166. 1996-08-26 - Loading the van, suburban driveway. The 1996 pilgrimage begins, the rented cargo van packed with gear and water on a lawn before the drive to the Black Rock Desert.
167. 1996-08-27 - 96_eggchair. The first of many yearly stickers from Eggchair Steve
168. 1996-08-27 - BM44684_The-Stupa-of-Limbo-by-Paul-Windsor. The first "keyhole" installation, at the intersection of the camp and the walkway to the man, by Paul Windsor. A liquid-filled box containing a yew tree root rested on a bed of old religious texts and mud.
169. 1996-08-28 - Walking through the door-frame art. A lone door-frame standing on the flats, a burner steps through the freestanding doorway.
170. 1996-08-31 - Face in the TV frame. A hatted burner grinning through the empty TV frame.
171. 1996-09-01 - Preacher-name tablets. Guru Road stones naming televangelists, Falwell, Graham, Bakker.
172. 1996-09-01 - BM41397_Center-Cafe. In 1996, the next year, the café got little attention, as the Dante theme was taking precedence in everyone’s mind. It was the first and only time that Burning Man went dark, and we worked and played under the sign that said, "Abandon hope all ye who enter here." It was a parody of corporations, but still, the general tenor was black. For once, at Burning Man, I was appropriately dressed; I never abandoned my typical black city garb in the desert, like most people did. That was also the year that the Nevada Sanitation Department arrived to cite us for infractions of safety codes, like not using a scoop to get ice for iced coffee, or not having consumable items at least 6” off the ground. They also cited us for having naked employees. P Segal
173. 1996-09-01 - 038 - Burning Man, 1996. Robert Rogers & John Law with the secret money drop tank, prior to burial in the playa. The spot was covered with a tent which had a rug covering the trap door. Photographed by Michael Mikel, a Burning Man co-founder, from his historic archive of the event. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
174. 1996-09-03 - Dance floor, gown and mask. A gowned dancer and a masked partner on the party floor.
175. 1996-09-03 - Laughing behind a scarf. A guest laughing behind a purple scarf at the party.
176. 1996-09-03 - Neon-lit party blur. A blurred, neon-streaked frame of the crowded after-party, motion, red 'X' lights and a laughing face in the dark.
177. 1996-11-01 - bm_new_american_holiday. Greetings from Burning Man! By Bruce Sterling
178. 1997-08-01 - 099 - Burning Man, 1997. The Bone Arch at Rangers Station. Photographed by Michael Mikel, a Burning Man co-founder, from his historic archive of the event. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
179. 1997-08-25 - The playa cannon, lining up the shot · 2/9. The big-wheeled artillery art piece being worked by its tie-dyed crew against the clear 1997 sky (frame 4 of 18 in the sequence).
180. 1997-08-25 - 97_ticket-e1768261039469
181. 1997-08-26 - The toy Shell boat. Close on the yellow-and-green toy boat prop of the corporate-satire race.
182. 1997-08-26 - Cyclist by the horse camp. A burner on a bike pausing by the horse-sculpture camp.
183. 1997-08-26 - Painted screen camp · 1/4. A camp of tall painted fabric panels and a lit projection screen at dusk (frame 1 of 4 in the sequence).
184. 1997-08-26 - Painted screen camp · 4/4. A camp of tall painted fabric panels and a lit projection screen at dusk (frame 4 of 4 in the sequence).
185. 1997-08-26 - BM30621_Santo-Pollo. Theme Camps had become a regular staple of Burning Man by this point and the first list of registered Theme Camps is from 1997. The Blue Light District (one of the first Villages) consisted of smaller Theme Camps such as SPACE COWGIRLS CAMP, PLAYAVISION, LAKE LAHONTAN YACHT CLUB, POSTMAN OF THE PLAYA and the BARBIE VILLAGE
186. 1997-08-26 - Shadow-theatre screen · 1/4. A backlit projection/shadow-theatre screen glowing orange in the night, painted borders around it (frame 1 of 4 in the sequence).
187. 1997-08-26 - Shadow-theatre screen · 3/4. A backlit projection/shadow-theatre screen glowing orange in the night, painted borders around it (frame 3 of 4 in the sequence).
188. 1997-08-27 - The lamppost boulevard · 1/6. The 1997 planned-city street, a boulevard of tall wooden lamp poles running to the Man, the first fully-laid-out Black Rock City grid (frame 1 of 6 in the sequence).
189. 1997-08-27 - Bikes past the hay-bale camps. Riders passing straw-bale walls and strung pennants.
190. 1997-08-27 - Bicycles at the shade camps. Bikes and burners along a row of shade tents.
191. 1997-08-27 - Bike traffic on the esplanade. A cluster of riders on the main drag past a white tent.
192. 1997-08-27 - Art bikes and hay bales. Riders and art bikes among the straw-bale structures.
193. 1997-08-27 - Selfie, yellow shades. A grinning burner selfie in mirrored yellow sunglasses on the flat.
194. 1997-08-27 - Paraglider over the cones. A yellow paraglider drifting over the coned entry lane.
195. 1997-08-27 - Shade camp, wide. A long open-sided shade structure crowded with burners.
196. 1997-08-28 - The Man over the playa · 1/6. The raised lean wooden Man of 1997 standing over the wide clean Hualapai playa and mountains (frame 1 of 6 in the sequence).
197. 1997-08-28 - Raising the 1997 Man · 1/11. The distinctive lean wooden 1997 Man being raised and rigged on its ten-foot hay-bale platform, backlit by the hard sky (frame 1 of 13 in the sequence).
198. 1997-08-28 - Raising the 1997 Man · 7/11. The distinctive lean wooden 1997 Man being raised and rigged on its ten-foot hay-bale platform, backlit by the hard sky (frame 7 of 13 in the sequence).
199. 1997-08-28 - BM43611_Water-Woman-by-Ray-Cirino
200. 1997-08-29 - BM41506_Center-camp-structure-No-Spectators-sign. Larry Harvey’s 1997 Speech, called to address the financial quandary the organization found itself in, was one for the ages. People who had paid their 50$ to get in were asked to contribute to keep the event alive and we did contribute because we cared about the event and its survival. Classic lines included "So when the dust settles on this, an anybody asks you if we're locusts... no, you tell them we're human beings." "If anybody wants to give us five, five hundred dollars, they are lifetime Burning Man. They can come forever."
201. 1997-08-29 - Ammonite, the fanged head · 4/6. Close on the fanged scrap-metal head and clawed hands of Hendrik Hackl's kneeling 'Ammonite' figure (frame 4 of 6 in the sequence).
202. 1997-08-29 - Art car and missile sculpture. A scissor-lift art car and a mounted-missile sculpture against the sky.
203. 1997-08-30 - The bull-skull rider · 8/9. The bull-skull-costumed burner riding out, a full cow-skull-and-fur costume on a lowrider art bike (frame 8 of 9 in the sequence).
204. 1997-08-30 - Neon Man over the mountains · 3/3. The neon 1997 Man standing over the wide flat and the mountains at dusk (frame 3 of 3 in the sequence).
205. 1997-08-31 - 1997+ozan+daugthers+of+ishtar. “Daughters of Ishtar” (1997) Photo by Holly Kreuter
206. 1997-08-31 - Camp vans, morning. Camp vehicles and flags in the clear morning light.
207. 1997-08-31 - Camp street, morning. Burners walking the shade-tent street on burn morning.
208. 1997-08-31 - The water truck. A camp water/service truck rolling across the flat.
209. 1997-08-31 - School bus on the flat. An orange school bus parked out on the open playa.
210. 1997-08-31 - Camp life, burn day · 5/8. Camp life on burn day, friends eating, laughing and lounging under the shade nets (frame 5 of 8 in the sequence).
211. 1997-08-31 - Camp life, burn day · 7/8. Camp life on burn day, friends eating, laughing and lounging under the shade nets (frame 7 of 8 in the sequence).
212. 1997-08-31 - Burning sky over camp · 1/2. A spectacular pink-and-red sunset burning over the camp flags on burn evening (frame 1 of 2 in the sequence).
213. 1997-08-31 - Burning sky over camp · 2/2. A spectacular pink-and-red sunset burning over the camp flags on burn evening (frame 2 of 2 in the sequence).
214. 1997-08-31 - Burn-night crowd · 9/13. The burn-night crowd moving across the dark flat, neon and torches scattered through it (frame 9 of 13 in the sequence).
215. 1997-08-31 - Burn-night crowd · 8/13. The burn-night crowd moving across the dark flat, neon and torches scattered through it (frame 8 of 13 in the sequence).
216. 1997-08-31 - Burn-night crowd · 12/13. The burn-night crowd moving across the dark flat, neon and torches scattered through it (frame 12 of 13 in the sequence).
217. 1997-08-31 - Burn-night crowd · 1/13. The burn-night crowd moving across the dark flat, neon and torches scattered through it (frame 1 of 13 in the sequence).
218. 1997-08-31 - Burn-night crowd · 13/13. The burn-night crowd moving across the dark flat, neon and torches scattered through it (frame 13 of 13 in the sequence).
219. 1997-08-31 - Burn-night crowd and fire · 3/10. The burn-night crowd, fire performers and bonfires against the black sky (frame 3 of 10 in the sequence).
220. 1997-09-01 - 97_website. The Spring Newsletter announces "Very Soon you can visit our new website" The first Jack Rabbit Speaks was sent in 1997. It was an email the JackRabbit sent to a group of people after she'd attended a meeting with Larry Harvey and thought that group might be interested in the info shared. That list of emails grew exponentially every year after.
221. 1998-09-03 - Dune buggy and crew. A dune buggy rolling through camp with its crew.
222. 1998-09-03 - The mud people. Mud-caked burners lounging in a wet playa pit, the 1998 mud tradition.
223. 1998-09-03 - The fish-fry cook · 4/4. The camp cook frying a whole fish over a propane burner in the kitchen tent (frame 4 of 4 in the sequence).
224. 1998-09-04 - The far playa gate. The distant playa perimeter and gate under a pale sky.
225. 1998-09-04 - Screenshot 2026-05-15 at 15.53.56
226. 1998-09-04 - Screenshot 2026-05-15 at 15.54.14
227. 1998-09-04 - Temple of Rudra mosaic · 2/2. Pepe Ozan's mosaic 'Temple of Rudra' art structure by day (frame 2 of 2 in the sequence).
228. 1998-09-04 - Temple of Rudra mosaic · 1/2. Pepe Ozan's mosaic 'Temple of Rudra' art structure by day (frame 1 of 2 in the sequence).
229. 1998-09-04 - 1998+ozan+temple+of+rudra
230. 1998-09-05 - Rudra chapel, corner lit. The lit corner tower of the Temple of Rudra at night.
231. 1998-09-05 - Moon over the night camp. The bright moon over the scattered camp lights.
232. 1998-09-05 - Burning the One Tree. Dan Das Mann's 'One Tree' sculpture ablaze, crowd ringed around.
233. 1998-09-06 - Steel-wool spark shower · 4/9. A spinning steel-wool spark shower arcing over the dark playa after the burn (frame 4 of 9 in the sequence).
234. 1998-09-06 - Steel-wool spark shower · 7/9. A spinning steel-wool spark shower arcing over the dark playa after the burn (frame 7 of 9 in the sequence).
235. 1998-09-07 - Sun rays through the clouds. God-rays breaking through storm cloud over the fields on the way home.
236. 1999-09-04 - Fire-breather in orange robes. A fire-breather in orange robes throwing a plume of flame on burn night, 1999.
237. 1999-09-04 - Crowd and neon, burn night. Neon-outlined burners packed in the dark waiting for the 1999 burn.
238. 1999-09-04 - The neon Man before the burn. The blue-and-green neon 1999 Man glowing on the dark playa before the Saturday-night burn.
239. 1999-09-04 - The Man catches fire. The first flames climb the Man as the crowd surges, 1999.
240. 1999-09-04 - The burn, 1999. The Man burning down amid the fire and the neon-lit crowd, Burning Man 1999.
241. 2000-08-01 - 118 - Burning Man, 2000. Joseph Pred, Flying Guy & Danger peer into the monitor of the first radar system used for perimeter defense of Black Rock City.\n.\nphoto by Dusty Hawthorne Photographed by Michael Mikel, a Burning Man co-founder, from his historic archive of the event. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
242. 2001-07-28 - 0597 - Harvey, Best & Bee. Larry Harvey, David Best & Ladybee at the Santa Rosa Art Museum. Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
243. 2001-09-01 - 0769 - Larry. Larry Tested, Larry Approved Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
244. 2002-08-31 - Fireworks over the Man · 4/4. Fireworks bursting over the blue-neon Man as the 2002 burn begins (frame 4 of 4 in the sequence).
245. 2002-11-15 - Larry H donut_1330. Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
246. 2003-07-01 - Larry Harvey, 2003. Larry Harvey bares his soul. Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
247. 2003-08-31 - Camp portrait, second frame. A second frame of the same shaded-camp portrait.
248. 2003-09-02 - The scooter-army altar. A white altar ringed by rows of toy scooters/figures, a 2003 art piece.
249. 2004-08-26 - DVR & LH. Darryl Van Rhey & Larry Harvey in the staff commissary at Burning Man 2004. \n~\nLarry Harvey is the director of Burning Man.\n~\nDarryl Van Rhey is a writer on the subjects of art and religion who resides in Bolinas, California. He is currently working on a book about Larry Harvey. Photographed by Michael Mikel, a Burning Man co-founder, from his historic archive of the event. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
250. 2004-08-31 - Camp portrait, goggles. A burner in goggles by the shade camp on the dusty flat.
251. 2005-09-29 - 2222 - Silver Seed. The Silver Seed launched the Burning Man Regionals program with a road trip across the US in 2001.\n<a href=\ Photographed by Michael Mikel, a Burning Man co-founder, from his historic archive of the event. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
252. 2006-09-02 - The Man burns with fireworks, 2006 · 3/33. The 2006 Man arms-raised as fireworks stream from his hands and the Pavilion of the Future ignites below him (frame 3 of 33 in the sequence).
253. 2007-02-13 - 1907 Golden Gate Ave.. Photographed by Michael Mikel, a Burning Man co-founder, from his historic archive of the event. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
254. 2007-06-24 - 0386 - Bandshell Jesters. Photo by Melissa Alexander. Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
255. 2007-07-01 - Burning Man Grows Up - July 1, 2007. From the Business 2.0 magazine article, which generated much controversy:\n~ <a href=\ Photographed by Michael Mikel, a Burning Man co-founder, from his historic archive of the event. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
256. 2007-07-23 - Burning Man, 2007. The first Google "doodle" was created in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin when they attended Burning Man for the 1st time.\n<a href=\ Photographed by Michael Mikel, a Burning Man co-founder, from his historic archive of the event. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
257. 2007-08-13 - 1,200 Bicycles - Burning Man, 2007. More than a thousand bicycles were donated to the Black Rock City yellow bike program. These bicycles will be available for anyone to use. They are being assembled and painted by the Black Label Bike Club. In typical Burning Man fashion, the bikes are being painted green and stenciled with the message "YELLOW BIKE" in red paint. This donation will make Black Rock City the highest per capita bike p Photographed by Michael Mikel, a Burning Man co-founder, from his historic archive of the event. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
258. 2007-08-30 - 4000 Feet Above Black Rock City. Massive dust storm overtakes Black Rock City during 2007. One of the occasional hazards at Burning Man. \n~ Photo taken by Jeff Johnstone flying an ultra-lite above the city. Photographed by Michael Mikel, a Burning Man co-founder, from his historic archive of the event. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
259. 2007-09-15 - Pre-Ignition, 2:54AM, 8\/28\/2007. The man at the foot of the Man. It's been said that 3AM is the midnight of the soul. In time, each man becomes possessed by the other. It's a one-man show.\n\n~ Photo source:\n<a href=\ Photographed by Michael Mikel, a Burning Man co-founder, from his historic archive of the event. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
260. 2007-11-15 - Playa Dogs. This photo records an historic event that will someday become a part of burning legend; Mr. Black, Mr. Red, Mr. Yellow and Mr. Blue en-route to join Mr. Brown, Mr. Grey and Miss Pink at the Federal Courthouse in Reno, where they will defend the constitutional rights of burners from violations by the government.\n Photographed by Michael Mikel, a Burning Man co-founder, from his historic archive of the event. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
261. 2008-07-05 - 6306 - Danger & Paladin. Paladin is the two-fisted lawyer who saved Burning Man during the 2007 trademark war.\n\n"No man is so foolish but he may sometimes give another good counsel, and no man so wise that he may not easily err if he takes no other counsel than his own." \n- Hunter S. Thompson\n Photographed by Michael Mikel, a Burning Man co-founder, from his historic archive of the event. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
262. 2008-08-28 - 6816 - Larry In Pink. Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
263. 2009-02-16 - Black Rock City 2008. Gigapan link: <a href=\ Photographed by Michael Mikel, a Burning Man co-founder, from his historic archive of the event. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
264. 2009-06-19 - Larry Harvey, 2009 (1 of 3). Larry, Harley & Marian. Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
265. 2009-09-03 - 6130 - Fly Hot Springs - 3 Sept 2009. In 2009, a special dinner was held at Fly Hot Springs to discuss the potential future of Burning Man.\n\n~ <a href=\ Photographed by Michael Mikel, a Burning Man co-founder, from his historic archive of the event. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
266. 2009-09-03 - larry fly-hot-springs-91. Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
267. 2009-11-24 - 0379.2. Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
268. 2009-11-24 - Larry Harvey, 2009 (3 of 3). Larry Harvey, November 24, 2009. Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
269. 2010-02-09 - Larry Harvey, 2010. Larry is proud of his elevator machinery. Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
270. 2010-02-14 - 076 - Burning Man, 1990. Postcard announcement of 1st Burning Man on the Black Rock Desert. Photographed by Michael Mikel, a Burning Man co-founder, from his historic archive of the event. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
271. 2010-02-25 - 089 - Burning Man, 1996. This shoelace was attached to the handlebar of the motorcycle that Michael Fury was riding on the playa when he crashed head-on into a truck at 60 MPH, just 4 days before the start of Burning Man, 1996. Photographed by Michael Mikel, a Burning Man co-founder, from his historic archive of the event. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
272. 2010-08-31 - Larry Harvey, 2010. Larry Harvey gets intimate with Frau Maschinenmensch. Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
273. 2010-09-04 - High Rise Stilt Bar at Sunset. Stilt-walkers and revelers gather at the High Rise Stilt Bar in warm golden sunset light at Burning Man 2010, one carrying a red parasol.
274. 2011-01-14 - Larry Harvey, 2011. Larry with a wand that belonged to a 1957 mardi gras queen. Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
275. 2011-04-02 - Burning Man, 2011. Meeting room sign for the Ranger session at the 2011 Burning Man Leadership Conference, held at the Kabuki Hotel in SF. Photographed by Michael Mikel, a Burning Man co-founder, from his historic archive of the event. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
276. 2011-07-16 - Burning Man, 2011. On Market Street in San Francisco. Photographed by Michael Mikel, a Burning Man co-founder, from his historic archive of the event. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
277. 2011-10-20 - Larry Harvey, 2011. Larry contemplates Basque. Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
278. 2012-08-27 - The Fertility 2.0 gate sign. A burner posed under the painted 'Fertility 2.0' entrance sign, mandala and lotus, at the gate, 2012.
279. 2012-08-28 - The Pier 2 tall-ship art car · 2/3. 'Pier 2', a full masted galleon art car, a replica tall ship on wheels, crossing the 2012 playa by day (frame 2 of 3 in the sequence).
280. 2014-11-20 - Larry clown. Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
281. 2015-03-21 - The 1st Burn. Photographed by Michael Mikel, a Burning Man co-founder, from his historic archive of the event. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
282. 2015-10-27 - Baker Beach, 1990. Jerry James & Larry Harvey discuss the tense situation after Park Police arrived and stopped the burn. Photographed by Michael Mikel, a Burning Man co-founder, from his historic archive of the event. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
283. 2016-07-31 - The Line- 1990. When we first arrived at the edge of the Black Rock, I drew this line on the ground, and said: "On the other side of this line, everything will be different." Photographed by Michael Mikel, a Burning Man co-founder, from his historic archive of the event. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
284. 2016-12-16 - 5 Ages of Burning Man. 30 years of Burning Man history in a 1-1\/2 hour presentation with 250 slides at the University of Nevada in Reno on 17 November 2016.\n\n(photo by Karen Kuehn) Photographed by Michael Mikel, a Burning Man co-founder, from his historic archive of the event. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
285. 2017-04-07 - Larry button. Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
286. 2017-07-28 - William+Binzen. History of Burning Man, People of Burning Man
287. 2018-01-01 - Larry dead. Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
288. 2018-04-29 - larry harvey cell space. Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
289. 2018-05-02 - chris brown 2. Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
290. 2020-06-21 - Larry 2004. Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
291. 2020-08-23 - Larry Harvey drag (3 of 3). Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
292. 2021-10-29 - Larry does not exist_0304. Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
293. 2023-12-02 - BM 1990 the line. Photographed by Michael Mikel, a Burning Man co-founder, from his historic archive of the event. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
294. 2024-07-31 - larry harvey 4. Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
295. 2024-07-31 - larry fire P Mackey. Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
296. 2024-07-31 - larry harvey on culture. Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
297. 2024-07-31 - larry fire P Mackey. Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
298. 2024-07-31 - Larry Doherty Kieth Carlson 2. Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
299. 2024-07-31 - Larry cookie. Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.
300. 2024-07-31 - larry hat Zac Cirivello. Larry Harvey photographed by Michael Mikel. From the co-founder's own archive. Contributed by the Burning Man historian; used with permission.

…and 3,240 more moments.