10 incredible works of art that were built to be burned to the ground

nk guy art of burning man
"El Pulpo Mecanico," an art vehicle built by Duane Flatmo and Jerry Kunkel for Burning Man 2014. © NK Guy/TASCHEN GmbH

There is no other festival quite like Burning Man. 

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Held for a week each summer in the middle of Nevada's Black Rock Desert, Burning Man is a temporary installation where participants can imagine and build their ideal society. 

There's no cell service or internet, money doesn't work there, and artists spend months building enormous pieces that they only intend to burn down by the end of the week. 

Writer and photographer NK Guy first made the trip to Burning Man in 1998, hoping that the festival would make for a great stop on a summer road trip. 

"In many ways I was totally unprepared for what I'd encounter," Guy told Business Insider in an email. "It was like visiting a foreign country that you'd seen on a postcard — both familiar yet completely surreal. I felt I'd been transported to an alien planet, or to a movie set where the cameras aren't turning."

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He's gone back to photograph the event every year since then. Guy has compiled many of his photos in a book called "Art of Burning Man," published by Taschen in August. 

He shared some of his favorite shots from the book with Business Insider. 

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The Black Rock Desert, situated in a dry lakebed in Nevada, makes for an extremely dramatic backdrop.

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Pier 2, 2012. Artists: Kevan Christiaens, Matt Schultz, and the Pier Group. © NK Guy/TASCHEN GmbH

Here, a group of burners paddle a rowboat near a pier that was constructed in a throwback to the area's past. A Spanish galleon is docked at the far end of the pier. "You can go from a brilliant golden sunrise to scorching intense heat at lunchtime to a choking dust storm in the afternoon to a pink desert twilight to intensely dark night – all within the space of a day," Guy said. 

As you might imagine, photographing Burning Man comes with a daunting set of challenges.

nk guy art of burning man
Black Rock City, 2011. City plan by Rod Garrett. © NK Guy/TASCHEN GmbH

"Dust storms are horrific to breathe in, and not great for fragile camera gear ... You can't drive in your car, so I had to carry around my equipment, including heavy tripods, by bike and foot," Guy said. "If the dust weren't bad enough, I've had years where a third of my shots were blank frames because the heat had melted the foam bumpers in my camera's shutter."

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Though many people now travel to Burning Man for the parties, Guy's focus has always been the art produced for the event.

nk guy art of burning man
Cupcake Cars, 2006. Artists: Lisa Pongrace, Greg Solberg, and the Acme Muffineering team. © NK Guy/TASCHEN GmbH

"Burning Man is one of the few places on Earth other than private homes and some religious institutions where nothing, including the art, can be bought or sold. The fact that the art isn't driven by commercial imperatives frees artists to take their work in very interesting directions," Guy said. Cupcake cars created by the "Acme Muffineering Team" certainly fit the bill.

In more than a decade of attending Burning Man, Guy has seen the art installations grow to an incredible scale.

nk guy art of burning man
Gearhead, 2013. Artists: Steve Hall and Becky Stillwell. © NK Guy/TASCHEN GmbH

"In the early days an art piece might be made by an artist or two and a few friends," he said. "Today, massive teams work together in enormous warehouses to build the startling art you see out there."

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"El Pulpo Mecanico," an enormous octopus made from scrap metal in 2014, shoots off flames to the delight of bystanders.

nk guy art of burning man
El Pulpo Mecanico, 2014. Artist: Duane Flatmo and Jerry Kunkel. © NK Guy/TASCHEN GmbH

"The darkness of night has long been banished at Burning Man, and it's hard to see the stars from the center of the city," Guy said.

Built by artist Andy Tibbetts in 2013, this pirate ship can shoot fire and drive despite its front wheel lacking an axle.

nk guy art of burning man
CS (Clock Ship) Tere, 2013. Artist: Andy Tibbetts. © NK Guy/TASCHEN GmbH

"From an aesthetic standpoint the ever-changing light and weather conditions present constant challenges, as do the constantly changing surroundings of the event itself," Guy said. "People and their bikes come and go, as do art cars and service vehicles."

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It's the enormous temples, however, that Guy considers the "emotional core" of Burning Man.

nk guy art of burning man
The Temple of Transition, 2011. Artists: David Best and the Temple Crew. © NK Guy/TASCHEN GmbH

First created by noted sculptor David Best, the temples are considered nonsecular sacred spaces, where anyone can gather to grieve or meditate. Though they take months to build, all of the temples are burned at the conclusion of the weeklong event.

The temples aren't the only structures that go up in flames.

nk guy art of burning man
Man Burn, 2013. Artists: The Man: Larry Harvey, Jerry James, Dan Miller, and the ManKrew. Man base: Lewis Zaumeyer and Andrew Johnstone. © NK Guy/TASCHEN GmbH

At the end of the week, a massive sculpture of "the man" is burned to the ground in a highly symbolic ceremony meant to bring the entire Burning Man community together. "This is meaningful stuff, and not what you'd expect from your typical summer festival," Guy said.

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Entitled "Embrace," this 70-foot wooden sculpture is meant to symbolize human relationships.

nk guy art of burning man
Embrace, 2014. Artists: Kevan Christiaens, Kelsey Owens, Bill Tubman, Joe Olivier, Matt Schultz, and the Pier Group. © NK Guy/TASCHEN GmbH

Built for the 2014 celebration of Burning Man, it was made only to be destroyed.

In a photo taken after the man burn in 2013, participant Kaspian Khalafi surveys the wreckage.

nk guy art of burning man
Remains of the Man, 2013. © NK Guy/TASCHEN GmbH

"The dust, the vast scale of the desert against which we’re all incomprehensibly small creatures, the gatherings of friends, the incredible art, the sense of open invitation to be who you want to be – that's always part of Burning Man," Guy said.

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