The Coolest Art & Architecture at Burning Man 2016

Made it! #burningman2016

A photo posted by mediumflo (@lenunni) on

Aug 31, 2016 at 7:57am PDT

1,000' light tunnels, flamethrowers, a Boeing 747 nightclub, and elemental wooden sculptures: Burning Man's 30th iteration is a cornucopia of sights that make jaws clatter to the floor. Just a few days into this year's festival, the #burningman2016 Instagram hashtag is already repping over 20,000 posts, more than a quarter of what #burningman2015 stacked up in a whole year. At least 75,000 people—including Cara Delevingne and Paris Hilton—are projected to hit the Playa, putting 2016 on track to be the most Instagrammed Burning Man ever.

Each year Burning Man struggles with it's increasingly mainstream status, and it could be argued that the burners' constant photo updates violate the "Temporary Autonomous Zone" tenets that Black Rock City is built upon. But for the rest of us, it yields a buffet of surreal eye candy normally limited to dreams and Salvador Dalí paintings. Enjoy giant pigs, fire-breathing octopuses, shark cars, David Best's annual Temple, and, of course, the Man-to-be-burnt himself, below.

#burningman the greatest #human #experiment opened its doors tonight With the last bits of connectivity before everything goes dark for the week. I thought I would share one little bit. As everyone begins to pour in I sat under a crescent #moon rising over the playa illuminating @laurakimpton and jeff schomberg "magic" sculpture that our camp dragonfly den helped bring to the playa. My thoughts wandered to the woman of my dreams at home caring for our newborn baby. I felt once again the luckiest person on #earth And how perfect to sum it all up with a shooting star that actually happened (over the c) while I contemplated all of the #magic in my life. @burningman @burningmanphotos #bm2016 #burningmanphotos #burningman2016

A photo posted by Peter Ruprecht Studios (@peterruprecht) on

Aug 28, 2016 at 4:44am PDT

Shark Car

#burningman #burningman2016 #blackrockcity #hyperlapse

A video posted by Burning Man Videos Curated (@burner_videos) on

Aug 29, 2016 at 2:04am PDT

God Phone Booth

#burningman2016 #talktogod

A photo posted by Nikolas P. (@nick_olasss) on

Aug 30, 2016 at 10:40am PDT

The Black Rock Lighthouse Service by Jonny and Max Poynton

Burning Towers. Burningman 2016

A photo posted by Greg Nielsen (@gregvnielsen) on

Aug 30, 2016 at 9:34am PDT

Michael Christian's Ovoid

Bye bye dust. Bye bye crew. By bye Oid #itsbeenfun #ontothenextone #loveyouoid #michaelchristianart #burningman michaelchristian #burningman2016 #largemetalart #sculpture #art #metalsculpture #desertteam #artintheelements #michaelchristianandfriends

A photo posted by Catharine Brook Anderson (@catharineflows) on

Aug 30, 2016 at 8:50am PDT

The Temple by David Best and The Temple Crew

#temple2016 is #magnificent #burningman2016 #blackrockcity #brc #burningman #architecture #sacredspace

A photo posted by Michael Holden (@michael.holden.photographer) on

Aug 30, 2016 at 11:35am PDT

The temple #blackrockcity #burningman2016

A photo posted by Christine Kim (@chr.kim) on

Aug 30, 2016 at 8:03am PDT

The Temple - a fraction of its stunning beauty. We happened upon it at dusk, precisely when it opened. The dusty crew was cheering and crying; they opened the doors and we walked into this. #burningman2016 #burningman #temple #davidbest #davidbesttemple

A photo posted by A Nice World / C. Jill Hofer (@a_nice_world) on

Aug 31, 2016 at 8:47am PDT

Flame Octopus

Of course there's a fire breathing mechanical octopus out here. #blackrockcity #burningman2016 #burningman

A photo posted by [ b ] e c k e r (@thebecker) on

Aug 30, 2016 at 7:49am PDT

The Space Whale by The Pier Group with Matthew Schultz, Android Jones and Andy Tibbetts

This is my favorite piece of art I've seen so far this year. 36,000 pounds, made to scale. 4,000+ pieces of hand cut stained glass. #SpaceWhale. #burningman #burningman2016 #blackrockcity

A photo posted by [ b ] e c k e r (@thebecker) on

Aug 29, 2016 at 12:40pm PDT

Cat Car

#burningman #happyburn #welcomehome #burningman2016

A photo posted by Kos (@firekos) on

Aug 30, 2016 at 7:48am PDT

Grove by Grove

Storms

A video posted by Shilo Shiv Suleman (@shiloshivsuleman) on

Aug 28, 2016 at 10:39am PDT

The amazing places a sand storm can lead you to 

A photo posted by Vanessa Adao (@acasadava) on

Aug 30, 2016 at 6:41am PDT

Tea Pots

wishing I was with my girl @indianja #thelostteaparty #burningman2016

A photo posted by melinda heaford (@melinda_amy) on

Aug 30, 2016 at 2:10am PDT

Renaiximent (Renaissance) by Pink Intruder

Renaixement ja està en peu al desert de Nevada. Enhorabona a tots pel treball ben fet!  #juntsmolemmés #burningman2016

A photo posted by Falles de Torrent (@fallesdetorrent) on

Aug 30, 2016 at 2:15am PDT

Da Vinci's Head

Davinci. Burningman 2016

A photo posted by Greg Nielsen (@gregvnielsen) on

Aug 29, 2016 at 8:11pm PDT

Pulse Portal by Davis McCarty

After a few days of feverish building, it's all coming together at Burning Man

A photo posted by Lauren Panepinto (@planetpinto) on

Aug 29, 2016 at 4:18pm PDT

Heart of Gold by HYBYCOZO

The playa, where the magic happens #BM16 #burningman2016

A photo posted by In the Know Experiences (@intheknowexperiences) on

Aug 29, 2016 at 2:52pm PDT

The Sonic Runway

#sonicrunway

A video posted by stuartlchambers (@stuartlchambers) on

Aug 27, 2016 at 10:20am PDT

A Landshark

Riding sea creatures in #deepplaya #Burningman2016

A photo posted by Wali Raja (@mr_gq7) on

Aug 30, 2016 at 10:29am PDT

Lord Snort by Bryan Tedrick

Here's my friend Rene commanding a massive wart hog on the playa after sunrise today. It's an immense structure that you can climb and it spins around in the wind like mechanical bull. Rene is one of those guys that just climbs anything, and I'm one of those guys that just stays on the ground. #burningman2016 #burningman #Blackrockcity #industwetrust #treyratcliff

A photo posted by Trey Ratcliff (@treyratcliff) on

Aug 29, 2016 at 3:12am PDT

And a Big Bird

A new installation at this year's Burning Man… massive crows in the deep playa. Well, I think it's a crow? Or a raven? I'm not so good with my birds! :) #burningman2016 #burningman #Blackrockcity #industwetrust #treyratcliff

A photo posted by Trey Ratcliff (@treyratcliff) on

Aug 29, 2016 at 3:13am PDT

The Man

And he is lit!! #burningman #burningman2016 #firstburn #firstburningman #theman

A photo posted by Thomas-Ray (@sweatshoplaborer) on

Aug 31, 2016 at 2:50am PDT

DaVinci Virus by Brennan Steele

Da Vinci Virus #burningman2016 #davincivirus #hackers

A photo posted by Rusty Blazenhoff (@blazenhoff) on

Aug 28, 2016 at 9:33am PDT

Tangential Dreams by Arthur Mamou-Mani

LED's make the difference #tangentialdreams #installationarchitecture #burningman2016

A photo posted by Hamish Macpherson (@hmacpherson77) on

Aug 29, 2016 at 5:16pm PDT

A Mad Max-style Thunderdome

The thunderdome at Burning Man 2015 - #burningman #nevada #usa #blackrockcity #desert #dust #freedom #industwetrust #domorenow #firehouse #remijaouen #photographe #paris #portrait #people #picoftheday #instagood #instalike #reportage #life #photojournalism #photographer #burningman2015 #burningman2016 #art #artistic #sanfrancisco #newyork #sf #nyc

A photo posted by Remi Jaouen Photographer (@remijaouen) on

Aug 31, 2016 at 10:36am PDT

Fiery Beating Heart

Burning man 2106She is ready to ride, look so sick! #brazilianburners #bikeburners#bikes#burningman #burningmanphotos #burner #playa #readytogo #burners #burningman2016 #playa2016

A video posted by Andre Watson (@andwatsonr) on

Aug 30, 2016 at 3:44pm PDT

Where I would rather be!!! @stevefa get ready for next year #burningman #burningman2016 #blackrockcity #freedom #dream 

A photo posted by Martinique Aprile (@martinique04) on

Aug 30, 2016 at 5:52pm PDT

Awakening by Ryan Elmendorf and Nick Geurts

In few hours we will feel the dust again! Hello playa! #throwback@#burningman2015 #burningman2016 #ontheroadagain #travelgram #bmusa #blackrockcity #playa #TRAVELISThenewsexy

A photo posted by Travel is the new sexy (@travel_is_the_new_sexy) on

Aug 30, 2016 at 3:32pm PDT

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#burningman #burningman2016 #magic #surreal #powerful #colors #colorful #coloryourlife #colorpop #network of #dreamers and #doers #peace #love #unity #hey

A photo posted by mr_pineapple_eyes (@mr_pineapple_eyes) on

Aug 31, 2016 at 8:07am PDT

Plane

An excavated boeing 747 landed at #burningman yesterday to add to the theme of Da Vinci’s Workshop. The project was 7 years in the making and allows festival goers to step into the aircraft and relax, view art, live performances and virtual reality experiences.

A photo posted by MARK STEPHEN EXPERIENTIAL (@markstephenea) on

Aug 31, 2016 at 6:49am PDT

See more pictures of Burning Man on Instagram. Check out The Creators Project's Instagram feed to find more artists you'll love.

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