South African artist Daniel Popper is known for his mystical, large-scale installations. Often seen at art and music festivals around the world, there’s been one renowned festival that’s been missing his touch for quite awhile—Burning Man. After a 10-year absence, Popper finally made his way back to the Black Rock Desert with Mycelia.
While Popper had been to Burning Man previously, he’d never mounted an artwork at the iconic festival. Standing 15 feet tall, Mycelia cast a grand shadow across the Playa. Created from a steel subframe clad in glass fiber reinforced polymer resin and ceramic tile mosaic, the evocative sculpture came to life thanks to video projections by different artists.
In the haze of the desert, Mycelia seemed to rise from the earth, sprouting mushrooms as she went along. Surrounded by comfortable couches, Burners were able to sit back and enjoy the show every evening as she was illuminated in dazzling color. The resulting photos show just how well the sculpture blended into Burning Man’s surreal environment.
One photographer, Mark Fromson, even created an animated video showing Mycelia flying into the sky. The work is a beautiful tribute to Popper’s incredible imagination. Scroll down for more images of the sculptor’s work on the Playa and follow Daniel Popper on Instagram to stay up to date on his new projects.
For the first time, South African artist Daniel Popper brought his art to Burning Man.
Standing 15 feet tall, Mycelia cast a grand shadow across the Playa.
Created from a steel subframe clad in glass fiber, the evocative sculpture came to life thanks to video projections by different artists.
One photographer, Mark Fromson, even created an animated video showing Mycelia fly into the sky.
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