The impressive temporary structures built during the annual Burning Man festival are the subject of an exhibition in the US capital.
No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man opened 30 March 2018 at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, in Washington DC.

Taking over the entire building and expanding beyond its walls into the surrounding neighbourhood, the exhibition will highlight the creativity and craft of the community that travels to the Nevada desert for the event each year.
"The scale, the communal effort and the technical challenges inherent in creating works for the desert are part of what sets Burning Man apart from other art experiences," said Smithsonian American Art Museum director Stephanie Stebich.

"It is an amazingly creative laboratory where innovators go to play and to push the boundaries of their craft." Annually, Burning Man attendees construct projects ranging from small-scale artworks to colossal pavilions ? some of which are ceremonially burned down at the end of the festival.

Several designs first built in the desert have been recreated inside the museum, including a giant female figure assuming a ballet-style stance.

In one room is a set of huge mushroom-like forms, created from pleated surfaces and illuminated in a rainbow of colours, while polygonal spheres comprising perforated panels cast geometric shadows across another space.

No Spectators also features original commissions that demonstrate other aspec...