Bringing BIM to Burning Man

Through the collaborative efforts of one of its CAD detailers, BIM Designs, Inc. was able to play a role in this bringing an artist’s vision to life during the 2019 Burning Man Festival, an annual late-summer event in Black Rock City, Nevada. Described in an August 2019 article by Insider as a center of “radical self-expression,” the Festival stretches across nine days, hosts tens of thousands of people from across the globe, and features dramatic and unique art installations. Each year, a giant wood effigy in the shape of a human is burned to the ground: the eponymous ‘Burning Man.’ 

Before the Illusion project, Burlbaugh had never done a Revit model for purely artistic purposes; though, he’s worked in the construction industry and virtual design space for 32 years. DeMattia emphasized how essential their collaboration was, adding, “In my mind, Brian is an artist. He provided me a foundation – that’s the art.” Burlbaugh admitted, “You get into these models and see the art take shape. It’s pretty cool!”

DeMattia, who hosts multi-sensory workshops, describes herself as a “re-humanizer.” She explains that as a species, we have created systems that dehumanize us. “The very thing that makes us human, we’ve taken away. Trying to get clarity can be intimidating.” Reactions from the festival-goers, DeMattia related, were quite emotional. She recalled being told by one viewer, “This is what it’s like to be free.” She said, “We never know the capacity we have to make a difference in someone else’s life.” She thanked BIM Designs, and Burlbaugh in particular, for contributing the knowledge, expertise and collaborative BIM technology that helped bring Illusion art to the lives of the Festival attendees. “That was art. It can’t exist without the work these guys do.”