Stonehenge at Burning Man, Nevada

Stonehenge at Burning Man 2004

 

This replica, referred to by some as Sol Henge, was built for the Burning Man Festival in 2004. It is actually a sound system, a henge of giant speakers built by Sol Systems, a group of entrepeneurs who tell the story of Sol Henge at this link. See another picture here.

If you don’t know what the Burning Man Festival is, this post is not the place to learn it, but we will say that giant lit-up speaker-henges are probably one of the more pedestrian things about it. There does seem to be an affinity between Stonehenge and Burning Man. In other years there have been a Twinkie Henge (“just like Stonehenge but it will last longer”–2000) and a MudHenge (1996).

As for Sol Henge, it’s difficult to score. It seems to have an opposite effect to the original, not quiet power but fantastic effect, as if it is meant to point one’s attention at oneself instead of outward, and more about the senses than the yearnings. Of course, it may just be a more roundabout route to the same goal. No doubt it depends on the perceiver. Score: 7 druids for the henge in the desert, lit from within.

See first comment for information from one of Sol Henge’s creators!

2 thoughts on “Stonehenge at Burning Man, Nevada

  1. Thanks for that, and may I say we’re honoured to have you comment. In light of the information you have provided, Sol Henge will be awarded a 7 instead of its current score. This one certainly has grown on us over the months. An inspirational installation. Kudos!

  2. As the designer of Sol Henge I can assure you there was a lot of time and effort put into honoring the spirit of the original. The theme at Burning Man that year was “The Vault of Heaven” and touched on the beauty and mystery of the cosmos around us. We were one of the biggest dance camps and we’d become a popular destination for people who liked to dance to the last sunrise of the week-long event. Stonehenge seemed like a perfect source of inspiration. The circle was 110 feet wide and enclosed the dance area. The smaller trilithons were 15 feet tall and the great trilithon was 25 feet tall. When you stood in the center and looked outward, every opening made by an upright and lintel combo framed a distant and significant installation or camp (Burning Man is very large with lots of open space). On the final morning, the great trilithon framed the rising sun. We had a huge crowd at the time and it was a thrilling moment.

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