Spire of Fire

The Spire of Fire is a recurring large-scale fire art installation at Burning Man — a towering structure that concentrates and channels fire at height. The 2010 version appeared during the "Metropolis: The Life of Cities" event year, a fitting context for something that functions as architecture: a landmark, a gathering point, something that orients people across the open Playa the way spires once oriented travelers across European landscapes.

The spire form has ancient precedents as a marker of significance — obelisks, minarets, steeples, towers. At Burning Man, the fire spire makes those references in a temporary medium: monumental and arresting while it burns, gone without trace when the event ends. That combination of grandeur and impermanence is central to Burning Man's aesthetic philosophy.

This sticker was contributed by Steven Fritz for the 2010 event year.