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Burning Man Car Installation Closed After Fall

Burning Man Car Installation Closed After Fall
A sculpture at the Burning Man art festival in Nevada was closed after someone fell from it. (Larry Gevert/Dreamstime.com)

By    |   Thursday, 30 August 2018 12:06 PM EDT

A Burning Man car installation, one of the most popular pieces of art at the Nevada festival, has been closed after someone fell off it this week.

The artist behind the creation that rises nearly 50 feet from the ground, Dustin Weatherford, confirmed that an unidentified person had fallen off the installation, but he was not sure what their condition was, USA Today reported.

"I hope they're OK," he added.

Weatherford's installation comprises of seven junk cars and an RV trailer stacked on top of one another, with a tower rising from them, and flamethrowers completing the work.

On his crowdfunding campaign, Weatherford describes his installation as a "a reflection on identity, and an exploration into navigation, limitations and boundaries."

Weatherford said the sculpture posed no safety risk however, volunteer Burning Man rangers said they were concerned that one of the cars may have bent or broken in half, USA Today reported.

Many of the Burning Man installations have no safety rigging or guardrails, as was the case for Weatherford's sculpture.

A crew member identified as Matt, who was tasked with assisting in building Weatherford's installation, called its height "gnarly," according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

"I'm scared of heights and I'm up there in a harness and it's still gnarly," he said.

Annually, Burning Man draws between 70,000 to 80,000 people to its site located in the Black Rock Desert, about 120 miles north of Reno, Nevada, USA Today said.

Last year, 41-year-old Aaron Joel Mitchell, died when he rushed past layers of security officers into a massive fire at the festival's signature ceremony, suffering burns that left him dead just hours later.

A crew of firefighters had to pull Mitchell from the flames of a giant, wooden effigy that was set ablaze.

He was airlifted to the UC Davis hospital burn center in California, where he later died.

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TheWire
Someone fell from a car installation at the Burning Man art festival in Nevada, leading to the closure of one of the event's most popular sculptures.
burning man, car, installation, closed
313
2018-06-30
Thursday, 30 August 2018 12:06 PM
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