Projects

Recreating Burning Man for Virtual Reality

Burning Man Virtual Reality

Calling all Burners recovering back from your trip and VR enthusiasts who love seeing amazing projects succeed, you’ll want to check out Burning Man VR.

If you recall a few months ago, VRScout caught up with Greg Edwards who created and developed the Coachella Explorer VR experience that allowed you to relive Coachella. Now, Edwards’ latest project is called Burning Man VR, and he’s partnered directly with the LA League of Arts to create it.

Recreating the art installations in VR

Recreating the art installations in VR

Catching up with Edwards, he gave us the story behind why he partnered with the LA League of Arts (a non-profit organization) and why you’ll find it different from other documentaries on Burning Man. For those who may not be Burners, the weeklong event that takes place in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada focuses on the principles of community and art. VR Burning Man’s objective is to focus on those principles. “It’s a way us to not only archive the event, but to connect the community and celebrate the artwork. Art pieces get torn or burned down and now these pieces can live on through this experience,” says Edwards. If you were at this year’s Burning Man you may have seen him, along with his brother Darren Edwards, walking and biking around with a tripod and going from camp to camp showing glimpses of the experience on Google Cardboard. “We wanted to go around Burning Man showing people the experience and seeing what the community would want out of it. Our hope is that the community and these artists will want to collaborate and document their installations and theme camps through virtual reality.”

Community and art in VR

Community and art installations are all explorable

Edwards has gone completely solo on this project and has no corporate backing or sponsorship. This is 100% community supported and he’s asking for your help in preserving these moments on Indiegogo. The campaign only has a few days left and whether you’re someone who has a strong sentiment towards Burning Man or wants to know what it’s like to walk the Playa, this is an opportunity for you to see the event in virtual reality.

Tier 1 supporters of the Burning Man VR campaign will get exclusive first access to the app before it hits iTunes and Google Play. 50 supporters who make a contribution on the Tier 2 level can create their own personal 40-character message written on the sand on the Virtual Playa. 10 supporters who make a contribution on the Tier 3 level can archive their theme camp. Edwards will recreate your theme camp as it appeared in Burning Man 2015 and place it in Burning Man VR.

Edwards also shared with us a couple of real-life stories of people who have had the chance to try the Burning Man VR experience. One person said “thank you for taking me home.” One person who is disabled said, “This means a lot that I got to be at Black Rock. It takes me to a sacred place.” “This is what VR can do!” exclaimed Edwards. We couldn’t agree more.

Images Courtesy: Greg Edwards

About the Scout

Denise Garciano Nafarrete

Denise Garciano Nafarrete is a contributing content producer and writer at VRScout and covers VR music and fashion. She has spent years in brand marketing, social media, and content strategy. When she's not running a digital marketing agency, you might find her randomly looking at puppies online.

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