Photo: BigImagination.org
There are plenty of reasons to feel like you’re having an “out of body” experience while attending Burning Man, but if you happen to see a 747 full of fart dust in the middle of the desert, don’t worry, your mind isn’t playing tricks on you.
That’s because Big Imagination, a nonprofit art organization, decided to transport the 20-ton aircraft through the Nevada desert where it will serve as the largest art car ever at Burning Man.
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The project creators, who’ve dubbed the exhibit “The 747 Project,” worked four years to make the airplane into a mobile art car, which comes equipped with both a bar and lounge in it. This, of course, isn’t the first time the former aircraft was transported to Black Rock City, as the Boeing jet made its debut at the festival in 2016. However, the team behind “The 747 Project” has made drastic changes to the airliner before every Burning Man, including removing the aircraft’s roof for Burning Man 2018.
“We are artists, engineers, nerds, fabricators, aviation enthusiasts and the list goes on,” Big Imagination told the Reno Gazette. “People are always critical about the money issue. But if we are working with that argument then we may as well cancel (Burning Man) and go home altogether. There is nothing logical or necessary about an event such as Burning Man. Yet its a magical place for those who go and it keeps bringing us back each year.”
In addition to the cost of transportation, getting the massive jet to Black Rock City wasn’t easy, as Big Imagination had to get Nevada Power, AT&T, Sierra Pacific and Union Pacific all to assist in disconnecting power and phone lines that stood in its way. As if that wasn’t difficult enough, the city of Gerlach, Nevada also agreed to go dark for a few hours, as power officials needed to shut down most of the cities infrastructure to allow the 747 to travel through.
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The plane, which is now void of a roof, landing gear, tail and wings can be towed around Burning Man, making it the official mutant vehicle of the festival. And considering it’ll be safely on the ground, those with fears of flying can finally fulfill their dream of becoming a member of the mile high club.
