Gregg Fleishman Gears Up for 'Burning Man'

Across Southern California and beyond, tinkerers, dilettantes, gurus and hackers are heeding the call of the playa.

A little more than week from now, tens of thousands of desert-bound dreamers will converge in Nevada's Black Rock Desert for the annual pilgrimage of self-expression, survival, gifting and indulgence that is Burning Man. The festival runs Aug. 29 to Sept. 5 this year.

With tickets sold out and more than 50,000 participants expected this year, perhaps some Encino-ites will be out in force.

Gregg Fleishman is known for creating incredible art pieces that literally defy gravity, based on the math of sacred geometry and biomimicry. Every piece fits together like a puzzle; there is no hardware used to keep things in place.

If you wandered into his longtime studio on Main Street in Culver City you might chance Fleischman working on his current piece, a 35-foot geometric structure that will be on display at Burning Man. There is no hardware involved in his new piece, titled Otic Oasis, as it is made with interlocking pieces of wood. It is meant to be a communal quiet space to meditate, reflect and regroup from the energy of Burning Man.

In addition to this large installation and other works, Fleishman works on home designs and portable playgrounds, benches, and chairs—much of which are made from birch wood.  He has participated in many exhibitions, both nationally and abroad, with some of his artwork in collections at New York’s Museum of Modern Art, the Art Institute of Chicago and Yale University Art Gallery.

If you also have an epic Burning Man project, share it with us on Encino Patch. Send your pics, videos and stories to laurenr@patch.com before you head out to the festival.