The Burning Book of Brian - Memorial Burning Man 2026
Get On Board and Help Us Make Big Meaningful Art
video call out for participation and funding!
First hand drawings by Charlie shared with those gathered at memorial event at The Brewery in LA where he got the juice to do this project.
Philosophical Approach
"The Burning Book” is a dedicated memorial fire sculpture to "The Writer” The One and Only Brian Doherty whom we very suddenly lost March 13th, 2026. Well known as the author of This is Burning Man, first published in 2004, and as an LA Cacophony Society member, he served as a dear friend of mine & so many of us all.
Brian and I met and bonded immediately at HEARTH —the Heart of BURNING MAN— a giant wood fired sculpture designed and built by Syd Klinge & Charlie Smith in 2000, when the theme was The Body.
photo - center of commitment - seven ages / stages of man 2001 - Pictured above: Hearth and Infanity Photo by: Quito Banogon
This NEW Burning Book Sculpture will be constructed as a community building experience - over the course of a series of workshops located at Sparseland Studio’s in Atlanta, Georgia with Charlie Blackcat Smith and Friends
Project’s Contributors Forever Listing Page
How the site will appear as people gather to celebrate The Life of Brian. Flames on Wednesday!
Let us Lament through experience!
Many artists are already assembling around this fast effort to memorialize Brian in time for the Burn. This gives us all time to process and also time to heal in a surreal space. ThIs art piece is a fire-fueled outlet for everyone who wants to celebrate Brian and our relationships to, through, & with him. The art space will allow both solitary time & festive time for those who wish to reflect 24/7 on playa.
On Wednesday night, we will have a procession leaving the annual Cacophony Society Cocktail Hour (6-7pm in the Center Canopy) for a ONE TIME ONLY BURN. Think solemn + joyful parade. Brian would like it both ways.
Igniting Ritual - a dusk-till-dawn-n-on series of celebrations designed to open
a portal to exhibit our humanity through thIs collective burning ritual!
weirdos * freaks * art cars * spoken words * performances * music * dance * mostly ridiculousness
THE ROYAL WE = Our Beating Burning True Hearts Unite!
The Gantry @ to the moon TN regional 2024 - (example of congregation around metalic effigy)
Objective
The Burning Book stands at 14-15ft tall with a foot print of 12’ wide x 8’ deep. The sculpture is a stylized Metallic LPG & Wood fired effigy. Siting upon a stand tilting slightly back the structure lays open exposing a large human heart piercing the books core. Suspended in tension, an LPG fed flame effect pulses from inside pumping thump-THUMP-thump” Pulsing heart beat of the Playa, Participants, & our man Brian. A Collective of 8-10 artists reflections and connections to brian skin the burning books pages & cover with dedicated design-text- symbolism creating the illuminated melting pages illuminated by fire and led light and night. Atop the book right n left sides are stylized ports for wood load in and the flames flow out. The Art space surrounding has benches, impromptu soap box, stylish control box and fuel depot. 6 Flagged perimeter poles with led festoons and black dot silver flags string the 100 ft diameter activation zone. see attached drawings
It all Started When… We Met, It will live on past our lives and into the ever present now
A Group of Artists are Already invited to create & design What will be making up the front top page sections that lift off the surface of the burning book. There will also be locations on base structure, page ends, book cover, etc. to add symbolic messages - object - images etc. If interested Contact Charle Blackcat Smith
The Chance to Unite as one = To create as a team of visionaries to continue to learn from each other
– Charlie Blackcat Smith – Syd Klinge – Candace Locklear – Rosy Schechter – Rosanna Scimeca
– Bunnie Reiss – Marrilee Archer – Dave Archer – Jeff Morgan – Todd Rice – Dallas Swindle.– Paul Jorgensen -Thomas Clarkson – Jerome Stidwell - George Allison - Mellisa White - and many many more -
original artist pages sketch concept by Charlie Blackcat Smith 5-26
Feed the FIRE with Humanity &Technology !
We pulse, push n pull the energies —creating Phenomena
Tab bellow is for for the technical minded folks who wnan know more n see the guts