Burning Man 2016 – Da Vinci’s Workshop

The for 2016 was inspired by the Italian Renaissance, particularly the city of Florence. The organizers aimed to recreate the potent social alchemy of Florence by combining Burning Man art, maker culture, and creative philanthropy. The parallels between Florence and Black Rock City are remarkable, particularly in terms of social mobility and the democratization of art.

Florentines were famous for their love of beauty, including their love of costume, pageantry, and an idealized admiration of the human body as a measure of all things. Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man is perhaps the definitive icon of this era. Inspired by his study of the Roman architect Vitruvius, he mapped the ratios of the human body to produce the image of a man, his limbs outstretched to span a universal circle. This year’s Burning Man will emulate the symbol of Vitruvian Man,

What aspects of the Renaissance do you think could inspire a new cultural movement today?