20th Burning Man more unique than ever

GERLACH, Nev., Sept. 3 (UPI) -- The Burning Man festival, which takes place annually in the Nevada desert, turned 20 years old in style this year with some of the best artwork yet featured.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported on this unique celebration of creativity, which features one week of everything from body painting and dancing to sculptures and just plain celebration.

The Chronicle picked some of its favorite sites at the 2006 celebration. The best art installation was the 15-story high Belgian Waffle, a structure of wooden beams reminiscent of Frank Gehry and inspired by a Belgian art movement centered on a world without the concept of time.

Burning Man also boasts several themed camps. The Chronicle's best was Camp Katrina, made up of mostly those who were at Burning Man celebrating last year when the hurricane hit the Gulf Coast. The camp featured a museum made from photographs, sound clips and debris.

The camp encouraged attendees, instead of the traditional burning of the 40-foot Burning Man at the festival's end, to salvage wood to build low-cost housing in the Reno area.