Above & Below — Black Rock City, NV — 2026

Above & Below is a 50-foot climbable art installation created by Sean Orlando for Burning Man 2026 as an official Honoraria project. Engineered Artworks led the design development, engineering, and fabrication, and the project was produced in partnership with Five Ton Crane Arts Collective and a team of 50 contributing artists and volunteers.

The installation joins two environments with a winding, climbable beanstalk. At ground level is an inventor’s workshop, furnished with maps, tools, and narrative objects. At the top is a glowing Victorian cottage with views across the desert. Turning that story into a structure thousands of people could safely climb was the core fabrication challenge.

From Studio to Playa
Above & Below was built in three months at Engineered Artworks’ Richmond, California studio and installed in ten days in Black Rock City. Bringing a climbable 50-foot structure to the desert required site-specific engineering, careful logistics, and a team of professional fabricators working alongside dedicated volunteers.

The work brought together several disciplines: structural steel, architectural interiors, integrated lighting, and a climbing route designed for steady crowds day and night. The piece was designed to be fabricated in sections, transported, and assembled quickly on site, and it held up through a week of harsh desert conditions and continuous public use.

Project Details

• Lead Artist: Sean Orlando
• Fabrication: Engineered Artworks
• Produced in partnership with: Five Ton Crane Arts Collective
• Commissioned by: Burning Man Honoraria Program
• Location: Black Rock City, NV (Burning Man 2026)
• Scale: 50 feet tall, climbable
• Timeline: Three-month build, ten-day installation