Draka, the Flaming Metal Dragon

Draka is the flaming metal dragon (Fig. 3) I built as a mobile art installation for Burning Man 2000. In relation to the event's theme of the Body, I designed this creature to function as the Man's spirit. Originally, I envisioned my dragon as Shen Lung, the Chinese dragon who controls the winds and the rain. I named my art installation Draka as a feminine interpretation of Draco the constellation.

From the onset I wanted the beast to be mobile so that it could transport people to other art installations and events around the playa. I dreamed that it would have wings that flapped up and down and make a sound like a bellows, that its tail would swish back and forth and that its surface would be cut from metal in a series of scales, all rusted and green, with eyes glowing red and a vicious mouth that would blow fire and orange balls with a sulfurous stink.

The dragon became a four-vehicle party wagon extraordinaire. Her impressive 25-ft bursting breath of fire was hard to miss. She was gothic in size and expression; everyone wanted to jump on the overcrowded compartment for fun and a tour of Black Rock City. At birth she measured 124 X 12 X 22 ft, with a wingspan of 30 ft; her trainlike appearance resulted from her connecting a truck to three trailers.

Her "belly" was built on a 1-ton 1980 Ford Econoline box truck. This section supported the dragon's head, neck and wings plus a saddle on her back; two handmade medieval-style wooden doors secured the rear of the belly. Her wings were made from square tubing, steel rod and parachute material spray-painted gold. Our design to open and close the wings, via a rope-and-pulley system operated from the top, met with failure owing to high winds and a dust storm that mangled them to the point where we had to keep them either opened or closed.

With a core crew of about 10, mostly women, and another 40 volunteers trickling in and out, we managed to build her within 3 months. Draka's exterior was covered with metal "scales" that were cut with a torch from 55 gallon barrels, spray-painted, arranged and connected in rows and then welded into place. The underside of the dragon was completed with wooden shingles, which, like the barrels, were gathered from nearby Nevada ranches. Torching was the easiest task to learn and one that many volunteers seemed to enjoy the most.

The driver's "cockpit" ended up having a real Road Warrior feel, with its red-washed walls, fur- and leather-wrapped steering wheel and missing windshield. There was just enough room for the driver and flame thrower controller to sit cozily next to the 30 gallon propane tank. By flipping a switch, we released 75 psi of pressurized propane from a plenum chamber through a solenoid valve, causing a large burst of fire at the ignition source, seated strategically in the dragon's mouth. Many a night my copilots and I set out to "seek and burn" in the name of fun. With safety in mind, however, we had at least one flame-patrol person in front of us to clear the way.

The second trailer, "Bar, Lounge and Kitchen Compartment," could be described with one word—swanky. It featured curved benches lined with red velvet quilting and backed with black fur, a zebra print rug and a bar covered with shingles. The third trailer, the "Entertainment Car," was created for carrying musicians, equipment, DJs and performers. By the end of the event we had to drop this car altogether owing to the mechanical stress caused by the excessive number of people on board. The fourth and smallest trailer, the "Tail Section," finished off the piece and was utilized for storage of maintenance supplies and a generator.

We modified Draka to operate as Burning Man's first mode of public transportation at Black Rock City in 2001—as Dragon Public Transportation (BRC-DPT). I would like to see Draka eventually travel to outdoor sculpture parks across...