At Miami Art Week, a Dose of Burning Man

Burning Man, the epic party in the middle of Nevada is a killer event... but unfortunately, it's a few too many thousand miles away for most of us to enjoy. But you can thank Bram Portnoy, cofounder of the Edge Art Fair, for bring its anything-goes spirit and a dose of delicious weirdness to you at Art Basel Miami Beach. 

If you're overwhelmed by the sheer volume of things to see and do through Sunday, let us make your life easier and steer you here. It's free!

Portnoy said that his team is aiming to present interactive art "centered around technology and steel. We are the art fair for the millennial crowd steeped in technology and hungry for immersive experiences that they can be involved with," he said. "Although this is our first year, our artists have spent over 100 years combined at the Burning Man arts festival in Nevada, and we are bringing that look and feel to Basel."

He described some highlights on offer at Edge: 

— Opening party is Wednesday, December 2, from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday we are open at 2 p.m. and go until midnight. At 11:30 p.m. on Thursday, Haanah (thisishaanah.com) is doing a live electronic-violin show. 

— Yarrow Mazzetti (cofounder of the fair) is the most prolific mutant vehicle builder in the world, having transformed 26 cars into mutant vehicles. Our ladybuggies (type of mutant vehicle but consider it mobile street art) will be at the fair. We aren't promising ladybuggie rides, but it will be like the mutant vehicle policy at Burning Man: If you see one going by and there is room, feel free to signal the driver and there is a chance you will be in store for a magical experience.

— Yarrow will also unveil two new pieces for the first time. The first is his series of jellyfish, which are three ten-foot-tall fiberglass shell jellyfish embedded with LEDs and fiber optics that change color to the music. He is also unveiling his Nails piece, which are eight-foot long nails that will eventually form a major part of his street art.

— JROC will unveil his nine-foot-tall stainless-steel dragon head.

— Kenny Ferron will install two LED music-sensitive palm trees.

— Samantha Scott will live-paint models in blacklight paint. As she dresses all in black, all you will see from afar is a paintbrush glowing in blacklight paint painting the model. Her photographs of models she has painted are for sale. If people want to pre-buy their piece, they can participate in the painting of the model.

— Richie Driscoll will come from L.A. to install his Chain Man piece. Chain Man lives in an interactive chain land, which the artist will build. Think adult version of a playground.

— Peter Ruprecht and Tomas Loewy are two of the most successful photographers who have consistently shot Burning Man, and so the entire walls of the warehouse will be covered in black material with spotlights illuminating Tomas' and Peter's photographs.

— Jeff Silver will unveil his "light sandbox," which is an interactive sandbox built five feet off the ground. When you move your hand through the sand, the lines you created illuminate by the LED lights that have been placed underneath.

— Laura Klimpton will join our fair. She has produced major pieces of art at Burning Man 13 times, and six times she has been a Burning Man Honorarium. She is from San Francisco.

— We also closed Olivia Steele, who is from Germany. Her neon works are truly fun.


Edge Art Fair is free and open to the public from noon to midnight each day. It's located in an air-conditioned warehouse located at 1584 NW 29th St., Miami.