Research notes for project planning
What the project record tells us
Burning Man · 2005 · subsequent Maker Faire installation
Colossus: visitor effort moves monumental elements
Coffin records Colossus as a work built for Burning Man in 2005, reaching nearly 70 feet high. Pull ropes set three rocks, a head and spires in rotation. The artist also documents a later Maker Faire installation, although the page's relative wording does not date that presentation. The project is a reference for human-activated kinetic sculpture at monumental scale; its installation history does not supply current condition, foundation requirements or a present offer to relocate it.
Zachary Coffin — Colossus ↗ · Reviewed 2026-10-10
For your project briefWhat range of movement, participation area and operating supervision would be required for the particular work and site under consideration?
Big Art Partners planning prompt Burning Man · 2003 · granite and suspended mass
Temple of Gravity: stone, suspension and perceived weight
Temple of Gravity was installed at Burning Man in 2003. Coffin's account identifies actual stone slabs and traces the material to a granite quarry in Elberton, Georgia. He gives an approximate total mass of 180,000 pounds and describes suspended stone as central to the experience. Those figures are the artist's historical description, including an explicit approximation; they should not be treated as an engineer's verified load schedule or as permission for the same audience interaction at another site.
Zachary Coffin — Temple of Gravity ↗ · Reviewed 2026-10-10
For your project briefWhat current survey, material condition record and independently prepared installation documentation would be needed before evaluating this kind of proposal?
Big Art Partners planning prompt Burning Man · 2012 · workshop and field assembly
The Universe Revolves Around You: assembly constraints matter
Built and shown at Burning Man in 2012, The Universe Revolves Around You explores inertia through a rotating work incorporating stone slabs, boulders and participants. Coffin's construction account records a practical change: an upper connection exceeded the workshop's bridge-crane height and had to be completed at the event site. The page also mentions mechanical improvements and a search for venues, but those undated statements do not establish present readiness. The documented assembly issue is valuable context for production planning.
Zachary Coffin — The Universe Revolves Around You ↗ · Reviewed 2026-10-10
For your project briefCan the proposed assembly sequence be rehearsed within workshop clearances, and which connections or adjustments must happen at the final site?
Big Art Partners planning prompt 
