Documented artwork / interactive kinetic sculpture

Colossus

Three suspended rocks, a central head and spires rotate when visitors pull ropes. Built for Burning Man in 2005, Colossus uses participant effort to move a sculpture described by its creator as nearly seventy feet tall.

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Documented work. Current availability, ownership and installation requirements must be confirmed with the artist.

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At a glance

Year / version: 2005
Materials: rock, metal
Documented setting: outdoor
Dimensions: Nearly 70 feet tall
Dimensions apply to: Artist-stated height of Colossus; footprint and transport configuration are not specified.
Availability: Unconfirmed

Places & versions

Installation history

Historical presentations. A past installation does not establish the current location or suitability for a new site.

2005
Burning Man, Black Rock City
Site
Keyhole above Center Camp
Event
Burning Man
Start year
2005
Installation details checked 2026-10-17.
Installation source
Date not documented
Bay Area Maker Faire
Event
Bay Area Maker Faire
Installation details checked 2026-10-17.
Installation source

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Research notes for project planning

How this work was made and presented

Artist’s construction and exhibition account.

Visitors move the monumental structure

Zachary Coffin dates Colossus to Burning Man 2005 and describes a sculpture nearly seventy feet tall. Pull ropes rotate its three rocks, central head and spires. His page also records a subsequent Bay Area Maker Faire installation without specifying its year. The interaction links a very large silhouette to a simple action that visitors can understand.

Zachary Coffin: Colossus ↗ · Reviewed 2026-10-11

For your project brief

Where would rope users, waiting participants and distant viewers each encounter the work?

Big Art Partners planning prompt

Completed 2005 presentation.

A focal point for the city center

Burning Man’s 2005 retrospective places Colossus in the Keyhole above Center Camp. It describes moving boulders suspended from metal arms and credits the sculpture with anchoring that central space. This is a placement precedent for combining a distant landmark with close participation.

Burning Man: 2005 Playa Art ↗ · Reviewed 2026-10-11

For your project brief

Which approach views and gathering routes should the proposed placement serve?

Big Art Partners planning prompt

Interactive art installations ↗Outdoor sculpture & installations ↗Art documented at Burning Man ↗Kinetic sculpture and installations ↗