Photo: Long Truong
Burning Man is where artistry, innovation, and community meet. For nine days, Black Rock Desert in northwestern Nevada becomes Black Rock City, and the playa is where it all takes place. Art installations and performances happen throughout the event, and in 2025, the Long Feng art car brought them together in one incredible moving stage.
The brainchild of two veteran Burners, Long Feng was the largest art car on the playa. Featuring a long, semi-truck-like base, it has a monumental metal-grate arch in the center. Beneath the arch is an area where people can gather and DJs can set up their booths. At the top of it is a lotus platform for performers.
Just as it combined art and performance on the playa, Long Feng’s design serves as a bridge between Eastern and Western cultures. Guided by the ethos of “Let Beauty Lead,” the form was inspired by the dragon and the phoenix. Large dragon heads from Chinese mythology flank either side of the arch, while fire motifs and gold phoenix imagery accompany them. (At night, real fire lit up the structure.)
While the art car hearkened to traditional motifs, the team behind Long Feng integrated technology into the design. Artificial intelligence, robotics, and interactive technology were used to bring the mobile art installation to life. The music lineup had a distinctly Western vibe, and it’s how its cultural influence showed up on Long Feng this year.
“The entire form was also conceived to mirror that of a contortionist,” explains Long-Feng co-founder Audrey Lo, “able to bend, shift, and transform in response to the talents it showcases, from moving stages to cranes to aerial apparatuses—reinforcing the sense of a living, adaptable creature.”
Community and connection are integral to the Burning Man experience. For over a week, people live together in the temporary Black Rock City. Long Feng recognizes this and believes that shared stories—no matter the culture—can spark connection, creativity, and collective growth. As people marveled over this incredible work of artistry and danced together, the team’s vision came to fruition.
My Modern Met had the chance to speak with Lo about the project, from its inspiration to an in-depth look at how this incredible art car came together. Scroll down for our exclusive interview.
Photo: Long Truong
What was the inspiration behind Long Feng?
Long Feng’s story begins with love. It was born from a deep devotion to Burning Man and a long-standing desire to showcase performance and creativity from within our community on one of the world’s most iconic stages.
When veteran burners Audrey Lo and Weixing Chen fell in love on the playa, their union became the catalyst for a shared dream: to create an art car that honored their bond while offering something extraordinary to the wider Burning Man experience. Long Feng emerged as both a tribute to their love and a vessel for storytelling, designed to weave beauty, performance, and community into the fabric of the event. Equally, the project was fueled by a desire to unify diverse cultures, bridging East and West through artistry, design, and collaboration.
Who developed the idea, and how many people helped make it happen?
To bring this vision to life, dozens of artists and builders from China to Mexico to the United States came together, combining skills and perspectives to manifest a one-of-a-kind creation. Long Feng is not just the work of two people, but the collective imagination and effort of a unique global collective.
Photo: Long Truong
Walk us through the construction of this vehicle—it’s unlike anything we’ve seen. For those who weren’t there, what was used to build it, and how did the idea come to life through its materials?
The largest art car on the playa, Long Feng rises an astonishing 34 feet high and stretches 78 feet long—a living sculpture that commands the desert horizon. Its steel foundation forms a frame strong enough to carry both people and imagination, while aluminum wings, rainbows, and scales lend durability and a luminous shimmer, making the dragon appear alive in motion.
The twin dragon heads and phoenix were adorned with silk sourced from a Chinese artist—a symbolic fusion of ancient tradition and futuristic design. Every scale was individually designed, welded, and hand-crafted, creating fine textures that catch and scatter light with lifelike vibrancy. At the center, a glowing egg was engineered from layered materials to pulse with an almost breathing presence. The wings, meanwhile, were sculpted to feel both mechanical and organic, as if poised to take flight at any moment. The entire form was also conceived to mirror that of a contortionist—able to bend, shift, and transform in response to the talents it showcases, from moving stages to cranes to aerial apparatuses—reinforcing the sense of a living, adaptable creature.
To complete the transformation, a custom Funktion-One sound system, designed by Sound Investment Audio, turns the entire vehicle into a concert-grade experience on wheels. The system is meticulously balanced so that whether on the ground or aboard the dragon, participants are enveloped in the same immersive energy.
From its steel bones to its silk skin, every element was chosen with purpose. The creation of Long Feng was never just about scale—it was about weaving thousands of details together: engineering and handcraft, tradition and technology, to conjure a dragon that feels at once mythical and real.
Photo: Long Truong
Long Feng’s design was a fusion of ancient symbolism and future vision. Can you elaborate on what that means?
The wisdom of the past should always be considered when designing for the future. Our ancestors devoted lifetimes to uncovering universal truths, and we believe it’s important to integrate those principles—not only to create the optimal vehicle, but also to use it as a vessel to share ancient wisdom that underpins much of our ethos and many of our shows.
As we look to the future, Long Feng’s vision is to break the mold of what has come before, reimagining how events can be experienced at the intersection of humanity and technology. By grounding future-facing design in ancient wisdom, we can craft experiences that do more than entertain—they maximize joy while fostering growth, connection, and insight within our community.
Photo: Long Truong
What was something unique about Long Feng that was only apparent once Burners saw it in action?
What stands out prominently at Long Feng’s performances—and may not be gleaned from initial impressions online—is the significance that the performers and programming have on the overall experience. While the vehicle itself is striking and a spectacle to behold, the myriad of performances occurring at its helm—from contortionists to Chinese ribbon and fire dancers, breakdancers, and more—add a substantial impact to the overall entertainment value and energy that is being produced at our shows.
How did Long Feng fit in with the overall vibe of Burning Man?
Long Feng juxtaposes with the many great sound camps and art at Burning Man in a harmonious fashion. With Asian presence at Burning Man historically less visible, Long Feng brings meaningful representation, adding to the diverse tapestry of cultures and communities that define the event. Its sound, LED, and pyrotechnic systems integrate seamlessly into the atmosphere, drawing in happy burners from across the globe to share in its energy and celebration.
Photo: Long Truong
What do you have planned for Burning Man 2026? Will Long Feng make a return?
We’re working on a number of exciting ideas for next year, but at the heart of Long Feng is a commitment to showcasing artists and performers on the playa while celebrating underrepresented cultures—weaving greater diversity into the Burning Man experience and creating spaces where community, art, and connection can thrive.