Charlie 'Blackcat' Smith unveils 'The Burning Book'

Charlie “Blackcat” Smith took a 14- to 15-foot memorial fire sculpture called “The Burning Book of Brian” to Burning Man 2026, adding a personal tribute to the Nevada festival’s official art lineup. Burning Man’s 2026 art listings show the work as a registered open-playa installation in Black Rock City, where this year’s event runs from August 30 to September 7. Smith built the piece for Brian Doherty, the author of “This Is Burning Man,” who project pages say died suddenly in March 2026. ### Who was Brian Doherty, and why did Smith build the piece for him? Brian Doherty was the author of the 2004 book “This Is Burning Man” and a longtime member of the Los Angeles Cacophony Society, according to the project page on Smith’s Sparseland site and a Flux Foundation description. Flux and Sparseland both say Doherty died suddenly in March 2026, while Smith’s crowdfunding page gives the date as March 13, 2026. (burningman.org) Smith told Rough Draft Atlanta that his friendship with Doherty went back to Burning Man 2000, when Smith built “Hearth” with fellow artist Syd Klinge. Smith said they “met around Hearth,” and that the friendship lasted more than two decades. ### What does “The Burning Book of Brian” look like on the playa? (sparceland.com) The sculpture is an open book pierced by a large human heart, according to Smith’s project materials and Flux Foundation. Flux says the work is a stylized metallic LPG- and wood-fired effigy, and Smith’s site says a flame effect pulses from inside the heart. Rough Draft Atlanta reported that some parts were repurposed from “Hearth,” while new metal was fabricated for the memorial. (roughdraftatlanta.com) Smith told the outlet, “The sculpture is a book pierced by a heart,” adding that the image reflected Doherty as “a writer with a huge, huge, open heart.” (sparceland.com) ### How was the project built? Atlanta was the base for the build. Smith’s Sparseland page and Flux Foundation say the sculpture was made through community workshops at Sparseland Studios with Smith and a collective of artists. More than 45 collaborators joined the project, Smith told Rough Draft Atlanta. The outlet named muralist Bunnie Reiss, fabricator Jeff Morgan and Rosy Schechter, who was weaving short text contributions from more than 30 people into poetic panels on the piece. (roughdraftatlanta.com) Flux also lists a core team including Syd Klinge, Candace Locklear, Rosanna Scimeca, Marrilee Archer, Dave Archer, Todd Rice, Dallas Swindle, Thomas Clarkson and Jerome Stidwell. (sparceland.com) ### Was the sculpture officially part of Burning Man 2026? Burning Man’s 2026 art listings identify “The Burning Book of Brian” as part of the registered art shown on the open playa in Black Rock City. The event’s main 2026 page says Black Rock City runs from August 30 to September 7 under the theme “Axis Mundi.” (roughdraftatlanta.com) ArtsATL reported on August 26 that a crowdfunding campaign had helped fund the memorial and that it would be erected at Burning Man during this year’s event. The same report said Smith first attended Burning Man in 1998 and has returned almost every year since. ### What was supposed to happen to it at the festival? (burningman.org) Smith’s project page says the installation was designed not only as an object but as a gathering site, with room for reflection, performances and a one-time burn. Flux says the surrounding space included benches, a soapbox and a 100-foot activation zone marked by LED-lit poles. The Sparseland and Flux descriptions both say a Wednesday-night procession was planned from the annual Cacophony Society Cocktail Hour to a “one-time-only burn.” Burning Man’s 2026 schedule places that date within the August 30 to September 7 festival run, making the memorial burn part of the event’s midweek ritual calendar. (artsatl.org) (sparceland.com)