Playa Map

Art of Black Rock City 2026

Ghost River: Desert Salmon Crossing

Irina and Stanislav Shminke — Yekaterinburg & Moscow, Russia

Open PlayaSelf-Funded
Ghost River: Desert Salmon Crossing — image 1

About

Somewhere beneath the dust of Black Rock City runs an invisible river. The Black Rock Desert Salmon Bureau is building an emergency migration corridor for the rare and possibly imaginary Desert Ghost Salmon. A wooden path leads visitors across the missing river, over a small bridge, and through a landscape marked by traces of water, fish, vehicles, and an ecosystem struggling to exist. During the day, the river appears through texture, shadows, tracks, and the shape of the land itself. At night, it returns as light and movement beneath the bridge, carrying ghost salmon through the desert. Part field station, part wildlife restoration project, and part bureaucratic mystery, the installation invites participants to investigate the habitat, follow the Bureau’s field reports, and help protect a species whose existence remains officially unconfirmed.

Where to find it

Installation placements go on the map August 30. Check back then to find this one out there.

Compiled from Burning Man Project’s public art listing. Not affiliated with, endorsed, or verified by Burning Man Project.