# Designing for Burning Man -

- Show: [Core77 Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/core77-podcast)
- Published: 2019-08-23
- Length: 49m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/core77-podcast/2019-08-23-designing-for-burning-man
- Listen: https://soundcloud.com/corejr/designing-for-burning-man

## Summary

Jesse Silver, VP of Product at PAX Labs, and Joerg Student, Executive Design Director at IDEO, discuss their volunteer art collective FoldHaus and the challenges of designing large-scale kinetic sculptures for Burning Man. They detail the evolution from simple shade structures to complex LED installations like Radiolumia, emphasizing the need for robust engineering in the desert environment. The conversation covers the logistics of managing hundreds of volunteers, the importance of flat-pack design for transport, and the emotional reward of seeing strangers interact with their art.

## Chapters

- [0:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/core77-podcast/2019-08-23-designing-for-burning-man#t=3) Introduction: Jesse Silver and Joerg Student
- [0:40](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/core77-podcast/2019-08-23-designing-for-burning-man#t=40) Career Paths: From Engineering to Product Design
- [9:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/core77-podcast/2019-08-23-designing-for-burning-man#t=561) The Origins of FoldHaus and Burning Man
- [16:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/core77-podcast/2019-08-23-designing-for-burning-man#t=967) Volunteer Management and Community Building
- [27:40](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/core77-podcast/2019-08-23-designing-for-burning-man#t=1660) Logistics: Transporting and Assembling Large Art
- [31:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/core77-podcast/2019-08-23-designing-for-burning-man#t=1869) The Joy of Discovery and Anonymous Observation
- [40:52](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/core77-podcast/2019-08-23-designing-for-burning-man#t=2452) Design Advice for the Desert Environment
- [45:41](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/core77-podcast/2019-08-23-designing-for-burning-man#t=2741) Future Projects and FoldHaus's Identity

## Topics

- [Prototyping & iteration](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/prototyping)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Industrial & consumer product design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/industrial-design)
- [Logistics & fulfilment](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/logistics-and-fulfillment)

## Most relevant to

makers and hobbyists

## Mentioned

- FoldHaus (other)
- PAX Labs (company)
- IDEO (company)
- Radiolumia (product)
- Blumenlumen (product)
- Shroom Lumen (product)
- Omada Health (company)
- Tufts University (other)
- Stanford (other)
- RCA (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [541: Heating The Neighborhood](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/making-it/2026-10-09-541-heating-the-neighborhood) (Making It)
- [437: This is a terrible thing to say…](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/making-it/2024-04-12-437-this-is-a-terrible-thing-to-say) (Making It)
- [333: Project Purgatory](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2020-06-04-333-project-purgatory) (Embedded.fm)
- [324: I'll Let You Name Your Baby](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2020-03-19-324-ill-let-you-name-your-baby) (Embedded.fm)
- [492: The Gap](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/making-it/2025-08-01-492-the-gap) (Making It)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/core77-podcast/2019-08-23-designing-for-burning-man. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Core77 Podcast.