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Justin WattsAzohra · The Field Record

Art

I build, drive, and film mutant vehicles with my closest friends.

The builds

2016–2022

The Prodigal Swan on the playa with its crown aflame, one rider seated and another hanging from its neck
Image: David Julian
01

2016 • Oakland

The Prodigal Swan

The starting point: a hand-welded metallic swan built in Oakland by Dust to Dust Collective on a warehouse cargo mover. Marie Poliak's concept drew on Leda and the Swan and Burning Man's 2016 Da Vinci theme. A propane crown, sound system, upper perch, and room for ten turned it into a roaming sculpture and gathering place.

Debut
Burning Man 2016
Scale
14 feet long
Capacity
Up to 10 people
Heavy Meta crossing the Black Rock Desert with a costumed handler holding its reins
Image: Inna Shnayder
02

2017 • Toronto

Heavy Meta

A GM bus transformed into a 30-foot-long, 19-foot-tall steel dragon. Its hand-cut sheet-metal skin surrounds an animatronic jaw, articulating wings, a mobile concert stage, and interactive fire, sound, kinetic, and light systems. A volunteer crew built it in Toronto over four intense months before taking it to Burning Man and events across North America.

Scale
30 × 19 feet
Base
GM bus
A person climbs beside Heavy Meta's steel dragon head beneath the words Play Video

Short film • 3:10

Enter the Dragon

A short film by Laura Pedersen, with night footage by Tim Sandik / Ded Pixel of Ded Agency.

Shelly the Crab glowing at dusk on the Black Rock Desert while carrying an operator
Image: Denis Ivanov
03

2017 • Oakland

Shelly the Crab

Bree Hoffman's magnum opus: a rideable, animatronic hermit crab built at American Steel. Her illuminated shell rides above a custom electric chassis, while four articulated legs inspired by Theo Jansen's walking mechanisms let the small vehicle crawl across the playa. Years of rebuilds and electrical problem-solving have kept Shelly moving.

Motion
4 articulated legs
Power
Electric drive
Tarna the Jackalope's full steel body glowing with blue and pink light at night
Image: Awesome Photography
04

2019 • Toronto

Tarna the Jackalope

A women-led, volunteer-built steel jackalope born at Toronto's 4tress workshop. An 18-seat GM school bus was stripped to its chassis and rebuilt with a caged heart, fire-lined antlers, layered steel fur, and a belly lounge inspired by Howl's Moving Castle. Much of its crew came straight from the Heavy Meta build.

Base
GM school bus
Fire
Antlers + heart
MetaPhoenix crossing the Black Rock Desert with three flame effects firing
Image: Made on Mars
05

2021 • Las Vegas

MetaPhoenix

A 40-foot phoenix rising from a 2011 Blue Bird school bus, conceived during the shutdown years and publicly debuted at Burning Man in 2022. Seven pilot flames, seven poofers, 16,000 RGB pixels, and a twelve-cabinet JBL sound system turn the vehicle into a mobile platform for sound, light, and fire.

Capacity
65 people
Light
16,000 RGB pixels
Fire
7 pilots + 7 poofers

Films

Jamie and I make these together — I shoot most of the footage, she edits.

Azohra on YouTube

Mutant vehicles

A person stands atop The Prodigal Swan as its crown shoots flame at dusk

2016

The Prodigal Swan

Close-up of Shelly the Crab’s shell glowing turquoise, purple, and pink at night

2017

Shelly

Tarna the Jackalope carries riders across the playa as two people walk in front

2019

Tarna

Burn recaps

Two people pose close together under purple light, one wearing goggles

2018

I, Robot

A smiling woman with goggles on her head and gems around her eyes at Burning Man

2019

Metamorphoses

A smiling woman with platinum braids and white face paint at Burning Man

2022

Waking Dreams

Two people embrace, one smiling toward the camera and the other wearing a brimmed hat

2023

Animalia

Photography

My photographs from Burning Man 2019 — the vehicles, the crews, and the playa around them.

A person carrying clear bags of ice over one shoulder beside a bicycleIce Ice BabyTwo people in matching black outfits and sunglasses pose arm in arm, one wearing a red tutu2 of everythingA seated person in sunglasses reads a hardcover book on the playaMy Lion HeartClose-up of a person with dusty goggles pushed up on their foreheadUsher in the streets, Flume in the sheetsTwo people in colorful costumes talk, one with short yellow hair and plush toys around their shouldersI Just ran an UltramarathonA shirtless performer holds several white hoops in front of an ornate mutant vehicleYou spin me right round baby, right roundA smiling person seen through a rectangular frame between two foreground figuresThrough the looking glassA person stands centered inside a large rainbow mosaic ring on the playal0lClose-up of a long-haired person wearing yellow glasses at duskLook beyondA ribbon fence leads toward a small horned sculpture, with a cyclist crossing the dusty playa beyondBetween two worldsA person leans against a sign reading “I HAVE DUST IN CURIOUS PLACES”See Photo for CaptionA topless aerial performer in blue sunglasses reaches up to a hanging ringSwing Life AwaySide profile of a person wearing a backpack and glowing blue hoop at nightStar Light, Star BrightA person in black stands alone on the playa holding a camera and adjusting their hairHello WorldTwo acrobats balance together with a large hoop in front of an ornate mutant vehicleOrchestrated MovementClose-up of a shirtless person with sunglasses on their head as another face enters the foregroundTruly CandidClose-up of a black and turquoise towel wrapped around a person’s waist with a wooden utensil tucked insideA towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have.A red cruiser bicycle stands alone on the playa with a bottle mounted on its handlebarSo fresh, so cleanA shirtless person in a cowboy hat holds a turquoise scarf over their face beside a trailerEmbrace the dustShelly the Crab glows pink, blue, and green at nightShellyA long-haired person in sunglasses and a goggled top hat wears an open metallic-patterned coatIf only used car lots had salesmen Like thisThree people sit together in the open doorway of a weathered vehicleMatt Von Milde, Alex “Blue Steel” BorinsAn oversized tape-dispenser sculpture rests on the dusty playaArtA towering mechanical hand sculpture points one finger toward the skyFinger GunsA person is wrapped from head to shoulders in black and gold meshBlack & GoldA smiling person with pigtails, round sunglasses, and a red scarf poses with hands on hipsStrike a poseA smiling person wears oversized translucent yellow glasses on the playaEven with the glasses, he believed the world could still be brighterTwo people in sunglasses pose together, one in a cowboy hat and one wearing suspendersCrab WranglersThree smiling people in sunglasses lean together, the center person wearing a pirate-style hatSunnys mandatoryProfile portrait of a person with short turquoise and white hairActive looking is as important as active listeningTwo smiling people in patch-covered scout uniforms pose together at nightScouts HonourA performer hangs sideways from chains beneath a large arched structure as a crowd watchesBreaking freeTarna, a blue-and-gold rabbit mutant vehicle, carries passengers across the playaRun rabbit runA giant black-and-red lips sculpture stands on the open playa beyond two cyclistsRocky HorrorTwo smiling people, one with turquoise braids and one bearded in a black hat, pose beside a trailerThe Heart of TarnaA person with a backpack stands facing a large colorful muralTry to keep upA proposal reading “Love you Gretchen, will you marry me?” hangs among handwritten flags and bare bulbsI wonder if she said yes?A crowd gathers before the stepped wooden Temple on the playa in daylightThe TempleThe wooden Temple burns against the night skyThe TempleSide-profile portrait of a red-haired, bearded man against weathered metalRustyA shirtless bearded man in sunglasses looks up beneath a raised welding helmetMr. August - Welders CalendarClose portrait of a smiling woman wearing round yellow mirrored sunglassesEyes like the SunA shirtless man in round mirrored sunglasses stands on the playaVogueA smiling woman wears a patterned sun hat and a turquoise tasseled scarfSneaky JackalopeA harpist plays among an outdoor orchestra, seen from abovebrb grabbing my HarpA tall silver horned mutant vehicle crosses the playa, trailing a ring of dark smokeWe run this worldA woman in a long gold lace gown stands beside chain barriers on the playaDripping in GoldA woman in sunglasses and a blue bandana rides a red bicycle across the playaBike GangTwo people kiss inside a gold picture frame beneath the words “be the art”Love is ArtA woman sits atop a white segmented art vehicle in front of the Awful’s Stop Snack Mart installationFuel UpA shirtless skateboarder stands on a raised platform between fire bowls at nightSkate or DieTwo women sit together on a chain swing, holding hands in the nightNowhere else I’d rather beBlack-and-white portrait of two women seated side by side and looking upwardAs he burned, they couldn’t look awayA person in a jeweled cap aims a turquoise instant camera through a crowdIf you see someone taking a Polaroid, you must also take one of themA person in red pants and a wide-brimmed hat sits atop a white segmented art vehicleFrom her perch, the world felt so much brighterOverhead night view of a woman riding a bicycle under purple and amber lightHard as nails, Bright as the sun, Beautiful as they comeNight portrait of a person with glasses and short dreadlocks lit in blue and purpleLitNight portrait of a woman with long pale hair and a reflective black topExactlyA person in a cardboard book costume watches two flaming barrels at nightFahrenheit 451A life-size white unicorn sculpture stands beside wooden steps on the playaMythical Creatures Brought To LifeClose portrait of a woman with short silver hair and oversized round black sunglassesBug EyedShallow-focus close-up of a patterned bicycle tire with another wheel blurred behindIf these wheels could talkA person with a backpack seen from behind, looking across the playa toward distant mountainsWhat she saw, was only hers to knowA woman balances on a suspended swing above a camp at nightHigher GroundAn aerialist holds pink silks between glowing ropes at nightPinkA woman in mirrored sunglasses shown in profile on the playaFlashAn illuminated dragon head glows red and purple against the night skyHere be DragonsA shirtless man works with small wires beside an old gas pump while a woman smiles behind himMischiefA man wearing red headphones looks down while surrounded by colored lightsFocusA man in sunglasses reclines in a chair on the playaRestA woman wearing a fur collar looks toward the camera on the playaModern ArtA shirtless person sits in a worn chair beside a trailerCamp UstinTwo people seen from behind at a camp kitchen, one wearing a white hat with a long braidFuture Viking on VacationTwo people climb among suspended rocks and cables, dramatically backlit at nightOur Lord & SaviourPaperback books arranged in a fabric shelfLight ReadingA woman in round sunglasses and a blue bandana looks down on the playaDamn.A shirtless man in a white hat is lit purple against colorful lights at nightI’m Bringin Sexy MattA giant seated human figure glows red and blue inside an egg-shaped frame as people gather belowTransformationA woman in black wears a bright lightbulb-shaped lamp on her chest with playa lights blurred behind herBlack & LightTwo costumed dancers perform in a spotlight before a large nighttime crowdA night at the operaTarna the Jackalope carries a crowd across the playaTarnaTwo tall faceted metal human figures hold hands beneath a cloudy skyDisconnectedA woman looks down inside a beige tent with one hand resting on her chestBrushing Up on Looking DownA woman holding a camera stands against the pale playa and skyWhispA sticker-covered street sign reading “Humboldt Raven BRC 3” stands against the skyTTCA bearded man in round sunglasses, a brimmed hat, and a vest stands amid bicycles and a crowdImma Climb Dat WallA woman wearing a mirrored visor smiles on the playaSbarroAn aerialist hangs upside down from a hoop in a sunlit campBoots & HoopsA tattooed woman reaches up to grasp a hanging ring in a black-and-white imageRise UpFireworks burst above the illuminated Man sculpture at nightHappy HolidaysOrange flames and a cloud of sparks fill the nightAcross a Burning SkyTwo costumed people embrace in a daytime crowd, one with bright yellow hairFriends <3

Behind the metal

Made on Mars

Marie Poliak and Kevin Bracken now lead Made on Mars, a Las Vegas fabrication studio specializing in mutant vehicles, flame effects, and engineered sculpture. After years in the Toronto vehicle builds, the studio now makes festival stages, public art, and large-scale commissions.

Visit the studio

Concept + creative direction

Marie Poliak

Conceptual designer and creative director for Heavy Meta and MetaPhoenix; art director and concept artist for the Swan.

View work

Project lead + operations

Kevin Bracken

Project lead for Heavy Meta and MetaPhoenix, operations on the Swan, and co-founder of Made on Mars.

View work

Design + fabrication

Bree Hoffman

Founder of Dust to Dust Collective, design and fabrication lead for The Prodigal Swan, and creator of Shelly the Crab.

View work

Artist programming + documentation

Jamie Watts

Artist programmer across the vehicle lineage, Tarna fabricator, and MetaPhoenix documentarian. A singer, producer, and videographer, she later founded DEFIED.

Portfolio DEFIED