Blender brings Burning Man's most useful art installation to Black Rock City Published: [10/10/26] A week after Burning Man 2026, Arash sits down in Los Angeles with Brendon O'Halloran, aka Blender, the lead artist behind The Garage. A familiar suburban space transplanted into Black Rock City, the project honors the builders, workers, craftspeople, and laborers whose behind-the-scenes efforts make things happen—often with little recognition. Blender is also proud to announce that no influencer photoshoots took place at The Garage. In fact, many walked right past it as folks assumed it was a support structure for some other, bigger, and shinier project. In this episode, we'll get to know the delightful 17 year veteran burner behind the art installation that might be the most Burning Man art project ever; one that was not a pretty backdrop for content farmers, served as a community space during some of the longest whiteouts in recent memory, and legitimately provided useful resources for burners in need. Episode Info Burner Podcast | Episode B165 Featuring: Brendon O'Halloran aka Blender, lead artist of The Garage | instagram.com/b.ohalloran Learn more about The Garage: fluxfoundation.org/the-garage | instagram.com/thegaragebrc Recorded in Los Angeles, CA, 9/17/26 Closing DJ Set by DJ Tru recorded on 9/5/26: instagram.com/thedjtru | soundcloud.com/thedjtru For the Record mutant vehicle instagram.com/ftr.artcar Support Burner Podcast If Burner Podcast has ever entertained you, challenged you, introduced you to someone, made you feel connected, or helped you understand this community a little better, please consider making a contribution. BurnerPodcast.com/donate Standard Boilerplate A show for those who burn the other 350 days of the year Burner Podcast celebrates over a decade in production and is listed among the top 5% of podcasts in the world by ListenNotes. An independent gift to the Burning Man community, Burner Podcast episodes feature audio memoirs, roundtables, and deep-dive conversations for and about those who identify as burners. Explore 160+ episodes at: burnerpodcast.com Follow at instagram.com/burnerpodcast | facebook.com/burnerpodcast Episodes of Burner Podcast are produced by a revolving cadre of dusty maniacs. The 2026 team includes Music Director Chris Huber aka M.I.A. and New Media Editor Cable King, among others. Burner Podcast's theme music is produced by Joman | jomanmusic.com | instagram.com/jomanmusic The Burner Podcast RSS feed is home to the flagship show itself, as well as other Burner Podcast Presents spinoffs including Burner Podcast Presents: Alkaline, a show featuring DJ mixes as the sonic documentation of the global burner community — the soundtrack to your burn. About the Host & Founder Ārash Afshar is an Iranian-American writer, photographer, and cultural architect. He champions Artist Consciousness and views his mission as facilitating radical humanization through philosophical memoirs, documentary portraiture, and recorded conversations. Learn more at yesterdayiwasclever.com.
