A hulking metal structure rolls through the desert, casting colorful neon light in every direction beneath its massive fabric awning. Despite being a vehicle made mostly of steel, The Lonely Reef more closely resembles something you might encounter in the depths of the ocean, forming with its passengers the kind of symbiosis found throughout a coral reef.The art car was conceptualized and built in Santa Fe by artists Zeve Cohen and Hayden Carey, along with a rotating crew of more than 40 paid collaborators. Over the course of five months, the artists transformed an old airplane tug into a rolling sculpture—part creature, part communal vessel—designed to light up the playa at iconic annual arts gathering Burning Man in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada.
But let’s go back a bit. After returning from a previous outing to Burning Man, longtime collaborators Carey and Cohen felt inspired and ready to create something big. Through a connection of Carey’s sister, they came into possession of a propane-fueled airplane tug, an industrial tarmac vehicle used to haul jets. With help from Stark Raven Fabrication—the same shop that helped the late artist Tigre Mashaal-Lively create their Facing the Fearbeast installation for Burning Man in 2022—the artists stripped the old vehicle down to its frame, then removed the cab and other nonessential components to create a bare foundation for what would become their newest work. Drawing on Cohen’s background in mechanical engineering and Carey’s experience in project management and interactive media, the pair quickly created a detailed proposal outlining labor, materials and the hours it would take to turn Cohen’s digital renderings into reality. By last March, the pair had secured funding from an undisclosed private source, and the build was officially underway.
With a shipping deadline in July, the team had just five months to fabricate, wire and program the car, which they ingeniously designed to fold and fit inside a standard shipping container. Like many Santa Fe artists, they set up shop in a workspace off Siler, surrounded by other makers, metalworkers and DIY enthusiasts. Sourcing materials from local suppliers like Santa Fe Steel and Port Plastics, the team began construction on the frame.
“It was basically like having two full-time jobs,” Cohen says. “We’d weld till midnight, sleep a few hours, then go to work in the morning.”
What began as a technical challenge quickly evolved into an organism of its own encompassing those 40 artists, dozens of disciplines and a shared obsession with bringing the creature to life. The Lonely Reef wasn’t just built to move, it was built to breathe. The artists wanted it to feel like a living organism, and one that relied on the people aboard it to fully come alive.
Courtesy Gracie Meier
“We wanted something that felt symbiotic,” Cohen explains. “The car wouldn’t exist without its passengers. It only activates when it’s being used.”
An earlier iteration of the vehicle built by Stark Raven Fabrication featured a literal coral-reef motif—Carey and Cohen’s team pushed it further, abstracting natural inspiration into an otherworldly hybrid. They built laser-cut acrylic windows that glowed from within, layered the car with LED illumination designed and laser cut by Brandy Olesen and Will Robison. Soft interior cushions, crafted by artist Jess Sheeran, wrapped the seating in color and comfort. Each addition deepened the sense of a shared ecosystem: part vehicle, part lounge, part living sculpture. The car’s lighting and sound systems run off sixboat batteries that are recharged through the propane engine’s alternator. JL Audio speakers tuned by audio wizard Eric Heep give it a low, oceanic rumble.
“Once the lights and sound came on,” Carey says, “that’s when it felt real.”
By July, The Lonely Reef was ready for its migration. At its community unveiling/preview, the team finally had a chance to showcase what they’d built.
“It was a huge moment,” Carey says.
Following a short journey on the back of an 18-wheeler, the car came alive again at Burning Man a few months back. The air filled with dust as The Lonely Reef rolled across the playa, glowing against the desert backdrop.
Back in Santa Fe, The Lonely Reef now rests in its warehouse with its coral-steel skeleton still carrying a faint trace of desert dust. Carey and Cohen have since turned to other projects, but the Reef remains a living reminder of what can happen when art, community, and willpower collide. Projects like this ripple outward, feeding not just the artists who made them, but the city that enabled them. As for The Lonely Reef, its future is open. Maybe it’ll roll again at next year’s Burning Man, or maybe it’ll light up another night closer to home. Either way, it stands as a testament to the creative ecosystem that keeps Santa Fe alive and glowing.
