Scott London

Scott London is an American journalist, author, and photographer[1][2] known for his public radio reportage and interviews,[3] his fine art photography — most notably, his decades-long documentation of Burning Man[4][5] — and his written work exploring art, culture, education, politics, and the media.[6]

Early life

London was born in Washington, DC, and spent his childhood in Stockholm, Sweden. In his early twenties, he returned to the United States and eventually landed in Santa Barbara, California, where he moved into a rustic beach house owned by one of the Beach Boys. Reflecting on his arrival in 1993, London described Santa Barbara as a haven for artists, writers and free spirits. "It attracts people from near and far," he wrote, "including restless souls, like me, who thought they were just passing though, but never left."[7]

Career

Journalism

Scott London began his career in radio, working as a program host and news reporter at WYSO, a public radio station in Ohio.[8] After relocating to California, he launched Insight and Outlook, a weekly series of field interviews with influential writers and thinkers. His aim for the program, he said, was "to offer a trenchant look at the ideas and trends shaping our future."[9] Produced at KCBX in San Luis Obispo, CA, the program gained national distribution in 1995 and aired on NPR stations across the United States into the 2000s.[10] London has also been featured on CBS Radio, American Public Media, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.[11]

London's written work explores democracy,[12][13][14] leadership,[15][16] education,[17][18] philanthropy,[19][20] immigration,[21][22][23] and climate change.[24] He has contributed essays and chapters to numerous books, including The Writer's Presence,[25] A Voice in the Wilderness,[26] Saga: Best New Writings on Mythology,[27] Deliberative Pedagogy,[18] American Decades,[28] and Public Thought and Foreign Policy.[11]: 76–88  His reference book Nobel Lectures in Peace (2001-2005), co-edited with historian Irwin Abrams, was commissioned by the Nobel Foundation.[29] In 2010, he contributed to 100 Words: Two Hundred Visionaries Share Their Hope for the Future,[3] a collection of writings from frontier thinkers who have spent their lives working for positive change.[30]

Photography

When Scott London first attended Burning Man in 2004, he recalled being "struck by the sheer inadequacy of words" in describing the event and decided photography was a more powerful medium for documenting the experience."[31] “What I love about Burning Man,” he said, “is that it’s all about creativity, self-expression, and freedom of imagination.”[32] Over the past two decades, his photographs have appeared in Rolling Stone,[33][34][35][36] Forbes,[37][38] The Atlantic,[39] CNN,[40] San Francisco Chronicle,[41] The Wall Street Journal,[42] The New York Times,[43] and other major publications.[44]

London's images of the gathering are prominently featured in Burning Man: Art on Fire a collaboration with Jennifer Raiser and photographer Sidney Erthal.[45][46] Originally published in 2014, the book has spawned multiple editions and won two Foreword INDIES award gold medals.[47] It inspired a full-length documentary film of the same name, produced and directed by Gerald Fox and Sophia Swire, released in 2020.[48]

London’s photographs also appear in other books, including Smoke & Mirrors – Cars, Photography and Dreams of the Open Road by Adam Hay-Nicholls.[49][50] and Fred Turner's From Burning Man to Facebook: Art, Technology and Management in Silicon Valley.[51] In 2015, he collaborated with the Phoenix-based Vessel Project on Painted Desert, a multidisciplinary fine art series combining photography, costume design, and immersive theater.[52] Commissioned by the Mesa Arts Center, the project was performed at the Spark Festival, the Phoenix Art Museum and other Arizona venues,[53] and garnered coverage in local news media,[54] as well as academic publications.[55][56]

London’s work has been featured in major exhibitions, including the Smithsonian Institution's No Spectators exhibition at the Renwick Gallery (2018),[57][43] The Art of Burning Man exhibition at the Hermitage Museum and Gardens in Norfolk, VA (2017),[58] and the City of Dust: The Evolution of Burning Man exhibition at the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno (2017).[59] His photos have also been exhibited internationally at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark (2011), and the Institute of Art and Ideas in the United Kingdom (2009).[45]: 280  London's Vanishing Oasis series, a long-term project documenting the ecological collapse of California's Salton Sea, was originally commissioned for a water exhibit by the San Diego Natural History Museum in 2008.[60][61]

In 2024, Sweden’s national television broadcaster SVT reported on London’s collaboration with Swedish filmmaker Mattias Löw documenting medieval Scandinavian churches, the subject of a forthcoming book.[62]

  1. ^ "Scott London : Articles & Essays". scott.london. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
  2. ^ "About – Scott London". Retrieved 2026-06-11.
  3. ^ a b Murtha, William (2010). 100 Words: Two Hundred Visionaries Share Their Hope for the Future. Conari Press. pp. 224–225. ISBN 978-1-57324-473-2.
  4. ^ "Burning Man: Art and Technology | The Bill Lane Center for the American West". west.stanford.edu. Retrieved 2026-06-11.
  5. ^ "Burning Man: A journey through a desert oasis of art and technology | The Bill Lane Center for the American West". west.stanford.edu. 2019-03-18. Retrieved 2026-06-11.
  6. ^ London, Scott. "Scott London". SFGATE. Retrieved 2026-06-08.
  7. ^ Zeldis, Bill (2025). Santa Barbara: A Portrait. Santa Barbara: Zeldis Publishing. ISBN 978-0-971-90800-0.
  8. ^ Felty, Dana Clark (July 11, 1997). "Who is Scott London?". Antioch Record. p. 5.
  9. ^ Spencer, Russ (December 4, 1997). "The Resonance of Voices: Scott London's National Radio Show Finds Revelation in the Q&A". The Independent. pp. 53–54.
  10. ^ "Insight & Outlook: The Radio Series". scott.london. Retrieved 2026-06-08.
  11. ^ a b Kingston, Robert J. (2005). Public Thought and Foreign Policy. Kettering Foundation Press. ISBN 978-0923993115.: 132 
  12. ^ London, Scott (2010). Doing Democracy. Kettering Foundation. ISBN 978-0-923993-32-0.
  13. ^ https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED512514.pdf
  14. ^ London, Scott (2014). Political Fix: How Should We Get American Politics Back on Track?. National Issues Forums Institute. ISBN 978-0945639589.
  15. ^ Mortensen, Marie Bak (2012). "On Collaboration" (PDF).
  16. ^ "Cultivating inner awareness, unlocking hidden capacities". Egon Zehnder. Retrieved 2026-06-11.
  17. ^ London, Scott (2003). "Higher Education for the Public Good" (PDF).
  18. ^ a b Shaffer, Timothy (2017). Deliberative Pedagogy. Michigan State University Press. pp. 127–133. ISBN 978-1611862492.
  19. ^ London, Scott (2019). Our Divided Nation. Council on Foundations. ISBN 978-0923993900.
  20. ^ London, Scott (2005). Investing in Public Life. Kettering Foundation / Pew Partnership for Civic Change. ISBN 978-0923993122.
  21. ^ London, Scott (2018). Coming to America. National Issues Forums Institute. ISBN 978-1946206169.
  22. ^ Grapes, Bryan J. (2000). Interracial Relationships. Greenhaven Press. pp. 25–27. ISBN 978-0737701548.
  23. ^ Maloney, Paul (2013). Challenges and Choices in an Insecure World. Cornelsen / Oxford University Press. pp. 57–59. ISBN 978-3060332786.
  24. ^ Archie, Michelle; London, Scott; Simmons, Bora (2016). Climate Choices. National Issues Forums Institute. ISBN 978-1943028030.
  25. ^ McQuade, Donald (2003). The Writer's Presence. Bedford / St. Martin's Press. pp. 238–240. ISBN 978-0312400279.
  26. ^ Austin, Michael (2006). A Voice in the Wilderness. Utah State University Press. pp. 50–59. ISBN 978-0874216349.
  27. ^ Young, Jonathan (1999). Saga: Best New Writings on Mythology. White Cloud Press. pp. 9–27. ISBN 978-1883991333.
  28. ^ Rose, Cynthia (2004). American Decades. Thompson Gale. pp. 448–452. ISBN 978-0787665937.
  29. ^ Abrams, Irwin (2009). Nobel Lectures in Peace 2001 – 2005. World Scientific Publishing Company. ISBN 978-981-279-432-1.
  30. ^ Hughes, Karna (August 15, 2010). "Sharing Their Hope: Locals among visionaries featured in '100 Words'". The Santa Barbara News-Press. pp. D4–D5.
  31. ^ "Scott London: Burning Man". www.itsnicethat.com. Retrieved 2026-05-04.
  32. ^ "Bazaar Contributors". Harper's Bazaar India. December 2017. p. 38.
  33. ^ Stone, Rolling (2012-09-05). "Burning Man 2012". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2026-06-10.
  34. ^ Stone, Rolling (2013-09-05). "Burning Man 2013: The People". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2026-06-10.
  35. ^ Stone, Rolling (2014-09-10). "Burning Man 2014's Trippiest Photos". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2026-05-04.
  36. ^ Stone, Rolling (2015-09-10). "See Trippy, Surreal Photos From Burning Man 2015". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2026-05-04.
  37. ^ Dobson, Jim (August 27, 2021). "Burning Man Goes Rogue As 20,000 Devotees Still Plan To Gather In The Black Rock Desert". Forbes.
  38. ^ Dobson, Jim (September 4, 2023). "Burning Man Diaries: An Insider Report From The Muddy Chaos of 2023". Forbes.
  39. ^ Limbach, Elizabeth (2014-08-18). "The Wonderful, Weird Economy of Burning Man". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2026-06-10.
  40. ^ "Artsy autos at this year's Burning Man Festival". CNN. September 6, 2016.
  41. ^ Zinko, Carolyne (August 3, 2014). "Big Ideas Spark Big Art". San Francisco Chronicle. pp. A1, J1, J6–J7.
  42. ^ Wolfe, Alexandra (2018-03-16). "The Art of Burning Man, Without the Burn". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2026-06-10.
  43. ^ a b Schaefer, Brian (2018-03-23). "Will the Spirit of Burning Man Art Survive in Museums?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-05-04.
  44. ^ Cochran, Sam (2018-01-28). "Burning Man Is Coming to Washington, D.C. This Year (Kind Of)". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 2026-06-11.
  45. ^ a b Raiser, Jennifer; London, Scott; Erthal, Sidney (2023). Burning Man: Art on Fire. Epic Ink. ISBN 978-0760379837.
  46. ^ Chan, Tim (2019-08-24). "The Best Books About Burning Man". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2026-06-10.
  47. ^ ""Burning Man: Art on Fire" is a 2023 Foreword INDIES Winner". www.forewordreviews.com. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  48. ^ "Burning Man: Art on Fire". Burning Man: Art on Fire. Retrieved 2026-06-01.
  49. ^ GQ (2020-10-02). "Smoke & Mirrors is a new book that celebrates cars, cameras and action". British GQ. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
  50. ^ Hay-Nicholls, Adam (2020). Smoke & Mirrors: Cars, Photography and Dreams of the Open Road. Hoxton Mini Press x Penguin Books. pp. 98–109. ISBN 978-1-846-14944-3.
  51. ^ Turner, Fred (2020). L'usage de l'art de Burning Man à Facebook, art, technologie et management dans la Silicon Valley. C&F éditions. p. 136. ISBN 978-2-37662-017-4.
  52. ^ "Painted Desert – Scott London". Retrieved 2026-06-10.
  53. ^ Vessel. "Vessel". Vessel. Retrieved 2026-06-02.
  54. ^ Hwang, Kellie (March 17, 2015). "Spark! Mesa's Festival of Creativity celebrates the arts and innovation". Arizona Republic. pp. D3.
  55. ^ Catron, Louis (2015). The Director's Vision: Play Direction from Analysis to Production (2nd ed.). Waveland Press. ISBN 978-1478611257.
  56. ^ Bowditch, Rachel (March 2018). "Four Principles about Site-Specific Theatre: A Conversation on Architecture, Bodies, and Presence". Theatre Topics. 28 (1): E5–E19 – via Project MUSE.
  57. ^ Cronin, Brenda (2018-03-24). "At Burning Man, Art Is Now More Permanent Than Perishable". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2026-06-01.
  58. ^ "Burning Man Overview | The Hermitage Museum & Gardens". thehermitagemuseum.org. Retrieved 2026-06-01.
  59. ^ "City of Dust: The Evolution of Burning Man". Nevada Museum of Art. Retrieved 2026-06-10.
  60. ^ "Vanishing Oasis – Scott London". Retrieved 2026-06-10.
  61. ^ Zimmerman, Douglas (2019-04-01). "Bombay Beach Biennale focuses artists' energy in effort to save Salton Sea". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2026-06-11.
  62. ^ Nyheter, S. V. T. (2024-07-19). "Han dokumenterar medeltida kyrkor i Östergötland: "Måste upplevas"". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 2026-05-07.
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