Other Random BM photos
How I burned the Man.
Sep 7, 2006
For those who've never heard of Burning Man: here is the gist of it.
Burning Man (BM) is an 8-day long festival held on the surface of a dried up lake (Playa) in the middle of the desert in Nevada. The event is clothing-optional and public nudity is common. It started in 1986 with 20 people in San Francisco burning an 8-feet tall wooden man on the beach. 20 years later, the man is now 80 feet tall and is burned by almost 40,000 participants.
The Burn means whatever you want it to mean. Originally, the burning of the man was a tradition of the old religions held in midsummer. A consistent theme of these rites was the release of the past and a preparation to reap the benefits of months of labor. The modern tradition around the burning of The Man is to release the things that hold you back by throwing a relevant, important item into the fire. Nowadays, "The Man" represents those entities in our society that oppress us and prevent every city from being like Black Rock. Many seemed to revel in the idea that we were striking a blow against "The Man" by joining this anarchic society for even a little while, and the burn represented their rage at the mindless machine that has forged our country into one of the most oppressive in the world.
The participants live in a tent and trailer city called Black Rock. It's a city like no other. It is arranged as a circle with Man at the center. Avenues extend radially from the Man to the outermost circle. Arranged in concentric arcs around the Man, are the streets and villages where the participants camp out. The outlines of these streets are visible on aerial photographs (see above). There are no pets, guns or litter allowed in the city. Whatever trash you bring in or create here you must take with you. Pack it in, Pack it out; leave no trace. Cars are not allowed to drive inside the city, with the exception only for ART cars (mutant vehicles) - see photos.
So, why do all these people escape to the desert to burn the man? Why do they walk around naked and embrace strangers as old time friends? Well, Burning Man is about RADICAL FREE EXPRESSION. For some people it means building art exhibits or funky modified art cars, while for others it is about getting "au naturel" and painting or tattooing their bodies. Whatever you choose, however you may express yourself you'll find acceptance and freedom, in place of the usual judgment and social taboos. You truly feel you are in a different planet or time. It is a surreal experience... At firstÂ… Then, being human, you take in as much as you can and adapt to it. Within a few days, if you can stomach it, you adopt the principles of Burning Man and adjust to it. You become comfortable there. You evolve as a person from a virgin into a burner. You are no longer shocked by anyone's appearance or their behavior. People do drugs left and right of you, and it neither bothers nor excites you. It is just "their thing". You see so many naked people, that it loses its special meaning.
Most amazingly, you get a certain vibe from other burners: that you are their long lost close family member or friend and you finally found each other. It almost feels like a cult. They hug you and greet you and give you everything they have to offer. It's about sharing, gifting and hanging out with total strangers. It's about "swimming the playa", meeting new friends and feeling completely accepted. If feels like you can trust these people to tolerate whatever you may do, so you can finally truly be yourself and express yourself freely. Peace, Love, Happiness, Relaxation, Nirvana.
"It is possible, if only for just a week, to escape the mall, the TV, and this reality that seems to be everybody else's, and make your own. It reminds you that you don't have to fit into any particular category. That, ultimately, you can own your life -- if only you participate."
Yet this is no walk in the park. A central theme to Burning man is RADICAL SELF RELIANCE - "be prepared". People have died here before. Cell phones do not work here. There is no water, food, clothing or shelter, only what you bring with you. Provided are only portable toilets and coffee and ICE for sale at Center Camp cafe. There are no stores, restaurants, gas stations, mechanic shops, no concept of commerce, money, commodities. There are sandstorms, extreme temperature fluctuations, sun rays that make you wilt, a potential of severe dehydration. One must give up comfort and thrive on simple survival. Plus there are intoxicated people driving art cars around at night. People have died here before! But, you are not alone: overcome the risks and dangers of isolated desert, by finding and joining the COMMUNITY.
I was lucky enough to find my home in the Gypsy Nomads camp. I've never ever encountered a more diverse group of people who were so friendly and welcoming. We met in the morning of my first day at BM as I heard Scott playing guitar and joined him for a jam session. The rest is history. (Thank you so much Johns and Scotts and Robby and Beth and Kristin and Veronica and Stef and Beth and Mara and Helen and Kris and Sharon and Debbie. I feel very fortunate to have met you all. And gracias to my buddy Mike for keeping me company, keeping me laughing and keeping me in check.)
And then, on Saturday, we burned the man. Everyone was there. It was an emotional experience, as jugglers danced with hoops and spirals of fire, vehicles belched flames and hypnotic drums echoed through the night, fireworks lit up the skies and the man blazed like a beacon guiding our souls into the sky with the flames. Once the man collapsed, the ring of rangers broke down, people rushed in, screaming with joy, to soak in the warmth closer to the flames and danced like cavemen in circles around the fire to the sound of out-of-this-world drums. It was primal, magical, spiritual, frenzied, and wild. It was nuts!
"People hugged spontaneously, fueled by an unnamed joy. It felt semi-mystical, like early Christmas morning when you still believed in Santa Claus."
I thought nothing could ever top this bonfire. Boy was I in for a treat the next day, when the WAFFLE burned. We called it Waffle, because the guys from Belgium built it. The real name was "Uchronia" named after a Belgian art movement centered on a world without the concept of time. Ninety artists from Belgium shipped 100 miles of wooden beams to the playa, and nail-gunned those into a free-form cavern 15 stories high. It cost $250,000 to build and it looked like a giant's haystack twisted into a wave, with curved entrances on four sides. This was by far the largest bonfire I have ever seen. It felt like the largest on the planet for all time. I was dwarfed by it, by its magnificence, radiance, and brilliance.
I got to do a lot of stuff I did not expect at Burning Man: play pool, make pizza, learn massage, learn waltzing, play ping pong, jump on trampoline, read a book on grass in the shade, sing Russian songs. I got to explore my boundaries and liberate myself from old inhibitions. I also did not expect the quantity and quality of ART that I will find in the desert. There were art cars, painted bodies, weird sculptures, strange performances, and all types of creative endeavors. The most amazing piece for me was the Serpent Mother.
It was a 20-foot-high and 168-foot-long, fire-breathing, metal skeletal serpent with a hydraulically operated moving head and flames running along the entire length of its body. And the best thing: it was highly interactive. One can choose to make the serpent's head and neck move or make the jaws open and close. An individual can initiate 10 different sequenced patterns for the 31 poofers, activate each poofer via buttons or proximity sensors, or operate buttons, which activate the liquid fuel bursts of the egg. The LEDs illuminating the snake body are also interactive changing based on a participant's heartbeat. Each vertebra could shoot flames, as could the mouth. There were several parties that went off at this location. This THING or "Dragon" as I called it was mind-boggling.
I made some photos of art that impressed me the most; you can find them by following the links above. But to really see it, you had to be there.
For those who have heard about Burning Man but never went: you can not imagine the full depth of this event. BM is what you make of it and turns out to be a life-changing experience for many. It is NOT all about "sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll"; staring at topless or naked women; dancing and burning stuff. I can not tell you what it IS about; you have to see it for yourself. So drop all your expectations and hit the road, I'll see you on the playa.
And for my fellow burners: I love you all, my brothers and sisters. Thanks for welcoming me home and I can't wait till next year. Another virgin burner was born this summer.