Burning Man 2012 Tickets Part 3 frm Halcyon (aka "Crap or Cone?")
February/16/2012 Filed in:
commentary | back in the default
world
Ticket Update: Rebuilding Black Rock City 2012
February/15/2012 Filed in:
back in the default
world
Posted by Maid Marian on the Burning Blog
Marian Goodell is a Founding Board Member of Black Rock City LLC, and Burning Man’s Director of Business and Communications.
THE CHALLENGE WE FACE: DEMAND OUTSTRIPS SUPPLY
We promised we would get back to you by February 15th with our plans to resolve the ticket situation for Burning Man 2012. We all know there aren’t enough tickets for everyone who wants to participate in Black Rock City. However, it’s clear that the current situation has created holes in our social fabric. Many of the core volunteers, major interactive camps, art car projects, performance groups, and funded and unfunded art projects do not have enough tickets to bring their works to the playa. Here’s how we will remedy these challenges as fairly as we believe possible:
1.) Burning Man organizers and staff will issue tickets to major theme camps and art projects using a process outlined below.
2.) We will launch the STEP program on February 29th. Only those who registered and did not receive confirmation of tickets will be given access to STEP.
3.) Low Income ticket applications will be accepted beginning February 29th.
There’s no way to sugarcoat this: the hard truth is that there are a lot of you who want to come to Black Rock City to celebrate your participation in the Burning Man culture this year, but not everyone will be able to attend. That sentence is about as painful to write as it is for you to read. We dearly wish we could just welcome everyone who feels drawn to Black Rock City. But, as we have explained in Andie Grace’s blog post: “Radical Inclusion, Meet the Other Nine,” it’s not possible to simply increase the number of tickets available for Burning Man 2012.
And unfortunately, the random draw of the Main Sale left inordinately large numbers of our core contributors — art teams, theme camp creators, mutant vehicle builders, performers, and Burning Man volunteers — without tickets. In fact, the ratio was so unexpectedly large it has punched significant holes in Black Rock City’s artistic, civic and functional infrastructure, putting the integrity of the event itself at risk. If we let market forces play out as they could with the remaining available tickets, it’s likely that Black Rock City would be functionally untenable for many of the collaborations that comprise our desert event.
click here for more...
YOUR THEME CAMP ISN'T THAT IMPORTANT .. and other thoughts.
February/10/2012 Filed in:
commentary | back in the default
world
by clerkkent » posted on ePlaya on Fri Feb 10, 2012 1:12 pm
Many people are posting about how their theme camp only got less than 25% of the 'needed' tickets for their entire camp to go, and now the camp might not go at all (insert dramatic music) with the tone of 'you'll miss us'. I have been 7 times, and I have yet to visit a theme camp where I said to myself “Man, if this theme camp isn't here next year, this entire city is going to hell!!”. There were scores of camps that were awesome and I enjoyed my time with them. I coordinate a small theme camp and we didn't attend in 2009.. that was the year there was a severe population decrease. You don't see me running around claiming that everyone stayed home because my theme camp didn't go.
Our small camp generally has no more than 15 members, and I would estimate we've had no more than 400 quality interactive guests (people who stopped by, conversated, played around) per year (and even that is on the high side). As a participant, I would guesstimate that I've actually interacted with maybe 40 theme camps each year (interacted = walked into their camp, introduced myself, talked with people, had a drink or snack, did whatever interactive activity their camp is known for,etc). I would guesstimate that on yearly average, I've had a quality conversation with around 500 BRC citizens per year. There's 50,000 people out there, and chances are you'll barely meet 1% !!
My point? YOUR THEME CAMP ISN'T THAT IMPORTANT.
It is nice to have, but not a must have. Yes, you put a lot effort into it.. so did the 200 other theme camps, as well as the other 40,000 burners who dragged their arse to the Playa.
One issue with the current 'theme camps should get the remaining tickets' philosophy: If you're going to make theme camps deserving of special treatment, then theme camps are going to be under the microscope to ensure they justify the investment of tickets to those groups. There are some lame 'theme camps' out there.: The 'chill dome' camps. The annual 'I'm going to have a super kinky mega sexually charged sex camp' that talks a big game online, but delivers a few RVs and a few horny old guys on the playa. The “I'm going to have one painting on a post but request 5000 square feet for all the camp supporters” camps. The the 'Fortress of RVs' theme camp. There's been some camps where I walked by wondering “What the heck do they do, and why do they have so much prime real estate?”.. Some are just long in the tooth, and might benefit from a year off or merging with other camps.
If tickets are assigned to theme camps, you're gonna have a lot more griping than the current annual 'why did they get placed but we didn't?' mope-a-thon.click here for more...
Many people are posting about how their theme camp only got less than 25% of the 'needed' tickets for their entire camp to go, and now the camp might not go at all (insert dramatic music) with the tone of 'you'll miss us'. I have been 7 times, and I have yet to visit a theme camp where I said to myself “Man, if this theme camp isn't here next year, this entire city is going to hell!!”. There were scores of camps that were awesome and I enjoyed my time with them. I coordinate a small theme camp and we didn't attend in 2009.. that was the year there was a severe population decrease. You don't see me running around claiming that everyone stayed home because my theme camp didn't go.
Our small camp generally has no more than 15 members, and I would estimate we've had no more than 400 quality interactive guests (people who stopped by, conversated, played around) per year (and even that is on the high side). As a participant, I would guesstimate that I've actually interacted with maybe 40 theme camps each year (interacted = walked into their camp, introduced myself, talked with people, had a drink or snack, did whatever interactive activity their camp is known for,etc). I would guesstimate that on yearly average, I've had a quality conversation with around 500 BRC citizens per year. There's 50,000 people out there, and chances are you'll barely meet 1% !!
My point? YOUR THEME CAMP ISN'T THAT IMPORTANT.
It is nice to have, but not a must have. Yes, you put a lot effort into it.. so did the 200 other theme camps, as well as the other 40,000 burners who dragged their arse to the Playa.
One issue with the current 'theme camps should get the remaining tickets' philosophy: If you're going to make theme camps deserving of special treatment, then theme camps are going to be under the microscope to ensure they justify the investment of tickets to those groups. There are some lame 'theme camps' out there.: The 'chill dome' camps. The annual 'I'm going to have a super kinky mega sexually charged sex camp' that talks a big game online, but delivers a few RVs and a few horny old guys on the playa. The “I'm going to have one painting on a post but request 5000 square feet for all the camp supporters” camps. The the 'Fortress of RVs' theme camp. There's been some camps where I walked by wondering “What the heck do they do, and why do they have so much prime real estate?”.. Some are just long in the tooth, and might benefit from a year off or merging with other camps.
If tickets are assigned to theme camps, you're gonna have a lot more griping than the current annual 'why did they get placed but we didn't?' mope-a-thon.click here for more...
Ticket Update: Radical Inclusion, Meet the Other Nine
February/09/2012 Filed in:
back in the default
world
Posted by Andie Grace on the Burning Blog
First things first:
For all the frustration, anxiety, stress, and heartache this year’s ticket lottery has caused, please accept another humble apology.
This is no time for issuing statements or putting a spin on anything. The system may have worked, but the cultural outcome sure didn’t, and even though some of you saw that coming and said so, we didn’t, and for that we are sorry.
The current trajectory is not acceptable. Even people who did get tickets aren’t cheering right now, since so many of their camps and friends are standing out in the cold. Entire groups are worried they’ll have to scrap all their plans. Burning Man is a participatory and collaborative event, and many collaborations are perilously close to falling apart.
Clearly we must reevaluate, but first we want to say more about what we’ve heard, how we got here, and what our next steps will be.
What we’re hearing:
Our office in San Francisco is awash in feedback. We have been meeting every day about tickets, and have burned the midnight oil poring over every available list and forum, logging and absorbing every email, complaint, and plea for information. We’re absolutely listening very carefully, and we are 100% clear that there’s a very big problem playing out.
What’s happening isn’t fun for anyone, and there’s no sugar coating to be put on it. Clearly, despite projections, the majority of the people who have previously built, created, contributed and participated – not just those who’ve been before, but who have created the foundations of Burning Man — don’t have a ticket to the event this year. And whether it was our naiveté or just underestimation, we didn’t see that coming at this scale, and we know it’s hurting us all now.
We understand and recognize the impact this is having – on individuals, on projects and collaborations, on your ability to plan vacation time, book plane tickets, submit applications for your camps, your art projects—everything about participating in Burning Man. We see the emotional response it’s causing – only too well, as we’re Burners at HQ too, and so are our friends, our campmates, our teammates, and our families. Watching this unfold has been painful. Each of us is responding differently – worrying, losing sleep, meeting through the evenings and weekends, throwing things, searching for answers…this is one of the most painful moments in our history.
What happens next will be pivotal – whatever is to blame, now that we’ve reached this point, we absolutely know we have to get this next moment right. We are all about to write the future of Burning Man.
Through our process of discovery and data analysis, we’ve heard from our whole community — including some experts we’ve never talked to before. In a lot of cases, we have asked for their consult; some of those helpful blogs and comments you’ve been forwarding to us have turned into meetings and phone calls, and we’re figuring out how else we can engage with a wider range of Burner minds to help guide our community through this.
How Did This Happen?click here for more...
more from Halcyon on the Burning Man ticket lottery fiasco
February/07/2012 Filed in:
back in the default
world | commentary
Burning Man ticket fiasco creates an uncertain future
February/04/2012 Filed in:
back in the default
world
http://www.sfbg.com/print/pixel_vision/2012/02/02/burning-man-ticket-fiasco-creates-uncertain-future
Is it the end of Burning Man as we know it? That's certainly the way things are looking to thousands of longtime burners who didn't get tickets when the results of a controversial new ticket lottery system were announced on Tuesday evening, particularly as big picture information emerged in online discussions yesterday.
Personally, I was awarded the maximum two tickets I requested at the $320 level (my sister already claimed the other, so don't even ask), but I'm feeling a little survivor's guilt as I hear from the vast majority of my burner friends who didn't get tickets. And if it wasn't already clear that scalpers have effectively gamed the new system, that became apparent yesterday when batches of up to eight tickets were listed for as much as $1,500 each on eBay and other online outlets.
As I've attended Burning Man since 2001 and covered it for the Guardian and my book, The Tribes of Burning Man, I've become involved with many camps and collectives over the years. So over the last couple days, I've been privy to lots of online discussions and surveys, and it appears that only about a third of burners who registered for tickets actually received them (organizers have refused to say how many people registered for the 40,000 tickets sold this week, so it's tough to assess whether scalpers were more effective than burners at buying them).
The huge number of burners without tickets is a big problem for theme camps and art collectives that rely heavily on their members to pay dues and work long hours to prepare often elaborate camps, art cars, or installations, some of which are now in doubt. Many people are so frustrated that they've pledged not to attend this year, and even those of us that did get tickets are questioning whether we want to go if some of our favorite people aren't – particularly if they're replaced by rich newbies willing to spend a grand on a ticket.click here for more...
Is it the end of Burning Man as we know it? That's certainly the way things are looking to thousands of longtime burners who didn't get tickets when the results of a controversial new ticket lottery system were announced on Tuesday evening, particularly as big picture information emerged in online discussions yesterday.
Personally, I was awarded the maximum two tickets I requested at the $320 level (my sister already claimed the other, so don't even ask), but I'm feeling a little survivor's guilt as I hear from the vast majority of my burner friends who didn't get tickets. And if it wasn't already clear that scalpers have effectively gamed the new system, that became apparent yesterday when batches of up to eight tickets were listed for as much as $1,500 each on eBay and other online outlets.
As I've attended Burning Man since 2001 and covered it for the Guardian and my book, The Tribes of Burning Man, I've become involved with many camps and collectives over the years. So over the last couple days, I've been privy to lots of online discussions and surveys, and it appears that only about a third of burners who registered for tickets actually received them (organizers have refused to say how many people registered for the 40,000 tickets sold this week, so it's tough to assess whether scalpers were more effective than burners at buying them).
The huge number of burners without tickets is a big problem for theme camps and art collectives that rely heavily on their members to pay dues and work long hours to prepare often elaborate camps, art cars, or installations, some of which are now in doubt. Many people are so frustrated that they've pledged not to attend this year, and even those of us that did get tickets are questioning whether we want to go if some of our favorite people aren't – particularly if they're replaced by rich newbies willing to spend a grand on a ticket.click here for more...
To Burn or Not to Burn
February/02/2012 Filed in:
back in the default
world | Camp Get
Found
We've gotten several queries about dBM and Get Found's plans for Burning Man 2012: Fertility 2.0, as well as how our crew is negotiating the Great Ticket Meltdown. In short, the process of Getting Found is in flux. Most of our crew are making plans to return to the playa and hoping to get the portal passes all lined up. With that said, myself and my cohort Maketa/DJ Edubious have made a conscious effort not to go this year, to instead funnel the time, energy, money towards something different. The decision not to pursue the Burn the year feels good, especially with the ticket clusterfuck rippling thru the community and inspiring so much ire and stress.
After 3 consecutive life-changing Burns -- 5 Burns in 8 years -- that have fully charged my soul-batteries and helped set me on the new path I am currently following, I feel like taking a deep breath and seeing what other ways I can conjure up magic, adventure and community this year. I'm jonesin' bigtime for some international travel and Cascadian backpacking trips, and prepping for the Burn/maestro'ing Get Found tends to monopolize all my resources, physical, mental and spiritual, so….time to take a time-out.
With that said, I wouldn't rule out jumping in the rig with Tangerine, Maketa, Jessie Rey and our bikes & blinkies at the last minute and heading to the playa, but that isn't the plan. Every time we hear of another beloved friend that WILL be there, it makes it a harder decision....but it is the right call in the big picture.
Many other Get Foundlings are hoping to Burn this year and we'll share details as they emerge this summer.
I've started planting the seed with Foundlings and friends that aren't going to Black Rock this year the possibility for holding our own backwoods Pacific Northwest burn!
PEacE oUT! moontroll/DJ Playadusterclick here for more...
Halcyon on the Burning Man ticket lottery fiasco
February/01/2012 Filed in:
back in the default
world | commentary
In the Dust
October/20/2011 Filed in: videology
Haiku SpaceBalls by Rachel
October/16/2011 Filed in: black rock city
| art &
music
Rachel & Martha in Deep Playa
Playa reflection:
You are what you’re looking for
Strings of blue balloons
Mountain silhouette
Melts into the Magic Hour--
It’s going to get weird
Not Star Wars, Space Balls
Warp speed wobble whomp Jedis
Furry Chewbaccas
Pillows, teeth, and wires
Pod of laughing ladies lounge
In shark’s lucky mouth
Expand not escape
Mandala birthing itself
Neon rose blossoms
Tent turned up to broil
My heart is a crispy orb
Long past the sunrise
There are so many
Doors to open, Doors to close
I can’t stop laughing
Sweaty beer, string cheese
Here is the Triple Truth, Ruth:
Hops, dusty love, protein
Tabula Rasa
Big boat nets a little fish
By the Robot-Heart
Beauty of Release
Dances itself alive on
Prehistoric fish
Dealing with Post Playa Depression (Burning Man I Love You)
October/12/2011 Filed in: back in the default
world | commentary
BY ANTRANIK
Post playa depression is a very real thing, especially after your first burn. A lot of people experience it, I know I did! It’s a natural problem after returning from the best week of your entire LIFE!!! Transitioning back into the real-world and processing all the amazing things you experienced can be an overwhelming process. There are SO many incredible things we experienced in our little city for that full week that it is impossible that you are not wired differently now!
You may be questioning your job, your coworkers, maybe your friends, the fact that you have to drive your car now instead of your bicycle and are stuck in traffic. The lack of wide open, endless, liberating spaces… Even your appetite might have changed, you may not be craving sugar as much, or the television, or Facebook, etc!
Direct that newfound energy to make life more awesome
Don’t worry my friend! You can use this energy to make powerful changes that will make your default world more like Black Rock City. This is not the time to just go back to the way things were but to integrate the lessons you learned and make progressive changes in your life!
This is why, for example, I ride my bicycle as much as I can, all the time. It connects my spirit to the carefree and timeless way of life at burning man combined with healthy exercise. So one thing you can do is… ride your bicycle a lot more often! Integrate it with errands or work or ride around the park or anything you like.
Say hello / good morning / good evening to strangers even if they don’t want to look at you or respond like most people in the city. Even if they stare depressingly at the sidewalk as they pass you… it’s okay, say hello to them anyway, it will make you feel good inside and maybe remind them to look up once in a while.
Smile and wave at the driver stuck at the red light next to you! Who cares if they get confused and wonder why you would do such a crazy thing. Smiling is awesome and that will lift their spirits and raise the vibration of the situation. Who knows, they might just smile and wave back. :le gasp:
Take that “risk” of interacting with people like you did at the burn. Maybe it’s time you finally start that conversation with your neighbor of 10 years.
If you realize you hate being an office drone then maybe it’s time to look for a new job! What is it your really want to do? Brain-storm. Look for openings in the different departments that you could transfer to within your current company. Maybe there are some new opportunities there you may enjoy more and learn new things.
Hate hearing the TV? Then leave it off! Or better yet, save some money and cancel your cable service. :-p
Do you realize now you have too many useless material possessions and can’t stand the clutter? Start that cleansing process by selling your stuff on craigslist and get some money for it while freeing up your space!
Having problems with your non-burner friends?click here for more...
thoughts on decompression
October/09/2011 Filed in: back in the default
world | commentary
This was posted
on the Seattle BMan listserv -- had to share it!
"You can always spot the folks who are on the road home from Burning Man: Filthy, reeking, bug-eyed, sporting dusty tails, broken top hats and crusty corsets, reveling in simple things like ice cream sandwiches, porcelain toilets....rambling about room service...and that was just that one guy. And when you get home, you can immediately spot a driveway where folks have unloaded a car that's been to Burning Man. A week later, walking down the street, you'll notice a backpack with a tell-tale washed-out look to it. A month later, at a party or on the bus or at the bank, it really doesn't matter, you'll notice that the creases of that woman's boots over there still have playa in them. And you smile. You've almost got the playa out of everything, too, but bits of it stick around forever, resisting q-tips and toothbrushes and expensive bills from the auto detailer who said he never wanted to see you again.
Anything that goes to the playa is never the same again. Including you. It's persistent. It sticks with you. That's not a bad thing, really. It helps us remember. And it helps to be around folks who remember, during the decompression season 'n' all."
"You can always spot the folks who are on the road home from Burning Man: Filthy, reeking, bug-eyed, sporting dusty tails, broken top hats and crusty corsets, reveling in simple things like ice cream sandwiches, porcelain toilets....rambling about room service...and that was just that one guy. And when you get home, you can immediately spot a driveway where folks have unloaded a car that's been to Burning Man. A week later, walking down the street, you'll notice a backpack with a tell-tale washed-out look to it. A month later, at a party or on the bus or at the bank, it really doesn't matter, you'll notice that the creases of that woman's boots over there still have playa in them. And you smile. You've almost got the playa out of everything, too, but bits of it stick around forever, resisting q-tips and toothbrushes and expensive bills from the auto detailer who said he never wanted to see you again.
Anything that goes to the playa is never the same again. Including you. It's persistent. It sticks with you. That's not a bad thing, really. It helps us remember. And it helps to be around folks who remember, during the decompression season 'n' all."
Get Found Got Found
September/21/2011 Filed in:
back in the default
world
Well, yes, we’re all back from Burning
Man, safe, mostly sound, cleaning up the last of our dusty
sundries. Get Found ended up getting found -- waaaaaayyyyyy found
-- on the corner of 8:30 & Initiation. Fittingly. We erected
our SynchroniciTEA House & Juju Parlor and served tea to the
masses all week long. Did you find us? Did you enjoy some oolong or
kumbacha or dreamtime tea with us? Sure hope so! All in all, our
camp and our teahouse were so much more than even our grandest
dreams. And so now, we clean, and we collect ourselves, and we
communicate so as to help each other with the processing and
reintegration.
We’ll have more to say about Rites of Passage soon, I’m sure, so stay tuned (or share with us your own stories via email or in the comments.) I’ll leave you with a few of our best group shots from the playa...
First pulse of Foundlings on-playa, Sunday 6:30 pm
Inside the SynchroniciTEA House
White Wednesday
Burn night 2011
Burn night, lit by the 11:11 activation fires
We’ll have more to say about Rites of Passage soon, I’m sure, so stay tuned (or share with us your own stories via email or in the comments.) I’ll leave you with a few of our best group shots from the playa...
First pulse of Foundlings on-playa, Sunday 6:30 pm
Inside the SynchroniciTEA House
White Wednesday
Burn night 2011
Burn night, lit by the 11:11 activation fires
Media coverage of the 2011 Burn
September/20/2011 Filed in:
back in the default
world | commentary
Most corporate media outlets attempting to write about BM fail miserably. Slate has done all right this week in their 5-part series by Seth Stevenson: http://slate.me/rlIsdY. "The plan was for us to meet up with a large camp of people who'd be providing us shelter and food for the week. But as we pulled into the encampment...we couldn't find our group. And the sun was setting. We gave up, parked the car, and began to wander around. And this is when my brain melted a little...."
Part 2 of Slate's report on BM: http://slate.me/r52fK2: “I’ve never personally had the urge to just hang out with my wang out, and that hadn't changed since I'd gotten to Burning Man. But late one night I biked deep into the desert, turned off my headlamp, and removed some clothes...let it be said: Reader, I shirtcocked. And I sort of liked it."
Part 4 in the Slate series on BM: http://slate.me/n9Arn9: “On Saturday night, the man burns. This moment means different things to different people. The transit of the human spirit. The exultation of pagan ritual. The simple, ancient joy of fire. The culmination of a 150-hour party. Whatever its meaning, it is spectacular—a colossal, billowing inferno, with explosions and face-searing heat blasts, and people cheering and dancing and stripping all their clothes off. At this point, stuff gets crazy."
Final installment in Slate series on BM: http://slate.me/n2be8K: “Whenever strangers at Burning Man briefly chat and then part ways, they bid each other farewell by brightly saying, "Enjoy your burn!" It occurred to me—as I thought about the desert dust that was the only thing here before this week started, and will be the only thing here when we've left—life is really just a burn writ large. We emerge from nothingness. We join together to create beautiful, temporary relationships, full of kindness and joy and love. And then we disappear again. Dust to dust."
”Silicon Valley has a long history with Burning Man that became most notable in the late 1990s when the founders of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, began going. The first Google Doodle...was an “out of office” message they left on the homepage when they went to the festival in 1998. It showed the Google name with a drawing of a stick figure “burning man...Legend has it that Eric Schmidt won the job as CEO after showing up at Page and Brin’s camp at Burning Man." http://on.ft.com/quIvkm
"As the anti-establishment arts festival and survival project disappears piece by piece from the white sands of the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, participants and organizers say Burning Man -- which just had its largest week in its 25-year history -- is going through some growing pains as plans to expand its size and scope moving forward over the next year." http://reut.rs/pX8iB2
"A circular temporary city plan built around the spectacle of art, music and dance: I wish all cities had such a spirit of utopia by being built around human interaction, community and participation.” : RIP, Rod Garrett, designer of our beloved Black Rock City: http://nyti.ms/n8cxWP.
Burning Man in the Age of Rick Perry: Revelation, Pluralism, and Moral Imperative
September/08/2011 Filed in:
burner culture
| commentary
We cannot know his legendary
head with eyes like ripening fruit. And
yet his torso is still suffused with brilliance
from inside, like a lamp, in which his gaze, now
turned to low,gleams in all its power… You must
change your life. —Excerpt from Rilke, “Archaic Torso of
Apollo”
At this moment, over 50,000 people from
around the world are gathered, again, in a temporary city in
Nevada’s Black Rock desert. By now, I suspect most RD readers
have heard of Burning Man, though the nature of this temporary
city—please don’t call it a festival—remains elusive. Some call it
a Temporary Autonomous Zone devoted to radical self-expression and
radical self-reliance. Others call it a utopian experiment in
commerce-free living. Others, well, others call it a
festival.
Like any pilgrimage site, Burning Man is less a destination than a
pretext for the journey. These days, of course, flying into
Reno isn’t so hard—but actually opening up to whatever Black Rock
City has to offer… that journey can be arduous. If you go
looking for a festival with sex and drugs and dance music, that is
all you will find. But if you pause to wonder why there’s a
temple in the middle of it, why people come back year after year
even if they don’t do drugs, or, for that matter, how it is that
the art, community, and culture of Black Rock City is constructed
without a Them putting on entertainments for Us, much more can be
received.
Generally speaking, those who intend to be open in this way come
away changed by the experience. I’ve been to dozens of
“festivals,” and some of them have been very cool. But they
didn’t inspire me to change my life. Burning Man did, when I first
went to it in 2001. What it presents are ways of being that
most of us never imagine. It’s possible to be like this, it
says, to live so richly and creatively and expressively and
sensuously, to be this in love with life. And once one has really
seen that such a life is possible, one cannot go back to how one
was.
"Some Ways Seemingly More Round About & Mysterious Than Others"
August/26/2011 Filed in: Camp Get
Found
Scenes from the Playa!
August/25/2011 Filed in: black rock
city
Torsten's playa bike
August/25/2011 Filed in: burner
culture
Bay Area-based honorary Get Founder
Torsten was recently featured in an online article about playa
bikes:
TORSTEN HASSELMANN (12 years at Burning Man)
Origin of bike: I built and welded it and myself out of the town dump when I lived in Wyoming. Among other things the handlebars used to be a shopping cart frame.
Accessories: Minimal, just the bike here, though I used to enjoy EL (electroluminescent) wire so I put some on the bars for lighting back in 2004 and still use it to not get run over.
Advice for last minute bike builders: Start earlier next time and make it fun for everybody.
Tips for riding on the Playa: Keep it upright.
Most important in a Burner bike: Hopefully it’s not just fun for you, but brightens other peoples’ experience as well.
More profiles at http://www.7x7.com/fitness-outdoors/burner-bike-diy-tips-playa-pros
TORSTEN HASSELMANN (12 years at Burning Man)
Origin of bike: I built and welded it and myself out of the town dump when I lived in Wyoming. Among other things the handlebars used to be a shopping cart frame.
Accessories: Minimal, just the bike here, though I used to enjoy EL (electroluminescent) wire so I put some on the bars for lighting back in 2004 and still use it to not get run over.
Advice for last minute bike builders: Start earlier next time and make it fun for everybody.
Tips for riding on the Playa: Keep it upright.
Most important in a Burner bike: Hopefully it’s not just fun for you, but brightens other peoples’ experience as well.
More profiles at http://www.7x7.com/fitness-outdoors/burner-bike-diy-tips-playa-pros
Soundtracks for the journey home
August/24/2011 Filed in: art &
music
While everyone is scurrying about like
crazy getting ready to hit the road for Rites of Passage, here’s a
reminder that there are dozens of free, kick-ass, basstastic
musical mixes ready to be downloaded to your iPod for soundtracks
for the journey home! Visit our dBMcast webpage for recent offerings from
DJ Playaduster, DJ Edubious, DJ Fundiduster and lots of Guest DJs like Eskmo, Opiuo, Bassnectar, Random
Rab, Ooah, David Starfire, Ana Sia and others. Radio dBM has
created 2011-specific mixes too, including Pathways to the
Portal,
The Larry
Harvey Dub Experience, Rites of
Bassage,
and Bass
Cadet.
Reposting this crucial information on dBMcasts from years past...
From 2010: Are you in need of some last minute musical mix madness to download on to your pod for the road trip to Black Rock City? dBM has just what you need to make your journey most enjoyable to all 5 senses. You can find...an introduction to Bass Chakra Therapy here, and Bassnectar Maxxximum 1 & 2 here and here. The most recent offering is DJ Playaduster's LOVETROPOLIS mix, featuring his camp mates with Get Found, Larry Harvey and a whopping dose of whomp -- download it right about here. And don't forget about Whompadelic 2: Revenge of the GlitchStrap (here) and Through the Portal (here).
And many of these same playa-friendly music mixes can also be streamed and downloaded from DJ Playaduster's SoundCloud page and DJ Edubious' Soundcloud page.
From 2009: Well friends, it is time to let go of those plans and packing ideas you haven't gotten to yet, embrace what you have prepared, load up your jalopy and start heading north/south/east/west towards Black Rock City. One last task before you hit the pavement: download a bunch of dBM podcasts to stoke out yer iPod for the road trip (and arrive with fresh toonz for your camp/art car)!
Destination Burning Man has been posting tracks here since early 2007 -- original musical mixes inspired by the playa from DJs Playaduster, Edubious and, as of this week, Grapenuts; guest DJ sets; field recordings from BRC, interviews and inspired babble and other bits of digital ephemera, always set to a head-bobbin' groove. Sometimes, the message behind the music has taken more than one mix to tell and so multi-part epics have been necessary. Here's a guide to some of our favorites epics, trilogies and otherwise.
Don't ask questions. Just download and git em on to yer iPod or burn to CD and begin full immersion. Let the creative mixologists of dBM provide you with your swervy soundtrack to Burning Man 2009: EVOLUTION!
For best results, click here to subscribe to dBMcasts via iTunes and download the mixes you want from there, while simultaneously setting yerself up for new episodes to automatically be delivered to you when they're posted.
"
DJ Playaduster's Hearts of Flame trilogy -- August 2006
Reposting this crucial information on dBMcasts from years past...
From 2010: Are you in need of some last minute musical mix madness to download on to your pod for the road trip to Black Rock City? dBM has just what you need to make your journey most enjoyable to all 5 senses. You can find...an introduction to Bass Chakra Therapy here, and Bassnectar Maxxximum 1 & 2 here and here. The most recent offering is DJ Playaduster's LOVETROPOLIS mix, featuring his camp mates with Get Found, Larry Harvey and a whopping dose of whomp -- download it right about here. And don't forget about Whompadelic 2: Revenge of the GlitchStrap (here) and Through the Portal (here).
And many of these same playa-friendly music mixes can also be streamed and downloaded from DJ Playaduster's SoundCloud page and DJ Edubious' Soundcloud page.
From 2009: Well friends, it is time to let go of those plans and packing ideas you haven't gotten to yet, embrace what you have prepared, load up your jalopy and start heading north/south/east/west towards Black Rock City. One last task before you hit the pavement: download a bunch of dBM podcasts to stoke out yer iPod for the road trip (and arrive with fresh toonz for your camp/art car)!
Destination Burning Man has been posting tracks here since early 2007 -- original musical mixes inspired by the playa from DJs Playaduster, Edubious and, as of this week, Grapenuts; guest DJ sets; field recordings from BRC, interviews and inspired babble and other bits of digital ephemera, always set to a head-bobbin' groove. Sometimes, the message behind the music has taken more than one mix to tell and so multi-part epics have been necessary. Here's a guide to some of our favorites epics, trilogies and otherwise.
Don't ask questions. Just download and git em on to yer iPod or burn to CD and begin full immersion. Let the creative mixologists of dBM provide you with your swervy soundtrack to Burning Man 2009: EVOLUTION!
For best results, click here to subscribe to dBMcasts via iTunes and download the mixes you want from there, while simultaneously setting yerself up for new episodes to automatically be delivered to you when they're posted.
"DJ Playaduster's Hearts of Flame trilogy -- August 2006
"And then there's the music, and the dancing.... Sounds come at you
from all sides at all times, different rhythms and grooves
colliding with the cadences of storytelling and the hushed tones of
sacred ceremonies. It is an aural orgy. You are bombarded with so
much music that it soon feels like it might all be seeping inside
of you, changing you irrevocably. This podcast tribute series
attempts to recreate some sense of this nighttime wandering and
sound-safaring. A wide variety of musical tastes coexist On Playa,
and a brand-new style of music emerges from the midnight mashups
and cryptic cross-pollinizations that occur as the glorious and
chaotic sounds of Burning Man float towards the starry
sky."
Part one
"Ignition", part two
"Combustion" and part three
"Renewal"
DJs
Playaduster+Edubious Burnal Equinox set-- February
2007
"One of our
best hopes then is to dream up, then build, a portable sound system
that is capable of moving across the playa pumping out our most
adventurous musical offerings as an alternative to the ever-present
pulse of rave music. We want to bring the funk. We want to lay down
the reggae dub. We want to spin the jazz, the world beat, the cajun
and the calypso. Two of our alter egos, DJ Playaduster and DJ
Edubious, have much experience in crafting musical podcast mixes,
we used to host a jazz/groove radio show out in Wyoming (of all
places), and we believe we can put both our experience and our vast
archives to good use. So, we're moving forward on the assembly of
musical mixes, and here is the very first test run available for
your listening pleasure."
Part
one "It's All About the Burn Now" and part
two "Towards the Burn".
DJ
Edubious' Virginal Fire Trilogy -- Pre- and Post-Burn
2007
Part one "Light It
Up",
part two "Burn It
Down" and
part three
"Afterburn".
DJ
Playaduster's Green Man trilogy -- Fall 2007
"How to keep
the flame alit? How to burn all year? How to reintegrate the
lessons and the love in to the Default World? These are the
questions the Four Broke Dudes confronted as they stepped back in
to their former lives in the Northwest. This is a set of music
deeply influenced by the nighttime environment of Black Rock City.
It is a mix made up exclusively from DJ Playaduster's nocturnal
field recordings -- bits and pieces of the sound environment that
pulses each night on the playa, blended together, overlapped,
cut-up and reassembled."
Part one
"Disorientation",
part two "Reorientation: Hyper-Primbly's Marsupial
Thumbdrive" and part three
"Reintegration".
DJs
Playaduster + Edubious' Darwinian Experimentations -- June/July
2009
"Starting to
think ahead to Burning Man 2009 a bit -- can't help it. Time to
start slowly crafting well-seasoned playlists of tracks that we
want to bring down to the playa to share with the people. Here's a
sneak peek in to some of our favorite musical goodies acquired over
the past few months that are helping us to begin visualizing the
next incarnation of Black Rock City. The vibe kind of swerves all
over the place as lots of styles and theories are ingested in to
the whole. Sources vary widely. Hope you dig it and it tickles the
insides of your ears."
"Darwin's Weird
Beard" and "Darwin's
Furrowed Brow"
DJs
Playaduster's Tangled Path Trilogy -- 2008-2009
"The stories
that this podcast shares take place over a year-and-a-half, on and
off the playa, between friends meeting and separating again along
the road. The routes that spring forth from the Burning Man
Experience truly form a Tangled Path. Part one surveys the many
loose ends of that path, tangling and untangling again; in part
two, we'll together move towards Convergence and Burning Man 2009 :
Evolution."
"Loose
Ends" and
"Convergence"
Other
non-multi-part dBMcasts of worthy note:
Get Found 3.0.7: Scotty G & Kat
Name (playa or otherwise): “Scotty G”
Years Burned: ‘04, 09, 10
Where is Home Right Now?: Taos, New Mexico
General Outlook/Philosophy of Life: Enjoy! If you don’t like it, create something you do like.
Favorite Memories from Burns of Yesteryear: “The Night,” the Get Found origin, moshing to the Vandals, doing energy work, center camp magic, being one of the first to show up on the playa and one of the last ones to leave last year and sunrises on temple burn mornings.
Something I learned about myself on playa I didn't know before: It is possible to live in an almost constant stream of synchronicity.
Top 5 Playa Essentials: Hat, sun block, water, bike and night lighting.
Best Tip for Playa Virgins: Let it go. So much easier said than done, but so liberating. Also, embrace the dust.
Personal Role/Character on the Playa: This year I think my role will be a grounder and space holder.
Most Looking Forward To: Getting more time to go around during the day and learn about ways that people are expanding their minds and cultivating their visions. Also, more climbing, bouncing, dancing and overall movement.
Intentions for the 2011 Burn: Expand, not escape.
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Name (playa or otherwise): Have gone by many but to those who know me well, Kathryn
Years burned: 0
Where is home right now?: Bellingham, although I have many
General outlook/philosophy on life: At the risk of sounding cliche... "Energy can neither be created, nor destroyed"
Favorite memories from Burns of yesteryear: Seeing my brother and Christian in PDX after they got back. I cherish those memories....
Something I learned about myself on playa I didn't know before: I imagine that I will find something there that I isn't possible to find anywhere else
Top 5 Playa essentials: Don't know yet, but drawn by many things... the sky, the barrenness, the creation of something I can't imagine out of nothing, the ability to take emotional risks in an environment in which it is safe, and my wonderful brother
Best tip for Playa virgins: Ring the bell like you never have and never will again. :) That's my plan...
Favorite personal role/character on playa: Well... there's a lot of things I thought of, but now that I stop and reflect, my answer at this point would be premature. I think one of the reasons I'm drawn to going is to find this out....
Most looking forward to: The openness in both people and nature, and the rawness... again in both people in nature.
Intentions for the 2011 Burn: To allow myself to be.....
Get Found 3.0.6: Maketa & Hartz
Name (playa or otherwise) Maketa, Edub, Edubious
Years Burned: This will be my third burn. Priors: 2007 Green Man | 2009 Evolution
General Outlook/Philosophy of Life: We are absolutely the creators of our reality - individually and collectively. Intention is the weaving of Universal energies that create the tapestry of one's life. hat you focus on expands. Your words create your world.
Top 5 Playa Essentials: tabi boots, drum, solid community, camera, soundstick
Favorite Memories from Burns of Yesteryear: Rocking the Purple Palace w/ Moontroll, Torsten, Pomme Frites and dosing everyone around us; Team Love and unbreakable tractor beams with Suga Cube, Moontroll, Scotty G, Rachel, Leah and Atlas; chillin' in the soundproof-red light-mirrored box in deep playa; full Glitch Mob at Enthion Village; freak circus and Bassnectar at Cirque Berzerk, and on and on and on and on.....
Personal Role/Character on the Playa: warrior and king - deeper reflections of my strongest archtypes
Something I learned about myself on playa that I didn't know before: That I like wearing eye makeup and face paint
Intentions for the 2001 Burn: Deep connection with my partner Rey; deep service to the Get Found Tribe known and unknown; to play and laugh in new ways; to drum and share rhythm and music in community.
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Name (playa or otherwise) Hartz / Sarah
Years Burned: this is my first!
Where is home?: Chez Verite in Seattle and there's always part of me in the West Bank
General Outlook/Philosophy of Life: ancestor knowing and honoring, cultivating growth and depth, foundation in community and connection, universal energy and stepping into the flow
Top 5 Playa Essentials: boots, a scarf and trust trust trust
Best Tip for Playa Virgins: dream about it
Personal Role/Character on the Playa: favorite new role is the super heroine/hero, I usually listen and ground before I 'enter' and I'm trying to move beyond that
Intentions for the 2001 Burn: opening/unfolding/unfurling of heart wings
Getting Found in the Default World
August/15/2011 Filed in: getting ready
| Camp Get
Found
It has been a busy couple of months in the Pacific Northwest for Camp Get Found as we prepare for our 3rd year together on the playa. We’ve always been a small camp with a population hovering around 20, and this year is no different: 11 Get Found alumni and 9 new Foundling initiates (with 7 playa virgins in the mix) -- you can read more about who is Getting Found this year in our ongoing camp registrations. This year, our campers come also exclusively from homebases in western Washington & Oregon -- our Colorado, California and New Mexico friends are either not going or camping in other configurations.
So last spring, as the deadline for theme camp application approached and we had not had any conversations about what we were going to do in 2011, Hannah Tangerine (I think) came up with the idea of creating a tea house for the people. “We could call it SynchroniciTEA, serve brews and elixirs, and help cultivate meaningful coincidences,” she suggested. “How about throw ‘and JuJu Parlor” in there for good measure?” I added. A concept was born.
In the months and weeks since, we put out the word to alumni and new friends alike and, by July, had our camp roster pretty well finalized. This gave us nearly two months to get to know each other, to communicate, brainstorm, share ideas, host gatherings and begin to divvy up tasks -- the work that it would take to Get Found once more in Black Rock City -- this time with a teahouse in tow.
Maketa and J-Rey threw themselves in to the SynchroniciTEA concept and began designing, buying materials and constructing the prototype. Tina took on teahouse interior visions, helping to imagine a soothing space full of intentionality and spirit by way of lights, colors, art. Rachel dove in to some playatech furniture building, Tangerine began organizing the group kitchen and Moontroll worked on herding cats, keeping communication and logistics flowing, painting signs, buying tea and teapots and getting the Boogie parachute ready for its 4th burn. Colby is building a sink and generator mufflers. Dana spraypainted bamboo designs on teahouse walls. Everybody shared surplus hugs and bacon.
Pablo emerged from his recent touring with March Fourth just in time to step in as our pragmatic camp foreman, and in short order busted out our greywater evaporation system, jigsawed a lightbox sign, worked on parachute repairs and rebar advisement and also helped think through systems like electrical, showers and transport.
Our first major gathering was in Bellingham over a weekend in July, and consisted of a Friday night meet-and-greet social, which led in to a dance party (of course) which led in to a slumber party which led in to a potluck brunch which led, finally, to a long and detailed meeting scoping out the details of camp, some of the logistics, some of the concerns/questions and figuring out who was doing what. A follow-up gathering was held in August in Seattle, in which the primary goal of raising the teahouse structure for the first time was accomplished (to great joy and excitement) along with several other small projects, all featuring the surprise guest appearance of GF alum Scotty G. fresh from Taos.
So we’re less than 2 weeks out before we all hit the road, eastward towards the Black Rock Desert.... with a few more things to finish up & tinker on before we go. Many have moved in to personal prep now and are living, breathing and dreaming the Burn round the clock. Without receiving official placement from BMorg, we don’t know exactly where we’ll end up in BRC, but if yer meant to find us, it will be a meeting of great synchroniciTEA!
Here are a few scenes of Get Found pre-playa gatherings, work parties and funraising....
Our first official meeting, at the Purple Palace in Bellingham, WA -- we managed to get nearly 3/4 of the camp in the same place at the same time! After some chattering & swilling, we soon dudded up to head out for a birthday party complete with a treehouse, yummy keg & food, drum circle and DJ Grapenuts.
More photos by Tina and moontroll after the jump.....
click here for more...
Get Found 3.0.5: Rachel & Dana
Name (playa or otherwise): Rachel...perhaps this will be the year my playa name Gets Found?!...
Years Burned: This will be my 4th
Where is Home Right Now?: Olympia, WA
General Outlook/Philosophy of Life: Desiderata, baby!
Favorite Memories from Burns of Yesteryear: Violin serenade in the Tunnel of Love, Carcass Wash with Ramona Mayhem, Dr. Megavolt, eating pancakes off embers of the Man, excursion on the Naughty Bus, solo missions, going to the Temple for the first time, hot chocolate, aural soundscapes, being floored by a desert mermaid, Team Love, serving up bevs at Center Camp Cafe, meeting my little green friend...
Something I learned about myself on playa I didn't know before: I LOVE TUACA
Top 5 Playa Essentials: all purpose playa-cup, lip balm, goggles, baby wipes, belt with pockets
Best Tip for Playa Virgins: Read the Survival Guide. Drink lots of water....The rest is an Adventure
Personal Role/Character on the Playa: Hmmm....by the end of the week, when layers unpeel & I am being truly who I am, I have more magic to share.
Most Looking Forward To: Get Found Co-Creation, Exploration, Lamplighting, Giving and Receiving lots of Hugs, Riding my New Playa Bike out into the deep, Art!!!, the Power of Whimsy, Laughter, and Dancing like my Vagina is on Fire - yeow!!
Intentions for the 2011 Burn: Open Heart, Open Mind. Let myself Expand. Getting dusty with Get Found. Celebrate being Alive!
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Name (playa or otherwise): Dana
Years burned: virginal
Where is home right now?: West Seattle and primarily in my heart
General outlook/philosophy on life: believe in yourself, trust what the universe shows you, listen, love freely, laugh, create space for life’s gifts
Top 5 Playa essentials: connection, freedom, decision maker boots, lip gloss, comfy pillow
Favorite personal role/character on playa: Gifter of Deep Hugs
Most looking forward to: soaking in the sense of community, creating an environment of trust and joy, creativity sparks, expression, the unexpected and the unknown, growth
Intentions for the 2011 Burn: to open my mind and heart to new territory, be present, laugh, enjoy the dust, let it flow!
