dBMblog
Burning Man 2010
Memories of Black Rock
July/14/2012 Filed in: black rock city
I’ve been having some fun going through old favorite playa pics -- some by me, some by others -- and repurposing them via a collage app on my iPhone. Here they are!
We're back....
January/08/2011 Filed in: afterburn | Camp Get Found
We have succeeded in upgrading our website software and restoring the past 4 years of blog posts here on dBM. Hooray! Working on this fix, I realized how much good storytelling this dBM blog does of the past several burns: who we camped with, what projects we worked on, hurdles we faced and conquered and the larger Burner culture that informs and inspires us. Glad to have it working again, and with the new software, we’re going to be able to do some cool redesigning and adding new features over the coming months. Thanks for tuning in friends -- join us on our new group page on Facebook, drop us a line at [email protected] and feel free to make a donation to the ongoing development of dBM via Paypal in the sidebar.
Gone to Burning Man
August/26/2010 Filed in: visions
Thursday, August 26, 8:02 am...leaving for Black Rock City: Bend, OR tonight, Gerlach, NV tomorrow and on through the portal Friday afternoon....excited to see my Get Found tribe and all the beautiful Burners.....over & out!
more…?
more…?Mixes for the road....
August/25/2010 Filed in: dBMcasts
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 a handy compendium of previous years' trilogies and special episodes here, and 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). Lots more DJ Edubious here.
And most of these same playa-friendly music mixes can also be streamed and downloaded from DJ Playaduster's SoundCloud page and DJ Edubious' Soundcloud page.
Happy travels!
And most of these same playa-friendly music mixes can also be streamed and downloaded from DJ Playaduster's SoundCloud page and DJ Edubious' Soundcloud page.
Happy travels!
Introducing Camp Get Found : version 2.0.6
August/24/2010 Filed in: Camp Get Found
Name (playa or otherwise): Steve, TooTall, still searching for a playa name
Where is home right now?: Grew up in Seattle, moved to Portland after college, now reside in San Diego.
Years burned: 09, 10
Favorite drinks: beer aficionado , Double IPAs, Tripel and Quadrupel Belgians, Vodka-Anythings
Favorite use/form of bacon: garnish in a sweet dark Belgian beer, like Malheur 12, also deep fried bacon with a side of bacon
Favorite music/bands/styles of the moment: most electronica, stadium djs, dub step, etc... see Coachella and Electric Daisy Music Festival (LA)
General outlook/philosophy on life: Love one another... enjoy what time we have together
Favorite memories from Burns past: meditation in the temple... Bassnectar... and the Teeter Totter of Death
Most looking forward to: meeting up with burning friends again, soul cleansing, fire, wandering, levitation
Intentions for the Burn: combine forces with others to create a better tomorrow, engineer the future
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Name (playa or otherwise): Bandit
Where is home right now?: Renow
Years burned: Trifecta
Favorite drinks: Kool-Aid, OJ, H20
Favorite use/form of bacon: On a Manwich
Favorite music/bands/styles of the moment: Live Electronic
General outlook/philosophy on life: Livin the Journey
Favorite memories from Burns past: Getting Found
Most looking forward to: Meeting peeps, Playa at night
Intentions for the burn: Expanding, Reflecting, Adventure
more Building BRC 2010
August/24/2010 Filed in: black rock city
More phenomenal photos from John Curley on the Burning Blog, documenting the building of our Black Rock City over the past month and the kick-ass DPW folks who bust ass for us. We heart you! Thank you for creating the space for all of us....blood, sweat and beers fo'sho'!!!
more…?
Introducing Camp Get Found : version 2.0.5
August/21/2010 Filed in: Camp Get Found
Name (playa or otherwise): Gabriella, GabriBella, Gloria, Love Angel
Hometown (where is home right now?): ooh, don't get me started... but I do pay rent in Portland so let's just leave it at that!
Years burned: This is my 6th, I think?
Favorite drinks: Water, Coconut Water, Fruit Smoothies, Hot Chocolate (with or without alkyhol), Mochas (same same), and pretty much anything someone is willing to pour into my cup.
Favorite use/form of bacon: In my mouth. I also recently tried bacon chocolate.... mmmmm!
Favorite music/bands/styles of the moment: You mean besides me? Anything that moves me in the moment.
General outlook/philosophy on life: Follow your heart and trust that all is as it should be.
Favorite memories from Burns past: Drunk Kissing Angel Day, riding the Orgasmatron, singing and dancing around a fire til sunrise, building the temple last year, sex in a hammock, becoming a hug angel, being awed by what humans can create.
Most looking forward to: whatever may come!
Intentions for the Burn: Continued lowering of inhibitions, continued sharing of songs, hugs, love, laughter, and joy, being open to whatever (or whoever?) may come!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Name (playa or otherwise): Hekter McElliot, Johnny Buckskin and many more.
Hometown (where is home right now?): Sebastopol, CA
Years burned: 2006,2007,2008,2009
Favorite drinks: Coconut milk, huckleberry mojitos, bloody mary and nectar in it’s many forms.
Favorite use/form of bacon: massage tool
Favorite music/bands/styles of the moment: wimpy, bassy, make ya squirm in your trousers kind of beats.
General outlook/philosophy on life: laughter and not so serious bout’ stuff…
Favorite memories from Burns past: old friends, new friends, flame, heat, cucumber eyeglasses, wig reunion tours, Yovanduh my mental secretary field notes.
Most looking forward to: Enjoying life on many levels, polar bear awareness seminars, clubbing seals, arctic fox foundation funraiser
Intentions for the Burn: Promote longevity through laughter. Many intentions but too small of a keyboard to go on
Hometown (where is home right now?): Sebastopol, CA
Years burned: 2006,2007,2008,2009
Favorite drinks: Coconut milk, huckleberry mojitos, bloody mary and nectar in it’s many forms.
Favorite use/form of bacon: massage tool
Favorite music/bands/styles of the moment: wimpy, bassy, make ya squirm in your trousers kind of beats.
General outlook/philosophy on life: laughter and not so serious bout’ stuff…
Favorite memories from Burns past: old friends, new friends, flame, heat, cucumber eyeglasses, wig reunion tours, Yovanduh my mental secretary field notes.
Most looking forward to: Enjoying life on many levels, polar bear awareness seminars, clubbing seals, arctic fox foundation funraiser
Intentions for the Burn: Promote longevity through laughter. Many intentions but too small of a keyboard to go on
more…?Introducing Camp Get Found : version 2.0.4
August/20/2010 Filed in: Camp Get Found
Name (playa or otherwise): Leah, Heilanilou, PeleKit'N
Where is home right now?: Born: Aberdeen, WA; Ancestrally: Kauai, HI; Currently: Inside Passage, AK
Years burned: 2009, 2010 and intending 2011-2015
Favorite drinks: home-brewed chai, kombucha, madras and Domaine J Lawrens Champagne
Favorite use/form of bacon: Garnish in a bloody Mary
Favorite music/bands/styles of the moment: the kind that opens your heart, elevates your mind or shakes your ass
General outlook/philosophy on life: don't believe me, don't believe yourself, don't believe anyone else.
Favorite memories from Burns past: be here NOW
Most looking forward to: making space, making changes, making art, making beauty, making friends, making bacon... And excessive opportunities for spiritual fire :)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Namesss (playa or otherwise): Orbit, Mary Poppins, Bruce, Cathy aka Will
Hometown (where is home right now?): Portland, Bitches!!
Years burned: 2007 (Green Man), 2008 (American Dream), 2009 (Evolution), 2010 (Metrosexopolis)
Favorite drinks: Water, Twilight ale, Special hot chocolate, whiskey, Tequila,
Favorite use/form of bacon: Sometimes I drink my bacon straight, or on the rocks with a splash of branch water. Other times I like it mixed with some sweet treat; chocolate, cinnamon roll etc. Really, just give me some bacon. Now.
Favorite music/bands/styles of the moment: Ana Sia, Tipper, Heyoka, Bluetech, blah blah blah...
General outlook/philosophy on life: No more snooze button!
Favorite memories from Burns past: Sunrise set with unknown rad DJ giving hug lessons to everyone that passed. Sunrise across the walk in camping area with interpretive dances. Driving out the gate onto open playa on Tuesday. Bunnies are people too. Thespian endeavours with flamboyant decoy ducks. Meeting...
Most looking forward too: Bringing myself to the playa in full regalia and power. Being open to what is in front of and inside of me. Dancing to the hottest DJ ever (A.S.). Pouring people hot chocolate. Eating Bacon with Bruce and Spencer. Hangin out with all of YOU!!!
Intentions for the Burn: Presence, groundedness and centeredness balanced by distraction, airiness and orbiting. Suspended between heaven and earth and embodying all of it. Continuing to refine a new reality for myself on playa sans my old love. Learning to love myself even more. Supporting those that surround me in their own journeys, prodding and nurturing, challenging and supporting. Clarifying my mission....
Introducing Camp Get Found : version 2.0.3
August/18/2010 Filed in: Camp Get Found
Name (playa or otherwise): Suga Cube, Sweet 'n' Low, maybe even Love Bomb
Where is home right now?: When I am not bouncing somewhere else I am with my Diojee in Taos, New Mexico.
Years burned: This will be my second and boy I had a great cherry-popping last year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Favorite drinks: Muppet blood and fairy nectar
Favorite use/form of bacon: Really you want me to choose one way ???????.mmmmmmmmmmmmm crispy bacon!! And yes it makes a fine swizzle stick in a blood muppet mary (we all use the whole muppet you know!!!!!!
Favorite music/bands/styles of the moment: Any kinda music that I can feel in my soul and makes something move!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Whomp to World Beat to Funk to Reggae to Bluegrass to punk to old Franti to the Dead to the soul to the Rock..................
General outlook/philosophy on life: Magic happens- you just have to have the intention and be open to it!!!!!!!!!!! Love bombing is the way to go and if I can give back all I receive I am doing something right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And keep you creativity flowing whatever your art!
Favorite memories from Burns past: Wow once again favorite.............The magic "Team Love" night at the fire stage! The temple burn for sure, The tractor beam!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Most looking forward to: HUGS, LOVE BOMBS, CUDDLE PUDDLES, Get found philosophy, listening, growing, connections new and old, opening up to everything even wider,art, dancing, bouncing, being back home on the playa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Intentions for the burn: To open my heart even wider, to be inspire by art and music, to be expand my family, to bounce even higher and higher!!!!!!!!!!!! And to LOVE BOMB as many as I can!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Name (playa or otherwise): Scotty
Where is home right now?: I grew up in Seattle, spent many years in Steamboat Springs Colorado, and Taos is where my stuff is. I feel home almost wherever I am.
Years burned: 04, 09, 10
Favorite drinks: Water, coffee, beer (IPA, beers from Belgium, whatever someone hands me), coconut milk cacao smoothies and drinks with berries in them.
Favorite use/form of bacon: Turtle burgers
Favorite music/bands/styles of the moment: I’m digging the Destination Burning Man podcasts.
General outlook/philosophy on life: Enjoy life and be happy.Those are the most important thing you can do for the world.
Favorite memories from Burns past: “The Night” and doing energy work my first burn camping with the HeeBeeGeeBee Healers.
Most looking forward to: Playing on King Kong sized playground equipment, playing puppies and kittens, snuggles, kissing girls with bacon breath, singing and playing music, doing yoga and energy work, watching dreams overlap, and seeing YOU!
Intentions for the Burn: As always, I want to strengthen my connection with Spirit and the spirits of all I come into contact with.
Two views on gifting
August/17/2010 Filed in: burner culture
Moze’s Top Ten ART PROJECTS
August/15/2010 Filed in: art & music
From the Burning Blog: Welcome to the BIG CITY and BRIGHT LIGHTS, where it is said “If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere,” and in Black Rock City by “it” I mean ART and by “make it there” I mean live, breathe, eat, sleep, follow your vision, work your ass off, raise your money, maintain cohesion in your group, create your dream and behold it there.
Then take a breath and load your trucks and GET OUT TO THE PLAYA to work another week or more in circumstances only someone as MAD as a Burning Man Artist could appreciate to put the thing up, all for the sake of GIFTING IT and SHARING your VISION with all of our FAIR CITY.
We are all like 40 THOUSAND moths attracted to those ENCHANTING PLAYA LIGHTS, twinkling and glowing all alone in the dark expanse, and the essence of ART is CREATION and CREATION is the ACTION of MAGIC.
So to this year’s ARTISTS, I say THANK YOU for your MAGICAL GIFTS, one and all.
Introducing Camp Get Found : version 2.0.2
August/13/2010 Filed in: Camp Get Found
Name (playa or otherwise): Moontroll, DJ Playaduster, DJ Fundi
Where is home right now?: Samish Island off the coast of the lower Skagit Valley; Bellingham too; all of the mossy westside of the Cascades feels like home.
Years burned: 2004, 2007, 2009
Favorite drinks: Mojitos, PBR & IPA, bourbon, Hekter's Nektarsauce with fresh fuckleberry sauce....
Favorite use/form of bacon: swizzle sticks and nipple lubrication
Favorite music/bands/styles of the moment: I dig a wide range of music, from whomp to world beat, bluegrass to jazz, Grateful Dead to classic funk and soul, and I post musical mixes featuring this kaleidoscope of sounds at podcastcafe.org, destinationburningman.com/stuff/podcasts and soundcloud.com/moontrolling/tracks.
General outlook/philosophy on life: I choose love, value creativity and freedom of expression, and get high off of conscious community. I am also an advanced practitioner of Bass Chakra Therapy.
Favorite memories from Burns past: The Boogie Universal Pyramid Project experience from beginning to end, meditating during sunrises at the various Temples, DISORIENT microbeat dancing in deep playa, Torsten and the Zebracorn, "The Party Formerly Known as the Prince Party" and rolling Purple Palace with my boys, the double-rainbow, discovering Nectar and Glitch and the Crude Awakening madness of '07, Team Love in '09…..
Most looking forward to: taking it to the next level with Get Found, meeting new tribe with ChillVille, grooving to bone-rattling bass beneath the stars, solo explorations during the day, furthering the Playa Portrait Project, Temple of Flux, loving on all the Burners!
Intentions for the burn: Fine-tuning the results of my hard work over the past year; practicing eye contact and deep listening; realizing the Pure Power of Potential; stepping out of my normal comfort zones to see what else is out there; letting go of the old and making room for the new.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Name (playa or otherwise): Carla, Carl, Bun-Bun, Carls, Carlsbad, Hot Carl
Where is home right now?: Currently Seattle, but gypsying it for the next 2-3 months in California after the Burn! Im on a quest to find my new home!
Years burned: this is the 4th
Favorite drinks: Yerba Matte, Iced Americano w/ toffee and cream, top-shelf bourbon, Heffiwiezens, Tripples, Apricot Beers
Favorite use/form of bacon: On a french toast/egg/american cheese sandwhich, or those random times on the Playa when you REALLy need it and it just shows up in your lap. How about a limp-bacon-over-strategic-places photo shoot!
Favorite music/bands/styles of the moment: Ok, I'll break it down...
Drums: dubstep or hiphop
Bass: layered, thick, swampy, nasty, wobbely, whompy,
Melodies: Beautiful, twinkly, harmonic, ethereal, haunting, intellegent
Vocals: Conscious
For more about my musical tastes, I have a soundcloud with some songs Ive made (Im learning how to produce on Ableton) and current favorites of other artists.. www.soundcloud.com/dreamkitty
General outlook/philosophy on life: I am in process of writing a manifesto of sorts, a set of concepts that I feel are important...they are: Meaningful Work, Evolution of Consciousness, Embracing the Present Moment, Entheogenic Revolution, Healing the Gender Gap, Localizing and Community Building, and Sustainability and Permaculture.
Favorite memories from Burns past: Firedancing in conclave my first burn. Having a telepathic conversation with a stranger Sunday morning of my first burn. Watching smoke wizards come out of the burning Waffle in 2006. The first time I saw the Temple of Forgiveness up close. The talent show during the huge dust storm in the moving truck at Boogie Universal.
Most looking forward to:vSunday morning tears of joy. Rocking my new white leather UV led top/chaps outfit!!! FIYAH! Mo upgraded with my new Go-go girl pee funnel.
Intentions for the burn: Shedding old layers with ease. Releasing into my next ManifestinY with confidence and clarity. Strengthening connections with Family old and new..saying goodbye to the Pacific Northfresh and moving forward to where my heart is calling me... Following the flow. RAdiaTing love.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Introducing Camp Get Found : version 2.0.1
August/12/2010 Filed in: Camp Get Found
Name (playa or otherwise): Hannah AKA Tangerine, HB, Banannah-Rama
Where is home right now?: Alaska > Washington > Arkansas> Currently Reno, NV. I haven't quite settled into home yet, but I think it has something to do with LOVE and big trees.
Years burned: 2010 is first official, although I visited 2007 and 2008 via astral travel.
Favorite drinks: Lemonade, Mammoth and Deschutes Brews, Shirley Temples, Juice
Favorite use/form of bacon: a BLT in the BRC
Favorite music/bands/styles of the moment: (hang) drums, whomp, and bluegrass
General outlook/philosophy on life: All we need is love.
Favorite memories from Burns past: Being an onlooker, knowing it was for me, and waiting till the Universe said GO!
Most looking forward to: (specific/concrete things, examples: riding solar-powered art cars, dancing to Ana Sia, Temple soul work, yoga workshops, rubbing bacon on naked men, getting tattoeed, volunteering….): D. All of the above. Everything is new, and I sure do like the whomp.
Intentions for the Burn: Release
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Name (playa or otherwise):Rachel / Raquelisima
Where is home right now?: Olympia, WA
Years burned: 2
Favorite drinks: horchata, barley soda, americano w/ cream, Kern's mango nectar, H20 w/ lemon
Favorite use/form of bacon: Gummy bacon makes for an interesting swizzle stick
Favorite music/bands/styles of the moment: STS9, Shpongle, Tom Waits, Fela Kuti, Whomp, Dub, Beats Antique...etc...now and again a dose of Black Sabbath and Nina Hagen
General outlook/philosophy on life: Welcome the Ebb and Flow. Roll with the punches. Embrace the Mystery. Accept the constancy of Change....and don't forget to LAUGH!!!!!!!!!
Favorite memories from Burns past: Carcass Wash with Ramona Mayhem, impromptu Monkey Cheerleader, Sunday morning Temple adventure, serving bevs at Center Camp Cafe, adopting my Gnome named Pog, beautiful random connections with stangers....
Most looking forward to: Co-creating camp space, Sweating Prayers at RhythmWave, checking out the Mant Farm, a little more day exploring, Temple Burn, give and receive lots and lots and lots of hugs...
Intentions for the Burn: Open Heart, Open Mind
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Name (playa or otherwise): David, no Playa name as of yet
Where is home right now?: Everett, WA
Years burned: Virgin!
Favorite drinks: Water, Blood Orange Juice and Mandarin Absolut, Good Tequila and Orange with Cinnamon, Makers Mark, Any Belgian Beer
Favorite use/form of bacon: Wrapping scallops
Favorite music/bands/styles of the moment: I speak Shpongolese
General outlook/philosophy on life: Peaceful, hard working and inquisitive
Favorite memories from Burns past: My great friends wonderful stories I have been hearing about for so many years
Most looking forward to: I am trying not to get ahead of myself, but Earth Guardian volunteering and Lamp Lighting would seem to give me a great sense of participation with the whole community. I am hoping to be an active MOOP snagger in our camp as well as everywhere else on the Playa. Beyond that, sunrises, random workshops, breath work and DANCING!
Intentions for the Burn: My greatest intentions for this first Burn is to allow myself to loose control and to let expectations go. This may be a direct contradiction to my previous statement, but it’s baby steps at the moment.
Building BRC 2010
August/10/2010 Filed in: black rock city
John Curley is at it again, blogging from the Black Rock Desert on the building of Burning Man 2010. He just filed his first report today:
The first crews were out on the playa by 5:30 in the morning, hoping to avoid the worst of the midday heat. So if you showed up at Bruno’s restaurant for breakfast at 6:30, the normal time to start the day around here, feeling pretty good about yourself because you moved heaven and earth to make it, well, too bad, you were too late. You didn’t get to be one of the first people on the playa this year. Hell, if Porn Star had driven through the night for 10 hours straight to make it on time, what was your excuse?So that’s what’s going on here in the little town of Gerlach, and out on the Black Rock desert. The family is gathering again at the place they like to call home, and they’ve showed up, as they always do, very ready to work.
Raising the Man
July/16/2010 Filed in: black rock city
There's a fantastic post on the Burning Blog from Dan Miller, the man who helped build, raise and burn the Man from 1990-2000. It is historical in nature and shares many interesting stories about the evolution of this ritual:
In 1989, on Baker Beach with the Golden Gate Bridge looming to the east, we had a defining moment — due to the lack of engineering prowess and the shear underestimation of the dynamics of the growth of the Man vs. physics, when raising him, his legs, head and pulling rope snapped. I remember shuddering in horror at the mess amidst the penetrating, salty gales; first, that someone might have been skewered underneath (luckily not) and that there was no hope of repairing our broken Man in this desperate moment. Then it dawned on us that we could burn him right justly in his humiliating pile and slink back to the drawing board for our next year’s invocation.
As serendipity would have it, a couple of intrepid structural engineers stepped up and offered their services — anonymously (things were, cough, cough, guerrilla back then; begging forgiveness from the authorities was doable, permission, yeah, right, a three-storey wienie roast).
Read the rest, including the days of the hay bale pyramid and the solar source of the flame at http://blog.burningman.com/metropol/raising-the-man/
Temple 2010
June/28/2010 Filed in: visions
"BM Temple 2010, 6/24/10" from the Temple of Flux Flickr pool.
A new team of Burners are hard at work constructing the next manifestation of the Temple for Black Rock City -- its called the Temple of Flux and is being constructed in San Francisco this summer. Here's some info on their vision from the Temple 2010 Facebook page:
"Artist and designers Jess Hobbs, Rebecca Anders, and Peter Kimelman collaborate on the building of Burning Man's 2010 Temple.
Drawing its inspiration from canyons carved by wind and water over time, the Temple of Flux rises from the playa floor as a series of graceful double curved walls. Their wide, heavy bases taper as they ascend, leading the eye from a solid urban foundation to an increasingly fragmented upper edge as these long angles reach to the sky.
The tallest of these walls is 40' with a footprint of roughly 140 x 100. The walls stand in an overlapping, linear layout, allowing access from all sides via passages of varying widths. The largest walls, describe a large chamber inside the array, creating space for gathering and celebration.
Our cities as massive structures have evolved over time, rising like mountains and spreading like the deserts. We look to them as places of permanence and wonder, where we inhabit the urban canyons carved by roads of commerce. The city differs little from the geological features in which we once dwelled: a metropolis too changes with time, shifting, growing, crumbling and eroding. The city will someday disappear altogether.
This Temple stands not as a habitable building, echoing churches and mosques from our histories, but as a counter-monument. We reference our impetus to create structure as well as relate to our environment. The Temple of Flux welcomes you to take respite and find strength at its feet. It beckons you to journey its pathways and follow its sensuous lines as they arc into the air."
The Temple team are blogging about the build at http://temple2010.org/wordpress/. They're also -- of course -- raising money for their project, which benefits our entire community -- they've raised over $6,000 towards their $16,000 goal. You too can donate some funds via Kickstarter.com:
Finally, here are some cool video profiles of the team members:
Temple Profiles 2010: Jonny Poynton from Sean Donnelly on Vimeo.
Temple 2010 Artist Profiles: Brittnee Jones from Sean Donnelly on Vimeo.
"Cruising at Burning Man"
June/08/2010 Filed in: black rock city
Yes, there are all sorts of cruising styles going on in Black Rock City, but in this case, we're talking about motorcyclists hitting the scene. A great Burning Man overview article by J. Joshua Placa of motorcycle-usa.com, of all places. We are everywhere!
"Next time you’re droning down the highway wishing some adventure would come your way, take a moment to imagine a place where you can be truly free and uninhibited, a biker’s paradise. Picture somewhere that is all you ever dreamt motorcycle rallies should be, but never were. This isn’t the latest 3D fantasy flick; the event is real, and you can ride there.
The road to Utopia is open but once a year. For a singular week in September, some 50,000 of the faithful make the pilgrimage to a naked playa somewhere in the sun-drenched Nevada desert. The destination is Burning Man, a galactic, raw romp of pure, dazzling, inconceivable fun. If you ride anywhere in your life, ride here.
This is not somewhere over the rainbow. You can find it off Nevada Route 447, near the parched town of Gerlach, 120 miles north of Reno, pretty much right in the middle of absolutely Nowhere. It kind of looks like hell, but it will feel like heaven.
The annual event is an alternative-culture, avant-garde happening that redefines the borders of bohemia. Those frontiers were last seen in the underbelly of cities like New York and San Francisco, circa 1960s. They haven’t vanished, they just moved to the desert. This interactive art-music-weirdness festival is a coronation of passion, creation, destruction and rebirth.
In 2009, Burning Man drew nearly 44,000 freedom seeking souls from around the planet to its bare, fertile bosom. They came by motorcycle, they came by scooter, they came by serpentine waves of RV caravans, cars, SUVs, trucks, bicycles, and vehicles of unknown origin. They come more each year.
"Black Rock City" is temporarily erected on a featureless alkaline clay playa of the Black Rock Desert, complete with streets, signs, radio stations, a daily newsletter, a town square and a volunteer civilian patrol, the Black Rock Rangers. Nothing can live on the salt flats—what better place for a party?
It is a surreal, sensual experience that will enrich you, change you and leave you wondering why the hell this can't happen everyday. The event's crescendo is the spectacular, ritualistic burn of The Man in an out-of-this-world pyrotechnic display that makes the Fourth of July look like a wet firecracker. Thousands defy the dark, dancing under a full moon in frenetic revelry. The Man never dies; it renews itself every year as the centerpiece of this experimental community........more…?
"Next time you’re droning down the highway wishing some adventure would come your way, take a moment to imagine a place where you can be truly free and uninhibited, a biker’s paradise. Picture somewhere that is all you ever dreamt motorcycle rallies should be, but never were. This isn’t the latest 3D fantasy flick; the event is real, and you can ride there.
The road to Utopia is open but once a year. For a singular week in September, some 50,000 of the faithful make the pilgrimage to a naked playa somewhere in the sun-drenched Nevada desert. The destination is Burning Man, a galactic, raw romp of pure, dazzling, inconceivable fun. If you ride anywhere in your life, ride here.
This is not somewhere over the rainbow. You can find it off Nevada Route 447, near the parched town of Gerlach, 120 miles north of Reno, pretty much right in the middle of absolutely Nowhere. It kind of looks like hell, but it will feel like heaven.
The annual event is an alternative-culture, avant-garde happening that redefines the borders of bohemia. Those frontiers were last seen in the underbelly of cities like New York and San Francisco, circa 1960s. They haven’t vanished, they just moved to the desert. This interactive art-music-weirdness festival is a coronation of passion, creation, destruction and rebirth.
In 2009, Burning Man drew nearly 44,000 freedom seeking souls from around the planet to its bare, fertile bosom. They came by motorcycle, they came by scooter, they came by serpentine waves of RV caravans, cars, SUVs, trucks, bicycles, and vehicles of unknown origin. They come more each year.
"Black Rock City" is temporarily erected on a featureless alkaline clay playa of the Black Rock Desert, complete with streets, signs, radio stations, a daily newsletter, a town square and a volunteer civilian patrol, the Black Rock Rangers. Nothing can live on the salt flats—what better place for a party?
It is a surreal, sensual experience that will enrich you, change you and leave you wondering why the hell this can't happen everyday. The event's crescendo is the spectacular, ritualistic burn of The Man in an out-of-this-world pyrotechnic display that makes the Fourth of July look like a wet firecracker. Thousands defy the dark, dancing under a full moon in frenetic revelry. The Man never dies; it renews itself every year as the centerpiece of this experimental community........more…?
Warming up...
April/15/2010 Filed in: black rock city
Pavilion of the Man 2010 - Rendering by Andrew Johnstone - Design by Rod Garrett and Larry Harvey
A sneak peak at some of the mindblowing installations that you can expect to see in Black Rock City 2010: Metropolis -- the art honorariums have been announced.
An interesting post by one of the builders of the 2010 temple for Metropolis, reflecting on how one gets involved with building the temple to begin with. (The crew also has a Facebook page under "temple2010" to track the progress of designing and building this year's temple and a website with some rough sketches and concepts.)
"This structure is not the temple at all. It is only wood turned into walls, an invitation to passersby who stand within them to search for the temple in their own heads. For only there is the temple to be found."
Lastly, an interview from the Public Radio Project with BM founder Larry Harvey on Black Rock City's gift economy.
Breaking news....
January/31/2010 Filed in: getting ready
On most days, visits from the mailman are very uneventful: bills, statements, catalogs, junk, every now and then a good Netflix movie. But yesterday's delivery was an entirely different story --
It's not often that something that reaches you by way of the post is life-changing, but in the case of receiving a ticket to Burning Man, accompanied by a spicy fireball candy, it is not exaggerating to call it that: life-changing. Who knows how the next 210 days will play out, what schemes will emerge, how my tribe will fragment and reconstitute in new and surprising combinations, what virgins might jump on board? Getting my Burning Man ticket in the mail -- my fourth one -- always reminds me of Willy Wonka's golden tickets -- I get to go to Wonkaland! I've just secured admittance to one of the greatest gatherings known to mankind! I just queued up for the most powerful soul-shakedown celebration-ritual that I've ever experienced! Thanks Mr. Postman. You have no idea what that nondescript white envelope really contained: an express ticket on a journey that takes one to both the deepest reaches of outer space and the inner psyche.
As a Burner friend in Seattle commented on seeing the above photo, "And so it begins...."
It's not often that something that reaches you by way of the post is life-changing, but in the case of receiving a ticket to Burning Man, accompanied by a spicy fireball candy, it is not exaggerating to call it that: life-changing. Who knows how the next 210 days will play out, what schemes will emerge, how my tribe will fragment and reconstitute in new and surprising combinations, what virgins might jump on board? Getting my Burning Man ticket in the mail -- my fourth one -- always reminds me of Willy Wonka's golden tickets -- I get to go to Wonkaland! I've just secured admittance to one of the greatest gatherings known to mankind! I just queued up for the most powerful soul-shakedown celebration-ritual that I've ever experienced! Thanks Mr. Postman. You have no idea what that nondescript white envelope really contained: an express ticket on a journey that takes one to both the deepest reaches of outer space and the inner psyche.
As a Burner friend in Seattle commented on seeing the above photo, "And so it begins...."
Notes from the unfolding adventure