I'm late in coming to Gaiaonline, and so this little ad be late itself. Nonetheless, since I talk nonstop about Burning Man, this is the best place to begin.
The single greatest man-made event of all time. That is how I generally describe Burning Man... to begin with. It is also a five-mile city built in the middle of a completely lifeless desert, on the second largest flat surface in all of North America. This city is known as Black Rock City, and is built in the shape of a circle, using the hours of a clock along with an alphabetic system to label the streets. There is a post office (BRCPO), town hall (Center Camp) and many ghettos (Camps) that intermingle very fluidly. During the day, Black Rock City can only be described as a tale out of the Arabian Nights that would be told in the present day. At night, Black Rock City cannot be described without great difficulty. There is no comparison.
The Man burns near the end of this week long event. That is correct, Black Rock City exists for only one week, and then it is gone... existing only in the memories of those who have experienced it. The very last night, the Temple burns. These two events are set in stone, though what form either may take may very from one year to the next.
People who attend Burning Man and decide to re-attend many times more are known as Burners. People who show up expecting a concert, or some type of show, are there to observe and not to participate. Burning Man is a "participants only" event, and so these observers get called out as Yahoos... and don't often come back. What is there to participate in? Well, the city doesn't build itself, and it certainly doesn't run itself. This is a city built on living art, with the underlying quest to experiment with temporary-living. There is plenty to do, and just asking what you can do will get you all five-miles 'round the Playa.
"The Playa" is, sometimes, used to describe the whole of Burning Man. Sometimes, it is used to describe the empty desert in the center of the city where many of the mutant vehicles and art projects are most active. Esplanada, the most inner Street at Burning Man, is easily the most active area on the Playa, leading outward into Black Rock City starting with Street A to Street H... or more... it grows every year. The streets, themselves, are given names to go with the theme of the year. This year, they are: Anxious, Brave, Chance, Destiny, Eager, Fate, Guess, Hope. I have already made the joke that "Insanity Street" went cleverly unmarked.
Everyone driving into Black Rock City drives that vehicle to one of two places: either where it will remain for the whole of the week until the event is over, or to the DMV. The Department of Mutant Vehicles is where you will see the Pirate Ship that pulled onto the desert beside you going... or the double-long bus with people dancing atop it under a disco ball. If a two-story tall preying mantis drove by, shaped to the form of a tri-cycle with spider webs for a forward wheel, feel safe that it isn't headed towards your camp... yet. Every mutant vehicle has to check in with the DMV to pass a few safety standards before being released into the Wild Wild Playa.
wahmbulance !Welcome to Burning Man! wahmbulance
The best part about this event is easily its magnitude, as I could talk pages about it and ruin absolutely nothing of it. Its size and the life moving through it defy true description. If anyone reading this has not gone to Burning Man and would like to, remember, you also have to survive a week in a desert environment. Burning Man will send you a survival guide when you order your ticket (which is currently $250), and everything in there is important. I've copied the survival guide from 2005 at my Burning Man Blog ( http://staylit.blogspot.com/ ).
For more on Burning Man: http://www.burningman.com/
San Jaya Prime · Fri Aug 11, 2006 @ 10:28pm · 0 Comments |