The Culture of Burning Man's topics - tribe.net

The Art of Freedom - 8/28 @ Freedomcommunity

2008-08-19T18:27:46Z

You are invited to "The Art of Freedom," an interdisciplinary arts conference on the playa! The conference will take place on Thursday afternoon (8/28) from 1-5pm @ Freedomcommunity (3:30 & Dart). Please join us for an afternoon of insightful presentations and thoughtful discussions. =)

***

The 2008 Glaukopis Arts Conference
“The Art of Freedom”

DATE: Thursday, August 28, 2008. 1:00-5:00 pm.

LOCATION: Freedomcommunity – 3:30 and Dart (look for a green shade structure).

PANEL ONE: 1:00 – 2:30pm: “Art, Freedom, and Society”

Moderator: David M. Higgins

* Seamus Malone, “Burning Freedom.”
* Roxanne, “Group Selection at Burningman.”
* Bruce Abramson, “Protecting, Rewarding, and Motivating Creativity in the Digital Information Age.”

PANEL TWO: 2:30 – 4:00 pm: “Art, Freedom, and the Individual”

Moderator: Tanya Brown

* Allison Moon, “The Experimental Art of Ego Dissolution”
* Jay Michaelson, “Performative Messianism and Radical Freedom: Antinomianism, Sexuality, and Consciousness.”
* Fred Landers, "Play in Developmental Transformations As A Practice Of Freedom"

KEYNOTE ADDRESS: 4:00 – 5:00 pm:

* Nod Miller, “American Dream – Whose Nightmare?”

Nod Miller is Emeritus Professor of Innovation Studies in the University of East London, UK. She is a social scientist and adult educator with wide-ranging research interests and too many obscure academic publications to count. She has taught in universities across the globe; she has organised cabarets in Thailand, community conferences in Brazil, conflict resolution summits in Western Australia and broadcasting symposia in Manchester, England. She pioneered the use of the temporary community (like Black Rock City) as a teaching methodology in the early 1980s and her doctoral thesis was widely praised as the first kiss'n'tell Ph.D.

CLOSING RECEPTION: 5:00 – 6:00 pm (Wine and juice provided!)

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 0 replies

Playa Radio

2008-08-19T06:59:54Z

Burning Man Information Radio will be on the air sometime on Thursday this week and will be streaming on the internet by Friday. When you're at home packing, tune us in at www.bmir.org and find out about what's happening on the playa before you leave. When you arrive tune us in at 94.5 FM. We'll entertain you while your sitting in line at the gate.

During the week, listen for music, BRC news, event announcements, official weather info, interviews and more. We broadcast 24/7.

Come by any day between 12N and 4P and record a promo for your camps events or your projects. Stop by at 5PM for our daily cocktail party.
Each day we'll be featuring a different group and the cocktail party will be a chance to come and hang out with these folks, find out more about them, and mingle with other BRC citizens.

Here's the cocktail party featured guest schedule :

Monday - Burners With Borders Peru Volunteers
Tuesday - Pete Hamilton and the crew who built Homoborus last year
Wednesday - The Flaming Lotus Girls
Thursday - BRC radio station operators (there are lots of stations on the playa). Here's a web page with all the 2008 stations and their frequencies : http://www.k-svert.com/freqs/
Friday - The Porta Potty guys, meet and heap much deserved adoration on the people who bust their asses to service the porta potties

We make great listening when you're in your camp and making breakfast, escaping the heat of the day or laying in your tent late at night, (or in the wee hours of the morning).

Starting Sunday night tune in for Exodus information, find out if it's a good time to leave and how long you can expect to wait until you reach the highway.

Come by and say hello at anytime, we love visitors and we'd love to have you on the air with us.

Tune in.

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 0 replies

looking for a fantastic space in an RV for burning man?

2008-08-18T02:14:48Z

Hi there!

Are you thinking of going to Burning Man, but don't have a ticket or a place to stay?

Well...we have a fantabulous RV that sleeps 5. We have one to two open slots and one lucky Burning Man ticket! If you already have your ticket to Burning Man, no problem - it's optional.

We are a turn key Burning Man all-inclusive solution. We provide the RV, the ride, the food, the drinks, the all-important air-conditioning. And a great cast of veteran burners. What do you need to provide? A good attitude and a bike would be helpful. A couple of great costumes.

Will we be there early? yes. Will we be staying late? of course.

References available upon request. Accepting applications...starting....now.

Please contact me off list for more details and costs at:

janet
jjbumpas@yahoo.com

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 0 replies

Has Burning Man Tipped?

2008-08-18T00:43:11Z

In March, 2006 ... flush with the laff-a-minute excitment that was Borg2 ... Chicken John asked, "has Burning Man tipped? ... a reference to Malcolm Gladwell's "The Tipping Point"

http://tiny.cc/RQ9RR

It's taken a while, but I think the definitive answer is in:

http://tiny.cc/5XbXM

Anybody who's NOT going want to tell us why?

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 1 reply

Mail now for delivery on the playa

2008-08-17T22:40:56Z

Reminders from the Black Rock City Post Office (BRCPO) at Center Camp

Depending on where you are mailing from it is probably about time to send off your cards, letters, and care packages to loved ones in Black Rock City!

When mailing to Black Rock City please address your playa-bound mail as completely as possible in this format to increase the odds of it being received:

CAMPER'S PLAYA NAME or REAL NAME ...or better, both.
CAMP NAME ...and any helpful descriptions of street facade, tents, or large features that might be at this location to help the postie find the addressee
CAMP ADDRESS ...as close as you can get (example: 9:35 and Hummer) &/or nearest cross-street, and even Man-side or mountain-side (if you know)
C/O BRCPO
Burning Man
Gerlach, NV 89412

...and include a return address, just in case.

Please remember no postage stamps are sold at the BRCPO at Center Camp, so bring postage stamps for mailing postcards (postcards from Burning Man are available as gifts at the BRCPO at Center Camp) and letters. If you bring extras for others then your gift of stamps is always appreciated.

For instructions on sending registered and certified mail to BRC or for information on the 2008 Burning Man postmark, gift postcards, and other topics please visit the Black Rock City Post Office at Center Camp website, www.blackrockcitypostoffice.org

Burn On!

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 0 replies

USE this THREAD - to discuss Ride Shares

2008-08-12T20:24:15Z

USE this THREAD - to discuss Ride Shares

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 1 reply

USE this THREAD - if you have / want Tickets

2008-08-12T19:56:03Z

USE this THREAD - if you have / want Tickets

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 1 reply

USE this THREAD - to discuss Theme Camps and OnPlaya Events

2008-08-12T04:41:48Z

USE this THREAD - to discuss Theme Camps and OnPlaya Events

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 0 replies

Promote your camps events on Burning Man Information Radio 94.5 FM

2008-08-10T16:19:19Z

Is your camp having a fabulous event that Black Rock City should know about? Are you running a great bar, looking for folks to be part of a project on the playa? Promote it on Burningman Information Radio. We broadcast 24/7 on the playa at 94.5 FM. We feature music, news, interviews, madness and more.

You can record a promo mp3 format and email it to me at : Bobzilla@Burnmingman.com
I need to receive it before August 18th

OR

You can bring it by the station on a CD when you arrive in BRC

OR

You can come by the station starting Monday between 12N and 4PM and we'll help you record an announcement.

BMIR is located in Center Camp right next to Playa Info on Center Camp Portal East..

See you in the desert.

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 1 reply

The 10 Principles

2008-08-09T13:09:08Z

Just a couple of questions.

Which principles are personally most important to you?

Are there any that really stand out more than the others?

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 20 replies

The Virtual Campfire: An Ethnography of Online Social Networking

2008-08-08T16:15:59Z

Hello All!

For anyone interested in cyberanthropology, online social networking, and new ways of doing social research in this new phase of media, I welcome you to peruse my "webnography" @ www.thevirtualcampfire.org. The elevator pitch:

Based on five years of participant-observation on the social networking sites MySpace, Facebook, and Tribe.net, The Virtual Campfire explores the increasingly blurred boundaries between human and machine, public and private, voyeurism and exhibitionism, the history of media and our digitized future. Woven throughout are the stories and experiences of those who engage with these sites regularly and ritualistically, the generation of "digital natives" whose tales attest to the often strange and uncomfortable ways online social networking sites have come to be embedded in the everyday lives of American youth.

I am especially interested in what you think of my portrayal of Tribe, and am open to all critiques and suggestions. Drop me a line at tunabananas@gmail.com!

Be well,
Jenny

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 5 replies

NO ART CARS - BM 2008

2008-08-03T15:21:49Z

NO ART CARS - BM 2008...

You won't see Art car similar to these: http://www.artcaragency.com/
because they are not "Mutant Vehicles".

What do you think about that?

No Art Cars at SF Decompression, they were invited, but aren't interested in coming because they aren't going to have a place in BM 2008.

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 29 replies

organizational development of burning man

2008-07-29T21:55:23Z

heh, maybe you dorks will make more of this than the main tribe.

so the most recent adam hubub got me thinking about the organizational development of burning man and i stumbled upon a new book coming out about it and i got so excited i thought it deserved it's own thread!

it's going to be called...

Structuring Creative Chaos: The Organization Behind the Burning Man Event

by katherine chen, who can be found here...

www.wpunj.edu/hmss/sociol...lty/chen.htm

sounds like a super cool lady, are you on here katherine chen? when is it coming out!? it will be the very first full scholarly book about burning man as far as i know.

here's some links to her papers

www.iir.berkeley.edu/culture...chen.pdf

web.mit.edu/iandeseminar...cs_3_3_07.pdf

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 0 replies

Dreaming of Burning

2008-07-29T06:50:02Z

I was dreaming I was back on the desert last night.
*sigh*

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 25 replies

John Law's comment on the Addis Sentencing

2008-07-25T15:06:21Z

# comment by John Law
on Monday, June 30th, 2008 at 4:00 am

"Paul Addis’ early burning of the corporate logo of the Burning Man event last year was the single most pure act of “radical self expression” to occur at this massive hipster tail-gate party in over a decade. The extraordinary publicity that this singular act focused on the event had to be good for, at a bare minimum, 1-2 hundred last minute ticket sales at the highest rate of (correct me if I’m wrong) maybe $280.00 or $300.00 a pop.

That would work out to a bare minimum of $30,000.00. Not to mention the residual benefit over the course of succeeding years that that type of high profile exposure provides for the bottom line of a corporation engaged in the pursuit of long term branding opportunities and ticket sales.

$30,000.00 is the amount of receipts that Will Rodgers, as representative of Black Rock City LLC presented to the Federal Court as total damages incurred by Addis’ action. I’d say that, on the balance, the BMorg benefited financially from Addis’ action as opposed to being financially damaged.

The irony of Will Rogers being the corporate officer (one of six that own the event) that was saddled with the onerous task of administering the wrath of BMorg onto the hapless prankster Addis is deep and cutting indeed to anyone who is familiar with Rogers history and disposition in dealing with his duties as operations manager for the event for over a decade now. Addis is in jail, Rogers is not. It’s a strange world, indeed.

Paul Addis’ prank, when symbolically infused into the collective self image of the BM “community” is as mythic an action and as profound an image (relative to persons who might care) as Stephen Colbert’s roasting of George Bush at the White House Correspondents Dinner some time back. Colbert’s incredibly ballsy action will be lauded for decades to come. He directly challenged and (with humor) berated the most powerful man in the world (sic.) No one in the Bush White House had him arrested or assassinated even though his verbal attacks could be interpreted as extremely insulting even slanderous. Similarly, as long as there is a spark of originality, passion and true creativity in Burning Man, those who adhere to these precepts - precepts that originally fueled the event, these people will discuss and ponder the import of the epic action that Paul’s inner voices compelled him to make. Nonetheless, Paul, unlike Colbert will be serving hard time for making fun of a powerful image.

BMorg faced a profound choice when dealing with the fall out of Addis’ seemingly deranged action. They could have understood and capitalized on the PR value by simply, graciously accepting what happened and then making the best of it. They could have been (or claimed to be) compassionate. It might have looked something like this: send Harley or M2, (not the compromised Rogers) to court with receipts for less than $5000.00 and a request for community service for the offender Addis. He was (and is after all) one of the events children. The Feds would have prosecuted and convicted Addis of a MISDEMEANOR arson charge (under 5K is not a felony.) Paul would have been punished appropriately for his transgression - time served, probably and his friends would have thrown a fund raiser to pay it off; future potential transgressors would have been dissuaded from similar high jinx and all would be well in the kingdom.

As you all know, this is NOT what happened. Pity.

An essentially decent (tho’ undeniably off balance) young man’s life and his potential career have been crushed to pay the debt of anger and retribution of a vengeful corporation. He was made an example of in order to insure that NO ONE would ever challenge or desecrate the empty symbol (Oh….. excuse me, the brand trademark) of a corporation that could have been so much more.

Some have brought up the point that the decision whether or not to prosecute an arson case lies with the DA (or in this case the Federal Prosecutor.) Just to be crystal clear here - this is technically correct. However any prosecutor who does not have the tacit support of the aggrieved party in such a case (vandalism, property damage, etc.) will think very hard before dedicating his/her offices limited resources to a case that very likely will not culminate in a conviction. Make no mistake - Black Rock City LLC knew very well that if they declared their financial loss for the early immolation of their corporate logo to be less than $5000.00, the best conviction the prosecutor could have hoped for would have been a misdemeanor rap culminating in a much more appropriate finale for all parties. Any decent group of people that were part of a “community” would have acted with circumspection and compassion in this case.

Now, I would like to commend Chicken John for his passionate arguments regarding this issue and address some misapprehensions and misinterpretations put forward by various individuals in the responses posted on this blog.

I’ve heard so many people who became involved in BM in it’s later years excoriate Chicken and other “old timers” for sour grapes or living in the past, or simply being stick in the mud types unable or unwilling to allow the newcomers their right to simply enjoy their participation in the event without a lecture about how cool it used to be and how watered down it is now.

I believe that any misunderstanding here is simply one of definition. So, let’s define what Burning Man is and what it was. Also, let’s put the event into the larger context of the “arts” and culture scene of the Bay Area and beyond.

Now, Burning Man (legally speaking, Black Rock City LLC) is a for profit corporation controlled by six people (Marian Goodell, Harley Bierman, Michael Mikel, Larry Harvey, Will Roger Peterson and Crimsom Rose) that generates in excess of 12 million dollars annually for producing a one week event. Much of the labor to produce this event is volunteer or compensated at well below market value for comparable work on comparable events (Oregon County Faire, Coachella, etc.) Burning Man (like Montsanto, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Intel Corp) has embraced “Green” themes to validate it’s corporate mission statement and counter balance it’s corporate “footprint” on the environment as well as to assuage the conscience and expectations of it’s target market (you.)

Burning Man (like Starbucks, Apple Computer and Nike) provides a superior product that generates intense consumer adherence and loyalty.

Burning Man (like The Body Shop, Esprit and Ben & Jerry’s) derives a great deal of it’s consumer adherence from it’s very successful PR campaign equating the corporation and it’s goals with specific ideals. Powerful ideological constructs that connect the consumers with an idealized vision of what the brand can mean as it exerts it’s sway on the larger world is also crucial to the corporations marketing campaign.

People go to the playa. They spend whatever it takes to be prepared for their individualized experience. They proselytize their friends and acquaintances to join them in their odyssey. They return again and again, adhering to the social order and cultural precepts that preconceived notions of the event and group peer conceptualization demand.

If they’re lucky, they are part of a crew primarily driven by the collective desire and motivation to create singular “art” or experience at the event - either underwritten by the BMorg (with not that much more butt kissing than might be expected from the average arts funding council) or self-financed. All in all the, consumer experience is a very good one and more than worth the cost of admission to a majority of the consumers.

So, as you see, you get what you pay for. In my mind, with the current BM set-up, you probably get your moneys worth.

What BM was:

A radically inspired and thoroughly experimental event created and organized by a loose cabal of nearly penniless artists and pranksters. During the early years of the event in the Black Rock Desert anyone could do anything they wished. The cops came and left soon thereafter because the “event” was not interfering with the property rights of powerful interests. In case you didn’t know, the primary job of law enforcement in the USofA is to protect property. That’s much of the reason that I have never had a problem with cops: they’re merely working class guys with a good job. They didn’t fuck with us because we chose to put the event as far away from civilization and commerce as humanly possible. Later as the event grew in commercial stature and the various governmental entities saw it for what it was becoming - a cash cow (BM provides most of the operating budget for the Winnemucca office of the BLM and buys various law enforcement agencies a lotta cool toys - helicopters, RV’ command centers, etc.) It was a trade off that organizations greater and lesser have made as well over the years. Had BM stuck to its original heart and inspiration it would probably have been snuffed out long ago. So it became something that could survive and thrive: a corporation that sells a lifestyle to a target market based on an original theme and spirit that resonates to this day with a tiny portion of the initial essence that drove the bus and forged the myth.

What many newcomers don’t realize is that BM isn’t a “movement” in and of itself; it is merely the most visible and commercial exponent of an actual movement that is much more amorphous and indefinable than a business that sells a lifestyle. BM grew out of a vibrant and completely anarchic underground scene in San Francisco (and other cities across the continent) that has continued to mutate and grow to this day. Artists and pranksters that meet and collaborate through BM move on to form alliances that are of value in order to experiment and create long after their last trip to the Playa. This is the same as it was when I showed up in Frisco at age 17 in 1976 and was immediately sucked into the swirling vortex that was to be my home for the next 32 years. Chicken John and other concerned parties are simply lamenting the fact that an event of such power and purity has inevitably devolved into a commercial endeavor that packages and sells (very nicely and effectively, I must say) a replication of that original spirit of such undeniable value. The heart and soul that birthed BM exists now apart from this commercial entity as they always have. The simple fact that that BM has chosen, essentially to sacrifice one of it’s own members in order to retain some semblance of owning and controlling that singular spirit is a sure bet that the magic is gone, replaced by a commercial simulacrum of that spirit.

Weighing all accounts of the early burn event that Paul enacted and, delving into my own not small experience (professional rigger, former operations manager for BM) as well as my personal knowledge of Paul Addis as a troubled but pure and sincere soul, I have come to the inevitable conclusion that no one was physically threatened by his masterful prank. Consequently, I am forced to conclude that BRCLLC/BM acted egregiously and erroneously by not interceding with the authorities in order to mitigate Paul’s punishment for what was in effect a gift to them and their event. Paul Addis is paying the price for speaking truth to power."

http://laughingsquid.com/paul-addis-pleads-guilty-to-burning-man-2007-arson-charges/

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 10 replies

Are you still looking for a camp to call Home during your 2008 Burn?

2008-07-20T17:22:33Z

If so, please consider camping with Sacred Spaces Camp. This camp will be home to the builders, artists, musicians and shamans who are creating the Pantheogenesis Temple. We welcome anybody who wants to participate in the temple, or anyone else who is interested in a relaxed and beautiful camping experience with good amenities and a spiritual vibe. It's a great chance to meet and network with spiritually-centered artists, healers and musicians from "pods" located all over the US -- Chicago, LA, NYC, SF, Reno, Boston, and beyond. Our farthest pod comes from Quebec!

The camp will be a fossil-fuel free zone, with green power hookups for RVs or a swamp cooler for your tent, a communal kitchen (grills, basic cooking infrastructure, shaded cooking area, washing area, tables, etc provided - bring your own food), several showers with grey water set up (bring your shower bag), shaded chillout spaces for those hot playa days, outdoor mate cafe & performance space, red moon womens' hut, psychomanteum yurt, and a soft comfy tea-and-discussion lounge.

We will most likely be hosting some impromptu music, yoga, and other events in the camp itself, but our primary focus will be the art, performance, workshops, and ritual in the Pantheogenesis Temple, which we are building in the nearby Entheon Village.

Registration is currently $125 (paypal), which includes power hookups but no grey/black water removal for RVs. Register now, before registration goes up to $150 on August 1st. All money from camp registration goes towards funding the art in the temple, a large project we highly encourage all Sacred Spaces Camp members to get involved with, many of whom already are.

Pantheogenesis is a 12,000 square foot temple consisting of seven interconnected spaces, each of which has its own artistic and spiritual theme, and each of which will contain music, lectures, ritual and/or workshops. It contains a multitude of amazing art pieces, over 1000 crystals, and much amazing beauty.The temple is designed to bring the dreams of the world into manifestation. Visit www.pantheogenesis.com for more details.

We are conveniently located in the heart of all the action near Entheon Village and center camp, but set back from the main street for privacy and serenity.

We ask that each person contribute one 3-hour shift towards keeping the place clean throughout the week.

If you are interested in registering with us, please contact Ayla at yogateacher7@gmail.com

Love,
The Sacred Spaces Crew

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 0 replies

I find it funny

2008-07-19T01:55:30Z

I find it funny that Burning Man is basically just like the default world. The folks involved tend to put it on a pedestal… Just like folks involved in sports or politics or stamp collecting. Yet Burners tend to believe they have some kind of hidden wisdom or secret truth… Burners in away or more arrogant than any other faction of modern society… because they tend to believe that if everyone in the world was more like them things would be better. That to me is the funniest thing of all… Basically burners are just campers with glow sticks, costumes and flamethrowers (well if you are authorized by the event organizers to have a flamethrower)

Anyway ... it truly is the American Dream. Take something as simple as camping… make it really big… throw glitter and blinking lights on it, set it on fire and raise the price astronomically… Capitalism at it finest.

I think Capitalism is high art… So I solute the organizers and raise my glass high!

But if you truly believe you are involved in something that is some how elevated above the default world… well then take a look around… the default world is grate and filled with magic… but I guess sometimes we need costumes and glitter to see that.

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 12 replies

Hakim Bey in Arabic

2008-07-17T00:06:30Z

I thought some of you might find this interesting.

The original Burningman was based on Hakim Bey's ideas of a Temporary Autonomous Zone (TAZ). Now, there is a sole guy in Cairo, trying to spread those ideas around Egypt.

Quote:

"Check this little online book art I did earlier, It is based on an excerpt from TAZ by Hakim Bey (Arabic and English translation), "Chaos comes before all principles of order & entropy, it's neither a god nor a maggot, its idiotic desires encompass .... " .

It is ugly and confusing by all definitions of art "market" . It is not an act of poetic terrorism though, I just really wanted to introduce the T.A.Z. ideas to a completely oblivious Audience."

The book is written in the Arabic style of right to left, so click on the left side pages to turn them.

http://thenotperfect.com/boq03/

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 0 replies

Anyone in Reno want to learn to spin poi? Or just feeling nice?

2008-07-10T01:38:10Z

Me and my girlfriend are (for now) getting in to Reno on the 23rd and leaving on the 3rd. I am hoping that we can get on to the Playa early to help set up Entheon, the more I talk to people the less likely it seems. Changing our ticket is almost as expensive as just getting new tickets, and money is at a premium right now (you know, due to the whole 'going to Burning Man from Florida' thing). We really (really, REALLY) want to avoid renting a car, we were planning on taking the biobus on the 25th, but we will still be stuck in Reno for at least a day and a half with no way of getting around, and no where to sleep, both before and after BM. Can anyone recommend a dive hotel? How about a burner who wants to learn to spin poi? Or hoop? Or who wants to discuss the philosophical implications of R.A. Wilsons ramblings? I'm really entertaining, and will spin for couch. I know we can't post personal email addresses here, but if you were to look for me (Mitchell the Fire Shaman) I bet your favorite search engine can find me! Thanks!!

Also, if anyone else is getting in early/staying late and wants to split rides/hotels/all night blackjack just let me know and we'll see what we can do!

Mitchell 'the ever spinny' Fire Shaman
fireshaman dot com

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 0 replies

Vehicles at Black Rock City

2008-07-07T05:51:32Z

Let's face it: Black Rock City is huge, and it grows larger each year. How does one navigate such an expanse? It's daunting. As Burning Man grows and BRC expands to accommodate its population, more people are returning to the mindset that plagues many of us in the Western world—our eternal, infernal attachment to (and sense of entitlement around) driving.

It's not a new issue. The Department of Mutant Vehicles and Black Rock Ranger Intercept was created to address the very real challenges associated with driving during Burning Man; it was seen as the alternative to banning outright the movement of vehicles at the event. The past few years have seen a dramatic increase in the amount of vehicles at Black Rock City, both in the numbers of Mutant Vehicles and in "rogue" drivers (people driving without a Mutant Vehicle license). With a city of tens of thousands people, and the problems inherent in human-car interaction, it is critical that Burning Man return to being a city for pedestrians and bicyclists.

Ensuring the safe operation of Mutant vehicles is a community responsibility, reports of unsafe operation to the Black Rock Rangers and Department of Mutant Vehicles during the event are responded to by the Black Rock Ranger Intercept Team. Both Intercept and the DMV log incident reports for use in considering future applications.

Black Rock Ranger Intercept

The Ranger Intercept team was established in 2004 for patrolling the inner playa with vehicles and bicycles to address issues with unapproved / unlicensed vehicles, golf carts, ATVs, scooters, motorcycles, go carts, and automobiles driving through the city and on the open playa, reckless driving and speeding by both licensed and unlicensed vehicles and vehicle-related injuries

Intercept has two specific tasks. Primarily, Intercept addresses vehicle safety concerns within Black Rock City. Their other key mission is to convey how seriously burning Man takes vehicle safety to the various Law Enforcement Agencies who would otherwise take matters into their own hands. The most important point in understanding about Intercept is that if the Rangers don’t handle it someone else will. The Intercept program is framed in a manner to present itself as a safety plan to Law Enforcement Agencies in a format they can understand. Rangers must have a lot of leeway and discretion to address issues, without being constrained by protocol. Intercept works closely with Khaki, Dirt Rangers, other Ranger departments, and DMV to help keep our community safe.

Intercept removes or escorts vehicles from the playa and the city, either to long-term parking near the Gate or back to their camps. They have at their disposal a fully operational tow truck for moving vehicles to long-term parking. The Intercept team uses rotating amber lights on the vehicles to keep track of each other and to establish a visible presence as a deterrent to speeders or reckless drivers when a visible presence is required. In addition to staff vehicles, the Intercept squad has bike-mobile Rangers. Bikes are used for tracking a vehicle discreetly without increasing a driver's tendency to speed due to the perception that they are being pursued and are an essential tools for tracking vehicles within the city streets. Intercept maintains a deep-playa Outpost Zero and is linked to the Department of Mutant Vehicles (DMV). Rangers can share logged instances of repeat vehicle offenders with DMV, or request information on numbered mutant vehicle
license stickers. If participants are unaware of DMV rules and regulations, Rangers educate them and/or send them back to the DMV or back to camp if the DMV is closed. If vehicles / participants repeatedly violate DMV rules, the vehicle may be sent to Long-Term Parking outside the Gate.

Patrol Black Rock Rangers

It is important to note that the Black Rock Rangers are not law enforcement personnel. However, because Black Rock City stands at the intersection of several legal jurisdictions (represented on the playa by the Pershing County Sheriffs Department, the Washoe County Sheriffs Department, Bureau of Land Management Law enforcement, Nevada State Highway Patrol, and other Nevada state agencies), Black Rock Rangers are at times required to interface with law enforcement personnel when event permit obligations require. In addition to event rules such as the no vending policy, prescribed speed limits, and ban on firearms, Black Rock City is also subject to the same laws that govern public conduct in any Nevada city. Black Rock Rangers work cooperatively with law enforcement groups in dealing with criminal conduct such as theft, assault, domestic violence and child abuse. Every year Black Rock Rangers call on law enforcement to help with a very small number of
evictions or to deal with violent behavior.

Rangers share logged instances of repeat vehicle offenders with DMV, or request information on numbered mutant vehicle license stickers. If participants are unaware of DMV rules and regulations, Rangers educate them and/or send them back to the DMV or back to camp if the DMV is closed. If vehicles / participants repeatedly violate DMV rules, the vehicle may be sent to Long-Term Parking outside the Gate.

All Rangers are empowered to prevent vehicles from endangering pedestrians, bicyclists and campsites and can establish radio contact with the Intercept Team if necessary. Rangers watch for vehicles operating unsafely in Black Rock City and attempt to Ranger the situation. They are encouraged to use their best judgment in determining whether a vehicle is posing a safety hazard. The guidelines for vehicles given to Rangers are:

Vehicles should travel at a safe (around 5 mph or less) speed; dust trails are a good indication of excessive speed

Vehicles should not operate during whiteouts

Vehicles should not operate on the esplanade or pedestrian walkways (except for law enforcement)

Vehicles should not be operated while under the influence

Vehicles must be licensed

Rangers do not chase vehicles. They are instructed to radio other Rangers with the location and trajectory of the vehicle to see if anyone else is ahead of it, or just yell ahead to participants to get them to stop the vehicle. Intercept is available to assist Rangers if needed for vehicles on the inner playa.

The protocol for advising a vehicle operating unsafely is:

Educate - simply advise operators on the guidelines for safe operation and explain that community safety is important

Escort - for repeat offenders or bad excuses, offer to escort a vehicle - to the DMV for a sticker, or back to camp for the night

Eject - repeat offenses or bad violations of guidelines can earn a vehicle a trip to “Long-Term Parking” outside the city gates, where it can safely stay for the rest of the event

VEHICLE Stickers

The Department of Mutant Vehicles (DMV) and the Artery
issue stickers to place on vehicles registered and permitted to operate
on the playa. There are several types of stickers that allow operation in
4 different conditions (the various stickers are on display at Ranger HQ and the DMV for reference):
Day - permitted to operate during daylight hours
Night - permitted to operate during night hours
Open playa only - no operation on the streets of the city
Flame effects - permitted to operate pyro effects!

Artist are permitted to drive to and from art installations with paper licenses that define a limited window for operation.

License Stickers are permits for vehicles, not drivers.

Ranger training establishes the Department of Mutant Vehicles (DMV) as responsible for licensing Mutant Vehicles for driving at Black Rock City, and for communicating with and educating the Mutant Vehicle/Art Car communities, year-round, on issues that affect them.

Vehicles at Black Rock City

>From 1993 through 1996 driving at Burning Man was unrestricted and art cars were a popular form of creative and expressive transportation between far reaching points of the playa. After a participant was severely injured in an auto accident in 1996, the Department of Mutant Vehicles (DMV) was created to address the challenges associated with driving during Burning Man and the growing number of people and problems associated with vehicles being driven in an unsafe manner during the event. The development of a DMV was seen as the only alternative to banning outright the movement of all vehicles and a way to preserve the opportunity for operation of Mutant Vehicles at Burning Man.

Black Rock City (BRC) underwent a transformation as roadways were created and the community discovered that relying on cars to get around had reproduced a too-familiar world of personal convenience. Motorized Vehicles were designed out of Black Rock City transportation, so that a pedestrian and bike culture could emerge.

The Department of Mutant Vehicles was created so that Mutant Vehicles could continue to operate and be (1) approved for entrance into the event (2) inspected (3) licensed and (4) registered for authorized operation as required by the BRC Supplementary Rules and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Special Stipulations. The driving regulations do not reflect a collaboration or mandate imposed by law enforcement organizations. The decision to place a greater emphasis on vehicle operation is in response to the innumerable complaints expressed by participants both during the event as well as input submitted throughout the year around issues of safety. The rules for driving on the playa have not changed. The amount of emphasis being placed on those regulations has. It is about taking responsibility for ourselves when we need to.

Deciding which vehicles get licensed and which ones don't is one of the hardest volunteer responsibilities in the Burning Man community. Not every vehicle that applies for a license can (or should) be licensed. The survival of Burning Man relies in part on its participants embracing the pedestrian and bicycle nature of the event and leaving the car culture in the default world. Yearly the DMV receives over a thousand applications for an invitation to bring a Mutant Vehicle. Approximately 500 are licensed each year, an amount which strikes a balance with the static art displayed on the open playa, safety and pedestrian concerns. Burning Man is actively encouraging people to get away from their reliance on motorized vehicles for transportation and travel by foot or bike. Mutant Vehicles to receive licenses are typically radical creations that are enhanced by motion. They combine visual display and high participation factor for a community contribution that
exceeds the individual benefit of motive transportation. If personal convenience and transportation appear to be the primary goal and motivation, it is unlikely that the applicant’s vehicle will be licensed for operation at Black Rock City.

BLM Special Stipulations

“Operation of motorized vehicles within the event area is prohibited. Exceptions to this prohibition are: mutant vehicles registered with BRC, BRC staff and support, medical, firefighting, motorized skateboards (go-peds) with or without handles, and disabled permitted vehicles. All vehicles shall be operated in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, policies, and stipulations, and in accordance with supplementary rules developed by BRC. In accordance with 43 CFR 8343 requirements, all motorized vehicles will be equipped with adequate front and rear lighting during night hours, and must be operating in a safe manner. Such use shall be restricted to open streets within the City. All Mutant Vehicles and staff vehicles registered with BRC, shall display their authorization so that it is visible to the rear of the vehicle while the vehicle is in motion.”

BRC Supplementary Rules

Pre-registration approval for Mutant Vehicle entrance into the event is MANDATORY. Applicants must comply with all DMV pre-registration guidelines and deadlines. Online Mutant Vehicle pre-registration is required and includes reading and understanding all information about Mutant Vehicles on the playa, filling out the online application and agreeing in advance to honor BRC driving protocols.

Black Rock City Driving Protocols

1) Do not drive a motorized vehicle without a DMV license.

2) Abide by all applicable federal and Nevada state laws for road safety.

3) Stop immediately upon being hailed by any BRC Staff member, Black Rock Ranger, or law enforcement officer.

4) Drive at a speed of 5 mph or less, if kicking up dust, or in hazardous situations such as tight crowds.

5) Mutant Vehicles must come to a complete stop and remain stopped during whiteouts.

6) Give the right of way to pedestrians, bicycles, and emergency services vehicles.

7) Don't drive in pedestrian-designated roads, on walkways, the Esplanade or in Center Camp.

8) Don't drive if you are chemically impaired or under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

9) Mutant Vehicles must create a clear field of vision for the operator and have walkers if the vehicle is large or has a limited field of vision.

10) Have safe procedures for loading and unloading passengers and always come to a complete stop before anyone gets on or off the vehicle.

11) Do not drive erratically (swerving; stopping and starting quickly).

12) Mutant Vehicles are subject to the same sound guidelines as theme camps. Sound systems over 300 watts are only allowed to play music at an unrestricted volume in the large-scale sound areas of Black Rock City. When within the city streets, and camping areas they are to turn down the sound to an appropriate level. They must also be conscience and respectful of art installations on the open playa and stationary entertainment venues by reducing the volume as they approach.

Mutant Vehicle Criteria

Burning Man defines a Mutant Vehicle as a motorized conveyance that represents a visually stimulating, whimsical, beautiful or surreal image, combined with a highly participatory community service enhanced by motion. Mutant Vehicles exhibiting limited performance or community service potential should not represent a dominant visual image of a commercially manufactured base vehicle.

Mutant Vehicle licenses

All licensed Mutant Vehicles will be given either a Day and/or a Night license. Licenses will also be designated for Street or Playa driving, based on the size of the vehicle. Day or Night designation is based on many factors, including what purpose the vehicle serves, lighting and how it is implemented. Mutant Vehicles that incorporate flame effects may also receive a Flame Effects license. Any trailers that are a component of a Mutant Vehicle must be licensed as well. Support vehicles will be reviewed independently.

Street licenses allow Mutant Vehicles to operate on city streets (with the exception of pedestrian-designated streets) and on the open playa.

A Playa license allows a Mutant Vehicle to operate ONLY on the open playa of Black Rock City. Mutant Vehicles with a Playa license may NOT be operated on BRC streets except on their way to the playa from their camp (using the most direct entry).

Day licenses allow Mutant Vehicles to move around Black Rock City during the daytime.

Night licenses allow Mutant Vehicles to move around Black Rock City at night. To receive a night license, Mutant Vehicles and trailers must be fully illuminated and should define the exterior portions, body projections and trailer connecting bars for visual recognition and avoidance.

Mutant Vehicles must fulfill the intent described in the approved Pre-registration application.

Mutant Vehicles should not mimic any type of emergency services or law enforcement vehicle.

Mutant Vehicle trailers are issued licenses separately and must be present during inspection.

Mutant Vehicle licenses shall be applied on a visible lower left-side section of the rear of the vehicle .

Mutant Vehicle Safety

The applicant is solely accountable for all Mutant Vehicle safety cautions and considerations and is legally responsible for all aspects of safety; including but not limited to the Mutant Vehicle's design, engineering, construction, passenger capacity, safety procedures, operation and structural / mechanical integrity. Applicants must provide for and maintain functioning brakes, controllable speed, and adequate lighting.

Mutant Vehicle Criteria Guidelines

A small but visible percentage of Black Rock City’s population participates by becoming part of the Mutant Vehicle community. Mutant Vehicles can be almost as hard to describe as they are to define in a pass or fail check list, so broad interpretations based on liberally defined perimeters allow creations of varying community contributions. The primary considerations based on the BRC Supplementary Rules developed for Mutant Vehicle are that they exhibit one or all features of being highly participatory, visually stimulating, and whimsically beautiful or surreal contribution to Black Rock City. The DMV makes every effort to only license vehicles that offer something exceptional to the community.

Art Cars in contrast to Burning Man Mutant Vehicles have become so common in creation and everyday life that "Obsessive Collection", mosaic style or graphic painted vehicles that still retain the base shape of a commercially manufactured conveyance may not be considered Mutant Vehicles. Art Cars, similar to custom cars or motorcycles have unlimited venues for display due to their ability to drive on public streets.

Does the dominant image project a desire to intrigue or just travel? Consider the limited community contribution of Mutant Vehicles that lack a basic strong conceptual direction towards visual or participatory elements and project a dominant base vehicle as foremost a means of travel and a viewing platform. Many examples of licensed vehicles in past years are no longer considered Mutant Vehicles as the community and DMV raises the bar and our expectations.

Mass Produced novelty vehicles are not Burning Man Mutant Vehicles. Shriner mini cars, motorized bar stools, cooler trikes, and mini motorcycles represent typical mass produced vehicles that are not Burning Man Mutant Vehicles. With so many participants applying for licensing of truly one of a kind Mutants, who wants to see a vehicle not created from the mind of the applicants or one that just copies someone else’s idea to the point of saturation and familiarity.

Exceptional mutant’s command undistracted community interest when operating and their contribution is enhanced by motion and motive power. Consider attributes exceptional Mutant Vehicles. Does it draw a crowd just sitting still and does every eye and person gravitate towards it? Does the creation defy duplication? Successful Mutant Vehicles are likely to convey an image from a distance and be enhanced by motion. Minimal occupant Mutant Vehicles should offer unique images other than a vehicle where the dominant feature and shape is still a golf cart, ATV, motorcycle or other mass produced conveyance.

Custom built vehicles that primarily communicate engineering craftsmanship in details that are appreciated up close and while the creation is not moving, may benefit the community more as a static display.

Mutant Vehicles can overcome base vehicle recognition with a high level of community involvement by combining mechanical craftsmanship, with social interaction and transportation for the entire community’s enjoyment.

The following vehicles are not allowed, under any circumstances, to drive in Black Rock City. Operating these vehicles at Burning Man can result in the vehicle being impounded, fined by law enforcement and/or ejected from the event.

Non-Mutated ATVs, Quad Runners, Go-Carts, dune buggies, Motorcycles, Dirt Bikes, three-wheeled motorcycles of any type or design, or other off-road-type recreational vehicles.

Note: Motorcycles that are a participant's method of transport to Burning Man (and are on their way in to Black Rock City and their camp to park) are the exception.

Vehicles only stripped to the frame and engine or street vehicles with minimal changes or temporary decorations.

Low riders, classic cars, custom motorcycles, monster trucks, and hot rods (there are other venues for these vehicles to be appreciated) Vehicles that have not met the DMV licensing criteria and unlicensed Mutant Vehicles. Wind-Powered Vehicles that Do Not Conform to the Wind-Powered Guidelines. Kite-sailing vehicles, land yachts, and wind-powered vehicles that have a fixed mast and weigh more than 50 pounds are not allowed to operate within Black Rock City.

Flame Effects

If the Mutant Vehicle incorporates flame effects, it will need to go through an additional inspection. These licenses allow Mutant Vehicles that incorporate flame effects to use these effects on the playa.

Scooters

Certain types of motorized scooters, skateboards and go-peds with or without handles are allowed to traverse Black Rock City without needing a license. Small, stand-up (no seat), one-person style scooters, (e.g. Go-Peds) are allowed at Black Rock City, but they are subject to the same rules as any other motorized vehicles – drive 5 MPH and have front and rear lights at night.

DMV volunteer “HOTTIES” and Black Rock Rangers represent community do-ocracy in support of mutant vehicle creators.

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 1 reply

American Dream????

2008-07-06T19:28:14Z

http://www.burningman.com/art_of_burningman/bm08_theme.html

the theme for 2008 is out......American Dream.

Why does this upset me so? I feel like it should be how to rebuild our ideals into something worthy or worth something...

is that what this theme is, and i am just reading it as patriotism????

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 65 replies

The Art of Freedom @ Burning Man

2008-06-21T07:49:31Z

Call for Papers and Presentations:

THE ART OF FREEDOM
An Interdisciplinary Arts Conference

August 28, 2008
Black Rock City, Nevada

How can we recognize, articulate, and navigate the politics of art and freedom? What are the roles of our communities, cultures, and societies in enabling or restricting arts and freedoms? What freedoms are needed to enable artistic expression? What limitations do we struggle against to achieve artistic freedom? How can freedom be experienced as a form of art? Can art create freedom?

THE ART OF FREEDOM is an Interdisciplinary Arts Conference that will take place on August 28, 2008 in Black Rock City, Nevada at Burning Man (www.burningman.com). Scholars and creative thinkers from all levels of education and experience are invited to submit proposals for panel presentations. Conference sessions will typically consist of panels of three 20-minute paper presentations, but we are also open to proposals with creative and unusual presentation formats (feel free to think outside the box!)

Possible presentation topics might include (but are not limited to):

* Inquiries related to Art, Freedom, and the “American Dream.”
* Considerations of Burning Man and its relation to culture, society, law, or politics.
* Discussions of specific Burning Man Art installations or projects.
* Presentations on censorship in relation to artistic freedom.
* Proposals for new directions in activism related to art and freedom.
* Explorations of the relationships between subcultural expression and “mainstream” cultures.

These are just a few sample topics – we are open to considering any presentation that offers an engaged and/or creative approach to the conference theme.

The conference will be hosted by Freedomcommunity at Burning Man, and all participants should be familiar with the unique conditions of the Black Rock City environment. Note that the minimum cost for attending Burning Man is over $200, so participants should already have plans to attend the festival or should be prepared to embrace the festival in its fullness.

For more information, please contact David Higgins, Glaukopis Conference Coordinator: (glaukopisproject@gmail.com).

Abstracts of 250 words should be sent to (glaukopisproject@gmail.com) no later than June 30, 2008.

Notification will be sent regarding accepted proposals in early July.

PLEASE POST THIS CALL FOR PAPERS WIDELY! Thank you! =)

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 5 replies

WATER WOMAN gathering in BC, summer 2008

2008-06-08T23:45:18Z

*************************************
>
> " Much like Burning Man, our collective
> intention is to create a magical journey towards
> consciousness, wholeness and sustainability on
> the planet. We are currently seeking resonant
> artists like yourself to exhibit inspiring
> talents and creative powers.
>
> “Our mission is to inspire, empower and
> entertain by co-creating a sustainable community
> gathering, celebrating Water as Life, Unity
> Consciousness and the Divine Feminine. Water
> Woman integrates healing, learning and growth
> through the Arts, Spirit and Nature."
>
> Water Woman gathering will be held at beautiful
> Crystal Creek on the Sunshine Coast, British
> Columbia, Friday, Aug. 1st to Monday, Aug. 4th,
> 2008, a BC long weekend. This four day event
> will inspire and activate 250-500 attendees,
> with rates varying from daily passes at $35 to
> all-inclusive weekend passes, valued at $133.
> including camping on this pristine paradise.
> Most activities will be scheduled in advance
> comprising daily yoga and meditation,
> ceremonies, rituals, workshops, sweat lodges,
> djs, musicians, dancing, a marketplace, and
> performance & visual arts. Flexibility, flow
> and love are mandates for Water Woman’s
> inception and culmination.
>
> Please join us in sharing your gifts and wisdom
> this summer with our community, local and
> international participants and other passionate
> presenters. We welcome your involvement as part
> of your ongoing commitment to co-creating
> personal and global unity at this time.
>
> in Beauty,
> Water Woman Collective
>
> ************************************************************************************
>check out www.waterwomanevent.com
or our tribe here called water Woman Gathering

> Please feel free to call me at 1-866-ONE-LOVE to
> discuss details

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 0 replies

Saturday on Shouting Fire!!!!

2008-06-07T15:19:52Z

Saturday is a fabtabulous day to check out www.shoutingfire.com

The hardest working crew in radio that brings you Burning Man Information Radio on the playa brings you Shouting Fire, Internet Radio Not Just For Burners, 24/7, all year long. We have fresh, original programming every day of the week and on Saturday we play it all back to back. Yes, Saturday is repeat day, giving you brand new treats for your ears all day long starting at 10AM and running well past midnight. Music, conversation, interviews, and more.

The Saturday lineup, starting at 10A pacific time, goes something like this:

Your Weekend Bobzilla
Reverend Billy & The Stop Shopping Gospel Choir (recorded live in NYC last month)
Wheelie Houdini is also Patti Schmidt (from Canada)
Crickets with Douglas Wolk
Megacosmic Transmissions with J. Kanizzle (from Washington DC)
Funky Stuff with Doctor Booty
The Viking Youth Power Hour (from Chicago)
The Sound of Plaid with Trademark G
The Show That Has No Name
Violent Relaxation with DJ Murky Logic
Lithium Picnic with DJ Grey (from Portland)

This lovely programming will take you well into the wee hours of Sunday morning. So while you're puttering around the house, getting ready to head out, spending the evening in or just getting back after a long hard night of adventure, point your browser to www.ShoutingFire.com

Check it out.

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 0 replies

The Temple needs your art, services, fashion & help...

2008-06-06T05:06:26Z

Sagrada THE fund raiser event is happening next week (June 12th) in San Francisco at the DNA Lounge. I have been busy collecting donations of art, fashion and musical talent to showcase in our silent auction.

However I need your help with a few more key items. I am sure there are soo many who have Amazing offerings to donate and be part of the creation of OUR TEMPLE. Time is of the essence so read on and see what we need and how you can help. Remember your friends and see if they are willing to help too. THANK YOU!!!

Seeking:
***BURNING MAN FASHION: do you create fashion and fun for the Playa?*****
*Fun, furry, light-bright, glowing, costume type gear.

****PLAYA BIKE....some bad ass, killer custom playa bike! Do you weld amazing bikes? Hit me up cuz I am looking for you*****

***BURNING MAN GEAR: Domes/ scooters/ RV's/Pods/Art Cars*****

***FIRE TOYS: where would we be with out fire toys....I need em, cuz the people want em. Poi, Fans, Staff, Hoops, Ropes, even practice kind or LED kind.****

***SERVICES IN THE BAY AREA....do you teach dance, yoga, fire tricks? Are you a healer: massage, acupuncture, doctor? Are you a photographer? Do you have some amazing service you would like to donate to help support the temple?****

*** PLANE RIDE ON THE PLAYA: Are you a pilot? Do you fly your plane on the Playa? Are you interested in donating a ride or two on your plane? *****

***VACATION RENTAL/PACKAGE: Do you have a vacation rental in some fantastic place that you would be willing to donate a week stay at to help support the temple? Do you have a hook up for free airline tickets****

***GIFT CERTIFICATES TO RESTAURANTS & BARS. If you own a restaurant or bar and would like to support the Temple let me know. We need you.****

***Have something to offer I am not thinking of? Let me know.****

FOR PROFESSIONAL/PERFORMING MUSICIANS:
Option one.....

The most grand is to offer a personal show for the highest bidder, this would be a pro-bono event for you in support of the temple. Think a private swanky party. Ideally this will be beneficial to you as a marketing tool for other high end parties, or maybe it will be a super fun intimate family style party, or wedding. If you are interested in this option and have specific terms I am happy to write up the auction how you want. Of course we can have stipulations....like it has to be in the Bay or LA area to eliminate your travel costs, specific windows of time as to not interfere with your booked shows or it has to be a not for profit event. Thank you for considering this offering.

Or maybe this option may be more up your alley......

Do you have the desire to share your skills by teaching or mentoring someone? There are many aspiring musicians who look up to you and would flip for an opportunity to chat it up and get some pointers from you, even just have you listen to their music and get your feedback. This could be a really fun experience for you and them. Maybe lunch and a studio session with you, or an afternoon with you creating a track? On your time and your terms, you just let me know and I will package it up and let the bidding begin. This could be a ton of fun and what a way to personally connect with your fans.

Or the simple way to support.....

How about some signed merchandise? I would love to create a" trunk of funk" music box with signed CD's, t-shirts, stickers, what ever bling you got. It would be excellent to offer your sounds in hard copy to your fans and a great way for them to support the temple and show their love for your music.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for your support to building Our Temple on the Playa. We love you and support you too.

HIT ME UP AT MY E-MAIL:
Narayani.Starbird@Yahoo.com

THANK YOU!!!!!

AND: Come to the event:
The event:
JUNE 12, 2008
DNA Lounge
375 11th St
San Francisco, CA
dnalounge.com

PERFORMANCE
shrine in action (live painting)
bad unkl sista
vau de vire
andrew jones live digital art

MUSIC
edIT (downtempo set with rhodes!)
ill gates
saqi
mozaic
comma
EPROM

AND MUCH MUCH MORE!

7pm-10pm DONOR HAPPY HOURS (includes a lavish cornucopia of edible treats, exclusive performances and presentations, special drinks, conversations with the artists, silent auction, and more!)
$150 per person
two tickets for $225

10pm-4am THE MAIN EVENT
$20 at the door

I look forward to hearing from you,
Narayani
narayani.starbird@yahoo.com

www.basurasagrada.com

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 0 replies

ATTENTION : Remote Burners.......

2008-05-14T22:58:27Z

There is a new service I wanted to recommend.
www.cogtours.com

These guys are located in southern Oregon and have been attending the burn since 1997. They are like sherpas.
If you want to go but don't want to handle the logistics of the 40-50 pounds of stuff you need for everyday you are on the playa ...then call COG Tours. They will pick youi up at the Medford airport and bring you back 2 weeks later for the flight home. Water, Snacks, Camping gear...No Worries. They bring that stuff so you don't have to stress out over it. This year I'll be taking the writing workshop after the burn and the shamanic soul journey one before.

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 8 replies

Default World, Cognitive dissonance

2008-05-09T21:40:56Z

What is it and how do we delineate between the world we like and the default world? I hear it repeated over and over again by people across the BM spectrum. If BRC is not within the default world, where is it?

From Wikipedia:
"Cognitive dissonance is a psychological term describing the uncomfortable tension that may result from having two conflicting thoughts at the same time, or from engaging in behavior that conflicts with one's beliefs, or from experiencing apparently conflicting phenomena.
In simple terms, it can be the filtering of information that conflicts with what you already believe, in an effort to ignore that information and reinforce your beliefs. In detailed terms, it is the perception of incompatibility between two cognitions, where "cognition" is defined as any element of knowledge, including attitude, emotion, belief, or behavior. The theory of cognitive dissonance states that contradicting cognitions serve as a driving force that compels the mind to acquire or invent new thoughts or beliefs, or to modify existing beliefs, so as to reduce the amount of dissonance (conflict) between cognitions. Experiments have attempted to quantify this hypothetical drive. Some of these have examined how beliefs often change to match behavior when beliefs and behavior are in conflict.
Social psychologist Leon Festinger first proposed the theory in 1957 after the publication of his book When Prophecy Fails, observing the counterintuitive belief persistence of members of a UFO doomsday cult and their increased proselytization after the leader's prophecy failed. The failed message of earth's destruction, purportedly sent by aliens to a woman in 1956, became a disconfirmed expectancy that increased dissonance between cognitions, thereby causing most members of the impromptu cult to lessen the dissonance by accepting a new prophecy: that the aliens had instead spared the planet for their sake.[1]"

Wouldn't the ideal be to expand BRC to take over the world so that this awful cognitive dissonance will stop blaring in my head? It seems a bit backwards though, only being able to escape the horrible dissonance once a year and then for only a week. I love BM and everyone that makes it happen, together we can heal ourselves, but how???

sweet and sassy,
Syngerella

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 12 replies

live in the bay area? interactive art event this weekend!

2008-04-22T18:03:56Z

Alchemy is an event intended to bring all types of art forms together and make them accessible and fun to interact with and add your creative mark to - come play and design and craft and art it up with us!

It's at -- CELLspace -- (2050 Bryant, @ 18th St, in the Mission)
This Saturday -- April 26th -- from 9pm-2am.
It's $15 and there will be a full bar available.

The shows and stations that it will include:

- a fashion show "Styles of Magic" by Missing Piece @ 10pm
- a magic show "Phantoccino" by Keith Boudreau, showing 4 times over the night
- an all-local Art Gallery curated by Will Chase Arts, half of which is priced under $100
- Alchemical Afforestation, an interactive steel sculpture by Shira Loa ---> you make the bark of the tree!
- Digicrylic Mash-Up by Dangermarc and Ron Goldin ---> you draw on one side, they on another!
- PyroCardium, a heartbeat-powered candelabra by False Profit Labs ---> try the stethoscope on!
- Web of (de)Construction, a live textile piece by Medium Reality ---> become entangled in this web!
- Identity Tapestry by Mary Corey March ---> see how your line of self lines up with others!
- Flame Tree Building Workshop by False Profit Labs ---> make a fire sculpture!
- Phoenix Aviary, a reactive video installation ---> dance and move, and see the flame-tastic results!
- Writing Photos, an intersection of writing and photography ---> tell us a story that you see in the picture!
- Altered Paintings, reworking thrift-store finds ---> that mountain scene needs an anime monster, don't you think?
- Interactive Lights & Magnets... Photo Booth... Lego Robots... Origami... Knitting and more!

check out www.false-profit.com/alchemy

Hope to see you there!

~stephanie

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 2 replies

how Burning Man ruined my marriage and saved my life

2008-03-19T16:55:17Z

an in DEEP current topic of my own, but I KNOW there are MANY more stories out there on this very concept... please share! I will be back to post more about my own SO COMPLETELY TYPICAL EXPERIENCE soon..... much love, peace, light and bacon to all of you who KNOW WHAT I'M TALKIN' A-BOUT!!!

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 4 replies

GONE... Burning Man Spoof on Spongebob

2008-03-13T15:24:38Z

Yes you read that right. It was National No Spongebob Day! Everyone left Spongebob in Bikini Bottom for 2 weeks by himself while they all went out to the middle of nowhere and built a giant wooden effigy of Spongebob, burnt it to the ground, and danced on the ashes! Sound familiar? I did find it amusing and it made me laugh. Thought I'd let the rest of you know about it.

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 6 replies

Container Storage on the Playa

2008-03-08T19:06:26Z

I need your help to settle a bet.

I think there's a real need and desire for container storage out on the playa. My wife isn't so sure.

Seems to me that there are a lot of folks who go to Burning Man like we do... have a few boxes full of BM gear, clothes, playa bikes and camp infrastructure that make the trek out to the playa, get dusty, get boxed back up (and sometimes cleaned up), and come all the way home, not to be touched again until it's time to go back out. Seems like a waste of resources, time and space to me. Isn't there a way to simplify this process?

Here's the basic idea: we drop a container at your camp, which you fill up with all your dusty Burning Man gear, then we come pick it up for you and store it until next year's burn, when it's waiting for you when you get back on playa. Variations on this theme include container size (one size for camps of 3-4 people, the other those 20' shipping containers for big theme camps), use of containers during the festival as kitchens or shelter, transport of containers from or to your home, perhaps stored for a year or two in between. We could store your bike for you for the year, so all you have to do is pack 4 to a car (plus food) and just show up. Storing art cars is another possibility, although most likely a bit further down the road. You get the idea.

If you already think this is a great idea, you can stop reading and jump to this quick survey (takes four minutes, eight tops if you're ADD like me):

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=14sPO_2f3lEHo1H7TpcTT7_2fQ_3d_3d

To set this up as a business (not profit-centric, keeping to BM principles, but still a business) will require a serious investment of time and money on our part, with no guarantee of participants. If I send out a bunch of emails/posts like this one, and get practically no response, it will seem like a pretty obvious sign. Similarly, if all the interest comes when everyone's packing up on Sunday after the burn, we won't have been able to plan for it. So we need to know: would something like this be of interest to you, and if so, can you take 4-8 minutes to tell me so, and how, and why? Or if there is someone you think might be interested in using a service like this, can you forward this to them and encourage them to respond in the next day or two? The link again:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=14sPO_2f3lEHo1H7TpcTT7_2fQ_3d_3d

We are not soliciting for sales leads or trying to get anybody to commit to anything right now. Obviously, if you want to sign up for more information down the road, we'd be happy to get your email address. All we're trying to do is see if this is an idea worth pursuing, and perhaps more than that, that the people actually interested can get it together to notify us that they would make use of such a service. Think of it more like a psychology experiment than market research.

Feel free to email me directly, too, at massive (at) gamblersruin (dot) com

Help me make my wife a believer

Massive

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 1 reply

Photo/Essay

2008-02-08T16:17:40Z

Here's the link to my photo-essay on Burning Man. (I'm an anthropologist/photographer)
http://burningwoman-leanna.blogspot.com/

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 6 replies

Who would you trust to as a baby sitter?

2008-02-08T01:35:30Z

Who would you trust to as a baby sitter?
Choose one:
Paul Addis
George W Bush
Charles Manson

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 17 replies

American Dream: trying to make sense out of the application to our current models

2008-01-25T01:41:56Z

This will be a bit of a strech but I wanted to post it anyways given our current theme..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHQ7Prwh7Gc

It is a cnn video describing the current legislations pending actions.. it appears that torture is against the Geneva convention and considered a felony. The Current admisintration is passing line item legislation to indemnify itself against prosecution for these crimes. I am trying to figure out a way to incorporate this mode of thinnking and I was wondering if others could help me figure out how this can apply.

So How does this apply to what people are trying to do
.

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 4 replies

Burning Man culture in one word

2008-01-24T17:28:06Z

Using a single descriptive word, what sets the culture of Burning Man apart from the default world?

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 51 replies

Adult Swim takes a shot at defining the culture of BM

2007-12-03T21:58:53Z

http://www.adultswim.com/video/?episodeID=8a25c39215224fdf01152362bf840054

My apologies for sticking this one up as a virgin poster to this string but I feel it does a great job at framing the culture of BM and the religious nature of worshipping the rocking of the giant parkinglot in Nevada for 10 days a year.

See ya in 11 more months

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 1 reply

Burner Cartoon released on Adult Swim..

2007-12-03T21:48:57Z

Lucy-daughter of the Devil..
best toon since jimmy Neutrons Burning duck..
D.J Jesus..( the spanish pronounce)
Gotta get to BM..
The devil and his hench wench try to slow him up by providing all the temptation he can muster in the form of Nevada spend culture..
and ( I find this sooo funny after a 6 year sentancr to help my husband recover from a weding day collission ending in his missing arm and my missing 30s wrapped in a lost marrige licence..we are separated and hes denying our union..DICK!)
So anyway The Devil tosses these minions onto the 447 before DJ _JESUS's art car and he rolls it!!! lol
then..the devil gets talked into goin to the event and they drive in where there is this big SOUND CAMP with a art project granted a huge 400000 lbs of wax hand made candle...
The Devil and Jesus catch playa love and start rave chanting on the drive in..making the hench go mad in the back over packed seat..
inside jokes only a Burner Could understand just slam this maun streme gift..
check it out..
YAY!!

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 2 replies

playa names

2007-12-03T21:48:09Z

I am currently writing an ethnographic paper on the burning man and fire spinning community, it would be incredibly helpful to get some insight into why people create playa and performing names other than their own, and sometimes will only be known by that name within the community? Why is there such a connection with the personally created name and what is it? Any outlook on this would be great. Thank you,
Tara

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 86 replies

Theme Revival Tomorrow: Experts Wanted!!!

2007-12-03T21:45:56Z

Most of us didn’t get to experience the Green Man Pavilion in BRC, so a default-sized version will be erected for SF Decom. I think this is great because irrespective of any event we create in default or the desert, the planet still needs us to help save it!!!

No lurking corporations here, just us burners – and instead of planning formal workshops, we’re going to let the people do the talking. Yes, US!

My little make-believe company Playatech will provide another Open Source Lounge, containing an “Ask the Expert/Be the Expert” booth. We invite anyone with eco-expertise to take over the booth whenever you like, name a topic on the whiteboard, and facilitate interactive discussion to help us share our knowledge and radically creative ideas. The experts on greening the burn and cooling man have signed up to lead discussions on those topics at 3 & 4 PM respectively but all other slots are OPEN.

Please participate, and hold the tomatoes for this experiment – either we’re all on the same side on this one, or our kids will live in hell. We might too – scientists project that in 33 years, 90% of the world’s annual seafood harvest will be gone, sea level rises will force hundreds of millions of people to become refugees, oil will be scarce, and *insert other impending catastrophe here*…

Whatever the American Dream might be, it can’t be THAT! Please bring your expertise to help us all figure out how to create a sustainable global community instead of a global desert. The smiles of children will thank you for generations.

www.Playatech.com – Better Living Through Art

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 1 reply

Want to choose Burning Man art theme?

2007-12-03T21:45:32Z

If Burning Man is truly a participant sponsored, participant created event then why not allow its participants to vote for and choose the event art theme each year? The Burning Man Project can suggest a few theme choices and then burners can vote for their favorite. Give people who attend Burning Man the freedom to create the theme so they are participating and creating the event experience in the most absolute sense.

Please sign a petition. Go to: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/let-us-choose-burning-man-theme

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 7 replies

Dancing the Wild Divine, a Playa Tale

2007-12-03T21:44:13Z

A ninety-foot tall oil derrick bore spiritless witness to nine gigantic steel humans in various poses of prostration and supplication. Crude Awakening, the installation on the edge of the open playa was called, and throughout the week I found myself vaguely annoyed by this piece. Impressed by the scale and ambition, most certainly, but isn’t that theme overwrought? Yes, we worship petroleum. Surely everybody gets that by now. Even the people running generators all day in their RVs understand that.

So there are those who say that Burning Man is hypocritical, wasteful, hedonistic, and false. They are correct, in their own way, but not as correct as those who, when asked what Burning Man is like, simply shake their heads and fall into gazes faraway, as if remembering a lost love, for Burning Man is nothing if it’s not heartbreaking. To witness how beautiful everyone is when they allow themselves to be free, to see how we all want to dance, to love, to be authentic, and then to return to the antithesis of all of this, the workaday world of anxiety, insecurity, guardedness, where people are who they think they should be rather than who they actually are, this is heartbreak.

But of course, the heart can only break open.

There seems sometimes to be an anticipatory sense that something is going to *happen* at Burning Man. Aside from the hundreds of people you meet, aside from the uncanny synchronicities, aside from the hookups, aside from the startlingly original art, aside from the burning of the man, there is an undefined mysterium tremendum that reverberates through the event, as if the event itself is the center of a vortex that has been pulling you toward it for months, a wormhole that threatens to leave you in a whole new world on the very same planet.

At least, this is what happened to me. I first attended Flipside, a regional burn outside of Austin, Texas, over Memorial Day weekend. As it happened, I walked into Whole Foods on the Thursday prior and promptly ran into a friend who was stocking up on provisions on her way out. She asked me if I was going, and in the supreme confidence of unabashed ignorance, I shrugged and said, “naw, that’s not my scene.” You know, hypocritical, wasteful, hedonistic, false, all that. But she told me I should go if I could find some tickets, and this challenge was at least diverting, and I remembered a friend who’d told me months ago that he had a Flipside ticket but didn’t think he was going so I called him and it turned out he was going after all, so sorry man. No worries, didn’t think I really wanted to go in the first place, but then he calls back a few hours later—his girlfriend had just broken up with him—to see if I still wanted a ticket. Sure, I said, not at all sure, but it’s only forty-five minutes outside of town, and I figured I’d just drive over, walk around and check it out for the night. I grabbed two bananas, two apples, two avocadoes, and two gallons of water and headed out. I arrived back home three days later, having been perfectly provided for, and shining like I’d just witnessed a solar eclipse at sunrise.

But this is all just prologue. The summer following Flipside and preceding Burning Man, I found myself taunted by periodic dreams, difficult to describe but having something to do with a pulse at the center of Burning Man, some ominous storm of consciousness that first swiped me off my feet with Flipside and was now drawing me into a rebirth canal before hurling me into points unknown. One dream in particular I remember clearly: Upon arriving at Burning Man, someone pointed at me friendly and demanded, “why are you here?” I awoke to the echoes of my unhesitant reply: “To completely let go of my former relationship.” As I was still recovering from the splinters of a broken eleven and a half year relationship, there was now no obstacle too great to prevent me from making the 3500 mile round trip to Black Rock City. And as fate would have it, I ran into my former partner two days before I left for Burning Man. A poignant sadness passed between us, but she looked good. She looked fantastic.

But on to Burning Man. The portentous soundtrack upon my arrival happened to be Seal’s “Crazy.” "We’re never gonna survive unless we get a little crazy." An auspicious opening to a crazy week spectacular, though it did not really begin until I made my early pilgrimage to the Temple to write my prayer, citing Rumi, "All I ask is that you forever remember me as loving you." After that, my week began in earnest, and I could regale you with tales all night long and my eyes would sparkle and enthusiasm would strain my voice, but let me just tell you about the night of the burn itself. Atop Abraxas the Dragamuffin, a brilliantly-realized work of rolling art in action owing itself to the effort of the Solarians, I had an excellent view of the burning of the man. I wish I could say that it blew my mind, but really it was just a big fireworks and laser show surrounded by the Zippos of the 21st century, thousands of glowing LCD screens as the assembled watched it via the viewfinders of their digital cameras, saving instead of savoring the moment. Fun, yes, but missing was the mystery. Of course, what I did not yet realize was that the burning of the man is not the climax of Burning Man. It is only the blast-off.

It was in the disorderly dispersion after the burning of the man that I began to feel the pulse I had known in my dreams, an emergent rhythm simmering beneath our feet, and we reconvened a couple of hours later at Crude Awakening out on the edge of the open playa to witness the burning of the oil derrick. Again atop Abraxas, I am huddled and cuddled with shipmates reincarnated from a glorious pirate ship, fireworks and lasers, oh my, and then… and then… I don’t know if I gasped or if all the air was sucked out of my lungs by the detonation of the largest controlled propane explosion in the world, a Guinness I guess, 900 gallons of NASA jet fuel and 2000 gallons of liquid propane and oh my god a thousand foot high mushroom cloud churning hellish red and demon black, 2.4 gigawatts of energy, just enough to power the entire Bay Area for one minute (or, come to think of it, two trips back to the future in Doc’s De Lorean…), and the only thing more wow fantastic than this is the firelit faces around me, fireshadows flickering across their wide-open eyes, transfixed in apocalyptic wonder.

And you know, the word apocalypse derives from the Greek word, apokalyptein, which means, “to unveil.” And there was indeed a renting of the veil that night, an opening into a realm where every encounter is authentic, and consequently, deeply meaningful. I had painted the word IMPULSE across my chest in fluorescent white, and as the night wore on I discovered that this was as much invitation as invocation. I was hugged, kissed, licked, squeezed, nibbled, massaged, hit on, and slashed with chocolate, and before long I became the impulse, daring the impulse from whomever chose my presence. During one extended moment, I shared an hour long shoving loving shouting kissing encounter with a woman bursting out of her chrysalis. She showed me how tightly our spirits are crammed into this life, how our bodies are but leotards for our soul, and how our soul just wants to dance, and dance we damn did and nighttime disappeared into blackness all around and there was she and there was me orbiting around one another like Shiva and Shakti growling and grinning across the galaxy, and this is not even the climax.

Finding my way to Opulent Temple, I’m aware of an uncanny sensation of familiarity, of recognizing everything that is happening, a sort of “oh yeah, this is the part where I share an extended shamanic dance on the open playa,” or, “oh yeah, this is when I kiss a pregnant woman’s belly,” or, “oh yeah, this is when I throw it down with a dozen other dancers at Opulent Temple,” as if it all happened in one bright shining moment, a big bang, and life is a vastly reduced awareness of that moment that is right now, and gods and goddesses are dancing the dance their bodies have been dying for, impulses pulsing timeless and tireless and oh yeah this is the part when the dance floor opens around me and surrounds me and eyes are so bright like stars of the night and I am between now and nowever and we are so fucking lucky to be alive.

A dragon breathes fire in the distance and I heed the call of my shipmates and make my way toward the mothership, noting the sky rosy on the horizon and thinking holy cow what a night but it has yet hardly begun. Abuzz with activity, setting the generator a-rumble, bolting into place a platform for spinning, samurai warriors are striding about, preparing for the final assault upon the ego panting upon the periphery, for we have sailed out upon the dead calm of this dry lakebed to do battle only with ourselves, and we won, and we are a float in our own victory parade, and Bassnectar is spinning and people come together to dance the dawn awake and my are we alive today as the sunrise pales next to the light shining out of the eyes of everyone and how are we so beautiful and Seth good brother that he is grabs my shoulder and points to Crude Awakening and do you see how now that the derrick is burned they’re actually worshipping the sunrise?

And I would have wept but my grin would permit me only to dance for I was not yet done and oh yeah this is the part where I’m dancing on the catwalk and a sparkling woman joins me and writhes in close but then something in me closes imperceptibly and I humor her for a couple of minutes before dancing my way away and down the ladder I go and I take three steps and happen to glance back and she’s leaning over the railing and glaring at me in aggressive compassion and where do you think you’re going get back up here and I comply yes I do and regard the dance proper ‘cause you’re not really dancing till you imagine that you are making love and I clearly see how I have been breaking the circuit of sexuality in my life ever since my split and she doesn’t know how she healed me and I don’t know how I healed anyone around me but it happened all the same and the deejay lays down Frou Frou’s “Let Go,” and an exhilaration of epic healing gasps into atmosphere and we dance, and dance, and dance the wild divine.

Epilogue: The next night, during the Temple burn, I watched in somber fascination as it collapsed, sighing satisfied as a wave of cheers swept round and round. Later, I was having a snack with a friend and she asked me if I had let go of what I wanted to let go of and it occurred to me that my former relationship had not crossed my mind all week, not even during the Temple burn. I forgot to let go, I said, realizing that letting go requires no effort, no remembrance, and certainly no action. It requires only release, and acceptance, and that I forgot to let go only demonstrates my success in doing so.

Thank you to all who shared this experience with me. It is surely the morning we will return to upon our death.

Be your biggest,

Impulse, a.k.a. Tony Vigorito
www.tonyvigorito.com

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 7 replies

Paul Addis AGAIN!?!?!!?

2007-12-03T21:43:06Z

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/30/BAGJT2QQB.DTL

The man accused of setting the Burning Man on fire four days early has been arrested for planning to set Grace Cathedral ablaze, San Francisco police said Monday.

Paul David Addis, 35, was arrested on the cathedral steps at 11:40 p.m. Sunday after officers were tipped off that someone intended to set fire to the Episcopal church, police spokesman Sgt. Steve Mannina said.

My favorite part: Addis was wearing an old ammunition belt that carried small explosives

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 22 replies

PHOTOS - SAN FRAN DECOM

2007-12-03T21:42:55Z

http://www.pixievisionproductions.com/gallery/sf_decom100707

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 1 reply

Return of the Dragon, 2007 Burning Man Trip Report

2007-12-03T21:42:25Z

My 2007 Burning Man Trip Report is here:

http://www.peaklightimages.com/dragonreturns

I hope you enjoy it

Like my last report, this one is intended for non-burners but also tries to provide some food for thought for anyone.

I could write countless reports on my Burning Man experience and whole blogs about individuals I shared things with that don't even get mentioned in this report. So much love and sacred sharing.

Peace and love

Karl "Baba"

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 1 reply

Experiences of the Tasseograph

2007-12-03T21:42:11Z

I'm an ethnographer completing my Master's degree in Folklore. I stumbled upon the Tasseograph Trash Tea Temple while at a festival this summer and was compelled to write my thesis on this creation by Shrine and TukTuk. I have my own meanings and experiences associated with the Tasseograph, but I wanted to get a sense of other people's involvement or experiences with the structure.

I am interested to hear any stories, experiences, rituals, or performances at, with, or around the Tasseograph from the community of Burners.

Did you get married there?
Were you part of the crystal singing bowl enclave that kept the temple vibrating throughout the temple burn?
Did you participate in any of the tea ceremonies?
Were you dancing there at dawn?
Did you have profound moments of contemplation?
What meaning does the Tasseograph have to you?

Any kind of experience would be helpful as I try to decipher what the Tasseograph means to the community and the culture of Burning Man.

You can also visit the blog that I set up: tasseograph.blogspot.com

Thanks!!
~sica

Please feel free to repost this to any of your local Burner tribes, or distribute amongst your friends.

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 1 reply

AmeriPrise - American Dreams

2007-09-22T02:11:47Z

http://www.ameriprise.com/amp/global/about-ameriprise/commercials.asp#

Ok, the commercial has been posted. I see a BM parody in the works...

posted in The Culture of Burning Man - 0 replies