Burning Man Festival

Image courtesy of: http://thenewsoftoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Burning-Man-2010.jpg

Residents in Costume

Burning Man Exhibit

Before attending the Burning Man Presentation this afternoon, I did some research to gain insight on the subject matter.  The festival began on a small beach in San Francisco, but has evolved to become a city of 43,000+ residents.  Burning Man is an experimental community functioning for one week in the Black Rock Desert.  The experimental community, "challenges its members to express themselves and rely on themselves to a degree that is not normally encountered in one's day-to-day life. There are no rules about how one must behave or express oneself at this event (save the rules that serve to protect the health, safety, and experience of the community at large); rather, it is up to each participant to decide how they will contribute and what they will give to this community. The event takes place on an ancient lakebed, known as the playa. By the time the event is completed and the volunteers leave, sometimes nearly a month after the event has ended, there will be no trace of the city that was, for a short time, the most populous town in the entire county. Art is an unavoidable part of this experience, and in fact, is such a part of the experience that Larry Harvey, founder of the Burning Man project, gives a theme to each year, to encourage a common bond to help tie each individual's contribution together in a meaningful way. Participants are encouraged to find a way to help make the theme come alive, whether it is through a large-scale art installation, a theme camp, gifts brought to be given to other individuals, costumes, or any other medium that one comes up with.  
This "experimental community" seems like it would be a wonderful experience for anyone with an open mind.  


For more information about Burning Man, check out: http://www.burningman.com/whatisburningman/


Examples of public art and spaces seen at Burning Man can be seen below:






4pyre²
by Christopher Schardt, Oakleyville, CA
4pyre² is a 12 ft pipe with propane burners on each end. When the burners fire, the pipe is propelled around on two axes, tracing out the surface of a 12 ft diameter sphere.

(4πr² is the formula for the surface area of a sphere of radius r.)

Aeolian Pyrophonic Hall & Whispering Wall
by Capra J'neva, Portland, OR
The Aeolian Pyrophonic Hall and Whispering Wall conjures the millions of things that are happening within the metropolis at any given time. A sound installation incorporating a wind harp, fire organ, and the voices of the citizens of Black Rock City, the hall envelops citizens in dappled sunlight during the daytime, shadowy effects at night and surrounds them with sounds evocative of the desert and the Burn. Nightly performances of the fire organ with dancers, stilters and musicians will take place after dark. 


The Crossroads
by Iron Monkeys
The Crossroads is a community gathering space. Six blacksmithed, scroll-work columns (a la Iron Monkeys) encircle a 10' stainless steel fountain flowing with both fire and water. Inside the circle of columns a courtyard awaits. Benches and a sculpture gallery invite the participant to look and linger, inspiring a public place to rest and recharge during the journey from place to place. The Crossroads is also a curated sculpture gallery, providing cultural real estate for some of the playa's often overlooked sculptures.