Burning Man 2008
I’ve attended Burning Man so many times, I’ve lost count. Looking back at my photos, I see I made the pilgrimage to Black Rock City in 97, 98, 99, 00, 01, 03, 04, 07, and 08…making it 9 times.
So, how was it this year? An strange mix of super-cool and super-lame.
The other city of earthly delights.
Good: The Burners
I met all sorts of really groovy people from all over the country and the world. My block, between 7:00 and 7:30 on Impala (or “I”) was full of great neighbors. Young, old, and middle-aged from a very diverse background. Through happenstance, I was situated within a hot spot of gourmands with decked-out camp kitchens. I never ate so much fine food while camping. In particular, Levi and Ted’s elk burgers were out of this world. Kelly and Jen’s rice stir fry was excellent. Alex, Stephanie, and Suzy’s breakfasts, snacks, and mixed drinks were top notch. And then there were the camp hobbies. Croquet, cribbage, cards, glow stick art, frisbee, various forms of (ahem) smoking, body paint, and so on.
Center Camp in the early a.m.
Bad: The Burners
There are always a few yahoos and jerks at Burning Man. With 50,000 attendees, it’s bound to happen. This year, however, I was either more sensitive to their presence or they were represented in slightly greater numbers. Who were these people? The bitchy, the rude, the unfriendly, the unappreciative. The Playa is the wrong place to bring a rotten attitude. Even if you had a suck-ass night, deal with it and appreciate the new day. Most Burners get it and do just that.
The Man knows he’s going to burn to ash - but he stays happy!
Good: Ignoring the Universal Theme
In recent years, Larry Harvey and the Burning Man organizers have attempted to stamp a universal “theme” on the event. In 2008, it was all about the “American Dream.” Luckily, most people just plain ignored it. Yes, there were a few more American flags and a few more anti-capitalist messages posted here and there, but for the most part you couldn’t even guess what the theme was. After all, why should there be a mandated theme at an event that is supposed to be all about self-expression? It should be a tabula rasa - a blank slate. Bring what you will.
The ultimate blank canvas.
Bad: Arts Cars
The art cars were represented in high numbers and with dizzying diversity. Sadly, they are no longer part of the Playa’s unpredictable taxi service. There have always been small art cars that were just big enough to carry the builders. However, the multi-seat units, such as mobile bars, were designed to randomly pick up strangers and ferry them to far flung parts of the city. It was the perfect way to meet people and visit areas you might have missed by foot or bike. In 2008, the multi-seat art cars were seemingly used as private party barges for the lazy. If you weren’t personal friends with the builders, there was no access (hence, the “rude” and the “unfriendly”). At the same time, the friendlier vehicles were so jammed packed, you could rarely gain access.
A glowing fuzzy bus prepares to take off.
Good: Mega-Art
Once again, there were several stunning pieces of mega-art. A full-scale skyscraper shell was erected to the Man’s left. I can’t even imagine how many semi-truck loads it took to get all the material out there. Rumor has it that the price tag approached a million dollars. Being constructed out of huge steel beams, the poor suckers will have to dissemble it. I also appreciated to oversized hummer with 15 foot tires and a plywood body bigger than 4 school buses.
One structure that shall not burn.
Bad: Dead Esplanade
The Esplanade consisted almost wholly of empty raves. There were two or three filled with dancers, but most looked like abandoned ghost towns. What’s the point? There were a few multi-media stations, where old movies were played, but why watch TV on the Playa? (Admittedly, I did enjoy Image Node’s experimental video.) Aside from the Thunderdome, Playa Putt-Putt, the roller rink, the self-serve tightrope camp, God phone, Black Rock ATM, and the audio/video isolation/hallucination cube, there was practically nothing participatory or interactive.
The burning picket fence - perfect for marshmellows.
Good: Mobile Aid
Gifting, thankfully, has faded away. People are no longer handing out cheap trinkets. Nevertheless, the gifting has evolved to mobile aid. This consisted of individuals or small groups that roved the Playa, searching for Burners that looked like they could use a drink, a piece of candy, or a snack. Sometimes their timing was quite good and unexpected. One night, deep in the empty Playa, three mobile aid-ers came across me and offered me electrolyte water and chewing gum. It certainly hit the spot and got my spirits up. Another night, an individual picked me from a crowd and offered a double-shot of Tequila. Very nice (although it didn’t mix so well with the Tecate beer, gin and tonics, and white Russians I had earlier - I told you there was an endless number of bars!). Of course, there was the good, ol’ remote control car delivering guacamole and chips.
Bad: Non-Participation
Burning Man has always heralded participation. Sure, there have always been gawkers and voyeurs who are only there to watch, but those who wanted to participate this year were left a short. The majority of “theme camps” were little more than poorly-decorated open bars. The various art installations were mostly static. There were few places where you could jump in and create art, manufacture crafts, produce music, or provide the physical manpower to make an installation come alive. Yes, there is a Burning Man schedule that listed all sorts of programmed participatory events, such as the “Critical Tits” ride. But, those events were generally short and required that you constantly check your watch and planned for locomotion to the event site. What I missed were the self-service participation camps and installations that were essentially open 12 to 24 hours a day. There were a few, such as Picasso Camp (where you could add your artwork to a constantly evolving mural), giant swing camp, and giant wooden ball-in-maze game camp, but not nearly as many as there were in the past.
Was my little camp site participatory? Yes. I painted Playa mud portraits once again. Visitors had to model for their artwork.
When there’s nothing left to do, climb something dangerous!
Good: Porta-Pottys
Porta-pottys were on every street corner and were absolutely immaculate this year. ‘Nuff said.
Bad: Messed-Up Playa
The fates left the Playa is horrible shape this year. There was a huge amount of dust. It was difficult to ride a bike during the day, and almost impossible at night. The dust also made for a 4-hour white-out on Saturday night, which delayed and hastened the burning of the Man. I feel sorry for all the fire performers, whose practiced routines were summarily cancelled at the last second.
The only Playa-proof vehicle - the 8-legged mechanical spider ATV.
Good: The Temple
For the past several years, a temple has been built behind the Man. This is summarily burned on Sunday night as a gift for those staying a little longer at the event. What’s amazing is that the temple has evolved into a living wake for lost loved ones, a place to cast aside regrets, and a forge to destroy crippling emotions. Thousands of people write notes, poems, and odes on the intricate scrap wood walls and in the process vent, purge, and let go of those things in their lives that are deeply personal. It’s a very sad place. One can’t help but get a little teary reading the exclamations, apologies, and eulogies.
A lost loved one.
Conclusion
Will I make it to 10 years? Maybe not. While watching the Man exploding in all his fiery glory, a little switch in my head clicked over to “done.” Burning Man has been very influential to my life and my art, but nothing is indefinite. In fact, word has it that the event is moving onto private land next year and will thereby become permanent. I fear this will lead to a permanent infrastructure, a larger and larger paid staff, and a streamlining that will produce a Disneyland for naughty adults. What will I did instead? I’m thinking the Maker Faire and Tiki Oasis. I’ll let you know.
Is it really the end?