For years I'd heard stories of post-apocalyptic desert punks, dancing around fire, driving vehicles right out of Mad Max, burning intricate art works, engaging in every sex act and drug known to man for 7 days in the summer, just outside of Reno, Nevada. This yearly festival was known as Burning Man.
I put off going time and again, until this year.
But Burning Man is a bit different. I was correct, kind of, not entirely. That's what Burning Man had been, years ago; but now, it's different. The festival is created by the attendees, everyone is a participant. And the people who make up attendees have changed.
It seemed to me that the desert punks were replaced by spring break frat boys, the fire had been replaced by LEDs and glow sticks, the art was still pretty good, but the drugs and sex had been run out in the name of 'family fun'. The annual event had grown into a massive business, striving to always bring more people; forgetting the basic wisdom of Ed Abbey: "Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell".
The cartoon South Park ran a three part special involving Burning Man this year, which led to an unprecedented selling of 53,000 tickets (10,000 more than 2010), maxing out the BLM lease agreement for the first time ever. The freaks and weirdos had long since stopped attending the Burn, there was a new crowd now. Half of this years Burners were first timers, with no idea of the culture, rituals and lifestyle that had been associated with the event. They were looking for a party, they were looking for spring break.
The art was, like most art exhibitions, a mix of amazing and horrid. Art Cars, drove around the dried lake bed known as The Playa, playing the newest in electronic music, and decorated in all sorts of ways. The Death Star, numerous unicorns, and a Giant Fire-spewing ocotpus made their way around the camp.
There was enough good art to keep me busy and intrigued. A few fire-shooting statues and some mechanical pieces scattered around the giant campgrounds, each controlled by anyone who wanted to step to the cockpit.
Daily workshops and events were marked in the calendar; they ranged the spectrum of interests, from simple Bloody Mary parties, to teaching men to "Reclaim and Regrow their Foreskin" - for men regretful that their parents had them circumcised.
Theme camps were everywhere. The Period Bar served tomato soup and bloody marys. Cafe's served coffee, bars had beers and hard drinks, there was something for everyone, and all of it, free. BM used to be based around trade, but it became to large. Now it is a gift economy - it is expected that everyone who comes will have something to contribute and give of themselves.
There were good times, fun sights, and a different atmosphere than most people are used to. The event had changed from what I had originally heard about and expected, and while it at times seemed more like a pro football game than a freaky art, music, drug and sex festival, I still had a good time.
I'll have more pictures up soon, originally I had hoped to blog live from the Burn, but the wifi access is spotty and it didn't work out, now i'm stuck trying to remember 9 days of partying and new sights.
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