| In the News for 2011
Book Review:
The People of Burning Man
By Durgy
Waiting in a whimsically bestickered box upon my return to Bahrain from BRC 2011, was a copy of Julian Cash's The People of Burning Man: Portraits of Revolutionary Spirits. The book presents images of people and things taken in Black Rock City. The book exudes love. Palpably.
Cash, his wife Jackie, the Super Snail team and other co-conspirators capture a slice of the stunning spirit of BRC that keeps attendees returning and the curious aspiring. Each picture says much more than its allotted 1000 words. Thumb through the book and take a magical ride through the eyes of the subjects, through the lens of Cash's camera and down the rabbit hole.
Most of the images were captured in a photo tent against a nine foot white backdrop during the blistering days' heat of the Black Rock Desert. Despite the conditions - at times leading to dehydration and prompting Jackie's motto of "Never prove anything at noon in the desert" - the subjects are alert and expressive. One can see that Cash engaged his models, all participating. The shots may at the same time be breath-taking, baffling, thought-provoking and leave one with a sense of 'wow, that's really cool'.
For those that have been to BRC you will see old friends and familiar faces. Some living, some passed beyond. You see the hope of the next generation for this experiment in radical self-expression and community. No subject is taboo - from tattoos, to tacos, to bi-location to immolation - and everywhere in between that the people of BRC and Cash would care to take us. The imagination of the BRC attendees is brought to life and magnified through Cash's lens.
For those that have yet to attend BRC it shows a glimpse of what you will find when you get there. It is also a challenge to grow and a call for action to find your own voice and 'live all you can'. Sometimes that may entail heartbreak or nosebreak. The book challenges us to paint our own picture of self-expression without limitation - not just in Black Rock City but in our default lives.
The book also stands as a testament to the rallying spirit of the Burning Man community. After being rejected by every publishing house to which it was pitched (with publishers requesting to keep their copies of the book) Cash mounted a Kickstarter campaign for independent funding. Thanks to the generous donations of the extended Burning Man family, this book of dazzling images (speckled with wit and a puzzle or two) came to life.
Conspicuously placed in the inside cover of the book is a 'borrower's card'. As tempting as it would be to hoard this book for the visitors to one's home, the challenge to fill up the borrower's card with the names of people with whom the book is shared is a compelling siren's song. Hopefully people will return it, or at very least pass it on.
To see images from The People of Burning Man and to order your copy go to http://www.thepeopleofburningman.com/
Burning Man Project Kicks Off
By Durgy
In a kick-off ceremony attended by San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and Board of Supervisors President David Chu and simulcast to the world over the Internet, the "Burning Man Project" was announced on August 5. The Project is described as a way to create and explore relationships for art and community. Chu said it will be a forum for 'experimentation' in San Francisco, and not just in magic mushrooms. The non-profit Project seeks to foster ways for the community to come together.
Larry Harvey, one of the Project's founders and a member of the 17 person board of directors, described the opportunity to bring Burning Man culture back from the Black Rock Desert to the rest of the world. A guiding principal was that it would be built by everybody so that it could be shared by everybody.
As part of the initial outreach in partnership with the City of San Francisco, there would be an ongoing effort to put artists into some currently vacant spaces on Market Street in the Tenderloin District. For the longer term, Harvey said the Project seeks "to not just decorate Main Street, but change lives." It would be working with local people where found so that such change could be promoted.
The Project seeks to promote art created by interactive collaboration. There is a call to volunteers (and donations) around the world to bring art to places where it can help build vibrant cities and culture. For the Project to flourish it is looking for larger participation through its website and public events. Unlike Black Rock City, to participate in the Project, Harvey noted that "you don't need no stinkin' ticket."
Board member Chip Conley gave a hopeful, but cautious view of the Project. Conley pointed out that the opportunity is there, but the Black Rock Desert and the Tenderloin are both places without expectation. The hope is that Burning Man can be made real across the world and make it viable year round.
Before and after the ceremonies, there were performances by Christen Lien, Loyd Family Players and the Space Cowboys DJs. The live feed available in Bahrain was picked up over http://www.shoutingfire.org/
Burning Man Project website: www.burningmanproject.org
Editors note: The not-for-profit Burning Man Project is meant to take over the duties of the current for-profit Burning Man organization, officially known as Black Rock City LLC.
Figment of Imagination
By Mitch
"Figment," the organization that puts on Figment will tell you, is what Andy Warhol once said he wanted as his epitaph*. Figment, circa 2011, is a free three-day arts fair on Governor's Island in New York Harbor that gives Burners a bit of vacation from not being in , and non-Burners a taste of, Black Rock City.
While it isn't an official regional event Figment shares the Burning Man ethos of participatory art. Figment brings the art, fun and games in an urban- and family-friendly way. That is until someone loses a retina in a foam-weapons joust and people scramble looking for it in the rain-soaked grass - and then it becomes outstanding.
Governor's Island is mostly covered with gothic brick buildings reminiscent of a New England college campus and yellow-aluminum-sided single-family houses that together give it a military-base-cum-insane-asylum feel. There were hundreds of exhibitions, big and small, some outdoor sculptures, food vendors (there's no water otherwise available on the island). As part of the Coast Guard's departure most of it was turned over to New York State in 2003, and the place can't be used for housing or even casinos. It is open from late May to late September on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays during the day and free to visit. The island hosts other events, but Figment seems like the main draw for Burners and offspring.
Precipitation dampened the event, metaphorically as well as climatically. Governor's Island
is a 10-minute ferry ride from Manhattan, and it is a big place, 172 acres. Die-hard bicyclists could bring their wheels, and there are allegedly rentals, but that's the only form of transportation other than walking and wheelchairs. Like in Black Rock City, none of those modes were fun in the rain at Figment.
Because of the weather on Saturday, the middle day of the June 10-12 event, indoor and covered exhibits were often the most enjoyed. There was a sculpture house that was especially inviting, with its newly refinished floors and crumbling walls giving it a 1980s gallery feel. Artworks included the colorful "Slice of Life," whimsical "Spiral Cuttle Cutter," The building was run by the Sculptors Guild and the displays are available until Sept. 25.
Back in soggy Figment proper, one of the most interesting areas for Burners was the Tree of Heaven. This is one of the regional effigies that will encircle the Man this year www.facebook.com/BManCORE
It's a tree on a map of New York surrounded by sculptures of the city's bridges.
Figment, which is volunteer-run and donation-funded, is spreading its wings. This year it had events in Jackson, Mississippi, Boston (for the second time), and Detroit gets one in August}.
Nearly 20,000 people attended the New York event over three days, according to David Koren, executive producer of the event. There were about 400 art projects of various sizes in many disciplines. The Boston event had about 10,000 participants and 100 projects, he said, while Jackson (with a population one fiftieth of New York) had a respectable showing of 1,237.
*He didn't get his wish, just a standard tombstone".
The Exchanghibition Bank Opens
Branch and Minds
By durgy
exchanghibitionbank.com
AMSTERDAM, June 20, 2011 - The Exchanghibition Bank (exchanghibitionbank.com/) brought its art of turning art into money at its kiosk in the Magna Plaza and the Brakke Grond from June 16-19, 2011. CEO and Founder Dadara along with the Financial Department representatives Messrs. Sommerdijk, Weeber and Sultan were on hand to exchange ideas about money, art and to exchange art for money.
Visitors to the Bank did not really seem to understand at first the mix of physical art and performance art as they spoke with Bank staff. Bank personnel reported a moment you could see an understanding come into eyes of most Bank patrons when you see the penny drop and people understood that this was an art project to which they could contribute. Some chose to rid themselves of dirty currency in exchange for the Bank's Zero, One Million and Infinite Bank Notes. Bank personnel reported receiving mostly euros but also being offered currencies from the UK, USA, the Kingdom of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in exchange for the Notes.
The Exchanghibition Bank's ongoing business model turns art into money, and the money collected into more art. It provides an outlet for the public to have a dialogue about the value of art and money in a way other than the latest published exchange rates or auction prices. The Bank has also been able to partner with local promoters to allow persons who are willing to "spend their art" by using Exchanghibition Notes for admittance to sold out events. It is intended to evolve based on lessons learned, public feedback and collaborative discussion. The project is slated to continue until at least 2012.
The Bank's Infinite Note was unveiled in a ceremony attended by Black Rock City LLC Board Members Larry Harvey and Marian Goodell where Harvey received the first Infinite Note. Read more at:
http://blog.artasmoney.com/exchanghibition-bank/photos-of-last-evening-with-larry-harvey-in-magna-plaza/
Some bank customers reported a sense of cleansing on purchasing the Bank Notes. Others were euphoric millionaires. Bank personnel pointed out that the uniquely numbered Bank Notes have a purity about them and have not been used to purchase weapons or foment ill will. One customer reported that he would try to buy a weapon with the Bank Notes.
Dadara seemed most impressed with someone who chose to tear up a 20 euro note rather than exchange it for the Bank Notes. He was making a point that the value might not be in the paper (though he did pocket the scraps). The bravado that came out for a German television crew covering the Bank did not only affect the customers but also Dadara, who announced that he would be producing alternate Bank Notes in the future.
An unnamed source reported that the Board of Directors of the Exchanghibition Bank met to discuss security, personnel and regulatory compliance issues. The Board also held an emergency late-night meeting to disassemble the Bank kiosk and put it into storage.
The Exchanghibition Bank will be visiting Black Rock City in 2011. Its exact location may be subject to change.
Feeding the Artists
By Lonestoner
www.feedtheartists.net
"Food is the next big art form on the Playa."
Since 2007, the Feed the Artists program has been living up to its name, providing gourmet meals
and relaxing ambiance to the hardworking individuals who arrive in the Black Rock Desert a week or more before the event to create the art that blows our chemically enhanced minds each year.
Click the article title link above for full story.
The Yellow Bikes of Black Rock City
By Durgy
Since 2007, there has been a “Yellow Bike” share program in Black Rock City. These are bikes for all to use, and for none to own. If you follow the rules of the Yellow Bikes there will be plenty to go around, and the program will be a success.
Click the article title link above for full story.
M-PYRE Strikes Back:
Back to Burner Roots
By RedNikki
M-PYRE Strikes Back, on July 17, 2010, is unusual among Burning Man regional events: it had no gate, no required entry fee and was completely open to the public. With more than 500 participants, this was the biggest M-PYRE to date. Its size, surfside location and rate of growth echo the early Baker Beach Burning Man events.
Click the article title link above for full story.
DRAGONS AT A BURN EVENT
By Mehl Renner
Ignus, The Dragon of Mysteria, produced by the Green Man Camp, was the recipient of a creativity grant award at the 2010 Transformus regional burn event in North Carolina. Clad in Mardi-gras colors (mostly green) Ignus came alive for the first time as the main feature in a pre-burn parade. Four individuals were required to operate the dragon that had lights, a mouth opening and closing and CO2 smoke blowing out of its nostrils.
Click the article title link above for full story.
Critical Massive PDF Editions 2009
Number 1
Number 2
Archive of Previous Stories2009 Black Rock Beacon PDF Files
Gate Monday edition 2009
Tuesday 2009
Wednesday 2009
Thursday 2009
Saturday 2009
Exodus 2009
Other 2009 Strories
Gray-B-Gone
Evilution
Evolution at the 4th of Juplya at Frog Pond 2009
Playa Future Past part 1
Playa Future Past part 2
Playa Future Past part 3
Playa Future Past part 4
Altered State to New York State
Burned Out
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