With a red eclipsed moon in the sky, a person set forth to burn the Man early. The fire was extinguished, but the Man was a shadow of his former self, and a decision was made by the Man Krew to once again get to work rebuilding it. I was fortunate enough to participate in the rebuild — it was an amazing team of individuals and honestly one of my best experiences ever in the Black Rock Desert.
The controversy surrounding the early burn was one of the most talked about events on and off the Playa and it appeared across several news outlets. Unfortunately most if the gossip and coverage has surrounded the man responsible, Paul Addis, rather than the efforts of the rebuild team and effects it had on the event as a whole.
Paul Addis’s jaded facsimile of wisdom
Paul Addis has been interviewed a few times already, yet he has yet to present a clear reason for his act. Mostly his interviews just come off as rambling screeds of jaded narcissism. He himself has not been to the event since 1998, and yet he seems fit to rant that “Burning Man doesn’t accomplish anything anymore. What do we get out of Burning Man? Nothing.”
What the hell is the we he’s talking about? My first burn was in 2002. I’ve gone every year since — not for the party, or the man burn, or the BMorg, but because of the creative inspiration, empowerment, and fulfillment I get from the community. By the community, I mean the 5% of people who still make shit happen: the artists, the performers, the cooks, the camp organizers, the pranksters, the city builders, and hell even the fucking rave camps. Over the years, I’ve become friends with several of these people and even participated myself in several ways. As a result, I’ve gotten a whole lot out of Burning Man — or else I would have stopped going long ago.
Frankly, Paul Addis stopped being one of those 5% a long time ago. His jaded empty diatribes don’t relate to me or any of my burner friends whose Playa experiences began after Addis stopped going.
The BMorg Bubble
Addis doesn’t represent me or my friends, but neither does the BMorg. If they really wanted to propel the event on to bigger and better things they’d find out what inspires these legions of new burner artists of the Oughts. Why do these people keep pouring their heart, souls, and money into Burning Man projects in the face of crap themes, annoying bureaucracy, asinine yahoos, and ever encroaching police state atmosphere?
But no all we get is even worse themes such as next year’s American Dream, which has to be the most reprehensible themes yet. Obviously, the new theme doesn’t represent the hordes of international burners, but it also rejects the massive number of Burners who go to the Black Rock Desert to escape from the politics and flags they live under.
I know I’m not alone in this abhorrence. Of course many will just ignore the theme and continue to create beautiful art and community, as they have in years past. However, won’t it be better to find a theme that inspires and supports rather than insults and divides?
What’s gone right in the past several years
Rather than just rant, I thought I’d end this with a few words on the positive things I’ve seen happen from the larger Burning Man event:
- The Floating World: the most visually rich theme idea I’ve ever seen, which made the entire playa feel like a interconnected living entity (we need more themes with good visual hooks like this; leave the intellectual depths to the artists)
- The gods at base of the Man in 2003: The man had a dynamic human connection rather than a static symbolic one creating a constant swarm of community at the base of the man
- The Green Man: yeah the environmental push was half-assed, but it’s a start, and at least the theme didn’t feel like cheap freshman new agey philosophy as several others have
- Burning the Man early: leaving the guy who did it out of this, the community effort and cohesion that resulted from the early burn was fabulous.*
* I know I had more connection to Saturday’s burn than I ever had to any other Man Burn. Burners came by day and night to see how the rebuild was progressing, and for once the Man was just like any other art project on the Playa. It was a tangible entity, with real people behind it rather than a spectacle already in place on Monday.
Personally I think the Man should be built this way every year: sure prefab it ahead of time, but start putting it together on Monday and have it raised Wednesday or Thursday, so that the participants can see the work that goes into it. Sure some Man Krew would rather not work during the Burn like this, but I know I would, and I’m sure I could find several others that would join in.
External Links to the events that transpired:
Laughing Squid: Burning Man Set on Fire Early Due To Arson
Laughing Squid: Paul Addis, The Man Accused of Setting Fire to Burning Man
Wired: A Fiery Q&A With the Prankster Accused of Burning the Man
Valleywag: Interview with the accused Burning Man arsonist
Burning Man 2008 Art Theme: American Dream
10 Comments »
[...] “Who’s My Burning Man Representative?” Colin Fahrion, CatCubed [...]
the conversations being had because of the early burn have been the most passionate and interesting I’ve seen since I became aware of the event (1999) and attended (2001 - 2006). I can’t help but feel, this is a good thing.
thank you for taking the time to share some of the positives.
the inspiration that spawned all the art at floating world in 2002 helped make 2003 my absolute favorite year!
Colin,
Sorry to miss ya on the playa and thanks for your thoughts. I posted my thougts on the matter yesterday:
http://mayhem-chaos.net/blog/archives/001144.html
I’m excited for next year. :)
You make great points about Addis.
As for next year’s theme: I think, given the demographics, that the theme will be the most ironic ever. Think of how many flags are going to burn…
Ugh yes the event will likely see many flag burnings, and Bush burnings, etc. etc.. However, I am one of those burners who go to escape out from the politics and flags I live under.
While I may agree with the sentiment and even occasionally make political art myself, I don’t see Burning Man as a good place for such art. Often I find the worst playa art is the political art. The playa seems to be a better location for art about culture, or ideas, or community, or emotion, or beauty, rather than crass politics.
For instance, Crude Awakening was one of the most awe inspiring pieces on the playa in 2008. However, at least for me, it was the scale, the amazing engineering, and the pyrotechnics that captured me — rather than the political message, which I found shallow and unilluminating.
You write:
“But no all we get is even worse themes such as next year’s American Dream, which has to be the most reprehensible themes yet. Obviously, the new theme doesn’t represent the hordes of international burners,”
I don’t know about that. Does one have to belong to a society in order to have thoughts about it?
Quoting the theme:
“Ask yourself, instead, a more immediate question. What has America achieved that you admire or feel proud of? What has it done or failed to do that makes you feel dismayed?”
This doesn’t read so much as a call to flag waving as it does to an invitation to engage in social criticism. Perhaps you have judged BMOrg too harshly in this case.
Sure the theme is an invite for social criticism of America, but then again so is life and CNN and the presidental campaign. As I’ve already stated I find political art on the playa to be the worst playa art. Don’t get me wrong I like some art with a political message and have even done my fair share of political art. However, the playa is a bad environment for political art. The environment and audience invites contemplation of self and humanity and relationships and philosophy.
I’ve already met a couple people who are really excited about this theme — they are both insipid in the most obnoxiously politically niave way imaginable. Really a playa dominated by political art of that stripe.
In any case, did you see the damned postcard they sent out? If that doesn’t fill you with WTF were they thinking dread then you’ve got a strong stomach.
“In any case, did you see the damned postcard they sent out? ”
No, I didn’t. I can’t really picture myself being on BMORG’s Christmas list anytime soon. :)
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