Comments on: The Man Base: Where Function Meets Artistry

By: hylo

hylo — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 16:47:31 +0000

The Temple of Wisdom was the end of journey of the “Seven Stages of Man” and could be accessed by having your passport stamped at various locations around BRC. Inside the 3:00 entry in the lower part of the pillar was a room where people were invited to leave their stuff and climb one of the two ladders into the room just below the man. Inside on the walls was a painting of the black rock desert minus the city and chaos.

The lighthouse had a similar small room under the man way up inside the base. To gain access one needed a golden coin from the treasure hunt. It was not uncommon late at night for golden treasure hunt coins to come flying back out of the lighthouse so everyone had a chance at entry. Inside the pillar was a series of ladders to the next platform to the top.

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By: Gerald Fleischmann

Gerald Fleischmann — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 19:50:35 +0000

It should be noted that the rotating man of 2006 also “broke” from all the burners’ enthusiasm by mid-week, and it was hands-off after that. The man’s rotation also totally honked up anyone’s guess as to his/her own orientation, where in prior years one could approximate the “o’clock” based on how the man looked from any given vantage point.
The wild adventure through the fun house of 2005 was surely the pinnacle of fun at the man that I ever had. I still feel awe for the team that put it together. 50 or more diverse rooms on two levels, plus an observation deck above it and below the man. So many interactive rooms, delightful rooms, bizarre rooms, and confusing rooms; there were technological, visual, and gustatorial challenges to be overcome or welcomed. For me, that was the “ne plus ultra” of all the structures the man has ever stood on, and will stand in my memory as the greatest concentration of diverse, sensory overload I’ve ever had the ecstatic pleasure of experiencing.

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By: Will Chase

Will Chase — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 03:39:24 +0000

DO go on! Feel free to add your own memories and stories, Lee!

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By: Lee Newberry

Lee Newberry — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 22:47:56 +0000

This is an interesting article and I enjoy the retrospective, but some of the information is a little bogus. These are the the design notes and renderings – the intention of the artist. The reality of these structures varied more or less depending on the building conditions and logistics. it’s worth noting for example that the 2005 man did not “slowly spin”; he spun furiously as participants worked the mechanism with greater enthusiasm and coordination than anyone had predicted! Also unmentioned are the beautiful rooms that comprised the maze within the 2005 base and the bare, echoing chambers that comprised the ground floor of the 2006 base. … I could go on. These pieces told stories. I’m glad for this article to remind me of them, but new folks should know that most of them aren’t told here.

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