Tales From The Playa are dreams and memories of events that took place at Burning Man, as told by its participants.

God knows how we found it, but isn’t that how all these stories start? We were wandering out near the Man on a clear night, the carnival was in full swing, and little loops of music bounced around from all directions. For a few minutes, we stood transfixed as a spinning steel globe cast white sparks of light in a whirling circle, projected on the dust.

Then, as if the Earth beneath us had simply switched one sculpture for another, we stood before a gyrating spire of boldly-colored lightbulbs, seemingly capable of casting any hue, creating the illusion of sending each wave of color up into the sky. People laid on their backs all the way around the base of the spire, their heads touching, their eyes breathing in the vivid display, their dusty boots splayed out around them.

The Earth moved again, and we began to hear some music.

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Three glowing panels were arranged in a triangle around a twisted structure, which pulsed with sound and light and hissed with flammable gases. The beats and bleeps and bloops bumped in time with a sequence on the screens.

Someone danced animatedly at the panel closest to us, fiddling with the touchscreen grid and adding new, subtle elements to the song. Before too long, without me even having to scream “OH MY GOOD GOD, LET ME PLAY WITH IT!”, this Burner stepped aside, and the panel was mine. Read more »

Fountain is a 1917 work by Marcel Duchamp

Last week many of us turned in art proposals in hopes of financial support for our little, or in some cases huge, artistic desert visions. The value and beauty of many of these projects is not only their eventual physical manifestation; the highly collaborative nature of their conception and construction is equally important.

Historically, in the early parts of the twentieth century, collectives and collaborative art production were a feature of Dadaism, Surrealism and Constructivism. This spirit of collective art production was then revived in the 60s by the Fluxus, Conceptual, community-based, and feminist art movements.

‘The greatest legacy of the 1960s is the community based arts’ – Lucy Lippard

Turning to our current world of desert art making, how is this collaborative nature changing the current language/dialogue of art? And how is it doing so using the many web networking tools we have at our disposal? With the importance of the art making moving from ‘appearance’ to ‘conception’ and now to ‘society’  how is Burning Man participating in fundamentally changing values within art?

The Berlin-based KS12 collective is asking some similar questions about the fundamental nature of art in highly networked times in their “The Future of Art” – an immediated autodocumentary.  The film was shot, edited and shown at the Transmediale festival last week and supplemented by realtime photos from Flickr, videos from Vimeo, and questions via Quora. It was open to for anyone to submit to the process of production. The very tools of these highly networked times shaped the film; it was a production-as-process work.

The Future of Art from KS12 on Vimeo.

The questions they were investigating are very relevant to the Burning Man art making process:

What are the defining aesthetics of art in the networked era? How is mass collaboration changing notions of ownership in art? How does micropatronage change the way artists produce and distribute artwork?

These are some of the very questions that one ponders when making work with collaborative groups such as the Flux Foundation and Flaming Lotus Girls. Last year we saw many examples of the importance of networking tools. We saw the power of social networking as it challenged Paypal, and Kickstarter revolutionized the fundraising process for countless creative projects, making the concept of ‘micropatronage’ not only tangible but accessible and essential to successful work.

In what other ways do you see this networked era change and challenge our ideas of art and art making?

It is that time of year again when many individuals and groups are taking concepts and ideas turning them into to Art Proposals. It is a beautiful time for the creative spirit when every wacky concept seems possible to build. That inspired vision you had last year or that long festering idea is being sketched out, budgets are being drawn up, 3D renderings helping to visualize the genius, goofy handmade models painstakingly being hot glued together (tongue depressors, pipe cleaners and all) and all that conceptual blah dee blah is being churned out.

The moments when an idea is being hatched is a magical time in the process of artistic creation.

It is also that time of year when one who has created work for Burning Man in previous years also thinks, if I make another piece, where the hell will I store it? Which artspace, whose back yard, the dump, which kiddie rave or music fest as decoration, some cheap storage facility…..

When it is not burned or destroyed where does it go after the playa? Who’s responsibility is it? Will it ever see the light of day again?

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Calling all artists!

This Could Be You

You’ve asked, and we’ve listened! This year we are hosting our first art grants workshop. Come hear from those involved in the Black Rock Arts Foundation’s and Burning Man’s grant processes about what is needed to create a successful grant proposal. You’ll be given a chance to ask questions about the mandatory grant forms — why we ask certain questions, what information we are looking for, how to get those character specs to work, and more. If you can’t make it to the event, don’t worry! Send in your question by Wednesday, January 12th and it will be answered during the workshop. The workshop will be recorded, and a video posted on the Burning Man website shortly after the event.

This workshop is not open to the general public … only artists who are working on grant applications for Burning Man and BRAF.

After the workshop, please join us for the Art Lounge. This event is a social mixer for artists who created work for Burning Man last year and/or are planning art projects this coming year. Your creative spirit gives so much to Black Rock City and the world, that we want to thank you for your inventiveness and resourcefulness. It is also for Art Department volunteers who assist artists on the playa with a dedication and creative energy all their own. We hope this will be an opportunity to meet one another and spark increased creative cross-pollination and collaboration.

Please  join the Burning Man staff, members of the Art Department and ARTery volunteers, for a little reception for our yearly gathering in appreciation of YOU.

At approximately 7:30pm there will be brief introductions and a short talk about this year’s theme: “Rites of Passage”.

To attend, please RSVP to rsvp-specialevents here: rsvp-specialevents (at) burningman.com.  It’s an intimate space, and we need an exact number to plan for.

Thanks and hope to see you there!!!

NOTE: This is not the place to review specific art grant proposals with Art Staff, though staff will be on hand who can answer basic questions regarding the process.

Remember, the deadline to submit art grant proposals for BRAF is January 15th, and for Burning Man this year it’s February 1st.

Hope to see you there!!

Burning Man and BRAF Art Grant Workshop and Art Lounge
WHEN: Thursday, January 13th
Grant Workshop 5:30 to 7 pm
Art Lounge 7 pm to 9 pm
WHERE:  Mission Rock Cafe  817 Terry Francois Blvd San Francisco, CA (Map) 415.626.5355
You must RSVP if you wish to attend. Email to rsvp-specialevents here: rsvp-specialevents (at) burningman.com

As you are packing up, or starting home, or maybe already home I just wanted to share some photos that made me smile, reminded me why I go to Burning Man and keep me in awe of the art, the fire, the creativity and the community that are Burning Man for me!

The Man and the Fire Conclave

Temple of Flux by Rebecca Anders, Jessica Hobbs, Peter Kimelman and Crew

Kate Raudenbush's Future's Past

EL Wire Costumes

photos:  The Blight   Thanks for more great photos!

The Man Shines Over Metropolis!

Yep, we have already had a double rainbow!

SYZYGRYD

Well, we are having a great time out here! A double rainbow, an amazing man, and a multi-media collaborative, musical fire sculpture, and we have barely left the camp… keep checking back!

photos:  http://theblight.net/  Thanks Mr. Nightshade, the photos are amazing!

Minaret in the Keyhole with people

This morning we woke up to the light patter of rain on our dome. It was a fresh morning on the playa, one that sharpens your mind as you take a walk to check out the progress our ARTISTS are making beneath a cold blue sky speckled with dabs of white clouds.  The weather has been cold And there have been long white outs but our valiant artists have persevered and a huge array of projects are being completed.

We made our way towards the 2 o’clock side of the City and visited with Karen at Infinitarium. The sculptures are in place and they’re building out the fire effects. The Garden is a beautiful layout of plants with the tallest being the Fleur. There are some Willows, the Lovers (Two leaves), Trumpets and some Dandelions. Like I said, the weather has been rough on all the artists this last week, and this morning is was cold, cold, cold. Karen said, “Look at us. Who wears thermals at 10:30 in the morning on the playa? Who’d have thought.” Indeed, and that makes it all the more wonderful to see all the people out here trudging through the long hours to finish their projects.

Bliss Dance

We wiped the dust from our goggles and wandered out to the Keyhole where yes, Brian Tedrick’s Minaret is as beautiful as you hear it is. At night it is illuminated with rings of color and during all hours of the day and night our bold citizens climb up Minaret’s vertebra, then midway they go inside and make their way to the see-through sphere at the top to revel. It is truly a worthy Keyhole piece. Last night we met some folks who say it isn’t finished yet though. Still to be installed are misters in the top steel orb. These misters will release BBQ sauce and flame effects are still to be installed also that will, with the touch of a button at the bottom, instantly incinerate the revelers in the sphere, thereby creating a fine hourly grilling bonanza of our bountiful supply of citizens. They may have been joking but I say it sounds delish!!

We hear there was supposed to be snow on Donner pass today. Crazy.

If you want some beauty, this year make sure to get out to Bliss Dance by Marco Cochrane. She is a sublime form, twisting and flowing and simply divine. Today they were putting on her finishing touches.

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OMG! Isn't she amazing!

Attaching her arm

The light in her eye

 
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