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Volume 19, Issue #28 | July 27, 2015 
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ROUND-UP OF BURNING MAN WRITINGS:
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GET ME OFF THIS CRAZY RIDE!
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We're getting daaangerously close here, folks. You know how we know? Look at how teenie tiny the scroll button is on this email. Yep, it's practically microscopic. Now's the time in our Burning calendar that stuff come fast and furious down the pipeline, and this year's no different.
How are your preparations going? You getting it done? Making your thingies? Checking things off your lists? Waking up with a jolt in the middle of the night? Yeah, us too. We feel ya. It's comin'.
We've decided to ease off the onslaught of Important Stuff You Need to Know™ delivered via the various JRS Preparation Editions to give you a bit of an inspirational breather today. So we've got photo galleries, videos, books, participation opportunities, and possibly most importantly ...
... the opportunity to support an awesome art project. If you've got a few dollars to spare, consider donating to a Burning Man art project, so these hard-working artists can realize their dreams of gifting their creations to YOU and your fellow citizens of Black Rock City. Because communal effort — that's how we roll.
Oh, and we have kittens explaining the Ten Principles. Let's not forget about the kittens.
The Man burns in 40 days (oh. my. god).
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The Mystical Midway is Coming to Burning Man
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LadyBee writes:
"Imagine a society where collaboration trumps competition, where the rules of the game are to keep on playing, where you win by enhancing the quality of play for others, where there are no lines between creator and participant. Welcome to the Mystical Midway, where everyone is invited to embody their own role and play this scene out!
Created by San Francisco’s own artistic innovator, Baron Scott LevKoff and his amazing community, the Mystical Midway booth will be part of the Midway installations at the base of the Man. The main activity starts 8:00 / 9:00 every night Sunday, August 30 through Thursday, September 3. Each night after that we will be taking the show on the road, circling the Mutant Carnival Wagons at various places on the playa, and bringing the Mystical Midway to life inside the circle.
Join our 6:00 nightly Tea Party at the Mystical Midway camp, 5:15 and Carny. The Tea Parties are the venue for meeting members of all the Families. Come in full costume and share your Magical Gifts with the people you meet! Scott (aka The Professor) and his community have created a Midway Cosplay Guide to help you develop your character and costume.
Scott is featured on Voices of Burning Man, where he is interviewed by Moze.
The project is raising money to create its 'social theater of marvelous possibilities' at an unprecedented scale at Burning Man this year. Help support the Mystical Midway IndeGoGo campaign."
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New for 2015: Tickets for Your Kids!
Nimbus writes:
"Kids and families have been part of Burning Man since 1986 on Baker Beach. For the first time this year we want to actually count the number of kids attending the event.
Kids 12 and under still get in for free (with their parents or legal guardians, of course), but parents, we need your help. If you’re bringing your children, let us know by completing this form, and we’ll email you your print-at-home kids tickets. Your ticket(s) and theirs will be scanned at the Gate and then you’re good to go.
Forgot your kids' ticket? No problem! As a back up, Gate staff will have child tickets available for scanning when you arrive. But your best bet for a speedy entry is to print out and bring the ones we send you in advance."
(Photo by Leori Gill)
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Everyone Can Get Married at Burning Man!
Armadillo writes:
"With the recent Supreme Court decision, now everyone can get legally married at Burning Man! If you need more information and/or would like to be introduced to a volunteer officiant, e-mail Armadillo, the Burning Man Wedding Coordinator, at weddings@burningman.org. But act soon! There are a limited number of volunteer officiants and deadlines to get the paperwork in.
And, remember, there is no commerce at Burning Man so there is no cost to you for anyone that may volunteer to officiate at your ceremony on playa. No one should be charging you a fee for officiating at your ceremony!"
(Photo by Betty Emirzian)
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What’s Actually Going On with Dance Music at Burning Man
News — and supposition — has been flying the last few weeks regarding a number of policy announcements and statements coming out of BMHQ related to DJs and amplified music on playa. Dancetronauts being “banned”, Opulent Temple not being placed, the Deep-Playa Music Zone (DMZ), pre-publishing DJ lineups — it’s dizzying.
And taken together, it could appear that Burning Man has it out for Electronic Dance Music (EDM)!!
Uuuuuh, yeah, no.
We wanted to take a moment to clear up the misconceptions so we’re all on the same page. And so here you go ...
Read about it on Voices of Burning Man.
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Will You Be a Part of This Year’s Temple?
The race to build the Temple of Promise is coming down to the wire, and it needs more funds to bring this ambitious project to life. The Temple is the spiritual core of Black Rock City, and by helping create it, you can touch the heart of everyone there. Please donate now.
The crew has launched a new Kickstarter campaign. This is your chance to support the creation of its grove of willow trees, the main altarpieces which will serve as the Temple's energetic core.
Those who are interested in giving large, tax-deductible gifts to the Temple of Promise can do so on templeofpromise.org.
Together, we can make this gift to our community. Thank you!
If you'd like to volunteer on the project, they'll take all comers, all skill levels! Go to:
651 W. Tower Ave, Alameda
Monday - Friday 12-10pm; Saturday/Sunday 10am-10pm to help!
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How to Stay in Love at Burning Man
Ariel Root Wolpe writes:
"To Burners coming to Black Rock City for the first time in a romantic relationship,
You already know that Burning Man is a harsh environment — it’s hot as hell, there’s little natural life to be found, and a bad dust storm can wipe you out. But perhaps less known is that Burning Man is tough on relationships, in particular the romantic kind."
Read more on Voices of Burning Man
(Photo by Jenny Beatty)
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BRC Fire Department Says: Don’t Be Like These Bozos
Penny Stone writes:
"I was riding through the Black Rock City streets last year when I saw smoke billowing out of the back of a pickup truck. Turns out a participant had wrapped his generator (in the truck bed) with a foam mattress to decrease the noise — and then he put a plastic dog kennel over it to hold everything in place.
I dragged the smoking mess onto the playa and extinguished it. The owner came out of his tent, smiled and said 'I was just trying to make it less noisy.'"
Read more on Voices of Burning Man
(Photo by aip2000)
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Why the Nose? This Man Celebrates Red Nose Day 365 Days a Year
Skipper writes:
"After bumping into countless individuals at a local mall who were so consumed with their digital devices that they didn't bother to look up, Tex Allen was beyond frustrated by the state of disconnection in our world. Even the cashiers who rang up his transactions seemed to have forgotten how to have an authentic, human interaction and it really bummed him out.
On a whim, he decided to put on a clown nose he'd recently been gifted at a friend's wedding before going into a Starbucks for a post-shopping coffee break. He needed something to cheer him up and decided that since no one pays attention to each other anyway, he might as well do something fun."
Read more on Huffington Post
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The Next Generation of Burners Looks Like This
This is probably the cutest Burning Man photo gallery of all time, guaranteed to make your heart grow a little bit. Zippy Lomax writes:
"You might've heard of Burning Man, the annual gathering of tens of thousands in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. It is an event like no other with art installations that leave you awestruck — colorful characters in fanciful attire — and, of course, one very tall effigy of a man set ablaze once a year. Yet, Burning Man is so much more than that — it is a full-spectrum, generationally diverse city including families and children of all ages."
See the gallery on Matador Network
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Dr MegaVolt: From Geek to Superhero
Mistress MegaVolt writes:
"Austin Richards, PhD, aka Dr MegaVolt, is a physicist who has been enchanting friends, colleagues, and the media since 1997 with his high-voltage performances employing Tesla coils while he is enclosed in a metal Faraday suit. The result is a spectacular 'lightning' show.
This independent film chronicles Austin Richards' journey from a precocious and curious young boy who loved to play with electricity, to a graduate student at U.C. Berkeley where he built a giant Tesla coil. The movie highlights Dr MegaVolt's escapades as a legendary and popular performing artist at the Burning Man event in Nevada, as the guest star on many science-minded TV specials, and when he added a female performer, Victoria Charters, to his performance, delighting the audience with 'his and her' high voltage adventures."
Learn more about the film on Dr. MegaVolt's website
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New Book: Art of Burning Man
NKGuy writes:
"Well, it's been 16 years in the making, and now it's almost here!
Published by renowned art publisher Taschen, and featuring a foreword by David Best and a futureword by Marian Goodell, my book on the art of the event is at the printers and will be making its way into the world this summer. A visual celebration, from 1998 through 2014, of the most remarkable art to hit the playa."
Check out the book on the Art of Burning Man website
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Black Rock City Census Volunteer Opportunities
DV8 writes:
"BRC Census is recruiting for volunteers to work a few shifts during the first few days of Burning Man. Our primary need right now is for participants who can attend Random Sampler Training on Monday, 8/31 from 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm, then assist with one or more sampling shifts taking place in the evening on Monday, 8/31, the morning on Tuesday, 9/1, or mid-day on Wednesday, 9/2. Role descriptions for these volunteers (and a few other roles with different schedules) can be found below:
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Random Samplers will be stationed in front of the gate to conduct census interviews as Burners enter the city. Good mobility, punctuality, enthusiasm, and strong communication skills are essential for this role! Random Samplers must attend Random Sampler Training prior to their first sampling shift.
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Fun Interactors will work the lines of cars in front of the Random Samplers, getting them excited to fill out the census. Fun Interactors must be mobile, punctual and enthusiastic and must attend Random Sampler Training prior to their first sampling shift.
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Census Lab Hosts will greet participants and answer questions about our methods, data, history, and ongoing research projects. Census Lab Hosts work two-hour shifts 8/31-9/4 throughout the day, encouraging participants to visit the lab and learn about who we are and what we do.
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We also have openings for Data Entry Wiz shifts, and a few openings to assist before, during, and after our Data Bash social events throughout the week.
If any of these roles sound like fun, please fill out your participation survey in your Burner Profile and be sure to include Census as a team you'd like to work with. Once you’ve been added to the team you’ll receive an email with a link to the shift schedule."
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Donate Books to the Dustiest Library in the World
Heavyweight writes:
"The Black Rock Public Library needs your help making this year's book collection the best one yet. If your spring cleaning has turned up any books or comic books that you think someone would love, put them back into circulation by donating them to BRPL!
Donations are accepted year-round, both on and off the playa. All books will enter permanent circulation with a strict one-year checkout period. For more information, email brplib@gmail.com."
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Come Run with Us at Burning Man: The 50k to the Beer Mile
Cherrybomb writes:
"Lace up those running sneakers, tug on that tutu, and start training NOW! The Burning Man Ultramarathon is just around the corner. Come run the 50k with us Wednesday morning (Sept 2, 5 am). It's the most insane blast you can have on the playa in running sneakers. We run 31 miles of pure fun around the playa, giving awards to the fastest, the slowest, the sexiest, the best-dressed, and the one who spends the most time in the port-a-potty during the race. No one is too slow, too fast, too fabulous. But start training now — get those long runs in so you’re ready for the mileage.
Register for the race online
Can't run that far? No worries! You can come and pace tired runners or volunteer. We need people to pour water in our mouths, help with timing, give out medals, and yell profanities at us when we run.
There are more races throughout the week, too, including the first ever BEER MILE on Monday, a 5K on Thursday, and the Weak Dusty on Friday. Want to learn more? Visit our website or email Cherrybomb.
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BRC Weekly Newspaper Seeks Pre-Playa Submissions
The great Adrian Roberts of old skool Burner lore writes:
"From the creators of the legendary Piss Clear, Black Rock City's much-loved alternative newspaper, comes the BRC Weekly, now in its 6th year of publication, with a circulation of 30,000 on the playa.
Check out previous issues on our website.
We are currently working on our best issue ever, and seeking submissions for articles, features, etc. Basically, we're looking for pretty much anything you'd find in any other city's alternative newsweekly, except that it MUST pertain to Black Rock City. However...
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No poetry!
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No puff pieces about one specific theme camp, art piece, or project. Shameless namedrops are fine, but with so much to see out there, we don't want to devote column inches to any one specific thing.
Deadline for submissions is Sunday, August 16.
If you'd like to submit something, or for more information, hit me back at brcweekly@brcweekly.com"
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Join the Near-Daily Black Rock Beacon Newspaper
Ali Baba writes:
"The Black Rock Beacon newspaper will be back for our ELEVENTH year as the playa’s independent near-daily!
We'll be at 1:15 Inner Circle again, publishing current news, art reviews, lifestyle pieces, and porktoids. We need volunteers to keep up our five editions / week! Links for more info:
We welcome donations of all sizes, and they're tax-deductible in the USA!
To get involved, join 'blackrockbeacon' at Yahoo groups."
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Art Shanty Projects: Call for Artists
Dawn writes:
"Art Shanty Projects is currently seeking artists of all stripes —musicians, composers, media artists, architects, poets, scientists, dancer/choreographers, writers, builders, fisher-people, outdoors-people, naturalists, puppeteers, set designers, vocalists, spoken word artists, craftspeople, storytellers, actors, playwrights — interested in designing and constructing a shanty for the 2016 On-Ice Program, which received a 2015 Burning Man Global Arts Grant.
For more information, go to our website. To submit an entry, use this form. Proposals are due July 31, 2015."
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How Do I Support a Burning Man Art Project?
So you'd like to help out with an art project, but you're not sure how. Well, you can gift your services, skills, time, resources, or funding. There are plenty of projects in need of assistance. Here's how to find them:
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MAZU, Goddess of the Empty Sea
Theresa Manchester writes:
"MAZU, A keynote honorarium installation and one of the primetime Burns, is desperately seeking last minute funding to make it through completion!
Our build is a monstrous Asian temple honoring Mazu, a goddess of the sea, and protecter of voyagers. And we're bringing her to protect the 'empty sea' of the playa before we set it ablaze! Eight steel pyrotechnic dragons and extravagant, interactive parade all included! Incredible perks are offered in exchange for your help - including your chance to take home one of our many temple lanterns!
For more detailed information on our project and goals, please check out our Kickstarter! We are seriously below our goal and in the final stretch!
If you can't afford to donate, please share this link to all your friends and family!"
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Sun Tower: A Daytime Burn with Mirrors
This is rad. Elecktra writes:
"Sun Tower will be our largest structure to date, is climbable, and will be a daytime burn! That's right, a DAYTIME BURN involving all of you!
Please take a few moments to check out our campaign, and if you're able, we would love for you to contribute.
This 30+ foot tall climbable tower will have a sun shaped mandala at the top. On Friday around 1PM hundreds of participants around the perimeter will be given mirrors to reflect sunlight at the center of the mandala where a target wad of cannon fuse will catch fire and set the rest of the tower alight.
Thank you very much,
Wizzzard and Sun Tower Team"
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Dusty PlayGround: A Fine-Art Photobook Featuring the Kids and Families of BRC
Zipporah Lomax writes:
"Hello, Dusty Friends!
I'm a multimedia artist specializing in Festival Photography and a veteran Burner of 15 years.
I'm ready to offer this community my greatest gift: I am creating a photobook honoring the littlest Burners and the amazingly generous parents who gift the playa with their presence.
Please consider backing this project — every little bit helps, from a simple share to monetary support. I have until August 3rd to raise $40,000, or I won't receive any funds! With your generous support, I believe I'll get there, and soon...this beautiful book will be in your dusty hands!"
Check out Dusty PlayGround on Kickstarter
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Foxcarn and the Betel Store in the Midway
Ian writes:
"The China and Taiwan regionals are building a robotic factory floor and high-end showroom that plays with our needs and desires —money, objects, beauty — to provoke deeper thinking about where our goods come from, who makes them, and where they (and we) are going.
Poking fun at the worlds's most valuable brand, the Betel Store implicates all of us in the smoke and mirrors of the commodity fetish. Spotlighting the world's greatest factory empire, FoxCarn simulates the human and environmental costs of manufacturing in China, laying bare the alienated labor and devastated landscapes that underwrite Silicon Valley’s rise."
Support Foxcarn and the Betel Store on Kickstarter
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Hear Here Unicorn: A Flash Film Shot on-Playa
Mufasa writes:
"We are excited that Burning Man has given us the green light to launch Hear Here Unicorn, a "flash film" that we'l shoot right smack in the middle of the playa with all of you as part of the story.
The premise: An Iraq war veteran, on the road to recovery, spends his first day at Burning Man on a wild goose chase for hearing-aid batteries. On his mission through the playa a sage known as Unicorn acts as a catalyst for his journey within."
Support Hear Here Unicorn on Indiegogo
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Orage: Interactive Lightning
Megaphone writes:
"Orage, meaning 'Storm', is a large-scale sculptural installation that invites you to collaboratively play music with 20-foot bolts of lightning. Within each of three Control Rooms, you will discover an interactive artifact for manipulating an 18-foot tall Tesla Coil. Together, the operators of the artifacts will conduct a musical lightning storm inside the installation's 190-foot perimeter. With collaboration (and some courage!), you can wield the Coil's full power to send bolts of lightning to the very Control Rooms you stand in!"
Support Orage on Kickstarter
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The Playa Cookbook Project: Eating and Drinking Well at Burning Man
Where: Canela Bistro and Wine Bar, 2272 Market Street, SF
When: Sunday August 2, 3-5 pm
Beachpanic writes:
"Want to share what's in your Burning Man cooking and bartending arsenal? Join us for a gathering of dusty minds and help The Playa Cookbook Project! Bring your favorite playa recipes for meals, snacks and drinks and enter it into our online cookbook. We will have chefs and a nutrition educators available to answer questions as well as a few recipes to sample. Meet and mingle with other playa participants, share tips and tricks, and walk away feeling smarter. We will also send you the e-cookbook when complied.
If you are unable to attend, you may submit your recipes online."
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Restraint & Revolution: Burn for the Arts
Where: American Steel Studios, 1960 Mandela Parkway, Oakland
When: Saturday August 15, 7:30 pm - 1:30 am
Rosy the Pyro writes:
"Rose Adare presents Restraint & Revolution: Burn for the Arts, a dynamic portrait series honoring America’s social prototypes — from LGBT icons, to record breaking body-modification artists, to Burning Man’s innovative visionaries. Igniting her tour, Adare will unveil a 10-ft. painting of epic sculptor Karen Cusolito — made infamous by her towering titans at Crude Awakening, 2007 — at Karen’s six-acre warehouse dream-factory, American Steel Studios.
Disabled by a Muni-train, and held together by 10 body braces, Adare was physically carried to her first Burn, where she nested at the Lost Penguin Café. Rehabilitating through art, painting with a brush taped to her fingers, Adare fought to create these life size portraits of inspiring counterculture heroes. Each of her portraits contains a powerful life-story — a testimony to blood, dust and tears.
Restraint & Revolution: Burn for the Arts invites all Burners, bohemians, artists and anarchists to test run their creatures, creations, and costumes. Bring your fire dancers and fire toys. Bring your love of art, and your dancing shoes.
The night will culminate in Adare burning one of her original, classical realist portraits. Participants are invited to bring their own works of art to burn, from drawings, to paintings, to any dreams too heavy for their wings.
Art. Fire. DJ’s. Dance. Costumes. Bar.
$20 at the door"
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We were listening to ...
Geotic — Mend (2010)
Because we really need some chill pills up in here.
Prefuse 73 — Prefuse 73 Reads the Books (2005)
The right kind of wiggles for being almost done with something.
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