The giant effigy is the Burning Man, centerpiece of this annual celebration of the extreme that bears it's name and the main attraction on the night when everyone gathers to watch the huge wooden figure go out in a blaze of glory.
As much a state of mind as over-the-top exercise in self-expression, the Burning Man Festival, which this year runs from August 27th to September 3rd, routinely draws an odd assortment of some thirty thousand artists, new-age gurus, computer geeks, over the hill hippies and the mildly curious to this experiment in temporary community and radical self reliance that has been described as Mad Max meets Mardi Gras meets Disneyland meets Woodstock - all laid out in a miniature city organized as 2/3 of a circle (think of a pizza with a wedge missing) and subdivided into various theme camps and villages.
Keeping an open mind is a prerequisite when strolling through the venue, known as Black Rock City, where a myrad of whimsical kinetic creations, strange art displays, all night dance raves, and fellow revealers in freaky costumes can be found at every turn. Fantastically decorated art cars, one shaped like a giant lobster, another looking like a sofa on wheels, motor past melting ice sculpture displays, X-rated miniature golf courses where players putt balls through a variety of giant plaster orifices and a booth that becons challengers with the opportunity to mud wrestle satan for your soul.
Don't try to apply too much understanding to all the craziness, like conceptual art, none of it is meant to be taken too seriously.
More of a going concern is the issue of self-sufficiency.
Aside from squaters rights to a patch of ground on which to camp for a week, the only amenities offered with your $200 addmission are 350 porta-potties which are located throughout the area. Festival attendees are responsible for their own food, water, shelter and other goods needed for survival.
Death does not entitle anyone to a refund, as festival officials are fond of pointing out, and those who come unprepaired quickly meet their match in the 105 degree heat.
Some arrive with but the bare necessities and sleep beneath the stars while others show up in RVs crammed with everything from beach umbrellas to solar barbecues.
Go To Page: 1 2
