Burning Man – art and temporary community

A towering figure, a burning temple, a commune in the desert. Does this sound like an independent film? A popular novel? It’s not. This is going to be a topical post, because it is about a festival which occurs each year in the week leading up to and the weekend of Labor Day.

It’s called Burning Man, and it takes place annually in the Black Rock Desert, 120 miles north of Reno, Nevada. When people speak of ‘the middle of nowhere’, it’s possible that this is the kind of place that have in mind – for the majority of the year, it really is a desert, with no sign of human habitation, and barely any that humans have even set foot there. However, for this one week, the area becomes a bustling metropolis, almost overnight. Last year over 49,000 people came to join in this short-lived community experiment, and this year looks set to be as extensive. They came, they set up ‘theme camps’, they wore costumes, masks, created artworks and installations. There were the burning ceremonies. And then they left, all but a team of dedicated volunteers who stayed behind for weeks to ensure that there were no remaining traces of their presence.

Burning Man gets its name from the feature that originally was responsible for sowing the seeds of what it has become. It all began in 1985, with a fire party on the beach in San Francisco. As part of it, a statue of a man figure, mostly made from wood, would be ceremonially burnt. This went on for four years, until the police noticed it and expressed concerns that the party represented a fire hazard at a time when summer fires are common. Undaunted, the group of 80 participants, led by Larry Harvey, decided to move sites – and picked Black Rock. Being together there for a short time, helping each other face the challenges of the arid area, and overcoming the obstacles in their path (which included the accidental destruction of the original Man), the casual group turned into something stronger. Since then, it has only grown.

Each year has a theme. Last year’s, for example, was the American Dream. This year is Evolution. The theme may not impact greatly on every individual present, but it informs and influences many of the ‘mutant vehicles’ (cars and other such vehicles are not allowed at Burning Man; they must be transformed into something appreciably different, a creative endeavour a work of art), the costumes people devise, and the art installations that are such a major part of the event.

Were you wondering what connection any of this had to art? Well, in a sense, an experiment of this nature deserves a place in our artistic consciousness in and of itself. But as far as concrete relevance goes, we’ve come to it. Burning Man is a festival with a philosophy (no purchases are possible, for example, other than coffee and ice – only trades or gifts are allowed) and a communal spirit (which is seeing other, smaller festivals grow elsewhere during the year), but it is also defined by the art creations that its members create.

Last year saw an impressive 285 separate pieces out on display (and in many cases, open for interaction) in the ‘playa’, the dry lakebed where the festival is held. 42 of these were art installations which had been awarded grants from the Burning Man grant program. This included the Basura Sagrada temple by Shrine and Tuktuk, which was created from recycled materials and trash, the leavings of American society. Its central nave had spires which towered to the sky, and was surrounded by four smaller structures. It was intended, and acted, like all temples at Burning Man, as a place for reflection and introspection – the temple is always placed away from the main site, so that participants can make a pilgrimage to a place of quiet to visit it. The Burning Man image, by contrast, always stands close to the living area, a part of the lively scene. On Saturday night there is the main conflagration, which is part of a sort of party. The next day the temple, on which people have during the week written their hopes, fears and thoughts, is also burned in a more quiet and peaceful ceremony intended to give strength and hope for the year to come, as participants prepare to leave refreshed and rejuvenated.

Every year some of the artworks at Burning Man are truly remarkable and inspirational. Last year, for example, there was a piece called Altered State, a model of the Capitol made in white lace, large enough to walk into. As a visitor climbed up the white ladder of swings, they would see symbols of Native American tribes and mythology. Both a homage and a call for thought, the piece explored the nature of American identity, the price of progress, and ideas for the future. This being the case, it seems a shame that the life span of each piece is at most a week, existing only in that brief window of time allotted to Burning Man. The artwork, like the buildings and the community there, is temporary.

This itself raises new questions about the duration of art, its meaning and intentions. But it is certain that this fact about the work displayed there adds to the feeling of the event. Some things, perhaps, can only exist in the right place and at the right time – and we should simply be grateful to have them when we do. If you’re interested, though, there are full archives from Burning Man going back over a decade. After all, while the pieces themselves are temporary, the memories and the thoughts they inspired live on. It might be that this very fact is what is so appealing about Burning Man.

If you’d like to go to Burning Man this year, you can find information and suggestions here – not to mention a survival guide (you won’t be allowed in unless organizers are convinced that you can manage in the desert with what you’ve brought!). If you do go, or if you have been in the past, please do tell us about it in the comments! We’d love to hear your stories. Meanwhile, any other thoughts people have to share are also welcome.