Burning Man 2011

Theme 2011:  Rites of Passage

"We are living in a period of widespread fear and insecurity. We cling to what we have, but what we've had was merely the illusion of a mortgaged future. Nothing that we see around us feels sustainable. As one who blunders off a cliff, our legs still twiddle in the air: we haven't gained a foothold that will see us through. Deeply-fathomed change we share with others — the kind of change that summons up the earth to meet one's feet — becomes the only pathway forward, our most crucial step."

Burning Man 8/29 - 9/5/11

Where: Black Rock Desert, 120 miles north of Reno, Nevada

Tickets: SOLD OUT

What night does the man burn?

Saturday night before Labor Day

Reprinted Info from Burning Man Website:

Trying to explain what Burning Man is to someone who has never been to the event is a bit like trying to explain what a particular color looks like to someone who is blind. In this section you will find the peripheral definitions of what the event is as a whole, but to truly understand this event, one must participate. This site serves to try to paint a picture of the Burning Man experience to those who are new to the project, as well as to give those participants looking to keep the fire burning in their daily lives an environment in which to connect to their fellow community members. more

THE FIRST YEAR IN THE DESERT

by Louis M. Brill

The celebration of Burning Man's annual fire ceremony began in 1986, created by Larry Harvey and Jerry James. For the next four years, its annual fire party was held at Baker Beach in San Francisco. In 1990, the Park police interceded to prevent the culminating conflagration of the statue. This was a transitional moment for Burning Man as the event evolved with a new location, a change of date, and the beginning of a new meaning for the celebration. This viewpoint is an observation of the events surrounding Burning Man's presence in that year.

BURNING MAN: FROM BEACH TO DESERT

My discovery of Burning Man was through the San Francisco Cacophony Society, an organization of randomly gathered free spirits who surf the bleeding edge of culture, space, and time. A 1990 Cacophony newsletter item invited interested people to meet in downtown San Francisco to help assemble a wooden sculpture to be burned at a San Francisco beach in an annual celebration. The building area for this event was in a parking lot in San Francisco near 11th & Folsom. I showed up that weekend with other Cacophonists, walked into the parking lot and encountered a strange sight of unrecognizable wooden structures placed around on the ground, wood saws and drills screaming their song as they cut into the wood. There was also a huge pile of rope lying around and several saw horses waiting for these wooden set pieces to placed upon them.

Gradually the screaming wood cutters were replaced by shouted instructions as small groups of people collected each part and assembled it into its final form. I watched in fascination as these strange wooden shapes transformed into a large torso connecting arms, legs, and a head into a unified human form. The final connection was a rope tied to its chest. The completed statue, laying on its back, was positioned at the entrance of the parking lot. We all gathered in front of it, picking up and pulling on the rope, lifting the statue into its final vertical position. more

I'm Just Sayin!