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Event
Information:
The
annual event now known as Burning
Man began as a bonfire ritual on the
summer solstice in 1986 when Larry
Harvey, Jerry James, and a few
friends met on Baker Beach in San
Francisco and burned a 9-foot
(2.7-meter) wooden man as well as a
smaller wooden dog. Harvey has
described his inspiration for
burning these effigy figures as a
spontaneous act of radical
self-expression.
The
event did have earlier roots,
though. Sculptor Mary Grauberger, a
friend of Harvey's girlfriend Janet
Lohr, held solstice bonfire
gatherings on Baker Beach for
several years prior to 1986, some of
which Harvey attended. When
Grauberger stopped organizing it,
Harvey "picked up the torch and ran
with it," so to speak. He and Jerry
James built an 8-foot (2.4-meter)
wooden effigy for 1986, which was
much smaller and more crudely made
than the neon-lit figure featured in
the current ritual. In 1987, the
effigy grew to almost 15 feet (4.6
meters) tall, and by 1988, it had
grown to around 40 feet (12 meters).
Harvey
swears that he did not see the movie
The Wicker Man until many years
later, so it played no part in his
inspiration. Accordingly, rather
than allow the name "Wicker Man" to
become the name of the ritual, he
started using the name "Burning
Man". Burning Man is an annual event
held in the Black Rock Desert in
northern Nevada, in the United
States. The event starts on the
Sunday before and ends on the day of
the American Labor Day holiday. It
takes its name from the ritual
burning of a large wooden effigy on
Saturday evening. The event is
described by many participants as an
experiment in community, radical
self-expression, and radical
self-reliance.
Because of the variety of goals
fostered by participatory attendees,
known as "Burners," Burning Man does
not have a single focus. Features of
the event are subject to the
participants and include community,
artwork, absurdity,
decommodification and revelry.
Participation is encouraged.
The Burning Man event is governed by
10 principles, which are radical
inclusion, gifting,
decommodification, radical
self-reliance, radical
self-expression, communal effort,
civic responsibility, leaving no
trace, participation, and immediacy.
Radical inclusion - Anyone who can
afford a ticket is gladly welcomed
and there are no prerequisites to be
part of Burning Man. All
participants are expected to provide
for their own basic needs and follow
the minimal rules of the event.
Gifting - Instead of cash, event
participants are encouraged to rely
on a gift economy, a sort of
potlatch. In the earliest days of
the event, an underground barter
economy also existed, in which
burners exchanged "favors" with each
other. While this was originally
supported by the Burning Man
organization, this is now largely
discouraged. Instead, burners are
encouraged to give gifts to one
another unconditionally.
Decommodification - No cash
transactions are permitted between
attendees of the event, which is in
accordance with the principles of
Burning Man. Cash can be used for a
select few charity, fuel and
sanitation vendors as follows
Café beverages such as coffee, chai,
lemonade, etc., which are sold at
Center Camp Café, operated by the
organizers of the event.
Ice. Ice sales benefit the local
Gerlach-Empire school system.
Tickets for the shuttle bus to the
nearest Nevada communities of
Gerlach and Empire which is operated
by a contractor not participating in
the event: Green Tortoise.
A re-entry wristband, which allows a
person to leave and re-enter the
event and may be purchased at the
gate upon exit.
An airport use fee, payable at the
airport upon first entry.
Diesel and biodiesel sold by
third-party contractors
RV dump service and camp graywater
disposal service.
Private portable toilets and
servicing, which can be arranged
with the official contractor.
Radical self-reliance - Because of
the event's harsh environment and
remote location, participants are
expected to be responsible for their
own subsistence. Since the LLC
forbids any commerce, participants
must be prepared and bring all their
own supplies with the exception of
the items stated in
Decommodification.[
Radical self-expression -
Participants are encouraged to
express themselves in a number of
ways through various art forms and
projects. The event is
clothing-optional and public nudity
is common, though not practiced by
the majority.
The event is clothing-optional and
public nudity is fairly common,
though not necessarily practiced by
the majority.
Communal effort - Participants are
encouraged to work with and help
fellow participants.
Civic responsibility - Participants
are encouraged to assume
responsibility and be part of a
civil society in which federal,
state and local laws are obeyed and
communicate this to other
participants.
"Leave No Trace" - Participants are
committed to a "Leave No Trace"
event. They strive to leave the area
around them in better condition than
before their arrival to ensure that
their participation does not have a
long-term impact on the environment.
Participation - Burning Man is about
participation.
Immediacy - Participants are
encouraged to become part of the
event, to experience who and what is
around them and to explore their
inner selves and their relation to
the event
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