Spark it up
Posted Thursday, September 06, 2007, 12:03 AM by Lonely Planet
The Burning Man festival climaxes with the torching of the neon-covered Man-sculpture, which has been hastily rebuilt after an over-enthusiastic pyromaniac started the ceremony early. It's a fittingly primal end to eight days of crazily decorated, trance-blaring 'art cars' zipping around Black Rock Desert. In a tribal fashion, fire-twirlers and bongo drummers circle the Man, watched by a sea of head torches, glowsticks and light sabres.
The incineration takes me by surprise: a sudden explosion engulfs the sculpture and sends a wave of heat across the crowd. After the pyre has crashed to the ground, everyone surges towards the embers with the air of New Years Eve revellers. A guy in a red mask and black cape catches my eye: 'Happy burn, man.'
The festival has been an emotional experience. It's a classic case of 'only in America', not just because it's the heart and soul of the country's counterculture but also for its epic scale. Black Rock City, as the population on the playa is known, is Nevada's fifth largest city and, as a festival radio DJ opines, 'the best city in the goddamn world'.
Money is not used outside Center Camp Café. Burners contribute to the whole by running free bars and barbecues, building sculptures, decorating the port-a-loos, performing random acts of kindness, or just donning a costume and bringing smiles to the faces on the playa. The festival's mantra is 'participate'.
Leaving the smouldering Man, the crowd drifts to watch the next fiery display. It's rumoured that a gang of Texan 'death punks' will be using a mixture of liquid propane and jet fluid to shoot a flame 1000 feet upwards. As I wait for the spectacle, I experience the same mixture of excitement and trepidation I felt on the way to this intense gathering. Then the mushroom cloud fills the night sky, illuminating the sunburnt faces of 47,000 burners.
James Bainbridge was at Burning Man researching for a Lonely Planet book on worldwide festivals; this is the last in his series of blogs from the event. You can see more of Jonathan Clark's photographs at www.art-clark.com.
Have you been at Burning Man this year or in the past? Share your Burning Man experiences here.
Labels: Burning Man, Festivals and events, Nevada, The Americas
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1 Comments:
Burning Man is an experience for all senses, definitely not to miss. The mantra is not only to "participate", but also to exercise "radical inclusiveness" and make sure to "leave no trace". Everyone is welcome no matter how quirky; and everyone makes best effort not to leave MOOP (matter out of place) behind Possibly the best thing about the whole event is that there's nothing to buy except ice and coffee. In this modern world of endless consumerism it's a fantastic idea. So, participate to the event but do not go in as an unprepared "tourist". Desert is both hot and cold, and you need to look after your own butt. Enjoy!
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