"If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere" - Frank Sinatra
Frank was singing about the Big Apple, but he could have easily been singing about Black Rock City. It has a way of pushing you to your limit. That's one reason why they call it radical self-reliance. You do the best you can to prepare for the chaos, then you let go and hold on. It's all directions at once. Unexpected friends will catch you when you fall, and then they'll leave you whirling in the dust. One way or the other you learn something about who you are. Something that is difficult to put into words.
Waking Dreams - For me this is like closing your eyes to see. Imagine the most condensed group of culturally creative humans in one sandbox doing whatever makes them burn. Burn to express. Burn to be reborn. Burn to feel another sunrise and sunset on their face. Artwork Title- Seed of Dreams.
I enjoy working in teams. Burning Man is all about that. Getting it done with who you're with, with what you've got. And burners have got a lot of all that. Seen here with Dust Devil installing the nose cone on a rocket made out of silver cell phone covers.
Taking steps into the unknown. Actually we're always doing it--the mundane has a way of making us forget that. But risk, risk wakes us up. Dare to dream and to dream big, and then step into it!
It's all about the ice cold drinks when it' s over a hundred degrees and I can't see my hand in front of my face. The dust is blocking out the sun. That won't stop me. I'm making a run for it.
There are the most beautifully sublime moments in the cacophony of Black Rock City, and they often seem to come from nature's ability to make art.
The Mighty Zenith: I have the pleasure of saying that I served on Steve Knoff's team, whose monolithic art car is pictured here in post festival mid-strike disarray. The amount of effort it takes to pull off stage performances on this mobile 50's style television on wheels is beyond what I can describe here. Let's just say--it was a hell of a lot of fun, and a hell of a lot of hard word. Best moment: Sunrise in the Deep Playa at Paradisium.
Remember in the opening paragraph I said something about unexpected friends catching you when you fall...? These are the ones I was talking about. For me they made this journey one of the best of my life. Expected friends and unexpected. Thank you!
Decompression: I would just grab my bike and my gear and go. Just go. Following my intuition seemed to guide me into the most beautifully amazing places. Like this artwork--sometimes you just have to take off your helmet and ......
Find your own way home on this mutant vehicle. The Phoenix.
Even if you have to tie it all together with shoestrings and bubblegum--set a course and go! This artwork exemplifies the tenacity of DPW--Black Rock's public works crew. They'll be there before you are, and they'll be there after you leave. Some of my best moments were hanging with them. True grit. I learned how to breathe fire.
This is that sunrise I was talking about in the Deep Playa at Paradisium. No way to capture the surreal nature of the shifting light here. Breathtaking.
Band Camp: I brought my gold top Gretsch and Vox amp (yeah) in hopes that I would get to jam a bit. Luck was in my favor. Right across the way from Art Car Camp (where I was camped with The Mighty Zenith crew) was a camp that had a whole backline set up for anyone to play. Drums, bass guitar, upright piano all ready to go. The most epic jams ever with random musicians that I may never see again.
I want to say that this my favorite artwork from this year. It was on some random street. It's strength and grace embodied. Both are important to have.
The SKUM Thundercloud: Well, maybe this one is my favorite. It's sewn together balloons inflated to hold rigid form. It's open to the imagination and captures the contrast of shadow to create new shapes. Inspiring.
The Petaled Portal: Alright, this one is by far my favorite. I know the designer. That's not the only reason. To me art is embedded with story, and David Oliver's story is filled with will and conviction. The shear effort to get this trans-formative work of metal and glass mosiac to the playa embodies the ethic of the Burning Man artist. Truly life changing. Congratulations Dave! Hats off to Kevin, Sean, Tef and Jawalla for doing what needs to be done.
INCENTER: Most every Burning Man story starts with: "We were in a white out dust storm when..." And this one goes on to say that the building pictured here was sanctuary for my partner and I for the better part of two hours. Shut in with a half dozen other burners--all strangers to each other. We shared stories, got finger massages. gave gifts and waited it out. The tag line coincidentally for this artwork is " your home away from home." You can't make this stuff up.
Leave No Trace: This is where I lived for twenty days in a dust filled tent. 5:30 and C. Right next to Texas. It was all gone when we left. Swept with a magnet broom We had had enough. II was still a two day ride home. No sleep 'til Brooklyn.
I still do have dust there. An alkaline film on my soul. And in other curious places. I'll take it with me wherever I go.