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Burning Man
More aerial shots of Burning Man  Hurtling
down the road to the Black Rock Desert, the colors paint themselves like
a spice cabinet -- sage, dust, slate gray. Maybe you're in your trusty
car, the one that takes you to and from work every day. Perhaps you've
got a spacious RV, your Motel 6 on wheels for the next days in the desert.
Or you're driving your glittering art car, complete with poker chips and
mirroring to do a disco ball proud.
The two-lane highway turns
off onto a new road. You drive slowly onto the playa, the 400 square
mile expanse known as the Black Rock Desert. And there youíve touched
the terrain of what feels like another planet. Youíre at the end --
and the beginning -- of your journey to Burning Man. You're here to survive. What happens to your brain and body when exposed to 107 degree heat, moisture wicking off your body and dehydrating you within minutes? You know and watch yourself. You drink water constantly and piss clear. You'll want to reconsider drinking that alcohol (or taking those other substances) you brought with you -- the mind-altering experience of Burning Man is its own drug. You slather yourself in sunblock before the sun's rays turn up full blast. You bring enough food, water, and shelter because the elements of the new planet are harsh, and you will find no vending. You're here to create. Since nobody at Burning Man is a spectator, you're here to build your own new world. You've built an egg for shelter, a suit made of light sticks, a car that looks like a shark's fin. You've covered yourself in silver, you're wearing a straw hat and a string of pearls, or maybe a skirt for the first time. You're broadcasting Radio Free Burning Man -- or another radio station. You're here to experience. Ride your bike in the expanse of nothingness with your eyes closed. Meet the theme camp -- enjoy Irrational Geographic, relax at Biancaís Smut Shack and eat a grilled cheese sandwich. Find your love and understand each other as you walk slowly under a parasol. Wander under the veils of dust at night on the playa. You're here to celebrate. On Sunday night, we'll burn the Man. As the procession starts, the circle forms, and the man ignites, you experience something personal, something new to yourself, something youíve never felt before. It's an epiphany, it's primal, it's newborn. And it's completely individual. You'll leave as you came. When you depart from Burning Man, you leave no trace. Everything you built, you dismantle. The waste you make and the objects you consume leave with you. Volunteers will stay for weeks to return the Black Rock Desert to its pristine condition. But you'll take the world you built with you. When you drive back down the dusty roads toward home, you slowly reintegrate to the world you came from. You feel in tune with the other dust-covered vehicles that shared the same community. Over time, vivid images still dance in your brain, floating back to you when the weather changes. The Burning Man community, whether your friends, your new acquaintances, or the Burning Man project, embraces you. At the end, though your journey to and from Burning Man are finished, you embark on a different journey -- forever. Overview article about Burning Man ( from the Philadelphia Inquirer)Another article that captures the spirit of Burning Man (from the Synthesis)Official Burning Man site |
Burning Man is a community
and artistic event held each year in the Black Rock Desert, which
is 120 miles north of Reno, Nevada. Last year 15,000 people attended.
Burning Man is always held the week prior to and including Labor Day
weekend. 
