Burning Man is a weeklong art festival in the remote Nevada desert that takes place every year around Labor Day. Except that
the
official Burning Man site disagrees: "Burning Man is not a festival. It's a catalyst for creative culture in the world."
How long have people been doing this?
In the mid-eighties, a small gathering on a San Francisco beach saw the first man burn. The event moved to its current location in the early nineties and has only grown since then,
starting to resemble its present form (in size and organization) in the early 2000s.
Wait, there is actually a "man" that "burns"?
Yes.
How many people participate?
A lot. The size has grown almost every year and this year, nearly 70,000 people attended.
Yes. SEVENTY THOUSAND people. All descending on a patch of flat desert, creating a city that only exists for a week.
The 10 Principles of Burning Man
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Radical Inclusion: Anyone may be a part of Burning Man. We welcome and respect the stranger. No prerequisites exist for participation in our community.
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Gifting:
Burning Man is devoted to acts of gift giving. The value of a gift is unconditional. Gifting does not contemplate a return or an exchange for something of equal value.
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Decommodification:
In order to preserve the spirit of gifting, our community seeks to create social environments that are unmediated by commercial sponsorships, transactions, or advertising. We stand ready to protect our culture from such exploitation. We resist the substitution of consumption for participatory experience.
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Radical Self-reliance:
Burning Man encourages the individual to discover, exercise and rely on his or her inner resources.
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Radical Self-expression:
Radical self-expression arises from the unique gifts of the individual. No one other than the individual or a collaborating group can determine its content. It is offered as a gift to others. In this spirit, the giver should respect the rights and liberties of the recipient.
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Communal Effort:
Our community values creative cooperation and collaboration. We strive to produce, promote and protect social networks, public spaces, works of art, and methods of communication that support such interaction.
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Civic Responsibility:
We value civil society. Community members who organize events should assume responsibility for public welfare and endeavor to communicate civic responsibilities to participants. They must also assume responsibility for conducting events in accordance with local, state and federal laws.
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Leaving No Trace:
Our community respects the environment. We are committed to leaving no physical trace of our activities wherever we gather. We clean up after ourselves and endeavor, whenever possible, to leave such places in a better state than when we found them.
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Participation:
Our community is committed to a radically participatory ethic. We believe that transformative change, whether in the individual or in society, can occur only through the medium of deeply personal participation. We achieve being through doing. Everyone is invited to work. Everyone is invited to play. We make the world real through actions that open the heart.
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Immediacy:
Immediate experience is, in many ways, the most important touchstone of value in our culture. We seek to overcome barriers that stand between us and a recognition of our inner selves, the reality of those around us, participation in society, and contact with a natural world exceeding human powers. No idea can substitute for this experience
Sure, but what is it really like?
The experience of being at Burning Man is exactly as the principles state. Seems obvious, but it's not at all! Every event has their ideal state and
their guidelines tending toward it, but few manage to pull it off. Even companies and non-profits have high-sounding Mission Statements, but what corporation
ever meets the incredible standards they set?
They do at Burning Man.
I believe the biggest contributing factor is the lack of commerce. No money is exchanged by participants and virtually no
advertising exists. (Decommodification) One would expect that, in place of money, there would be trading. No, not true.
There is no bartering, yet plenty to be had. (Gifting) The other principles contribute greatly to the atmosphere.
You must bring your own water and supplies. (Self-Reliance)
You can wear anything you want, or nothing at all, and behave as weirdly as you choose. You will not stand out nor be turned away.
Really! (Inclusion & Self-Expression) The art and camps are designed for people wandering by to join in. (Participation & Immediacy)
And you should not leave even the tiniest piece of fuzz or ash on the dirt when you vacate. (Leave No Trace)
That such principles exist and are practiced immediately upon arrival, by tens of thousands of people, is nothing short of miraculous.
