Burning Man LIVE

Marian Goodell, CEO of Burning Man Project, talks with a lively audience as part of Robot Heart’s Residency in Oakland, California. She is joined by Candace Locklear (aka Evil Pippi), Erin Douglas of the Black Burner Project, and Robot Heart’s Justin Schaffer and Satya Kamdar.It’s casual. It’s layered. It’s a room of Burners.What constitutes culture jamming? Where does Burning Man bridge the divide to bring people together? How have pillars of our culture evolved from awkward beginnings?They swap stories about the perks of unbranding. They joke about gifting and regifting, and the spectrum between talismans and swag. They go off the rails into how mainstream culture plays with Burning Man tropes.Then they go beyond making a party in the desert, out into the world, to the Regional Network as a living embodiment of ‘Each One Teach One.’ They show how collaboration creates the community. They explore actually active inclusivity, and the question “Who are we?”www.theother51weeks.comMarian Goodell: Burning Man Project Board of DirectorsBlack Burner ProjectThe Future of Burning Man (video version on youtube) Burning Man LIVE: The Evolution of Robot HeartBurning Man LIVE: Candace Locklear on Culture Jamming and Welcoming LIVE.BURNINGMAN.ORG

Take a trip through the puzzle of porta-potties at a free-range event, highway happenings, and the new news about prep. This is deeper than “What is MOOP?” This is the ART of Leaving No Trace.It’s part of the Burning Man ethos, and it’s why Black Rock City is the world's largest Leave No Trace event. Now nearly 100 other Burning Man events around the globe adhere to this attitude, this mindset. It’s an ongoing quest to leave less and less of a trace. As the principle is written, it invites us to leave spaces in better shape than we found them.The 75,000 citizens of BRC pick up after themselves. It’s miraculous. And we can do more.Those of us who take on the challenge, we see it as a process, a practice, a stretch goal. We look at ways to get closer to that zero point. Each of us is at a different point on the LNT learning curve. The next level is to develop techniques to do it collectively. It is a set of behaviors to be cultivated.In this episode, we talk with some of the unsung heroes: blue: DPW Logistics & Project Manager of Recycle CampBarbarella: Resto’s Highway Clean-Up ManagerDA: Playa Restoration ManagerHazmatt: Associate Director of BRC Business OperationsWe look at what gets left behind, so we can grok our cumulative impact, and make a better choice, a better cascade of choices, to teach good citizenship. Plus, eh, there may be a few poop jokes.There’s an old saying in Black Rock City: “It was better next year.” Let’s leave no trace so that there will be a next year.burningman.org/about/10-principlesRecycle Camp2023 MOOP MapDA on Restoration Destiny (Burning Man LIVE) LIVE.BURNINGMAN.ORG

Burning Man culture brings people together across all kinds of divides, yet we’re seeing an uptick of intolerance toward art and experiences in our community. The default world is often divided by ideology, religion, and politics. Could that division seep into this culture that aspires to welcome everyone?How can we navigate the turbulent waters between, say, Radical Self-expression and Radical Inclusion? How do we walk the line between free speech and hate speech? How do we keep our global community together in times of outright war?Listen in on a roundtable discussion about concerns that don’t have easy solutions. A few folks explore how the act of conversation changes what might otherwise seem controversial or divisive:• Stuart Mangrum is Burning Man Project’s Director of the Philosophical Center so he directed some philosophers to center around a microphone to discuss.• Caveat Magister debated and discussed Burning Man philosophy, then wrote books about it.• Kay Morrison is a veteran Black Rock City artist, active in the Global Network, and a Burning Man Project board member.• Steven Raspa is Associate Director of Community Events for Burning Man Project, and a co-founder of the Regional Network Committee.This conversation concerns art, yes, and behavior — as participants, as people. It’s about being open-minded and open-hearted, even when it’s difficult to do. What is a safe space? What is a brave space? How can jackassery be respectful? What’s with all the questions? Tune in for the answers that lead to more questions.burningman.org/about/10-principlesTurn Your Life Into Art with Caveat Magister (Burning Man LIVE)Kay Morrison and the Overall Wonderment Quotient (Burning Man LIVE)Remember How to Burning Man with Steven Raspa (Burning Man LIVE)Stuart Mangrum’s Serious Philosophy of Shenanigans (Burning Man LIVE) LIVE.BURNINGMAN.ORG

Tony “Coyote” Perez may be the best at thriving (and not dying) at Burning Man. He is the Black Rock City Superintendent, the Burning Man OSHA Instructor, and the 26-year Burner whose job it is to put himself in harm's way and then get out of his own way!Sit in on a chuckling conversation between Stuart and Coyote. They put the wisdom in wise-crack. It’s not because they’re so smart; it’s because they’ve made every mistake and then asked why and how. This is not a list of tips and tricks—those are in the Survival Guide. This is a refreshing penumbra of practices held by the one who is having the most fun.They debunk fallacies such as "The Hero Factor" and "The playa provides."They share stories about curious topics, including: The culture of safety (Becoming involved in your own rescue)Situational awareness (Choosing to immerse into your new world)Serious self-care (and caring for your people)You may find that the challenges of your campmates and your camp build (and camp strike) become easier, simpler, and special-er (new word). You may just find that you banish bad luck. journal.burningman.org/author/tperezburningman.org/news/books-about-burning-man/built-to-burnburningman.org/about-us/staff/TonyCoyotePerezsurvival.burningman.org LIVE.BURNINGMAN.ORG

400 works of art don’t just appear as if in a desert mirage. Well, they do, but not without a lot of people, tools, and funds. Planners are planning. Makers are making. Art grants are granting! Crews all over the world are creating installations for Black Rock City. Katie Hazard, Director of Burning Man Project’s art department curates some artist's tales for us. Hear their stories in their voices. Hold onto your headlamp: We’ve got an interactive Man Base that looks like an octopus or a fjord or bothWe’ve got a larger-than-life omniscient prankster traffic coneWe’ve got the insider intentions of this year's temple buildersWe’ve got artists sharing cultural riches from China, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire and the US.Desert Arts Preview 2024 (burningman.org)Desert Arts Preview 2024 (YouTube)Introducing the 2024 Honoraria Burning Man Journal)The Burning Man Theme: Curiouser & Curiouser LIVE.BURNINGMAN.ORG

“While there are many beloved mutant vehicles out there, El Pulpo, in both of its incarnations, is the most ‘beloved.’” ~Chef Juke, Communications lead for the Department of Mutant VehiclesEl Pulpo Magnífico is a 28-foot tall giant octopus, a demented windup toy, a mobile kinetic sculpture with articulating legs, eyes, and mouths. It spews fire from its extremities and has been stealing the limelight for a decade now, first at Black Rock City, then everywhere from LoveBurn to EDC.It’s merely the newest and largest expression of artist Duane Flatmo and his team of engineer artists. Years ago, he gave up music to pursue art and pursued it from New York to London, China, and back again. Duane shares how his influences inspired his innovations and how his resourceful team creates surprises for people worldwide.Hear the stories of El Pulpo’s predecessors, origins, and adventures!www.elpulpomecanico.comkineticgrandchampionship.comBurning Man LIVE: Chef Juke’s Wild Art Car R.I.D.E. LIVE.BURNINGMAN.ORG

Back by popular demand, more stories from Burning Man's oral history project, an ambitious endeavor to track down and talk with people who helped shape the culture as we now know it.Stuart and Andie remember to remember the most memorable parts. Here’s a fresh batch:Chris Radcliffe, artist, con artist, prankster, and shadow founder of Burning Man (perhaps), shares stories of how the Cacophony Society would prank the media and how the Black Rock Desert drove up his fears, then dispelled them. He also hints at the larger-than-life impact of the Billboard Liberation Front.Candace Locklear, aka Evil Pippi, a perturber and social experimenteer (new word) shares how she helped Burning Man manage the mainstream media in the late ‘90s. She also talks about cutesy culture jamming as a scary clown.Summer Burkes was the DPW's media liaison. She sees the early days of Black Rock City as the love child of comically aggressive punk rockers and air-kissy techno industrialists, and she embraces their uneasy peace.Steve Heck brought 88 pianos to Burning Man in 1996, stacked them in a tall circular “piano bell.” People beat it into a cacophonous soundscape until he burned it. That was after he almost died wandering the desert. Then he cleaned it up, and did it the next year, and the next year, and taught the BRC teams the art of packing and moving big stuff.Dr. Hal Robins is a beloved Renaissance Man of stage and story, a Cacophonist, an Uber Pope of the Church of the Subgenius, and a mellifluous philosopher of sesquipedalians. He shares about the inventiveness and serendipity of Burning Man and why it matters in the world.Part 1 of this series: burningman.org/podcast/a-peoples-history-of-burning-manjournal.burningman.org/category/philosophical-centerburningman.org/programs/philosophical-centerwww.cacophony.orgThe What Where When Guide is here.The 1996 Helco commercial is here. LIVE.BURNINGMAN.ORG

Burners from around Europe gather to teach and learn and to conjure ideas for the future. Burning Man’s 7th European Leadership Summit just happened, and we recorded some conversations for you.Passionate people from the corners of Europe share with Stuart and kbot what they get from Burning Man culture and what they gift back to it. Hear a cultural spice drawer of stories about how they persevere through politics and pandemics to bring their flavor of Burning Man to their homeland. Baroch - IsraelErin Kiez - GermanyGabriel Muscalu - RomaniaLinus Höök, Caroline Bergmann, and Britta Kronacher - SwedenPille Heido - EstoniaVinegar Joe - Portugal“Burning Man started with the fire. For me, that is a strong ritual. And it’s a harmonious ritual. And it’s true. And then you have the gifting, because someone built that fire, someone made it with no expectations. Someone made that fire only to warm up other people. From this idea, everything grew exponentially, but that’s the essence. Creating something for you and for others and expressing yourself through your creation. And that can be in all the directions magnified. It’s something that creates you. It’s a thing that you create and creates you. It’s like this beautiful spin.”~Gabriel Muscalu - Romaniahttps://regionals.burningman.org/european-leadership-summithttps://regionals.burningman.org/regionals LIVE.BURNINGMAN.ORG

There are a whole lot of military veterans in Burning Man’s history and Black Rock City’s neighborhoods. Combat veterans Dr Raymond Christian (Army) and Samuel Williams (Marines) share stories with Stuart Mangrum (Air Force) about transitioning into civilian life, bringing survival skills and leadership chops to BRC, and finding tribal camaraderie… and a party.They explore how hackneyed clichés of the military can wither in an environment of love and authenticity. PTSD, though, that’s still a thing. BRC can be like a military operation: the sights, the sounds, the smells... meeting interesting people, and finding forever friendships.“Being in combat, you experience the worst of humanity… It pulls the veil off and you no longer care about the facade. You get raw about it because you've seen the extreme. Burning Man is the opposite of that. It is also extreme, but it is the very best that humanity has to offer. You're not going to experience anything more stimulating, more accepting, more exciting than Burning Man, because everybody there has coalesced and converged on this area to express their art and their love for the celebration of the human experience.” ~Samuel WilliamsLinktr.ee/RaymondChristian LIVE.BURNINGMAN.ORG

Robot Heart started with a simple sound system on an old double-decker bus at Black Rock City. Over the years, it has evolved into a bespoke sound system, light arrays, iconic art, and an all-star lineup of musical talent performing to massive crowds at sunrise on Playa.… all on that same old double-decker bus. Robot Heart also expanded its support of arts and artists beyond the playa, including New York’s Central Park, Miami’s Art Basel, and their residency program in Oakland, California. For the 2nd year, the team brings together various Burning Man camps, artists, and musicians from April 25th to May 18th.A few years ago, Robot Heart created a 501c3 Foundation to make all this happen. Stuart talks with President Gary Mueller and Board Members Clare Laverty and Justin Shaffer. They trade tales from developing a foundation, collaborating with creatives, and taking pleasure from other people's pleasure.robotheart.orgrobotheartfoundation.orgwww.theloomoakland.comfareforward.comwww.artbasel.com/miami-beachhttps://brandtbrauerfrick.dewikipedia.org/wiki/MuditaLee Burridge - Robot Heart - Burning ManRodriguez Jr. (Live) Featuring Liset Alea  - Robot Heart - Burning Man LIVE.BURNINGMAN.ORG