Burning Man LIVE

This is one of those full-circle stories that makes our dusty hearts glow a little brighter. It’s the tale of big art that emerged from a fossil-filled trash heap, came to life in Black Rock City, then returned to its source as a proud symbol of what a community can accomplish together.Tahoe Mack, a Las Vegas artist, tells the story of the Black Rock City Honoraria art piece she started when she was 15 years old. Her final Girl Scouts project became, oh, so much more. Over a few years, she learned to weld, fundraise, and work with acclaimed artists Dana Albany and Luis Varelo-Rico.Her vision drew attention to an urban park with a rich archaeological history. Built from metal detritus that had accumulated there, “The Monumental Mammoth” dazzled Burners in Black Rock City 2019, and is now a permanent installation at a trailhead near the fossil field that inspired it all, and forged new connections between dozens of people.https://www.tahoemariemack.com/themounumentalmammothhttps://protectorsoftulesprings.org/monumental-mammoth-projecthttps://www.danaalbanyart.com/mammothhttps://burningman.org/podcast/dana-albany-dreaming-in-metal-and-glass LIVE.BURNINGMAN.ORG

Dive into the world of Clit-Henge, a monumental clitoris sculpture sparking conversations at Burning Man 2023. Explore the journey of artist Syn and her creative projects promoting sustainability and gender equality. Delve into the re-thinking of pleasure inequities, wisdom of aging, and radical reciprocity. Discover the symbolic significance of the Tip of the Iceberg and the aerialist performance involving Burning Man and birth.

Explore the urban planning and organization of Burning Man, including the placement process and the challenges of creating a temporary city. Learn about the social limits of camp organization and the benefits of smaller camp sizes. Discover the logistics and operations involved in managing camps at Burning Man, as well as the concept of zoning in Black Rock City. Discuss the redesign of Center Camp and the importance of people and culture in the Burning Man experience.

It's winter where we are. What are the coldest, most teeth-chattering, brrrr-iest of all the sanctioned Burning Man events around the world?FrostBurn is one of them, and its participants make it happen in the dead of winter on purpose, annually since 2008. Subzero temperatures, rain, sleet, snow, and sometimes sunshine. Why? Because they can.When the costumes are nothing less than comfy snow pants, when everyone is on the buddy system to ensure they survive the weather, no energy is wasted on facades and FOMO. People collaborate on Radical Self-reliance, Communal Effort, and all those cultural practices that got us where we are today.Bexx is an event lead at FrostBurn, plays music in the Black Rock Philharmonic Orchestra, and writes academic papers about Black Rock City. She tells tales to kbot and Stuart of a winter wonderland happily crafted by hearty Burners. www.frostburn.orgBurningMan.org: Programs: Philosophical Center: AcademicsAural Substance: An Ethnographic Exploration of Regional Burn Soundscapes (ACADEMIA) LIVE.BURNINGMAN.ORG

Join Steve Mobia, founder of the Lamplighters and cacophonist, as he recounts wild tales from the San Francisco Suicide Club. Kimric Smythe shares the iconic story of the year the Man turned into a fiery disaster. Denzil Meyers offers a nostalgic look at the origins of SantaCon, while Stuart Harvey, Larry Harvey's brother, narrates the journey of building a temple in Northern Ireland to promote unity. Their anecdotes capture the spirit of community, chaos, and creativity that defines Burning Man.

Many people are surprised to learn that Black Rock City is home to two full orchestras and a Playa Choir complete with a secular Sunday sermon. Since 2012 Madi has been organizing and arranging the choir’s harmonies and happenings, each year with more and more help. In this installment, kbot and Stuart talk with  Madi (Choir Director)Tory (Director of Dusty Productions)Leut (Preacher Man)They have stories and more stories of inspiration and elevation. We get to hear many voices resonate with music, recorded live at Burning Man 2023 in the Black Rock Desert. Hallelujah!https://playachoir.com LIVE.BURNINGMAN.ORG

Join conductor Brian Neese and cellist Philip Neese, alongside bassoonist Brianna Kamarda and musical director Eric Ittry, as they share the vibrant musical life of Black Rock City. They discuss the unique challenges of performing in the desert, from transporting delicate instruments to spontaneous weddings on the Playa. Expect witty exchanges about blending pop and classical music, the joy of community in rehearsals, and the emotional journey leading up to performances. Plus, hear some live music that captures the heart of Burning Man!

Have you stumbled upon Midnight Poutine in Black Rock City? Maybe you listened to Québecois rock as you waited for some of that crispy, cheesy goodness? As with many camps on playa, Midnight Poutine is the cultural tip of the iceberg of a vast community of creativity and goings-on; this one in Montréal, Québec. Arno Robin, one of Montréal's cultural instigators, spoke with Stuart and kbot about his nine-year journey from Midnight Poutine, to co-creating Montréal's Burning Man Regional Event, to developing a bustling makerspace. It’s one of those stories we love — one that travels through Black Rock City and then keeps on going — carrying the Burning Man ethos back home to take root and sprout local mutations.Plus… Stuart learns to swear in Québecois!https://www.linkedin.com/in/arno-robin-9b903936https://losstidburn.org/en/home/https://www.lespacemaker.com/en/ LIVE.BURNINGMAN.ORG

Dana Albany has come a long way since her first art project in the Black Rock Desert, a scrap-wood camel that got her started making things out of found materials, from discarded metal and broken glass to sun-bleached cattle bones and deer antlers. She has built flammable targets for notorious machine-art groups, worked as the artist-in-residence at a San Francisco dump, and had her large-scale metal and mixed-media sculptures exhibited around the world, most recently at the “Radical Horizons” show at England’s Chatsworth House. She talks with Stuart about her path to becoming an artist, which began with a spur-of-the-moment trip to Burning Man in 1996, about her mentors and mentees along the way, and about the joys of working with children to create high-impact interactive art.DanaAlbanyArt.comchatsworth.org/news-media/news-blogs-press-releases/burning-man-about-the-sculpturesburningman.org/programs/civic-initiatives/youth-education-spaceship LIVE.BURNINGMAN.ORG

We committed to be carbon-negative by 2030. How will we do it? We have “Burning” right in our name.When it comes to solar, biofuels, and energy banks, we have many irons in the fire, or rather, we are planting many seeds. Hear how Black Rock City is a hotbed, or rather, a garden bed, for the innovation of clean energy.Stuart talks with George B Reed III, Burning Man Project’s Director of Regeneration, about the progress we’re making for a brighter future, or rather, yeah, a brighter future.George shares what Burning Man’s leadership has been developing to be in integrity with our principles, from composting organic waste for food cultivation, to making renewable diesel from captured carbon. He shares stories of our community preventing and reversing damage to the climate. Hear how we’re collectively rewiring reality, showing our work, and sharing what we know. Here’s how you can do it for your camp, your cohort, your city.Burning Man Project: 2030 Environmental Sustainability Roadmapburningman.org: About Us / Sustainability (updated Oct 2023) The Renewables for Artists TeamThe Green Theme Camp Community & BLASTBurning Man Journal: Your Checklist for LNT in BRC (2023)Burning Man Journal: Waking Dreams: Evoking Greener Burns (2022)Burning Man Journal: Sustainability Initiatives on the Road to Black Rock City (2022)Burning Man LIVE: Burning Sustainably PART 1: We Can, We Will, We Must (Aug 2022)Burning Man LIVE: Burning Sustainably PART 2: The Road to Regeneration (Aug 2022) LIVE.BURNINGMAN.ORG