So... What next?

10/09/2009

"Welcome home!"
It all started with this phrase and a big hug coming from a completely naked man in eye-protective goggles, as I was going through the gates of Black Rock City. I was finally on the playa, as it's called. I was at the Burning Man festival.



A lot of you might ask "What is Burning Man? Where does it take place?". As far as the location goes, it's simple. It happens in the middle of nowhere. In Nevada, in the Black Rock desert, a huge open, flat, empty space that is covered by tons of fine, alcaline, white dust. Now, as for what... it's difficult to explain. Each person who has been would give a completely personal, different explanation of what Burning Man is. And every single one of them would be right. If I take the plain, apt elements of which is comprises, I would say it is a gathering of approximately 40.000 people in that desert, who spend a whole week in a city that gets constructed just for the purposes of this event. It then gets torn back down (or parts of it even burnt) and absolutely no trace is left behind. Let's leave it to this description for now.





It was only friday when I entered, three days before the official opening of the festival, so not everything (or everyone) was in place yet. Nevertheless, this was no more a plain, empty, flat, endless desert space. Camping structures were being raised all around, people on their bicycles roaming between everybody else, large scale art being built at various spots throughout the playa and in the middle of it all, the man; the big human-like structure, built on top of a large, well-designed wooden base whose fate was known to us all: to be burnt to the ground.









I was already awed by the things I was witnessing. People's creativity and imagination at full throttle, showing their true selves, expressing the inner-most desires without any inhibitions. My friends were telling me: you haven't seen nothing yet. Just wait until next week...





Even from the very first hours, while I was helping D. set up her camp, the dust storms began and I realised what it was all about. It was now obvious why a breathing mask and goggles are the two most vital items to have with you at burning man.



And that got even more ridiculous, considering that there we were, inside a shade structure (which does not, by any means, keep all dust out), in the middle of a crazy dust storm, with googles and masks on the face, squashing avocados for guacamole. Indeed, we might be talking about radical self reliance, but some people bring as much as they can out there and as we were part of a program for which we would cook dinner for some of the artists (which is how we got early entry passes), we had to go the extra mile and cook properly.





As days were passing, more and more burners arrived. More camps set up, more crazy structures everywhere, more happy people,



more sights that make you double-take on a regular basis.



Finding my camp, and more specifically my tent&van inside my camp, was becoming more and more difficult by the day. Every morning that I would wake up, I would find all my landmarks to have been swallowed by something bigger, fluffier, louder, more colorful.





On tuesday I discovered The Temple. Arguably the most important and powerful piece of art on the playa. It is a wooden structure, as big as a 3-storey comfortable house for a family of 5, located far behind the man, on the opposite side of all campers. A lot of people kept telling about how important it is to all burners, how emotionally charged it is and how its burn is for many the highlight of the week. I couldn't quite grasp all that until I actually experienced it. When I spent my first sunrise there, I felt everything everyone was telling me. People write on its wooden walls all their deepest sorrows, their most hidden secrets, their strongest feelings. When the temple gets burnt to the ground, they feel all that gets released. They are free and they have once again shared a moment with their lost and loved ones. Looking at the temple's structure under the pale early morning light, I felt how emotionally charged that piece of art is. I cannot explain it. No one can explain it. It is something you need to experience and "touch" in order to grasp it. (Just like practically everything else in Burning Man, but anyway...).



And then, leaning against it's well-designed railings, accompanied by hundreds of people who are there, silent, waiting for the new day to come, the sun pops its head from behind the mountains, far in the horizon. Everyone starts to howl and scream and clap their hands. They celebrate another free day, another happy day, another bright day. They appreciate the moment and get pleasure off the simple things. They share their joy with random strangers by hugging them and smiling at them. And all this while somewhere around there, there is a group of people dressed up as sharks, circling 3 guys on their bicycles.






In the days that followed, I witnessed all sorts of unexplainable madness. Crazy bicycle contraptions,



vehicles so bizarrely transformed they become the so-called mutant vehicles



and tent structures that keep you hooked for an hour, admiring them and trying to figure out how the hell someone built that. Or you may be wondering through complete nothingness, in the middle of a whiteout, as the winds are blowing strong and you can't see a thing, but suddenly a figure will appear and as you are approaching it, you will realise it is a man who has gotten off his bike and is playing the trumpet.



Then of course we have the typical trip to the toilet, from which you get back to your friends 2 hours later, because in that 300 meter distance of the return trip, you end up drinking two strong drinks, the contents of which are unknown to you, receiving a foot massage by a big, fat, gay dude and showing your balls to the world simply because you are wearing a tu-tu and it's easy.



Hell, there was even a huge rocket ship being built out there that they were planning to launch.



And all this orchestrated by all sorts of music and melodic sounds, coming from all directions. Ahhh... The beauty of creative randomness.







So what is Burning Man?



For some, it's a holiday. Others see it as a big, out-of-control party. Or maybe an place to show off their art. A lot of people see it as intense meditation and a strong spiritual experience. I have heard someone say that for them, it is a ritual and a way to break out of their emotional dead-ends. Personally... I saw a combination of it all. It is finally an opportunity for people to break free from all inhibitions, all society-imposed "shoulds", all shames and man-made behavior rules, all obligations to others and to one's self. It is incredibly heart-warming and it gives great hope for the future to see what people are capable of and what great potential and creativity they have, when they just let go and make their deepest, most intense desires come true. And the mere fact that for once, even if it's just for a week out in the desert, everyone is exactly who they want to be. There is no holding them back. They interact, they share, they love, they shout, they get naked and go rollerblading, they give away gifts and expect nothing but a smile in return, they do the silliest and most absurd thing a human being could possibly come up with and everyone else will think nothing of it, other than to appreciate and applaud it.



Burning Man is all that and more. I don't think there is any reason to write any more about it. I probably can't do it justice. The photos speak for themselves. Although they probably can't do it justice either. But I know. I was there and everytime I think about those ten days and look at the photos, I get a silly smile on my face and the emotions in my head explode and escape through my eyes in liquid format and with a strange gleam arising from my ecstatic, adrenaline-pumped joy. I invite you to treat yourself one day to the same emotional, mental and physical roller-coaster. :)




***
Another sunrise... Another howl... Another smile and another tear... Another hug... Yet one more hug... A hug you don't want to let go from. A moment you don't want to let go from... A life you don't want to let go from... A life full of expressions, emotions, freedom, love and all those wonderful things that give you the reasons to rise, to howl, to smile, to cry, to hug...

Live!
Love!
Hug!
Express yourself!
Be free!
***

M.