EncyclopediaJane: Burning Man

So exactly a week from today we’re heading to San Francisco meet up with a group going to Burning Man, an annual arts festival that takes place in the Black Rock Desert of northern Nevada.

They call it an intentional temporary community and an experiment in radical self-reliance, which means that for about a week hordes of people (as in 25,000+) trek into the desert, set up camp and construct elaborate installation pieces, perform plays, put on costumes, and, as far as I can tell, party until their minds are mush. Each year the event has a theme. This year it’s "Hope and Fear: The Future.” Burning Man Corporation says that they hope artists will “explore how we create futurity, manifested as an expression of the promise of our hopes, and the contractions of our fears.” Money is of no use here as there’s nothing to buy except coffee and ice (two essentials for desert living). All you can do is trade: a song; a drawing; a poem. (Perhaps sexual favors…I imagine.) You have to bring your own water, food, and shelter. I’ve never been but I’ve heard that it’s the ultimate form of self-expression and prime hunting ground for some of the best people watching on the planet. I was planning to blog using audioblogger but have just found out that that may not be possible. Why? No cell phone coverage. But not to worry: I'll take photos and keep notes.

So where is this Black Rock Desert and what is it like?

Well, it’s a desert. In the middle of nowhere. As in 120 miles north of Reno, Nevada. The closest towns are Empire and Gerlach.

Technically, Black Rock Desert is a completely flat prehistoric lakebed or a hardpan alkaline playa. It’s surrounded by the Pahute Peak Wilderness and the North Black Rock Range Wilderness to the west and North and South Jackson Mountains Wilderness areas to the east. Only drought-tolerant plants like sage and the ilk grow here and animals like deer, coyotes, snakes, scorpions, spiders and birds.

One area resident notes that "It's so flat that it causes optical illusions. Soon after sunrise on any warm day, the mirage begins. Objects more than 1/2 mile away slip below the horizon as the mirage bends your field of view away from the ground. Yet mountains 20-40 miles away may seem crystal clear. A car driving near the mirage terminator from you may at first appear as a low flying aircraft because you can see some refracted sky below it."

You can see some pictures of the desert here and read about the Art of Burning Man here.

Tags: Burning Man Black Rock Desert Nevada