Burning Man: A Cultural Stigma Dismantled

“Jackie can send that out tomorrow,” assumed one of my managers.

“No, she won’t be here,” replied my supervisor.

“What? Where will she be?”

“She will be at Burning Man,” my supervisor said, instantly regretting it.

“What! I hope you plan on drug testing her when she gets back!”

This is the conversation that ensued at my workplace as I was packing up my furry vests, glow sticks, crazy patterned leggings, pasties, light-up bra, ruffly undies, bedazzled goggles, and the rest of my Burning Man “essentials”. While I’ve heard Burning Man be called everything from a “drug fueled orgy” to a “massive party in the desert,” I’ve never felt personally attacked for my affiliation as a “Burner”. Coming back to the default world, I was not drug tested, but I was asked a number of times about how my time was out on the playa.

And when I replied with, “It was so great! There were so many incredible art structures out there this year.” I got sarcastic remarks like, “Right, the art. Ha!” I began to get the feeling they didn’t care to know about my actual experience in the first place. They probably have no idea what Burning Man really is and what the event means to the 50,000 people that are out there every year.

Yes, there are orgy tents.

Yes, there are people participating in mind altering substances.

No, that is not all that is going on.

Every year, the week prior Labor Day, over 50,000 people gather in the Black Rock Desert on the dusty and ancient remains of Lake Lahonton. These tens of thousands of people create a transient metropolis called Black Rock City where they settle in and call it home. It is a place filled with creative minds, adventurous people, wondrous art, and surreal experiences.

Unfortunately that is not how the rest of the world sees Burning Man. Many have attached to Burning Man this idea that drugs and sex rule the playa. While you may be able to explore your sexuality as you please in a variety of camps and activities, there is a ridiculous amount of other happenings going on around you.

 

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Playa Glossary (definitions provided by Burningman.org)
MOOP: Matter Out Of Place. Litter, debris, rubbish.
Playa: The Spanish word for beach, also used to describe dry lake beds in the American west such as the Black Rock Desert.
Burner: One who pursues a way of life based on the values reflected in the Ten Principles of Burning Man.
Deep Playa: In Black Rock City, the area of open playa behind the Man, Particular the outer realms near the perimeter trash fence.
Esplanade: In BRC, the innermost ring road facing the Man.
Exodus: The process and organization of the mass participant departure from BRC at the end of the event.
Greeter: Volunteers who welcome all arriving participants to Black Rock City.
Leave No Trace: A philosophy learned during a rigorous 3-day back-country training expedition, during which participants are taught to clean up after themselves. Leaving no trace is also one of the Ten Principles of Burning Man. No really, we’re serious about this.
The Man: Term used for the Burning Man Statue
Mutant Vehicle: A motorized conveyance that is radically, stunning, (usually) permanently, and safely modified. Larry Harvey likens Mutant Vehicles to “sublimely beautiful works of art floating across the playa like a Miro painting.” Licensed by the DMV (Department of Mutant Vehicles), these vehicles are an important part of the Burning Man experience.
Open Playa: The portion of the playa that is within our pentagonal even space, but issued exclusively for art installations rather than camping space.
Ten Principles: the ten core guiding concepts of the Burning Man project.
Theme Camp: A campsite which artistically presents an idea or concept and is designed to create an interactive experience for participants.
Trash Fence: During the term of the Burning Man event, the city is surrounded by a perimeter fence, with controlled entry and exit procedures. (This fence normally collects the MOOP that travels along the playa thanks to the wind.)

Sydney Schavietello’s first few nights on the playa is a perfect example of something that the rest of the world wouldn’t expect to hear about at Burning Man. One terribly cold night Sydney and her group were roaming the playa, bundled in sweats, tights, fur, anything to keep the warmth from escaping their bodies. They walked near a lit art piece that looked like some sort of dodecahedron with scraps of beige fabric draped from the bottom of the piece to the cold and dusty ground. They didn’t think to stop at this particular structure until a man emerged from beneath the dodecahedron.

“Are you trying to figure out where to go next on the playa?” He asked.

Everyone agreed that if it was at least one degree warmer inside of that teepee then it was definitely where they wanted to go next on the playa.

“Would you like a cup of tea?” He asked just to seal the deal.

The man held the long curtain that acted as a door open while everyone took their places inside. It was a tiny space that forced the group to sit close to each other as well as their new friend. The man introduced himself as David as he made the group tea and passed around biscuits (his play on tea and crumpets). Interestingly enough, David had not created the art structure that they were sitting under. He actually had met the artist a few days prior. David had aspired to create some sort of tea house where people could meet and have intriguing conversation while exploring the playa. David asked the artist if he could borrow his art for the night so that he could do just that.

David and Sydney’s groups sat underneath the art structure for a little over an hour discussing life, goals, personal interests and a plethora of other things. Towards the end of their meeting David passed around a small notebook and asked everyone to leave a note. It was filled with thank yous, contact information, and friendly messages from all the people he had come across over the week.

Sydney was taken back by this unexpected encounter in the middle of Burning Man. She enjoyed the experience that this friendly stranger had given them. These aren’t the kind of stories that are told to the Burning Man antis, such as my Aunt Michelle.

 

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When I first told my aunt, a devout Jehovah’s Witness, that I was going to be attending Burning Man, her face dropped and all she could ask me was, “Why?!” At the time I wasn’t really sure what I could say to her so that she wouldn’t lump me into that stereotypical burner category that the world seems to think so poorly of.

After attending the event I came back with pictures and stories that still wouldn’t convince her against her skepticism. After my second go around with the dusty playa I was sure I had figured out a way to connect my aunt with Burning Man. Art.

Those who have never undergone Burning Man first hand aren’t familiar of the incredible art that make its way to Black Rock City every year. Interactive games, climbable optical illusions of ladders, terrifying charcoal scorpion on wheels, large metal snakes with burning scales and fire breathing fangs, and the 60 foot tall Man himself.

Burning Man offers a home to the thousands of creative minds that take to the playa to express their imagination and awe-inspiring ideas in a place where anything goes.  Many find it hard to believe that many of the art displayed on the abandoned lake bed are burned and destroyed by the end of the week. But something that every burner out there knows is that the burn is an art form in itself.

Every year there is the Man. That enormous Man built from the hands of volunteer burners with a wide variety of skill sets. This past year the Man was 60 feet tall and at his base was a large carnival inspired maze. Getting lost in this particular maze would be anything but alarming.

“Step right up!” yell the enthused volunteers, trying to keep their carnival character in play.

When you indeed, step right up, you enter the maze and stare at the towering red walls.

“Left? No, right.” Fickle minds try to make up their mind as to which red tunnel to tackle first. They get lost in a room filled with howling cackles emerging from a 12 foot tall terrifying yet playful clown or find themselves in a room where music sheets are flying off the walls and emerging from a beautiful organ being played by whomever lets their curiosity gets the best of them.

At the end of the week the event where Burning Man gets its name happens and no one misses it. Every burner across the playa gathers around the Man and awaits the main event. Talented men and women twirl their rings of fire around their bodies while fire breathers spew their fiery saliva just inches away from the front row.  Once the drumming dies down and the fire dancers put out their flames the fireworks begin.

A firework show on the playa is way better than any holiday at Disneyland Park. The smell of black powder coupled with vibrant paints and booming crackles in the sky mesmerizes the crowd. Then the mass of burners are taken back by the thundering explosion that begins the burning of the Man. The colossal burst of fire and smoke engulfs the Man and induces cheering, embracing, and champagne bottles popping.

The rest of the show is sitting with people they love, or maybe people they had just met, and allowing the eyes to rest on the red, orange, and rolling flames and crashing white hot embers until the Man’s legs fall from underneath him in a smoky tumbling heap of ashes and scorched remnants.

Anyone who has had the chance to sit through such a captivating spectacle wouldn’t think of Burning Man as such a debauched event. My aunt told me her perception of Burning Man as just that.

“The word that came to my mind was ‘hedonism.’  My perception was that Burning Man was a big drunken orgy and drug-infested party where everyone was out of their minds for an entire week. I couldn’t figure out why such a smart, decent person such as you would even want to attend!”

If I could only get Aunt Michelle out to the playa I would show her all of the wonder it brings to the many smart and decent people that attend.

 

 

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Something my aunt isn’t aware of is the immense amount of people who travel to Burning Man in a search of spirituality and self-awareness. It may not be a typical religious function in any way, shape or form, but the majority of people leave this function with their own revelations about themselves and the world around them.

One of the 10 principles of Burning Man is “Participation.” It’s a fundamental part of the event and plays a different role in everyone’s’ experience while on the playa. Naomi Duke, 4 year veteran of Burning Man, was made self-aware of how her minuscule form of participation played such an immense role in the massive arena that is the playa.

During Naomi’s first burn in 2012 she took a moment to step back to look back at the breathtaking view of Black Rock City when the sun goes down.

“On one angle I could see thousands of specs of lights, humming and buzzing around me. All connecting and interacting.” Naomi said to describe all of the art, people, and camps closer to the city. “On the other, just this immense vastness of space leading out into deeper playa. I remember thinking how odd that I could be both such a small part of all those lights, as well as a giant, making my way through the middle of nothing.”

This experience not only changed Naomi’s mindfulness during her time at Burning Man. She took this experience home with her to teach her about how an individual can be both an integral part of a larger machine while significantly impacting the community around them on an individual level.

 

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Nick Wood’s first experienced Burning Man at the ripe age of 19 and was definitely expecting a different experience than the one he had encountered.

“I expected to see a bunch of naked people having sex everywhere and a lot of hippies on drugs.” Instead, Nick was able to divulge himself into a community where he felt the sense of community is “unreal.”

“The communal effort out there is amazing to be a part of. Random acts of kindness all over the place. Everyone says hi and acts like they are your best friend. Everyone goes out of their way to help or be kind to each other for the simple reason that it’s the right thing to do.”

One night during the burn in 2013, Nick and his friend Trent were split up from their group. Nick decided they would head back to camp and make some dinner instead of aimlessly searching for them on the playa. While riding their bikes through the neighborhoods a man jumped out from his camp and into the street.

“Hey! Get off your fucking bikes and get in here.”

In the default world this would probably be alarming and any person in their right mind would probably not get off their bikes and safely ride home. But out of the playa this wasn’t too out of the ordinary.

Nick and Trent laughed at the crazed man, dismounted their bikes, and walked on inside this unfamiliar camp. The man welcomed them in and to Nick and Trent’s surprise they found a fully loaded taco bar. They made themselves a plate and took a seat next to the giving man. He told them this was his way of gifting to the people on the playa. He spent all day cooking a tremendous amount of food just to give it all away to whoever’s stomachs were growling. Just another random act of kindness out on the playa.

 

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One of the 10 principals of Burning Man is “Gifting” and after attending my first year of Burning Man in 2014, I was definitely a fan of the concept. For both of the years I have attended I have spent countless hours brainstorming via Pinterest and lying on my living room floor crafting knickknacks that could be given away to anyone and everyone I meet on the playa.

One night during one of our bike convoys towards the sound camps on the 9 o’clock side of the city I became genuinely connected to this principle. I saw, only for a second, a vague shadow walking straight into our path. The shadow got closer as I peddled my illuminated fluff ball of a bike further into deep playa. As soon as I realized that that shadow wasn’t just my eyes playing tricks on me I quickly swerved out of the way of the large man about to be ran over by my burner family.

“Ahh! You don’t have any lights, you’re going to get hit!” I yelled at him, trying to sound concerned more so than angry.

“Oh, I’m so sorry I know!” He yelled back apologetically.

I probably only peddled my feet a yard or two away from the what could have been mishap before I swiftly stepped off my bike, allowing it to ghost ride until it fell into the dust. I ran back to the unlit man who almost just died by bike. I ripped out the light-up fiber optic hair extension I had in my hair and clipped it to his backpack.

“There! Now I can see you,” I smiled.

He paused for a second to take a look at what I had just attached on to him and then embraced me in the biggest and warmest hug I had ever experienced.

“Thank you so much!” he said as he walked away.

What made this particular experience so different and more honest was that at the time I had no idea that I was actually participating in the “Gifting” principle. Instead of gifting using all the bracelets, headbands, armbands, etc. that I had made I shared something right off my person and something I was actually using in order to help light his body out of harm’s way.

 

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Radical Self Reliance, another Burning Man principle, is the encouragement of burners to discover as well as rely on their inner resources. Bryan Harvey has participated and relied on himself while attending Burning Man for 19 years now. He was even there when the event was held at Baker Beach in San Francisco. He is also the nephew of one of the founders of Burning Man, Larry Harvey. So it is safe to say that Burning Man is close to his heart.

To Bryan, Burning Man is a family event. He has always been there to support his uncle in crafting the large event as well as participating with his family every year while attending.

“You got to take care of number one before you can participate,” says Bryan about his favorite principle Radical Self Reliance. “I work so that I am not a burden to others. I plan, I pack, and I ensure I have the essentials to survive.”

Being involved in a theme camp, Children of Chaos, Bryan knows the importance of being there to take care of himself along with others residing in his camp. Bryan has made the mistake of not dedicating enough time to himself in order to attend to others on the playa.

“The time I dedicated to my first time burner friends and the camp drastically cut into my ability to participate with the Burning Man event itself. Thus not allowing the time I needed to feed my needs and so I came away exhausted and unfulfilled. The lessons of Burning Man continue no matter how many years you go.”

Bryan fears that this principle is in jeopardy because of the ever increasing dependence on technology. As for other principles, Bryan believes that they are hard to maintain as the event grows larger and larger. But it is critical to maintain these principles as a part of Burning Man. Bryan says, “In the end, the principles keep Burning Man from becoming just another event.”

Although to many people Burning Man is just a “massive party in the desert” or a “drug fueled orgy,” I believe it is important to educate others on what this event truly is to so many people. After only attending for two years, I strive to attend Burning Man every year that I possibly can. Every year I want to participate and gift, rely on myself and leave no trace. Burning Man may not be an event for everyone but the 10 principles that the organization encourages sure are.