In our last entry, our heroes had made a new (possibly fire-breathing) friend, and checked in with Mirror Blaze to see what they had wrought, in full daylight. They then turned their gaze to the rest of the Charnival.

An installation at night feels like a totally different place from that installation during the day. The Charnival by night is a flashing, fiery place of awe and wonder. By day, the sun is baking, the space is wide open as far as the eye can see, the installations look dormant, almost waiting for someone to interact with them. Daytime is more subtle, you can see more detail, it feels easier to live in the now, to experience the thing in front of you, rather than being distracted by the shiny thing blinking out of the corner of your eye.

Our heroes start their tour with some shadowplay, the sun delivering very crisp shadows for the effort:

The installations almost seem asleep, resting after their exertions of the night before. Most of the installations on playa are meant to be played with when the operators are not present, but not these, and in general, none of those which involve fire. Even though many people will walk through during the day, it gives a ‘backstage’ feel to the Charnival during the day:

Some of the installations feel like they are watching and waiting…:

Definitely a backstage, with all of the Charnival Grounds signs facing outwards:

The wind baffles setup to protect FaIRE Hockey help it feel like an animal, hiding from the sun and wind during the heat of the day:

Looking at the relative rankings on the high striker here may give you insights into some of the unique culture at Burning Man:

Francis the Fantastic was just that. It was the best integrated of the installations, combining fire, visuals, and sound into a cohesive whole. Here, you can see the trickster god waiting for the next volunteer:

The Last Flamethrower crew were very no-nonsense about safety. Many people joke about ‘safety third’ at the Burn, but when you’re working with gasoline, you really, really can’t do that. Their demeanour and rules reflect that:

Also, their blunt language:

Lastly, Gray had a piece next to Fire Tetris that I never quite learned the name of, but IIRC, the pieces would react to each other by glowing in different ways:

Some links to some of the projects in Charnival:
2piR, by Ardent Heavy Industries
Clown Teabagging Eruption, by Dave McKay and Sir Not Appearing in This Film 🙁
FaIRE Hockey, by Marc Reeve-Newson
Flack in the Box, by Emile Daigle
Flaming Hookers, by TJ Kozma and Deanna Duffey
Francis the Fantastic, by Michael Everson and Trish Lamanna
Hell Blazer, by Kate Tanos
Last Flamethrower, by Matisse Enzer
Mirror Blaze (That’s us!)
Molotov et Immolato: Les Bouffons Brûlant du Ciel, by: Douglas Ruuska
Pyrokinesis, by Seth Hardy (Site 3 Fire Arts)
Riskee Ball (Carrie Smith and Site 3 Fire Arts)
Toxic Bloom, by Ethan Garner
Word of the Burning Bramble, by Michael Dewberry

Next time, our heroes pass by a number of non-biological biological installations, and start night two of Mirror Blaze and the Charnival!