(non-)Fiery Disaster Strikes!

When we last saw our heroes, they were overseeing the Mirror Blaze and watching Marc demonstrate FaIRE Hockey to unsuspecting passers-by.

Little did they know that a (non-)Fiery disaster was about to strike!

It was a normal evening in the Charnival, passers-by were being drawn into the Mirror Blaze:

And being correctly awed and surprised by the *FOOM*:

A nice quiet night of *FOOM* ski ball:

Then, an innocuous moving of the battery box[1] caused a disaster!:

Mirror Blaze was no longer blazing! Even worse, it was, but only very intermittently! With the line mounting, our intrepid hero delved into the box of wire to debug the problem:

Luckily, he had a (very easy to see) multimeter to debug with:

After much gnashing of teeth[2] and many false starts, all connections were tested, the wires were reattached, and *FOOM* order was restored!:

[1]This is a classic example of making an early temporary design decision, then forgetting about it all the way through the rest of the build process. The solenoids that we procured were 12V solenoids, so we obtained a large red light-up button to act as the dead man switch, and two 6V batteries (hooked up in series with 120V-rated wire). This was then all wired together with spit and baling wire[3]. No wonder when moved it became intermittent!

[2]I think this was probably my most stressful (and fun in retrospect!) debugging. On the top of a lifeguard stand, about 10 feet in the air, low light, with fire erupting around you, with a crowd getting more antsy by the minute. And intermittent connections are the worst!

[3]And alligator clips!

When we last saw our heroes, they were visiting the Serpent Mother by night, to see the egg hatch that she had been protecting all this time.

Today, we follow them as they return to the Charnival for night five!

First, a very proud (and possibly sleepy) Marc, holding up his flame effect certification for FaIRE Hockey!:

M & S oversee the wonders of Mirror Blaze:

A mighty *FOOM* is had. There is much rejoicing.

The ‘Boring’ car arrived, and judged us with a little tune.

On a trip back to camp, Another delightful anagram from our neighbours to the South:

On the way back, some new visitors to the Charnival! A pirate ship:

The dreaded Gazebo!:

We return to the Charnival to see Marc inducting two new volunteers into his hall of flame:

Next time, we return to Mirror Blaze, and (non-)fiery disaster strikes! Stay tuned!

When we last saw our heroes, they had just conquered the Thunderdome, and had gone to visit Serpent Mother as she rested. Our heroes decided to return to camp to regroup and rest for a while, before re-emerging to clean mirrors for the evening’s activities.

Our journey today starts with an interview, specifically the view from inside the interview[1]:

This seemed like a good moment to peruse the map that they had been given during the drive in. Note that the city is organized in concentric circles. The circles are the ‘cross streets’, labeled alphabetically from ‘Arcade’ to ‘Laffing Sal’ (with the innermost being ‘Esplanade’). The ‘spokes’ are numbered as if on a clock, from ‘2:00′ to ’10:00’, with the Man at the center of the clock, and the Temple at 12:00:

A recent addition is plazas interspersed amongst the rings, to make it easier to have groups of destination camps away from the Esplanade:

Some important things to know on playa:

The Hive! That’s us!:

Totenkitten. Right between 'ToneAge' and 'Toxic Disco Clam':

A mobile tiki bar by the portapotties, of course!

K-9!:

An expression of Coyote:

I’m not sure if S was commenting on clowns, clown moop, or the fact that the clown nose was blue. Irregardless[1], she was unamused:

Daily mirror cleanings make Mirror Blaze a bright(er) installation!:

Your challenge of the day! Scrute some of the inscrutable things people draw on fiery, dusty mirrors:

[1]’Irregardless’ will likely also unamuse her.

In our last installment, our heroes had just successfully opened a portal to the land of test pattern:

After many adventures[1], they returned to playa, and went out to the Charnival to setup for another night of fiery mayhem:

M was running Mirror Blaze that night, so she and S took some time to set things on fire together:

And they were off! Here, we have S showing her skill at scaling solutions:

Next, our heroes encountered a large wooden sculpture, shaped like a huge Bismuth crystal!:

Apparently, it was difficult to climb:

Next was Penny the Goose, a representation of the ties that bind the United States and Canada (she has American pennies on her front, and Canadian pennies on her back).

The time spent in the land of Test Pattern may have had some lasting effects on our heroes:

There were lessons in geometry[2]:

And they had some strong opinions about possible art installations:

Next time, more nocturnal adventuring!

[1]Available in our new graphic novel: “*BEEEEP*: Adventures in the land of Test Pattern”

[2]It’s again difficult to express how normal every thing posted here feels, and/or felt at the time. These are moments special to us, but they were very typical of the experience.

In our last installment, our heroes had met up with M, and gone on excursions with their new Manta Ray friend, ending up at night three of the Charnival.

Today, we continue to follow their adventures through the Charnival, starting with S and Splat playing FaIRE Hockey (not shown: FaIRE Zamboni):

Marc and Splat playing FaIRE Hockey:

Seth wielding his (third) favourite fire device[1], as Riskee Ball looks on from the background:

*FOOM*:

The conversation continues *FOOM* as *FOOM* Riskee Ball *FOOM* *FOOM* *FOOM*.

Riskee Ball does not rest[2]. It waits.:

Next the focus shifted to ‘Flaming Hookers’, which was a carnival game where you tried to get a ring on a string to sit on a hook on the main body of the device. The string was conductive, so when the circuit was complete, fire would happen. This is a story about this happening:

Finally, we’ll end off today with a video which we feel best captures the windy, dusty, fiery nature of Charnival. See how many of the exhibits you can name!:

Next time, more adventures and Charnival night four!

[1,2]Note that Riskee Ball uses pilot lights. Seth is carrying the ‘propane-torch-on-a-stick’ that is used to light them.

In our last segment, we followed our intrepid heroes as they explored politics-not-as-usual at Burning Man.

Today, we follow them as they explore more of the playa at night!

After leaving the installation of political questions, they were drawn to this gigantic ball of ever-changing light:

Like Voice of Fire, experiencing the sheer scale is key. “The Ball”, by L’Enclave:

It’s difficult to express the sheer scale of Burning Man at night. Here’s a selection of art cars around a number of sound camps (at 2:00 and Esplanade, I think), by the Green Castle[1]. You may hear a Benny Benassi drop in the background:

Also striking for its sheer scale is ‘R-Evolution by Marco Cochrane‘. The sculpture was subtly lit, just enough that you could see her breathe:

Some chill music, while Tron suits walk by:

This is one of the more famous (outside the Burn) installations from 2015. Two adults, turned away from each other, but at night, you can see their inner children illuminated, trying to reach out to each other, trying to break through the shells their adult selves have built up around them. I see it as hopeful, that those excited, exploratory children are still alive in all of us, and can be brought out with the right catalyst. ‘Love’, by Alexandr Milov:

Then, it was time to go back to the Charnival, to relieve the volunteers and to close down Mirror Blaze for the night. Here you can see the barrier put up by the lifeguard chair, to block access to backstage and the fuel depot:

On the way back to camp (or on the way to portapotties after getting back to camp), some LED trails, randomly on the wall at the neighbour’s:

Next time, some solo morning exploration!

[1]S reminds me that sometime during Early arrival, we met two women who mentioned that they were working on ‘The Irish Castle’. At that time, we had no idea of its scope.

In our last post, our intrepid heroes visited and surveyed the Charnival on their way back to camp for supper.

On the way back, they had a few random encounters. The first was with a beautiful giant Manta Ray and its keeper. Apparently, the Manta Ray (by Peter Hazel) was painstakingly assembled from individually formed pieces of glass over the course of many months:

S also received an important token as a quest item.

Next, our heroes braved the ‘desert flower assortment’. We shall not share the expressions they were forced to express as they passed:

Next, they spotted someone or something on top of a geodesic dome:

Another friend! He seemed to be enjoying himself up there, and was definitely not an Octopus:

After dinner, our heroes returned to the Charnival, to perform the (almost) daily ritual cleaning of the mirrors, made necessary by the daily application of wind and playa dust. Here you can see S, with her trusty headlamp, using a Mr. Mister:

Then it was time to open again! We were helped by Jack (O’Lantern), Dug, and Joan. Mirror Blaze had been designed to be run by two people (one in the chair, controlling the fire, and one on player entry/exit), but we had asked for three because we suspected the crowds would get huge (which they did), and so that our volunteers could do things like take a washroom break. Here you can see S talking to Dug and Joan (I think), as crowds stream in:

Jack sets off the fire:

And conversation resumes:

Seth brought the coatrack, and modified the control system to hook it up to one of those ‘mind-controlling headbands’, and thus ‘Pyrokinesis‘ was born!:

Lastly, we leave you with an example of what a contact fire spinner (Ben, I think) can do with 2piR (Ardent Heavy Industries):

Tune in next time for zany nightime adventures into the wilds of the Burning Man night!

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!

In our last post, our intrepid heroes, true to type, had visited the Man and experienced various other poignant adventures on their way back to the installation. But there were still more adventures to be had!

Off in the distance, our heroine saw something, perhaps a friend?:

After swapping tales of fire with our newfound friend, our heroes resumed their course back towards the Charnival. Here, you can see it in the distance, filling the (slightly canted) horizon:

Just before they got there, they encountered some men in suits making some sort of statement. It was somewhat unclear, although all of the men in suits looked rather warm:

Back home to Mirror Blaze, still proudly flying the flags!:

Our heroine takes a moment to truly enjoy what she hath wrought:

And our heroes take a couple of moments together:

Next time, our heroes survey the rest of the Charnival, and continue their explorations!

In our last post, we had successfully opened Mirror Blaze and the Charnival.

Little did we know how popular it would be. For whatever reason, we were deluged with people on the first night of the Burn. I estimate about a thousand people went through Mirror Blaze during the first four hours it was open. So, sit back and enjoy the best we were able to video on that first frantic night!

But first, any event at Burning Man starts, as you might expect, with a dance party, organized by Charlie:

But back to the Charnival. Here’s what it looks like in full swing (things flame effecting l-r : Riskee Ball, Hellblazer, Fire Tetris, Francis the Fantastic, Pyrokinesis, with many others in the background!)

One of the most difficult things to capture with Mirror Blaze was the reactions of people to the flame effect. Much of this was due to the crowds, either because there were too many peope in the way, or because when there’s a huge lineup, it’s pretty obvious what is happening to the people in front of you. All of this is to say that the following video is one of or the best reaction video I have of someone reacting to Mirror Blaze:

And here’s a blurrier version, with more people:

I have no idea what this guy was doing or why he has a giant ice cream cone on his bike:

Here’s the art car that S calls ‘The Inappropriate Tank’, next to the Man:

Somehow, its mission complete, it drives away:

All through this time, we were directing people through Mirror Blaze, at peak, by my count, one person every 5-10 seconds. This led to significant usage of propane, leading to:

It may be difficult to see on the tank, but there’s line of snow/ice about 1/3 of the way up from the bottom of the tank. This is caused because whenever you draw off gas into the accumulator to fire off through the flame effect, more propane jumps into the gaseous phase[1], taking energy from the liquid phase and using it to provide heat of vaporization[3], with an approximate equation of:

some, warm propane(liquid) + no propane(gas) -> less, cooler propane(liquid) + some propane(gas)

And then, all of a sudden we were done! We took a moment to dance our happy dance:

And then a further moment to document our feelings at the time:

Thanks for continuing to join us on this journey! At this point, much of the stress was off, as our project had worked! There was still an entire week of running it, but also another week of adventures! Stay tuned!

[1]#lechateliersprinciple[2]

[2]This is actually a very useful principle for many applications, including human behaviour. But that is a different post entirely…

[3]Yes, I know this is actually the higher energy liquid molecules leaping off into the partial vacuum, and not being replaced because there aren’t as many gaseous molecules of the same type. This is a useful small lie similar to using the idea of evolved systems as designed systems to help understand them.