Like a rain god, S spots the Thunderdome off in the distance!
M & S contemplate the Thunderdome:
M & S contemplate the Thunderdome.
Looking to the right, our intrepid heroes saw the Death Guild HQ. Luckily, by day, they are at rest[1]. By night, they are one of the most insane groups on playa. (The Thunderdome is not for the unprepared[2].)
To the right, by day, the Death Guild is at rest.
Climbing things is fun!:
“Climbing things is fun!”
S conquers the THUNDERDOME!:
Having conquered the Thunderdome, S strikes a triumphant pose.
Looking further up, they saw the warning sign of NOPE. Not knowing whether it was because of downward falling danger, or equipment, they NOPED out of there.
NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE
Is it a beacon? Metaphorical trees growing together? Something even weirder?:
Is it a beacon? Metaphorical trees growing together? Something even weirder?
Today, we follow them on their random-walk journey through an eclectic assortment of things that Burning Man has to offer.
First, the (slightly creepy) dancing bears! They seemed just a little *too* happy…:
The (slightly creepy) dancing bears!
Found! A public service for all of those lost items. Remember, only MOOP[1] is truly lost (and all lost items are MOOP):
Found! (Only MOOP is truly lost at Burning Man.)
As you may guess, Mad Max is a common decorative theme:
Another example of Mad Max-like architecture.
This structure seemed to serve as a warning. Our heroes shied away, after being burned by objects like this in the past[2]:
But what it trying to warn you about?
Needing a breather, they stopped at the Steampunk Saloon:
Steampunk Saloon! (Tents like this are marvelous shade structures.)
On their way again, they biked along the Esplanade, marveling in the experience:
Riding along the Esplanade, trying to capture the feeling. (Also, wide ‘playa tires’ in the foreground.)
Along the way, they passed a strangely-named structure, ‘Edal Bump’:
‘Edal Bump’. ‘What does “Edal Bump” mean?’
Going slightly further, it made much more sense[3]:
‘Ah. “P-Edal Bump”.’
“Bad Advice”, or “Really Bad Advice”? Which would you choose? Which one would you be more likely to follow? Which would be worse?
Stay clbutty, Burning Man.
And then, in the distance, our heroes spot the destination they didn’t even know they were heading towards, The THUNDERDOME!:
Like a rain god, S spots the Thunderdome off in the distance!
Next time, THE THUNDERDOME! Also, up close and personal with Serpent Mother! Stay tuned!
[1]’Matter Out Of Place’, the reduction of which is central to the ethos of ‘Leave No Trace’, a fundamental ethos of Burning Man. Painstaking inch-by-inch MOOP search and removal is a part of every camp’s responsibility. (Another important part of the ethos is avoiding MOOP, and picking it up anywhere you see it during the festival.)
[2]It does bear an uncanny resemblance to the ‘nuclear waste spike field‘, a hypothetical structure to deal with the very real problem of warning future generations about the problems of nuclear waste.
“‘Spike field’: An early idea from the US Department of Energy in the 1990s. The spikes and their shadows would communicate danger, as would warning signs bearing Edward Munch’s ‘The Scream’ scattered across the site” – http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/db87c16c-4947-11e6-b387-64ab0a67014c.html
[3]Not to mention why there were so many bicycles in the area (although there could be many reasons for that at the Burn).
In our last post, our intrepid heroes had just visited the fearsome Medusa, and received a whispered quest, which led them to a phage display. This, however, was just the beginning…
The sign promised ‘FIERY DEMISE’. THERE ARE NO JOKES AT BURNING MAN. READ THE BACK OF YOUR TICKET[1]:
FIERY DEMISE. WE ARE NOT JOKING.
Some important signage about safety considerations, and why it is best to be magnanimous (and possibly fleeing) in victory:
Important safety considerations when flying hydrogen-filled blimps.
M surveys the NFPA symbol and ensures that all is in order[2]:
M surveys the NFPA symbol and ensures that all is in order.
It not yet being time for a FIERY DEMISE, our intrepid heroes then proceeded to a miniature golfiture course, where they met two interesting capsule friends. It was unclear what they were trying to communicate, but it seemed to have something to do with the binomial theorem:
I’m not sure what these guys were trying to say, but they said it using the Binomial Theorem.
The heroes surveyed the course, seeing all of their planetary friends, and OH NO SPACE AMOEBA!:
“It’s a nice round of mini-golf with all of our planetary friends, and OH NO SPACE AMOEBA!”
It was time to golf. S stepped up, and carefully aimed the catapult…:
S carefully aims the catapult.
…And carefully observed the progress:
S intently observes what she hath wrought.
The ball solved the binomial theorem, as only a non-Zeno-ite could…”
The ball solved the binomial theorem, as only a non-Zeno-ite could…
…traveling through the rotating planet of music…:
…traveling through the rotating planet of music…
…and coming to a stop at Mars, to keep Curiosity company:
…and coming to a stop at Mars, to keep Curiosity company.
Stay tuned for next time, when we follow our intrepid heroes towards the Death Guild, and the THUNDERDOME!
[1]Read the back of your ticket. Includes such gems as (in bold all-caps) “You voluntarily assume the risk of serious injury or death by attending this event…”
[2]I love NFPA symbols. By their nature, they cannot convey all information, but they convey very important information (and I would argue the most important information) at a glance, on a 0-4 scale. Health (blue), Fire (red), Instability/reactivity (yellow), and ‘Other things you should know’ (white). Note that this is 0-4-0, telling you that this is gaseous hydrogen.
In our last installment, our plucky heroes had taken a sojourn amongst the growing coyotes. They then continued on until they saw a sign:
I would never use these words myself, but they seemed to enjoy them.
So many new friends! (Apparently, the real title is ‘Piazza D’Arte’.):
So many new friends! (Or fiends?)
This guy seemed a little…overly friendly. Luckily, he seemed to be constrained by the multicoloured shield[1].
This guy seemed a little…overly friendly. Luckily, he seemed to be constrained by the multicoloured shield.
Next, M & S perused a strange bird/hammock structure, while the stork in the foreground made efforts to reduce workload in order to take some time off:
M & S peruse a strange bird/hammock(?), while the stork in the foreground is making efforts to take some time off.
There was then this sign, introducing a Claude Dragon (not to be confused with Cloud, or Cloud Dragons):
Claude? Does that mean…?
Claude entreated our intrepid heroes to enter, so that they could embark on an important quest. (This story shall be told at a later date…[2]):
Yes! You can store many things in the Claude!
The good news was that this sentry was still there. They are always the first to leave, as they always know which way the wind is blowing:
“You’re so vane, I bet you think this wind is about you…”
There was then this disturbing tableau, which is even more disturbing when you know the story behind why the being is caged, and why there is such a fearsome guardian[3]:
A disturbing tableau. Even more disturbing if you knew the story behind why the cage and the guardian.
The jury is still out as to whether this is still a one-horsecar town.
After many adventures, and many tearful goodbyes with their newfound metallic friends, our heroes embarked on the next leg of their journey, which they had spotted from their perch inside Claude. The FEARSOME MEDUSA!
Today, M joins our heroes as they explore the dusty playa, meet coyotes, and see all manner of art.
In our last installment, our heroes experienced some of the most sublime nighttime fire art. Today, they explore dusty coyotes, and all manner of other odd installations.
But first, an installation which is an eloquent commentary on Burning Man culture (and probably culture in general):
I’m assuming they’re talking about the bird.
Moving on, our intrepid heroes came across an unusual garden. S ran inside, in the hopes…:
Is this what she thinks it is?
…that…yes! It was the garden where coyotes were grown! Long had she spoken to and tried to follow the way of Coyote, but now she had found the source! (Or rather, *a* source. Like Surprise Elementals, it is often difficult to figure out Coyote.):
It is! I am excited and terrified at the same time.
Pausing for a few moments so that she could commune (and slightly alter the growing coyotes), we spent some time talking to this guy:
*All* cool coyotes wear shades.
And learning about the importance of registering hugs[1][2]:
Registration is important.
There was also an interesting barbecue/weather vane combination, which seemed to be an important part of the religious conversation on playa:
Religion often takes a different turn on playa.
Next time, the Freak Show continues, with metallic dragons[3]!
[1]It is very important, especially with repeated hugging, to not let them get out of register. Els eyo uma yencounte rsomethin glik ethi s.
[2]Astute readers may notice the phone number in the picture.
Today, we follow their adventures as they experience some of the best that playa has to offer in the way of fire art.
First, they met up with The Grasshopper and El Pulpo Mechanico. The Grasshopper they had not met before, but he seemed a friendly sort. El Pulpo was one of the mythical creatures of the Burn, visible from almost anywhere on playa, with a continual pied-piper-esque chase group of bicycles. Mythical for many reasons, not the least was the fact that there were so few seats that it was almost impossible to ever catch a ride.
This was one of our most magical moments. It’s difficult to express the fundamental beauty of flame effects set oh-so-perfectly to music, or just the feeling of the friendly competition. All I can do is show you some of the pictures.
Here we see a short video of the two of them having a musical chat:
They’re firey friends[1]!:
The Grasshopper and El Pulpo Mechanico, firey friends.
Here is S, amongst myriad onlookers, trying to get the perfect shot:
Amongst myriad onlookers, S tries to get the perfect shot.
A few animated .gifs expressing the joy of the occasion:
*FOOM* *hee hee!**hee hee* *FOOMFOOM* *hee hee*
And one capturing the fiery friendship between these two lovable characters:
El Pulpo and The Grasshopper, continuing their fiery friendship.
Our heroes were then drawn by the fiery clarion call of the Serpent Mother:
Serpent Mother roars!
The audience was transfixed:
The audience is transfixed by Serpent Mother.
Looking more closely, you can see the care put into the installation, all the moving parts and accumulators, and the labeling of each part:
It’s very important to label your vertebrae.
Elated, our heroes took the bridge back to the installation, and then home for a well-deserved rest:
In our last installment, our heroes had gone a little playa-crazy from their adventures in the land of test pattern.
Now, it was time for them to rest and reflect on what they had experienced.
But first, the nose car:
Nose car.
Our intrepid heroes encounter a strange tent, titled ‘True Reflections Palace’. An arched entranceway beckons them in…:
What awaits inside? (It’s difficult to tell because the sign is itself reflective.)
A welcoming sign:
This is the coolest tape we’d seen outside of Japan.
It turns out that ‘True Reflections’ are what happens when you reflect a person’s image in such a way that it looks to them like they look to other people:
This was really spooky.
Of course, there were tinker toys, distracting to builders such as our heroes:
Tinkers toy!
Up?:
Up?
THE WHOLE TENT IS TINKER TOYS:
Aha! The truth revealed!
Some research on this topic:
Research!
This is they type of coverage that you may have seen of this before, how the two halves of of the face are seen very differently, and how swapping them can have huge effects, most often done to celebrities so that people will click the link:
Not even Bruce Willis is immune.
Some interesting commentary on the psychology of changing how someone sees themselves, possibly similar to people hearing themselves speak:
How people respond to their ‘true reflection’.
They can probably tell you more, more succinctly and correctly than I can, so I leave you with a blatant (but happy) plug[1]:
A blatant (but happy) plug.
Next time, our heroes encounter a (friendly) match between El Pulpo Mechanico and his grasshopper friend, and visit the Serpent Mother. Stay tuned!
[1]They are really cool, though. I feel like I look totally different in the ‘true mirror’, like twice as attractive. I wonder if this would help people understand privilege better…
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 played with fire, all over the Charnival. Today, they go on a quest to the land of test pattern, where happy colourful creatures abound.
First, S disguises herself as a test pattern creature, and practices the dance they are famous for:
S practicing the famous ‘test pattern dance’, performed by test pattern creatures the world over.
Our heroes consulted with the wandering art piece ‘Desert Flower’, which told them to consult with the Contraptionists. It mentioned that the Contraptionists would be better able to direct them to the test pattern creatures, as the creatures often stopped there because of the brightly coloured snow cones:
On the right you can see ‘Desert Flower’, a wandering art piece made by an artist from Toronto.
It also offered suggestions for traveling bicycle music[0]:
Once there, S performed her best test pattern impression, and our heroes sat down to wait (and consume snow cones):
S, waiting in line at the Contraptionists, doing her best test pattern impression.
Here, you can see the Contraptionists, hard at work shaving ice:
The Contraptionists, hard at work.
Luckily, there was another guide our heroes met. One of the Contraptions had a clue. Once S had performed the call sign ( 😛 ), it said that ‘the secret is hidden between the wizard staves’:
S, communing with and receiving advice from a Contraption.
Remembering events from 2013[1], our heroes started to make their way back to camp, to consult with the wizards there. On the way, they became lost in a sandstorm, when a peculiarly unseasonable windstorm arrived out of nowhere. Luckily, The Queen Dick was there to offer a landmark:
When winds are high, and visibility low, The Queen Dick is always there to guide your way.
Also on the way back, our heroes encountered an encoded message of some type. Unsure of what it meant, they documented it, and proceeded back to camp to find the wizards:
An encoded message?
Back at camp, they consulted the wizards, who mentioned that when crossed, two full-powered Wizard’s Staves would open a portal to the test-pattern dimension. Then then talked of the rituals that they would have to endure to unleash their full power. After mentally preparing themselves, they settled in to each drink themselves a Wizard’s Staff.
First was Longship, proudly wearing his Totenkitten cape:
Longship proudly wears his Totenkitten cape.
Then was the brave DB, with his impressive Wizard’s Staff:
DB’s impressive Wizard Staff.
Together, they battled through many obstacles, until finally the staves were built. But that is a story for another time.
Stay tuned next time for night four, climbing edition!
[0]Note that these two videos were auto-stabilized by YouTube. What do you think?
[1]This was not the first occurrence of ‘Wizard’s Staff’.
[2]Wizard’s Staff (Burning Man edition) is a game played in two stages. During the first stage, the wizards-in-training consume beer (Tecate[3] is preferred), duct-taping the new beer each time to the top of the eponymous ‘Wizard’s Staff’. Once they feel they have consumed adequate amounts of beer, the second stage begins. The second stage involves bicycle jousting, using the above-mentioned Wizard’s Staves (not pictured).
[3]Tecate is a unique part of the Burning Man experience. Often the only beer left in stores, it is purchased and brought to playa in great quantity. For the unique playa experience, it is best served warm.
