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):
S and Splat play FaIRE Hockey. (Not shown: Fire Zamboni)
Marc and Splat playing FaIRE Hockey:
Seth wielding his (third) favourite fire device[1], as Riskee Ball looks on from the background:
Seth wields his (third) favourite fire device[1], as Riskee Ball looks on from the background.
*FOOM*:
*FOOM*
The conversation continues *FOOM* as *FOOM* Riskee Ball *FOOM* *FOOM* *FOOM*.
The conversation continues *FOOM* as *FOOM* Riskee Ball *FOOM* *FOOM* *FOOM*.
Riskee Ball does not rest[2]. It waits.:
Riskee Ball does not rest. 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:
“Okay, let’s try this again…”“Okay, the ring almost caught…”“…the ring is on the hook! Wait for it…”*FOOM*
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 post, our hero went exploring, and found games and coyotes!
Today, we follow him on his excursions, following his new friend, the Manta Ray. He had first met the Manta Ray a few days prior, as his keeper was setting up. Here, you can see him, playfully following a bicyclist in the distance:
A bicyclist and his new Manta Ray friend!
The Manta was feeling somewhat parched, so they went for snow cones at the Contraptionists. The Contraptionists were able to adapt one of their manual[1] snow-shaving machines for Manta Ray, so all were able to contibute:
Another stop at the Contraptionists for snow cones!
They then went to visit some of their shiny fish-like friends at the daily force-push demonstration. The Manta glided around in the distance, as he was wont to do.
I think she was doing some sort of force push. Also, shiny fishmobile as the Manta Ray glides around in the distance.
They then went off to the French Quarter to attempt to procure some baked goods:
Esplanade, biking towards the French Quarter.
On the way back, they stopped at a BLM information booth and got a sense of the scale of playa:
If you thought Burning Man was big…
As night fell, M joined our heroes, and communed with the Manta for a time, before he glided off into the night, for exploration and quiet contemplation:
M came with us to commune with the friendly Manta Ray.
Back at the Charnival, a party was brewing, ships were gathering, bikes were blinking:
Ships of the Tron.
And Ben was playing with fire (and 2piR), as he does:
Ben, looking like he’s almost on fire, as usual.
Next time, more of Charnival in action! Everything on fire!
In our last post, our hero ventured forth and discovered many new areas. Today, we cover some of his travels on the way back to camp, to deliver his collected stories about his travels.
First, a commentary on commodification (or perhaps yoghurt?)[1]:
For Sale: Culture
But then, something even more magical! An entire playground of comically oversized board games! First, chess!:
A gigantic chess set?
Then Jenga! Much more fun than the scary scaffolding![2]:
“You take a 2×4 from the bottom, and you put it on top…”
There’s something about hexagons that makes Settlers so tempting to enlarge.
“I’ll trade you sandy sheep for sandy grain?”
I did quite enjoy the instantiation of the resources:
“I’ll trade you dusty sheep for dusty beer?”
Magic Labyrinth! Always surprisingly difficult:
“Kite, then mushroom, and *then* ice cream?”
Scrabble! The gigantic game back at home that was half of the inspiration for Biggle!:
“Do note the ping peen. It is my erstwhi e creed.”
Moving on, our hero encountered a strange sight:
“FUR” “But what does that smaller sign say?”
‘FUR’? An ‘Acme’ Tupperware tub? Coyote Garden? Either this is going to be fantastic or fantastic and ‘meep meep!’:
“An Acme tupperware tub? Coyote Garden? Uh oh.”
Apparently, ‘FUR'[3] camp extends a long ways. We’ll revisit these friendly folks later:
A…somewhat odd…Eeyore shows us the way to the rest of FUR.
Apparently, the current location is 5:30:
FUR PORTAL (and trampoline).
“Please do not put colourful shoes inside the coyotes.” “Or does it say ‘Please *do*’? I’m never sure about these things.”:
“Please do not put colourful shoes inside the coyotes.”
Next time, night falls, S tries out FaIRE hockey, and much fire is had. Stay tuned!
[1]I’m not sure who’s in this pic with me. Any ideas?
[2]Wait…Is that gigantic truth or dare Jenga?!?
[3]My guess is that this camp was an oasis for people who enjoyed wearing fur in various ways. During the day, I could only imagine how difficult that would have been. However, by the end of the week, everyone wanted to be them…
In our last post, we wrapped up night two of the Burn proper (Monday night). On Tuesday morning, while our intrepid heroine was resting, our hero went out to exploreatore the surrounding areas.
First, there was ‘Lip Bomb’, one of the more interestingly themed (or at least named) drinking establishments. It being early in the day, the establishment was empty. This was fine, as our heroes did not frequently frequent such establishments, preferring interacting with art to interacting with groups of people:
One of the more interestingly themed (or at least named) drinking establishments.
One of the more interesting instances of truck art, presumably to cover corporate logos:
One of the more interesting instances of truck art, presumably to cover corporate logos.
The illuminated sheep! And not so illuminated!:
This is what an illuminated sheep looks like during the day.
And where it goes home to roost!:
Ah. And this is where it lives.
Huh.:
Huh.
Next was this cutest group of yurts. Looking back, it seems that our hero was unsure what their purpose was, dwelling or not, and did not investigate further:
This was the cutest little group of yurts.
They did continue to be cute and colourful, though:
More of the cutest, most colourful group of yurts.
Finally, one of the most interesting places on Playa (and not just because of the name), the ‘Burners Without Matches’, who practiced using lenses to focus sunlight (of which there is abundance on playa) to burn the surface of wood to create pictures. Here it was discovered that a Stegosaurus friend was hiding just under the surface, just waiting to come out:
Possibly the coolest activity (and not just because of the name). A new Stegosaurus friend was found here.
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:
Another installation that you have to see to fully understand. The scale, and the way she breathes.
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:
Poignant, and also a reminder of how important it is to make a safe space for true communication and closeness.
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:
“This is the way you close the back of your Mirror Blaze, early in the morning.”
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.
Burning Man culture is generally not political. By this I mean that Burning Man culture may have strong opinions, but they are generally outside the normal/mainstream cultural framework.
In general, the art pieces are things for people to participate with and enjoy, monumental sculptures, oases in the desert, places for people to gather, etc…
This is why it was so surprising to see specific, pointed questions about real world things in a Burning Man installation.
They were still setting up, so you can see the insides, as well as how it looked something like one of those ’80s science centre push-button quizzes:
Questions 1-6, construction in progress.Questions 7-12, construction in progress.
Exoplanets. Not really controversial science-wise, but I can see a lot of controversy about whether their study is important:
How much do you care about exoplanets?
I’ve always enjoyed both the word and the concept of ‘orrery’:
I’ve always enjoyed both the word and the concept of ‘Orrery’.
From my family background, I have very strong opinions about the integrity of the election process (the first amendment is also pretty important to me):
Responsible franchise and the first amendment.
People on different sides of political issues have often tried to paint the other side as being somehow ‘different’. Now it seems that science is starting to show that this may actually be true:
Attempts at describing the psychology of various political leanings.
Regulation of automobiles. Perhaps another example of how peoples’ brains take much longer than you think to develop?:
Bonjours. La derniere fois, nos aventuriers intrepide sont aller dehors au playa envers minuit, at ils ont decouverts des secrets tres grave a propos de l’Homme du Pac.
In our last post, our adventurers kicked off night two of the Charnival, leaving Mirror Blaze in the capable hands of some of the many talented volunteers, while they struck out to explore what Burning Man had to offer at night!
Today, we get a glimpse of those nighttime explorations!
First, Twisty, the wild Rubiksnake beckoned them from outside the Charnival to go on a ride!:
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:
We meet another friend! Its keeper gives us an important token.
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:
An interesting desert flower assortment.
Next, they spotted someone or something on top of a geodesic dome:
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:
The ritual cleaning of the mirrors.
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 (O’Lantern) supervises the fire as S, Dug, and Joan (I think) look on.
Jack sets off the fire:
Jack sets off the fire. S, Dug, and Joan glance its way.
And conversation resumes:
S & Dug return to their conversation, Jack presiding.
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!:
Pyrokinesis.
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:
S is shadowed as she peruses Mirror Blaze.
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:
The Scary Scaffolding, Pyrokinesis, 2piR, and The Man slumber, waiting for nighttime.
Some of the installations feel like they are watching and waiting…:
Fire Tetris, Hellblazer, ?, Clown Heads, Flaming Hookers, Francis, and the Flamethrower, all seeming to be watching away from the camera, and waiting…
Definitely a backstage, with all of the Charnival Grounds signs facing outwards:
Shipping container, Riskee Ball!, Barker Stand, and a strange multi-coloured dome.
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:
FaIRE Hockey, hidden from the sun and wind, sleeps and waits.
Looking at the relative rankings on the high striker here may give you insights into some of the unique culture at Burning Man:
Hellblazer, with Francis in the background. Here, you can see cultural opinions expressed in the rankings of a high-striker.
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:
Francis looks on eerily, awaiting the opportunity to express words and fire. (foreground: Hellblazer highstriker)
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:
The Last Flamethrower, at rest. You can see the range safety rule list, the flamethrower itself, and the (slightly singed) targets.
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:
![Seth wields his (third) favourite fire device[1], as Riskee Ball looks on from the background.](http://nayrb.org/~blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/IMG_1530-e1468720347590-1024x768.jpg)
!["Hello!" [waves eight times]](http://nayrb.org/~blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/IMG_1385-copy-768x1024.jpg)
