Burning Man 2003: Beyond Belief
The Burning Man festival in northwest Nevada is a thousand different things to thousands of very different people. Some go for the incredible pyrotechnics alone. Others for the nudity and the drugs. Me? I go for the art and the spirit of belonging. In fact, the only time I feel like a true participant rather than a detached observer is when I am at Burning Man in Black Rock City.
Intrigued? Burning Man is an experimental, gift economy that springs up every year during the last week of August. The epicenter of the temporary community is an enormous wooden man stuffed with explosives; he is set ablaze toward the end of the week.
One of the best parts for me this year was helping to make an 8mm format film called "The Changing Faces of Burning Man." My sweetie and I filmed 150 different people one at a time. Each person posed for 12 individual frames—that comes to one second of film per person. It should be pretty neat, and I will put it up on-line as soon as I can!
Thinking about going next year? I'll see you there. In the meantime, check out some of my photos and www.burningman.com for more info.
These motorized bunny slippers zipped across the desert floor—a comfy and surreal ride!
Imagine the sound this chandelier made as it fell from the sky. . .
More standard transportation: this elephant car was fully sanctioned by the Bureau of Mutant Vehicles.
David Best strikes again. The California artist constructed his "Temple of Honor" from plywood and covered it with simple yet intricate black and white copies. The Temple of Honor burned one night after the man.
A handmade merry-go-round—one of three you could ride after sunset. . .
A shrine to man's best friend.
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