Burning Man asked for our opinions...

Here's what they got:

Hello everyone in the BM organization!

This year was my 3rd year and my boyfriend's 3rd year at Burning Man. It was also our least favorite. Oddly, however, the fact that this Burn was bad has made us reconsider our previous position that we would not be back in 2008. Let me explain:

We come with a theme camp so we don't use the public johns too much although the one time I did on Wednesday night I was mortified. My boyfriend had pretty nasty experiences the few times he used the public loos too because they were always filthy. Yuck. But we understand there were SO many people and the cleaning guys are punctual and efficient but the toilets were probably overwhelmed a bit. So overall, the infrastructure of the city as a whole we find to be good.

These are the things we found to be unsettling this year:

1) The whole vibe of the event felt very different - negative, unsocial, unfriendly, a lack of community, chronic over-abundance of spectators and "frat boys"

2) Litter and piss ALL over the Playa!!! I spent half of Friday night picking up other people's mud-caked beer cans. Especially offensive for a person who doesn't drink alcohol...

3) The Esplanade didn't seem to end this year. The previous years we've been (mine were 2004 and 2006, his were 2005 and 2006) there was a sort of horseshoe shape to the Esplanade when you were out at the Man or the Temple. This year, it seemed like the Esplanade, camps and structures went in a complete circle. It obliterated the night skies and made finding your way virtually impossible because the ends of the Esplanade weren't obvious. If it was that way for sober people I have no idea how anyone else found their way anywhere.

4) Overall, the event just felt too full of people. As much as I never thought I'd say this, it feels too big. I know you guys hear this every year but the vibe was so different and so damaged this year that it feels like it's time to put a cap on the number of entrants.

Many of these points I've made have been echoed by the 180 or so people in our theme camp and also many of the 400 + or - in our local Burn community. There is a large group so offended by the poor feel of the event this year that they've planned to do something else as a group next year, like heading to Costa Rica. Personally, I think that's a mistake. So here's where I explain why my partner and I would come back in '08 instead of going to Europe as planned. We feel responsible for the community we're a part of. The reason we became part of our regional community and continued to go back to Burning Man was because of the social and spiritual renewal we experienced there. It's sort of like our annual pilgrimage to reset ourselves. This year, we left feeling empty, drawn and generally miserable. Fortunately, we ran into some other burners in Reno on the way home where the warm-fuzzies were somewhat restored. Because of our feelings for the community, we believe it's our responsibility to recover what was lost in 2007. We feel that to risk it being lost forever is unacceptable and as a result we are considering hosting a theme camp in 2008 that makes a point of engaging passers by and welcoming people in. Maybe sharing the sense of togetherness and welcome will help bring back what was missing this year.

We also feel that the Burning Man foundation should try to recover what was so special about this event. We aren't naive and we get that this is a for-profit business which is fine. But limiting the number of participants to something like 42,000 wouldn't exactly be killing your budget. Also going back to the design of the camps which allows that gorgeous expanse of open blackness to the Playa between 9:00 and 2:00 with just the Man and the Temple to break it. Not seeing the stars at Burning Man because there was light in every direction was horribly disappointing. Some of the over-bright mess could also have been the ridiculous number of art cars flying around. Since they all have to be registered anyway, it might not be a bad idea to limit the number of those (in various size categories?). If the numbers are limited the cars that make it to the Playa will be the ones that have hopefully been carefully thought about and built.

I don't have any suggestions for better educating the newbies other than the involvement of veteran burners to guide them. I don't know what happened between 2006 and 2007 that we had so many onlookers this year who disrespected the city, the inhabitants, the environment... I tried on 3 occasions to engage people out by the Temple and help them be a part of things instead of just looking and dropping their beer cans. I failed on all 3 occasions and all I got was the boneheads making inappropriate sexual advances. I should mention that I was fully clothed and physically touching my boyfriend when these guys started acting like the same old jerks from night clubs. I'm no longer used to that sort of behavior having immersed myself in burner culture for 3 years.

We, my boyfriend and I and many members of the San Diego & LA communities, feel that a combined effort from the Burning Man foundation and the community of veteran burners as a whole can bring this back around. Unfortunately, if 2008 goes the way of 2007, it seems like this will turn into just another "downtown party night" for the "shiny shirts" and all the diverse, rich, artistic, radically self-reliant, expressive, inviting and revitalizing aspects of this incredible event will be lost.

So as much as we were dissatisfied with the 2007 experience it may well be the thing that brings us back in 2008. Maybe we'll go to NoWhere in Spain in July to see what that sparks. We hope that somehow all the newbies this year either realized the way to be a part of things and will come back next year prepared and ready to be involved, or they hated this year so much they'll tell all their friends it was hell and we wont see any of them again. We don't have any major inspiration on how to get the love back but maybe if enough people express similar sentiments from this year the tide can by changed by publications from Burning Man and through those of us in regional communities who care...

Thanks for the opportunity to give our feedback.

Bronwen & Matt

San Diego, CA

I strongly encourage any of you who read this to contribute your thoughts to Burning Man as well. Whether your experience was good or bad, your input can help shape future events. See more about their Feedback Loop here.

First post to TTEOB; thanks to Socks

Hi there!
I read your post about the whole take on Post-Secret and stuff, and I wanted to share with you my poem I wrote on the ride home from the playa (I live in TX so it was about 33 hours of driving.. yuck)
thank you, friend
Socks

I am a burner. I arrive in Black Rock on Monday, in total awe and wonder.

I am a virgin burner no more. I rang the bell and screamed it to the heavens.

I am a burner. I wear nothing but a bra and underwear and butterfly wings, and that’s okay and very much acceptable.

I am a burner. I drink lots of water (or rather don’t drink enough) and I piss clear.

I am a burner. I am not afraid of the porta-potties anymore. When you gotta go you gotta go.
I am a burner. I love my neighbors, and share my extra food with them.

I am a burner. I get excited with shiny things.

I am a burner. I get turned on by soft furry clothing, especially at night.

I am a burner. I get excited when I can’t see five feet in front of me due to a major white out. It feels like I am on a different planet, more-so than normal.

I am a burner. El Wire, Glowsticks, and Blinkies are a staple and a neccecity, not a novelty.

I am a burner. 2007 was my first year, and it sure as hell won’t be my last.

I am a burner. I watched performers from all around the world do what makes their heart beat fast.

I am a burner. I think of the Man as a symbol of hope, love and spirituality. A father figure who watches over us all.

I am a burner. I cried when the man burned when he wasn’t supposed to on Monday.

I am a burner. I cried when the man burned when he was actually supposed to on Saturday.

I am a burner. I pick up more after myself in the real world, as to not create MOOP around the house, around the school and around me.

I am a burner. I connected with people I have never met before, as well as reconnected with people I realized I cannot live without

I am a burner. I practice the peace, the community, and the love off the playa.

I am a burner. I am Burning (Wo)man.

The postcards are in!

Well, this project feels like it's already taking on a life of its own. I got the postcards in on Thursday which was really exciting. The projected delivery date through www.PrintsMadeEasy.com was this coming Monday so getting the cards early was excellent. It certainly was an easy process to get the cards and it felt great to have them in my hands. I ended up ordering 1,000 of them to hand out. The images are unfortunately a little grainy but they'll do what they were intended for just fine.

Matt and I had a trunk show in San Diego yesterday with some FANTASTIC vendors of Burning man gear, costuming, jewelry and art. It was very successful and so exciting to be with the other Burners. Everyone is ridiculously excited about the Burn. We cant believe most of us will be leaving within the week. I gave out some of the postcards while we were working the trunk show and the project was very warmly received. Matt and I are very excited about the potential of this project and the reaction its received so far. We hope to be innundated with short stories, explanations of what Burning Man means to you etc. We're looking forward to reading about your thoughts and experiences, and - in the case of those who send pictures - to seeing what you see when you're on the Playa. (Maybe Book 2 would have to be Living the Burn; a year-round look at regional Burning Man events...)

See you all out there! Stop by the RLD at 4:30 and Coral Reef to say "hello" if you're in the neighbourhood.

♥ Bronwen

The postcard

Beginning the Project

2007 will mark the 3rd Burning Man attendance for HandChop & Bronwen, otherwise known as BronChop. It will be our second Burn together. This year is all about being active with other members of our community as far as we're concerned. Our first years were selfish years - 2004 was Bronwen's first year and 2005 was Chop's first year. We each went our first year with the intention of having singular experiences (we didnt know each other then). In 2006 we went together with the intention of having a year all about us as a couple. We succeeded in that and came home with the couple's Playa name BronChop. Thanks to our beloved Nads for that one! So this year is all about group participation.

In dreaming about the Burn and buying various coffee table books & DVDs, Bronwen began to feel that a new type of book should be available to people interested in the social experiment that is Burning Man. This book would consist of personal photographs taken by Burning Man attendees (not the media) as well as some individual anecdotes. At a gathering in July 2007, while discussing camp plans for BM 2007, someone mentioned a book she had read of dirty little secrets. The author had handed out postcards and asked people to decorate them and return them with a story of their biggest secret. He then compiled the decorated postcards & secrets into a book. Bronwen would like to use this idea to add to the Through the Eyes of Burners photography book. She & Chop will be bringing 500 - 750 postcards to Burning Man this year to give to likely suspects. Keep checking back here to see what kind of stories, postcards and photographs are returned and for progress on the book. You can submit your own experiences in the comments here as well.