The Burning Man Festival

Put the YOU in UTOPIA: How to Fuel the Fire of Burning Man Festival

by Tiffany Javier

“It changes your life completely.”

“I heard they sacrifice cats out there.”

“It is just one big orgy in the desert.”

Have you heard of the Burning Man Festival? You probably have, but do you know exactly what it is? You may assume it is a hippie gathering, a drug fest, a cult ritual, or a combination of all three. If you think it is at all like these assumptions, you are right and you are wrong. Take a barren desert in the middle of Northern Nevada, fill it with tens of thousands of unique individuals with whatever they can carry, haul, or bring, add a flaming 40-foot effigy, and, in the simplest terms, you will get the Burning Man Festival. However, this gathering is much more complex than a mere sum of its components, which includes art, people, and, most prominently, fire. Also, the spirit of this event affects more than just the area it encompasses; it transcends its physical boundaries, enlightening nearby cities such as San Francisco and Reno. Over the course of a week beginning on the last Monday in August in the heat of late summer, people from all over the country and world inhabit the temporary, man-made city in the middle of the Black Rock Desert in which Burning Man takes place. This “ephemeropolis” is known as Black Rock City (Bruder). A stranger to the event may wonder what could possibly be going on in the middle of the desert that remains captivating enough to excite so many people. The answer resides within the myriads of attendees that keep coming back for more every year. These people are known as burners. Burners describe the festival as “a celebration of life,” “a social experiment,” and even “organized chaos” (Event Horizon, Black Rock City, Chen). They thrive upon their freedom from the boundaries of reality, which are crossed during this week-long event. However, burners simultaneously exemplify the idealistic qualities of members of a utopia. The Burning Man Festival serves as a prime example for how people can successfully come together, collaborate, and create a community quite peaceable on its own.

Burning Man was not always as grandiose and culturally influential as we have come to know it today. It had its humble beginnings as a bonfire gathering in Baker Beach, San Francisco in 1986 with a modest 8-foot effigy, which pales in comparison to the towering Man of the twenty-first century. At the time, such an event caught the attention of dozens, then eventually hundreds. It instilled so much captivation that the San Francisco beach patrol kicked out the participants in 1990, encouraging the free spirits to move the event to a place “…where nobody would care how they carried on, or what they burned” (Bruner 61). They soon discovered that the barren playa of the Black Rock Desert was the perfect home for them and their Man.

Who would have thought that such an idea involving a handful of people and a burning dummy would develop into a festival that welcomes more than 50,000 participants, a number which grows every year, and houses a model of a man bigger than the original quadrupled? Certainly not even the founder of Burning Man could have predicted the contemporary magnitude of this event. Larry Harvey, “a San Francisco bohemian,” started the tradition as a “punk-pagan celebration” and years later became “…the mayor of the wildest city the West has ever seen” (Stein). Some consider Harvey to be “the first truly pragmatic utopian” due to his consideration of people’s interactions in order to plan this civilization as well as his goal of freeing people from passively consuming mass-marketed culture (Stein). He wrote the Ten Principles of Burning Man not to elucidate the proper demeanor and behavior at the festival, but rather to reveal the community’s “ethos and culture as it had organically developed” back when it was as simple as reveling in the embers of enlightenment (Black Rock City LLC). Clearly, Harvey holds a great importance in remembering, reflecting, and respecting the roots of the festival. These principles include radical inclusion, gifting, decommodification, radical self-reliance, radical self-expression, communal effort, civic responsibility, leaving no trace, participation, and immediacy. They capture the heart of Burning Man, revealing everything that the ideal burner should embody.

Radical inclusion emphasizes how “anyone may be a part of Burning Man” (Black Rock City LLC). Race, religion, and reason - they do not matter in terms of whether or not they affect one’s ability to participate in the burner community. Gifting refers to the unconditional act of giving without expecting something in return or as an exchange. Decommodification stresses the absence of “commercial sponsorships, transactions, or advertising,” which simultaneously encourages the spirit of gifting (Black Rock City LLC). Such consumerist actions are seen as an exploitation of the event and threaten the culture. Monetary interference would distract burners from the true nature of the festival as a self-sufficient, self-providing, and self-sustaining gathering. Radical self-reliance promotes the individual to “discover, exercise and rely on his or her inner resources” (Black Rock City LLC). Trusting one’s self is a necessary skill in order to be able to trust others. Radical self-expression manifests itself in the unique gifts of the individual, who ideally attends to the rights and liberties of the recipient. Communal effort avers how the community values creative cooperation and collaboration. There is a quite outspoken rule of “No Spectators” at Burning Man in the sense that an attendee must truly and actively take part in the festival rather than witness it. Black Rock City is “the work of the people who live there” (Bruder). Civic responsibility maintains the community as a civil society whose members promote public welfare as well as remain in accordance with local, state and federal laws. Leaving no trace holds great emphasis on a respecting the environment. Everything you bring to the playa you must also take back with you. Burners possess a responsibility to clean up after themselves, leaving the place in the same, and possibly even better, state than when they found it. Participation is a necessity in the burner community, and it is as easy as simply doing. It does not matter what one does, as long as he or she is in accordance with the other principles; it only matters that he or she is participating. Immediacy specifically refers to “immediate experience” of a recognition of one’s inner self, the reality of others, participation in society, and contact with a natural world that is out of human control (Black Rock City LLC). If one remains conscientious of all of these principles, then he or she encounters the true essence of the festival. According to Jessica Bruder, author of Burning Book: A Visual History of Burning Man, “if Burning Man were a religion, fire would be its sacrament,” and quite obviously, the Ten Principles would be its Ten Commandments (142).

Who, you may ask, are these so-called disciples of the Man known as burners? Who are the bohemians risking their lives out in the desert for a week for the sake of engaging in the surreal and the bizarre? In all honesty, you could walk past these people every day and not know that they are burners. From businesspeople to baristas to bakers, the spectrum of people that attend Burning Man encompasses multiple demographics. The ages from the 2013 burn ranged from as young as ten to older than 71. Could you imagine the stories any burner elder would be able to tell their grandkids? With incomes ranging from zero to over $200,000 and political affiliations ranging from Ficus to Democrat, burners undoubtedly come from all walks of life (Cash). Nevertheless, all of these people leave their everyday lives for the chance of being a part of something out of their wildest dreams. You may perceive burners wearing costumes for the festival, but some of them truly identify with their festival attire and disposition. The real costume is what they wear the other 358 days of the year. In addition, regardless of where they come from, what they believe, or who they are, burners concurrently embrace the similarities and individualities of themselves as well as others. These eccentric beings (quite literally) build off their differences for the betterment of their society as a whole. How does one become the ideal burner? Besides following the Ten Principles, all you need is to get a ticket. Remember that anyone can be a burner as long as he or she participates!

Apart from serving as a gathering of free spirits, the Burning Man Festival simultaneously remains a hot topic in numerous fields of academic and research study. Deborah Boehm, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Anthropology and Women’s Studies at University of Nevada, Reno, conducts studies pertaining to the archaeology and ethnography of Burning Man with historical archaeologist Carolyn White, Ph.D. A 6-time attendee and well-established burner, Dr. Boehm stated that she possesses a keen interest in “how strong [the burner] community is,” regardless of how it is formed in a brief period of time i.e. just over a week. As a cultural anthropologist, she finds the event incredibly compelling due to its similarities and differences to her other research with immigrant communities, specifically from Mexico. Her research seeks to answer “questions of membership and community,” emphasizing the importance of a sense of belonging within a society and how it provides a foundation for the vitality of the people involved as a whole (Boehm). Additionally, Rudy Leon, a librarian of the UNR Knowledge Center Library, has attended Burning Man twice so far, and she consistently expresses her “love [for] what it brings back to the world.” When she first moved to Reno, Rudy immediately recognized a change in Reno that only Burning Man could cause, triggering an interest that she possesses to this day. It was a renewal of creativity and expression. Rudy currently coordinates the Burning Inquiries at UNR that occur every year around the time of the festival in which guest speakers elucidate their research findings pertaining to Burning Man. Her goal with these Burning Inquiries is to get students involved in something that is both fun and academically stimulating.

Some students have already engaged in Burning Man research themselves. This past year, several UNR School of Medicine students provided medical care at the festival, “treating everything from chemical burns from alkali playa dust to lacerations and broken bones from falling off art cars to dehydration and street drug overdoses” (McMillin). These students walked away from their experiences with a sense of autonomy and self-confidence. The conditions they were put under forced the students to limit resources appropriately and make independent choices. Not only did they exercise true responsibility, but they also encountered feelings of intrigue at their patients and the event itself. Josh Gabel, who attended Burning Man two years ago as a second-year student, recounts how immediately after receiving treatment for an 8-inch laceration on her head, a woman, in true burner nature, was seen “back out on the playa dancing,” a fascinating and admirable sight for someone whose head was just cut open (McMillin). The students even recognized their contribution to Burning Man and its gift economy. Alex Gill, who wants to go into emergency medicine, acknowledged how “[his] skills and years of medical training [were his] gift to these patients” (McMillin). It is amazing to see how influential this event is for anyone who attends, regardless of how different the individual experiences are. Clearly, there are a lot of possibilities for researchers at Black Rock City, especially in terms of its effect on its sister city, Reno.

How exactly has Burning Man affected Reno? With a reputation for “divorce, gambling, and prostitution,” Reno, though slow to embrace it, welcomes this revival of the arts and culture that Burning Man brings with open arms (Event Horizon). Larry Harvey asserts that he and the rest of the organizations behind Burning Man seek to “fill the vacant heart of the Wild West” that is Reno, which ultimately fills the hearts of its residents (Event Horizon). Not only does it impact the 20,000 or so burners that reside here, but also non-burners. Economic stimulation around the time of the festival reaches incredible heights when burners passing through stock up right before they head off to Black Rock Desert. Burners embrace Reno as “Last Chance City” in the sense that it is the last place to get anything they need before driving more than a hundred miles to the playa (Bruder). The amount of resources burners need for this week-long gathering is enough to make you think they are stocking up for the apocalypse. Quite frankly, they are stocking up for the exact opposite - a life-giving, life-changing experience. When burners were asked about how much money they spent on Burning Man, about 4% spent over $2000, about 18% spent from $751 to $1000, and the overall average amount was $932.40 (Cash). This money refers to what is spent on preparatory materials excluding tickets, which “on average…cost each participant $380” (Raenell).

Reno, a city that thrives upon the winning, losing, and spending of money, appears to be a burner oasis in a desert of nothingness. Booming storefronts warmly welcome burners and extensively advertise merchandise that caters to the Burning Man experience - pallets of water bottles, yards of tent tarp, piles of goggles, and more. Any object, you name it, and a burner will find use for it on the playa. For example, in some instances, burners utilize gun holsters for their drinks instead, baptizing them with the name “party holsters.” Now that is what I call a sharp shooter! Besides playa survival supplies, costumes and accessories for Burning Man also become significantly in great demand as burners put the finishing touches on their strategically planned attire. Some would say more money is spent on articles of clothing than on the bare necessities. Nevertheless, burners know how to do it in style. Clad in faux fur, body paint, or nothing at all, the burner community knows how to make a fashion statement a fashion proclamation. Numerous shops in Reno, such as Junkees Clothing Exchange, Polyesther’s Costume Boutique, and the Doll House, stock a wide variety of some of the most eclectic costumes and accessories that burners have a field day perusing. In fact, an almost “burner heaven” exists right in the heart of Midtown Reno.

The Melting Pot World Emporium, a locally owned business, serves as Reno’s “coolest counter culture store” and also remains the “best clothing boutique and best place to shop for Burning Man” according to the Reno News & Review readers poll year after year. (Melting Pot World Emporium). Their merchandise ranges from apparel to furniture to pipes, conveying a selection as eclectic as the people who shop there. The store additionally sells last-minute Burning Man tickets to eager customers. Owners, multi-year burners, and husband and wife team Eric and Monique Baron take pride in their business’ strong ties to the community and its local arts scene. In 1995, while working at an espresso bar, Eric was introduced to the festival by a couple of customers that were headed to the desert. He decided to go, and he came back “totally changed…like [he had] been to a different world” (Bruder). The next year, he opened the Melting Pot and went back to Burning Man. He has not missed a year since.

Evidently, this event plays a big part in stimulating and inspiring the businesses of the city. Not only are sustenance and attire completely disposable to burners’ needs in Reno, but also temporary places of residence. For example, hotel casinos embrace burners who find themselves struck with a strong desire to stay in the city for a day or two. Burners come from all over the country and all over the world; their travels exhaust them to the point of needing some fuel to their fires. When this past year’s rain “made the Black Rock Desert’s playa too muddy too allow heavy RVs into the area,” hundreds of burners possessed the option of taking advantage of the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa’s special “Before Burn Detox Package” or “After Burn Detox Package,” both of which discounted the usual prices of temporary stays (Powers). One package provided a single night stay, a lunch buffet for two, and two hour-long Swedish massages. It is enough of a deal to make anyone want to be a burner!

One hotel in Reno solely remains the world’s first “Burner” (Burning Man culture based) hotel. Hundreds of burners have taken an iconic 1928 four-story brick hotel and revolutionized it with art, blessing it with the same kind of energy that resides in the heart of the playa and the hearts of the attendees. This unique establishment on 4th Street known as the Morris Burner Hotel is “dedicated to building community, fostering the arts, and helping to educate people in the Burning Man ethos” (Morris Burner Hotel). The Morris Burner Hotel alone is one of a kind, but have you heard about their rooms? This burner-exclusive hotel allows artists to adopt a room as their canvas as well as let burners stay in them. Some of the room themes include The Goddess Room designed by Carole Ann Rickets and Jill Marlene, The Enchanted Forest Room designed by Heather Lee Jones, The Down the Rabbit Hole Room designed by Killbuck, and The Temple Room designed by The 420 Valley Artist Group. It is much much more than a hotel, though; it is a gathering place for like-minded individuals to connect, collaborate, and create. It is just like a playa away from the playa. There is no place like home, and there certainly is no place like the Morris Burner Hotel.

Furthermore, Reno collectively contributes to the art of Burning Man similarly to how the festival itself yields creativity to The Biggest Little City in the World. A warehouse known as The Generator is an “inclusive art space in greater Reno…for anyone who wants to make art and be a part of a creative community” (The Reno Generator). While its purpose is not solely to make art for the Burning Man Festival, this build space has hosted a wide range of projects for the event. They aim to find a way to bring the kindness, social responsibility, and innovation of the desert home to the real world. Additionally, the Ten Principles of Burning Man have helped inspire The Generator’s Ten Principles. Undeniably, the festival actively motivates many elements of the city. It simply would not be the same without the presence of this event. There is no doubt that Reno is meant to be a burner town.

What exactly facilitates such an effect on a city in which the event does not even take place? Assistant Professor of Sociology at the City College of New York and the Graduate Center, CUNY Katherine Chen attempts to answer this question in her book, Enabling Creative Chaos: The Organization Behind the Burning Man Event. By observing the event as a whole, Chen gained insight into how organizations “promote creative potential beyond a particular geographic and temporal confine.” There is something in the way that this community is developed in a particular place, yet its ideals and influences transcend across distance. The Burning Man Festival itself encourages originality and aims to “lift boundaries on creative potential” (Chen). Clearly, geographical boundaries become lifted as well. The event’s promotion of interest over expertise in terms of volunteering additionally reveals an openness to anyone who seeks to learn new ways to demonstrate his or her inventiveness. Also, many Burning Man-inspired offshoots such as “art projects, civic projects, and formal organizations” have spread and disseminated to further influence other areas outside of Black Rock City (Chen). Similarly to how “art projects spark conversations that reinforce others’ creative processes,” so does the festival inspire others’ self-expression (Chen). The implementation of the Ten Principles motivates burners to share themselves and their art with others year round. Moreover, though Burning Man art tends to be created “to be temporary and…burned at the end of the event,” some of it made its way back into communities, including Reno (Raenell). The “Guardian of Eden” outside the Nevada Museum of Art, “Portal of Evolution” and “Believe” in the City Plaza, and “Reno Star Cosmic Thistle” in south Reno are among some of the elaborate sculptures that have graced the town with their presences. The employment of these artistic pieces excites the residents, potentially to the point of having these locals and tourists appreciate where the pieces came from i.e. the playa. The fire from the desert spreads across the whole Northern Nevada area, creating a feeling of warmth that could only be comparable to a sense of place.

You can learn a lot from the Burning Man culture alone, but there is no telling how much you can learn from actually attending the festival. This sort of movement that Larry Harvey and the rest of the Black Rock City LLC have begun and continue to support in the Northern Nevada area instills such an influence upon the lucky thousands that get the chance to experience this event. A quote by Ferdinand Foch comes to mind at the thought of Burning Man: “The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire.” Obviously, the soul of the Man is not the only one on fire; the thousands of burners who attend envision themselves in the Man’s place as a beacon of enlightenment concerning self as well as others. The “Welcome Home” sign that greets you upon your arrival at the Burning Man Festival is there for a reason. Home is where the heart is, and over 50,000 individuals’ hearts reside in the heart of the Black Rock Desert. Quite easily, you too can insert yourself into this community, as long as you are willing to participate to the best of your ability. This nirvana does not ask for much from those who decide to participate in it for themselves. It only asks that you put the YOU in UTOPIA and be a part of something bigger than yourself.

Works Cited

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Boehm, Deborah. Personal interview. 12 November 2014.

Bruder, Jessica. Burning Book: A Visual History of Burning Man. New York: Simon Spotlight Entertainment, 2011. Print.

Cash, Julian. The People of Burning Man: Portraits of Revolutionary Spirits. Hong Kong: Regent Publishing Services, 2011. Print.

Chen, Katherine K. “Lessons for Creative Cities from Burning Man: How Organizations Can Sustain and Disseminate a Creative

Context.” City, Culture and Society 2.2 (June 2011): 93-100. Web. 31 October 2014.

Event Horizon: Burning Man, Burning Reno. Sun Productions, 2012. DVD.

The Generator. The Reno Generator. The Generator, 2014. Web. 19 November 2014.

Leon, Rudy. Personal interview. 13 November 2014.

McMillan, Anne. “Burning Man Festival Gives Students Unique Training Experiences.”University of Nevada School of Medicine.

University of Nevada School of Medicine, 2 October 2014. Web. 24 November 2014.

Melting Pot World Emporium. Melting Pot World Emporium. Melting Pot World Emporium, 2011. Web. 18 November 2014.

The Morris Burner Hotel Project. Morris Burner Hotel. The Morris Burner Hotel Project, 2014. Web. 19 November 2014.

Powers, Lenita. “Reno Hotel-Casinos Have Rooms for Refugee Burners.” Reno Gazette-Journal. 25 August 2014. Web. 19 November

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Raenell, Katrina. “Burning Man Art: Out of the Dust Into Communities.” Reno Gazette-Journal. 29 September 2014. Web. 31 October

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Raenell, Katrina. “Burning Man Tickets: Where Does the Money Go?” Reno Gazette-Journal. 12 August 2014. Web. 24 November 2014.

Stein, Joel. “The Man Behind Burning Man.” Time Magazine. 18 September 2000. Web. 31 October 2014.