I Really enjoyed your articles “how green was the man” and “crude awakening”.
I have been wondering lately, how to put my quest for answers into action.
It is nice to see people doing likewise. Seeking and sharing.
Thank you.
-Eric
Here is a letter I wrote to a friend of mine who worked on “crude awakening” regarding some of my issues with “the green man”
(its a little long, and i’ll understand if you dont read it).
A Rough draft of my Dissertation on the disenfranchisement between me and Burningman
First of all, I want to say that I had a Great time at burningman this year.
I always do.
But recently a friend of mine asked me what I thought about the theme for Burningman 2007. The theme being “The Green Man”. Overall, I believe the interpretation was meant to me an environmental one.
While I recognize my own involvement , and the environmental impact and irresponsibility, my presence has on Black Rock and the World at large,
I was discouraged by the Lack of vision reflected in almost every aspect of Burningman.
I do not want to get in to how the man has changed, since I have only been going since 2000.
I am not its creator, I wasn’t there at its inception, and it means different things to different people.
I also want to avoid effusing about rules and regulations.
In the past the guidelines have been something that I was willing to accept as a cost of the experience. I will say that it has become apparent to me that there are aspects and personalities involved that have lost their way and forgotten some lessons that I believe were important to the creation of the event.
It is evident that power has corrupted some of the spirit of Burningman. While I am willing to accept this truth as an inevitability of life, I am also willing to accept that I may not be able to accept it much longer.
To the point of the Greenness of the “Green Man” hypocrisies that I see.
The clearest symbol of the hypocrisy of Burningman came to me, in the form of “A Crude Awakening”.
An awe inspiring and magnificent piece of art, with relevance and impact, the “Oil Derrick” was a monstrous wood structure that was designed to look like an Oil Well. At its base stood a collection of giant metal figures praying to and celebrating the piece. It seemed to be a statement to human’s dependency on oil. Yet when they burned it, they set it ablaze amongst a show of fireworks and natural gas fireballs that made me question the seriousness of their proclamation. What could all the wood and metal be used for instead? What is the difference between driving a car to work, and lighting off twin propane-fueled fireballs for the sake of spectacle?
It reminded me of last years “Belgium Waffle”. A giant structure , hundreds of feet tall, resembling a birds nest made of “unusable wood”. Perhaps the wood was not of a grade or quality for homes, but what about toys, or toothpicks or picture frames?
And what is the impact of setting it on fire? How do these burns affect the air quality, global warming, residences of nearby towns and desert environment?
At what cost does our experiment come? At what lengths are we willing to go to for entertainment, or spirituality, art or music, fun, pleasure and education?
At Burningman I saw a piece of art that was a stack of money signs. A giant Pyramid of Plywood Money Boxes. And next to it was a burn box that said to the effect “write ways you propose to make a environmental impact”.
I wrote, not on a block, to be thrown in and burned, but on the outside of the burn-box
“by not making clichés out of wood…and then burning them”.
Then underneath “that’s ok, I Drove here too.
I spent hundreds of dollars on gas to get there.
I didn’t have to buy a shade structure or tent or sleeping bag or anything except food. I already own those. But I did use boxes of zip lock backs to keep everything dry, in my cooler full of ice.
What is the impact of that ice, the bag, the transportation and the maintenance of its frozen state?
I believe its called “True Cost”. Look into it.
I heard a lot of people didn’t like the base of the man. A mountain of fabric, probably plastic, stretched out at its feet.
I noticed it looked like solar paneling. I actually thought it might be Solar Fabric, used to power the neon that lit the man, perhaps to be donated to a Gerlac School at the end of the event. I do not know if it was just green tarp or Solar Collectors.
Either way, what is the environmental impact of Solar?
Everyone is touting Solar Energy as the wave of the future, but what about the silicone that is used to collect it, and the batteries used to store?
What about the total inadequate displays that lay beneath the man. Unavailable after an attempt on its life, early in the week they looked like high school science projects. Crude information about the merits of recycling and reuse and reduction.
Where is the pro-activity, the progressiveness and the participation?
Where are the information booths?
How many projects were lit with generators, run on gas?
How many marine batteries?
Not just gas, but plastic, metal, electricity and water.
If you used scrap metal, how did you join it? Did you weld it?
Did they use reclaimed water to keep dust down? If so, how could that water have been used otherwise?
Death guild members mock the “tourists” who visit their town, but what do the citizens of Empire say when Thumderdome goes driving by with their smoking art cars?
A friend of mine, and first time burner, was peeing on the playa, when accosted by “burners” and harassed for their unconscionable act. Unless they walked in, fed off the air and drank their own pee, I doubt they left any less of a mark. Until the organizers of Burningman start lighting the porto potties for people to find, it is not fair to ask that people don’t pee on the playa.
I am at the point where I want to live on a sustainable piece of property, using just the light of day to make art out of the same, single piece of wire, shaping it and reshaping it, over and over until it disintegrates in my hands. By then, hopefully, someone will have donated another piece for me to use.
I cannot say what I will do next.
However, since I am not a fan of pointing out flaws without proposing solutions, I suggest lending a hand to the organization Burners without Borders or spreading the word about Lumber Lifeguards.
I have recently become interested in some basic principles of Economics. I am applying the concepts of True Cost, Supply & Demand and Cost-Benefit Analysis to my relationship with Burningman and my life in general.
As I think of solutions, as the flaws in my logic become apparent and when I decide how my energies can be better used, I will let you know.
October 25, 2007 at 3:23 pm
I Really enjoyed your articles “how green was the man” and “crude awakening”.
I have been wondering lately, how to put my quest for answers into action.
It is nice to see people doing likewise. Seeking and sharing.
Thank you.
-Eric
Here is a letter I wrote to a friend of mine who worked on “crude awakening” regarding some of my issues with “the green man”
(its a little long, and i’ll understand if you dont read it).
A Rough draft of my Dissertation on the disenfranchisement between me and Burningman
First of all, I want to say that I had a Great time at burningman this year.
I always do.
But recently a friend of mine asked me what I thought about the theme for Burningman 2007. The theme being “The Green Man”. Overall, I believe the interpretation was meant to me an environmental one.
While I recognize my own involvement , and the environmental impact and irresponsibility, my presence has on Black Rock and the World at large,
I was discouraged by the Lack of vision reflected in almost every aspect of Burningman.
I do not want to get in to how the man has changed, since I have only been going since 2000.
I am not its creator, I wasn’t there at its inception, and it means different things to different people.
I also want to avoid effusing about rules and regulations.
In the past the guidelines have been something that I was willing to accept as a cost of the experience. I will say that it has become apparent to me that there are aspects and personalities involved that have lost their way and forgotten some lessons that I believe were important to the creation of the event.
It is evident that power has corrupted some of the spirit of Burningman. While I am willing to accept this truth as an inevitability of life, I am also willing to accept that I may not be able to accept it much longer.
To the point of the Greenness of the “Green Man” hypocrisies that I see.
The clearest symbol of the hypocrisy of Burningman came to me, in the form of “A Crude Awakening”.
An awe inspiring and magnificent piece of art, with relevance and impact, the “Oil Derrick” was a monstrous wood structure that was designed to look like an Oil Well. At its base stood a collection of giant metal figures praying to and celebrating the piece. It seemed to be a statement to human’s dependency on oil. Yet when they burned it, they set it ablaze amongst a show of fireworks and natural gas fireballs that made me question the seriousness of their proclamation. What could all the wood and metal be used for instead? What is the difference between driving a car to work, and lighting off twin propane-fueled fireballs for the sake of spectacle?
It reminded me of last years “Belgium Waffle”. A giant structure , hundreds of feet tall, resembling a birds nest made of “unusable wood”. Perhaps the wood was not of a grade or quality for homes, but what about toys, or toothpicks or picture frames?
And what is the impact of setting it on fire? How do these burns affect the air quality, global warming, residences of nearby towns and desert environment?
At what cost does our experiment come? At what lengths are we willing to go to for entertainment, or spirituality, art or music, fun, pleasure and education?
At Burningman I saw a piece of art that was a stack of money signs. A giant Pyramid of Plywood Money Boxes. And next to it was a burn box that said to the effect “write ways you propose to make a environmental impact”.
I wrote, not on a block, to be thrown in and burned, but on the outside of the burn-box
“by not making clichés out of wood…and then burning them”.
Then underneath “that’s ok, I Drove here too.
I spent hundreds of dollars on gas to get there.
I didn’t have to buy a shade structure or tent or sleeping bag or anything except food. I already own those. But I did use boxes of zip lock backs to keep everything dry, in my cooler full of ice.
What is the impact of that ice, the bag, the transportation and the maintenance of its frozen state?
I believe its called “True Cost”. Look into it.
I heard a lot of people didn’t like the base of the man. A mountain of fabric, probably plastic, stretched out at its feet.
I noticed it looked like solar paneling. I actually thought it might be Solar Fabric, used to power the neon that lit the man, perhaps to be donated to a Gerlac School at the end of the event. I do not know if it was just green tarp or Solar Collectors.
Either way, what is the environmental impact of Solar?
Everyone is touting Solar Energy as the wave of the future, but what about the silicone that is used to collect it, and the batteries used to store?
What about the total inadequate displays that lay beneath the man. Unavailable after an attempt on its life, early in the week they looked like high school science projects. Crude information about the merits of recycling and reuse and reduction.
Where is the pro-activity, the progressiveness and the participation?
Where are the information booths?
How many projects were lit with generators, run on gas?
How many marine batteries?
Not just gas, but plastic, metal, electricity and water.
If you used scrap metal, how did you join it? Did you weld it?
Did they use reclaimed water to keep dust down? If so, how could that water have been used otherwise?
Death guild members mock the “tourists” who visit their town, but what do the citizens of Empire say when Thumderdome goes driving by with their smoking art cars?
A friend of mine, and first time burner, was peeing on the playa, when accosted by “burners” and harassed for their unconscionable act. Unless they walked in, fed off the air and drank their own pee, I doubt they left any less of a mark. Until the organizers of Burningman start lighting the porto potties for people to find, it is not fair to ask that people don’t pee on the playa.
I am at the point where I want to live on a sustainable piece of property, using just the light of day to make art out of the same, single piece of wire, shaping it and reshaping it, over and over until it disintegrates in my hands. By then, hopefully, someone will have donated another piece for me to use.
I cannot say what I will do next.
However, since I am not a fan of pointing out flaws without proposing solutions, I suggest lending a hand to the organization Burners without Borders or spreading the word about Lumber Lifeguards.
I have recently become interested in some basic principles of Economics. I am applying the concepts of True Cost, Supply & Demand and Cost-Benefit Analysis to my relationship with Burningman and my life in general.
As I think of solutions, as the flaws in my logic become apparent and when I decide how my energies can be better used, I will let you know.
Feel free to help me on my way.