the trek to the playa-
my campmate matthew pulled my trailer to Nevada, so i could attend the stute wedding and still arrive in camp on time. he got a few hours into Oregon when the trailer lost an aluminum panel. he went to the nearest town for duct tape to literally wrap the trailer so it wouldn't fall apart en route to Winnemucca. the next morning, a mechanic temporarily fixed the panel, and the trailer successfully made it to camp. i was hoping this would be the only issue involving transportation, not so. my plane was turned around over the mountains due to smoke from the California fires, causing me to have to hitch a ride by car. on the return trip, my trailer break/light connector broke, causing me to call for backup, making for a 12 hour drive home. But once again, the playa provided, and I had a wondrous time. each year is completely unique, and I never know what the overall theme of my own personal transformation will be, which is why I crave it so. this year I found a camp with a vibe I like, and it wasn't my camp. i found inspiration, good people, renewed hope, and a fresh start. Click on pics to enlarge, some are borrowed from friends.
our camp, my trailer is to the left of the tower under a black shade cloth
Spanky's Wine Bar has a few interactive structures, this thing and the titter-totter and a thing you push-pull to spin in circles like a centrifuge
one of my favorite art cars
campmates pin bacon to our drone, which we gifted to people passing by
drone in action down our street
neighborhood camp, these guys were a hoot, and served drinks and snacks and had a stage for open-mic talent
camp dinosaur puppet, we took it out at night since it glows. it takes a few people to run it, and you can sit on top. We also had a dance party and invited all prehistoric or lizard-like art cars, which was really fun, and surprisingly well-attended.
the dino dance party, our puppet is on right sticking his head into the whateverasaurus art sculpture
our Idaho "core" project - this group builds a piece each year to represent our state
two of our crew got hitched before we burned it
core project with lighting- the light sequencing on it caused 3 people to have seizures, according to the medical station
all core projects burned on the same night in a circle around the 'man', it was a special night for boise peeps who put their heart and soul into it
this is matthew, we danced together in the slutgarden dance cages (a big dance camp), so now we're practically famous. he's a beautiful vegan hippie that went to classes on modern mythicizm and such during the week, but give him a cage and he can throw down
art car hopping with my friend berto, this is a steampunk-ish ship/house car
berto is a cool cat, we had a blast
bekka is a total nut, and tempting to hippos
dan has been a campmate for years, he is from LA and composes the music for "ghost girls" and "drunk history". this is his musical flower.
brad is a great friend from Seattle, i only see him at the burn
bekka feeds the huddled masses tots, she is such a giver
dan serenades us with guitar music on the tower
flaming arcade
the slides at the bottom of the man caused one of our campmates to be taken to Reno in a C-collar. oops.
another favorite metal sculpture
deep playa theater, worth the trek
art cars with sound systems form circles to create a giant dance clubs, like this
toilet brush sculpture
art car, you can see the driver behind the nose
a nice surprise to get an ice cream cone in the middle of a hot desert
cruising on the playapus car
dan entertains on out tower
the man burns
this car had the coolest horn, it sounded like a pre-historic mastodon (duh)
this dude came out of his space ship every day, ran into the dust, and then ran back to his space ship. this is the night he burned it
earlier that day... rescued or abducted?
cathy made us bloody marys every morning
posted in the porta-pottie
sam challenges the playapus on his way to the 'running of the bulls' event
mosaic space ship
spontaneous tubed meat opportunity
campmates hop an art car for a cruise
my favorite art this year- a gorgeous chapel decorated with black and white photos that have a distinctively eerie feel, and a manned confessional
dan talks a lot, so he made his fiancée an on/off switch
our camp art car, the playapus
burn night
(borrowed pic)
(borrowed pic)
this gorgeous skeleton piece is interactive, you pull ropes to make it move. this was where we had our dino-dance party (borrowed pic)
(borrowed pic)
the temple (top) and the man (bottom), they are at the center of the event and the other art is placed within the miles around it. You end up biking a lot to get anywhere. The man burns on Sat, and the temple Sunday. The temple is intense due to the nature of its purpose, which is to allow a space for people to memorialize those lost during the year. When it burns, 60K people stand completely silent, which is nearly overpowering.
no fixtures in the structure, it all fit together with wood
inside the main room of the temple, with memorials
this skunk-trap-looking church had an organ and a microphone. my buddy james held a sermon that healed many a weary soul
wedding inside the skunk trap church
the disco duck returned after a 3 year hiatus, yahoo!
daytime dance camp
art car dance party with jelly fish
the metal sculpture up close
very chill art car
group performance - can't be beat
kalliope is a crazy loud art car with massive laser lights
billion bunny march, a traditional fav
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