UNDER CONSTRUCTION

What is )^(?

Imagine a city that only manifests itself for One Week a year, culminating on Labor Day. This is Black Rock City [BRC], a vibrant place with two newspapers, a couple dozen radio stations, more culture and art than you will ever absorb in an entire year.

It is a place where opening a wallet and pulling out cash is a form of Insult. Regular Commerce and the Commodification of Culture is strongly discouraged. In fact, the only things you can actually buy are coffee/tea/chai in the Center Camp Cafe and Ice.....both which profits are donated to enrich the local economy.

Another important Tenet of )^( is that there are NO SPECTATORS!

Everyone is expected to be a PARTICIPANT.
Those that exhibit non-participatory behaviours are generally refered to as a YAHOO.

Appropriate road sign made by Yours Truly in 1999, posted outside the entrance to BRC as my Playa Gift to the )^( Project

BRC is a place of extremes. Triple Digit daytime temps (in the shade), Nighttime temps can go below freezing, >10% Humidity, Wind, and the ever-present Playa Dust which gets into an onto virtually everything! This is Extreme Camping at it's best.

What provokes people to plan and build stuff the rest of the year to trek out to a 400mi² Alkalai Flat in the Summer?

There's a LOT of reasons. Radical Self-Expression, Survival, Incredible Works of Art, Performance and Performance Art that has no other appropriate venue.

BRC is the type of place, where a MAN can wear the most godawful, butt-ugly Thrift Store DRESS he can find and will get COMPLIMENTED!

BRC is a place where you're guaranteed to see your Sacred Cow being made into Hamburger!

Imagine that BRC is a giant blank, empty canvas and the only pigments to be found is Yourself and What You Bring

Is this dangerous and risky? Yes, and we all know it and accept it. Your ticket reads "You voluntarily accept the risk of Serious Injury or Death by attending."

As I told a reporter covering this event in 1997.....Unfortunately the words you read here or on any other web page or magazine or newspaper, pictures in somone's scrapbook or a magazine and any video either amateur or mainstream media cannot even begin to fully describe the experience that is Burning Man.....It is something that has to be consumed at the source.

)^( is far better than Disneyland, and statistically safer.
If you get caught up with emotion and try to join the parade at Disneyland, their smiling happy Gestapo will drag your ass down under the bowels of the park and make your life miserable.
At )^(.....You Are The Parade!

Return To My )^( Main Page

Peter Isaacson
PENFOLD
http://www.penfold.net/whatis.html

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

What is )^(?

Everyone is expected to be a PARTICIPANT. Those that exhibit non-participatory behaviours are generally refered to as a YAHOO.

Everyone is expected to be a PARTICIPANT.
Those that exhibit non-participatory behaviours are generally refered to as a YAHOO.