Burning Man – At the end of every summer, over 70.000 dreamerssettle in Black Rock City, a temporary city pulsating with thousands of art and architecture projects destined to be burnt down to ashes once all gigs and parties are over. Archipanic looks into the history and mechanics of the metropolis rising from its ashes in name of freedom.
RELATED STORIES: Read more about Burning Man on Archipanic 2019…
“Burning Man is the first Bohemian scene to turn itself into a city” said to Archipanic Burning Man founder Larry Harvey who passed away in 2018.
Architecture is protagonist: across the city secular and mystic cathedrals, public spaces and themed camps invite burners to get inspired by visiting and interacting with ephemeral structures.
After dusk, the city shines with flames and psychedelic neon shows meshing the mystic atmosphere of the day with a crazy party vibe pulsating all night long. Flamboyant vehicles drive through the desert contributing to boost the dreamy and in-wonderland vibe of the festival.
Holistically speaking, “Black Rock City is not a machine but an organism that It is more then the sum of its parts.” Said once Black Rock City master planner Rod Garrett. “As it burns down every year, its map refers to the phoenix, the mythical bird, the temporary metropolis rises from its ashes.”
Every year a main theme is announced to inspired architects and artists to create mesmzering installations reflecting on contemporary issues such as climate change, technological impact on our innerself and, this year, the society’s impact the the power (and trauma) of transformation.
THE MASTER PLAN – Black Rock City is centered around the Burning Man, a landmark sculpture which works as the fixed point of a drawing compass and The Playa open area. All the tents and services are disposed in a crescent divided in sections.
The radial streets of Black Rock City are named by their clock position while the annular streets have always odd names such as Genuflect, Lustrate and Hallowed avenues.
THE MAN statue is the epicenter of Black Rock City which is always spectacularly burnt down to ashes at the end of every edition.
At the center of the crescent, the MAIN CAMP hosts the Playa Information Center, the Arctica ice-store and the the Main Camp Café, the largest temporary freestanding tensile shade structure in the world.
The Main Camp Cafè occupies an entire acre for art, encounters and intergalactic convergences. Here every participant, parades, mutant vehicles, marching bands, or green aliens can meet up and interact.
Like any other city, Black Rock City has essential INFRASTRUCTURE and COMMUNITY SERVICES including city planning, emergency, safety and sanitary infrastructure and even an unregulated temp-airport. Since 2017, some area will become pedestrian to avoid traffic jam and optimize waste management.
In Black Rock City there is not garbage pickup, the festival manages a recycling camp where burners can bring cans – the most practical eating solution in town – which are then up cycled into art installations.
The Department of Mutant Vehicles licenses and supports participants to share their mobile creations with the community of Black Rock City. The Department of Public Works plans, surveys, builds, and takes down the basic infrastructure in town.
- RELATED STORIES: Read more about Burning Man on Archipanic…
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