Burning Man Festival

Burning Man Festival

"Burning Man" (literally "burning man") is an annual eight-day event taking place in the Black Rock Desert (US, Nevada). The festival starts on the last Monday of August, at zero o'clock one minute. The last day falls on Labor Day, the official holiday, celebrated in the US on the first Monday of September, a day off for most organizations. The climax occurs on Saturday after sunset, when a huge wooden statue of a man is burned.

It all began in 1986, when several friends burned a 9-foot wooden figure of a man. This spontaneous action has become a tradition and has acquired scope. The festival has turned into the main creative attraction of Nevada, a place where you can independently touch art and freedom.

During the festival, money circulation is completely banned on its territory, as well as transportation on transport - except bicycles and mobile installations. After the termination in territory there should be nothing that would remind of it. Participants affirm that there is no such thing as a close-up event in the world.

Festival Burning Man
) '( - the emblem of the festival Burning Man

The organizers themselves define the event as an experiment to create a community of radical self-expression, completely self-reliant, and radical self-reliance. For a week in the desert, works of modern art, often of fantastic forms, are set. Some of them are burned by the creators before the end of "Burning Man". There are hundreds of "mutated vehicles" (English mutant vehicles) of the most incredible appearance, many participants go in the costumes of the characters of art, animals, objects and so on. Arrived in the desert, artists give performances, various dances are popular.

Фестиваль Burning Man
Organizers call for active participation in the festival

On several dance floors around the clock work DJs. At the same time, each participant is responsible for his life support (food, water, protection from heat, wind, cold, place to sleep, etc.) and cleaning the desert from any traces of his stay; All this must be taken care of in advance.

Фестиваль Burning Man
The burning of a wooden figure, symbolizing a person, at the festival "Burning Man"

The first burning of a small wooden man was in 1986, then on one of the beaches of San Francisco, a small group of friends. Subsequently, the circle of participants expanded and moved to the current place in the desert in the state of Nevada. In 2015, 70 thousand people took part in the festival.

Principles of the festival

Фестиваль Burning Man
Visiting the event as an observer is not approved

The Burning Man Festival does not have one dedicated goal of its conduct. To a large extent, the festival is created by the Burners themselves, the ordinary participants who are called to express the community, art (in the form of so-called installations), absurdity, decommodification and general fun. Organizers call for active participation in the festival, attendance of the event as an observer is not approved.

Ten basic principles are declared:

  1. Radical inclusion
  2. Gift
  3. Decomodification
  4. Radical self-sufficiency
  5. Radical expression
  6. Public efforts
  7. A responsibility
  8. Do not Leave a Trace
  9. Participation
  10. Here and now

Russian participants

In 2013, for the first time in the history of the festival, a creative group from Russia received a grant for the construction of an art object. The team, mainly consisting of the builders of the festival "Empty Hills", built the installation "Cradle of MIR" (Cradle of Peace), which became one of the key objects of the Burning Man - 2013.

Statistics of the festival

Фестиваль Burning Man
Satellite image of the festival site in 2005
Year Subject Number of participants
1986 no subject 20
1987 no subject 80
1988 no subject 150-200
1989 no subject > 300
1990 no subject 500
1991 no subject 250
1992 no subject 600
1993 no subject 1 thousand.
1994 no subject 2 thousand.
1995 Good and Evil ( Good and Evil ) 4 thousand
1996 The Inferno ( Inferno ) 8 thousand.
1997 Fertility 10 thousand.
1998 Nebulous Entity 15 thousand.
1999 Wheel of Time 23 thousand
2000 The Body 25 400
2001 Seven Ages ( Seven Ages ) 25 659
2002 The Floating World 28,979
2003 Beyond Belief ( Beyond the Faith ) 30 586
2004 The Vault of Heaven 35 664
2005 Psyche - The Conscious, Subconscious & Unconscious
( Mind - Conscious, Subconscious and Unconscious )
35,567
2006 Hope and Fear: The Future ( Hope and Fear: The Future ) 38,989
2007 The Green Man ( Green Man ) 47,366
2008 American Dream ( American Dream ) 49 599
2009 Evolution (Evolution) 43 435
2010 Metropolis ( Capital ) 50,504
2011 Rites of Passage ( Rites ) 53 963
2012 Fertility 2.0 ( Fertility 2.0 ) 52 385
2013 Cargo Cult ( Cult of Cargo ) 68 000
2014 Caravansary 65,000
2015 Carnival of Mirrors ( Carnival of Mirrors ) 70 000

People

Tens of thousands of representatives of art of different genres, from ordinary artists and musicians to avant-garde designers, sculptors and experimental architects, come to the world of round-the-clock performances, installations and nomadic galleries. And they all look very unusual.

Burning Man Festival
Burning Man Festival
Burning Man Festival
Burning Man Festival
Burning Man Festival
Burning Man Festival
Burning Man Festival
Burning Man Festival
Burning Man Festival
Burning Man Festival
Burning Man Festival
Burning Man Festival
Burning Man Festival

Art

Burning Man can not be imagined without his fantastic sculptures, which are built before the festival in the territory reserved for action. Each sculpture is symbolic and reflects the spirit of the holiday. But everything is unstable, therefore, without exception, all works of art are burned to processions, concerts of famous musicians and DJs.

One of the main sculptures of Burning Man 2014 "Embrace"

Burning Man Festival

Sculpture "Invisible", Burning Man 2014

Burning Man Festival

Sculpture "Heart"

Burning Man Festival

Sculpture "Temple of the Sun", Burning Man 2014

Burning Man Festival

Silk Way Installation, Burning Man 2014

Burning Man Festival

The main figure of the festival is Burning Man

Burning Man Festival

Mobile installation "Mayan warrior"

Burning Man Festival

Mobile sculptures on the Burning Man 2014

Burning Man Festival

Installation on Burning Man 2013

Burning Man Festival

Art objects at the festival Burning Man 2012

Burning Man Festival

Sculpture "Eternal Return", Burning Man 2014

Burning Man Festival

Super-pool installation, Burning Man 2014

Burning Man Festival

Sculpture "Dance", Burning Man 2010

Burning Man Festival

Sculpture "Truth and Beauty"

Burning Man Festival