BURN2.org is the BurningMan international regional that exists in cyberspace. It’s currently hosted in the virtual world of Second Life, which is a participant-created 3-dimensional virtual world, populated with interactive avatars. BURN2 is accessible 24/7 to anyone with a computer and internet connection. The software is free to download, and access to the virtual Playa is free as well.
The annual big Burn event is an echo of BurningMan itself, with thousands attending throughout the 10-day event, where you can find amazing digital art, live performance, theme camps, DJs, poetry, drumming, classes and presentations. This thriving BurningMan virtual community awaits your participation on a dust-free electronic playa.
This is a world where day and night comes several times a day, and the laws of physics can be suspended.
To get started, just get a free account and an avatar and teleport into virtual Gerlach, Nevada, where many of you will feel instantly at home. The open playa is just outside of town; there you will find Gate Road and the Greeters Station. Beyond that, things start to get like BurningMan… only more weird.
In this world, participants create their own avatars. Sometimes, it’s like walking into the Star Wars Cantina with humans, robots, cyborgs, furries, insects and other unworldly creatures.
You can be whatever you want to be. In the virtual world, you can look young and buff.
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Or you can look like yourself after a bad dust storm.
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or whatever
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On the Internet, no one knows you’re a dog.
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During the main event, this virtual playa is filled with incredible works of art.
and theme camps
and just camping camps… where you can have a hot BBQ grill out in front.
BURN2 follows the 10 Principles and has many options for volunteers and participants:
- Art Dept.
- Performance Dept.
- BURN2 Rangers
- Burniversity
- Community Services
- Lamplighters Dept.
- Department of Mutant Vehicles (DMV)
- Department of Public Works (DPW)
- Communications Dept
- BURN2 on Flickr
The virtual world of Second Life was created by Philip Rosedale, who was greatly inspired by his experience at BurningMan 1999. His 2008 Ted Talk; “Why Build A Virtual World?” is a reflection of that inspiration.
Translating the BurningMan experience to someone sitting at home in front of a computer is the mission of BURN2. Certain techniques and strategies have been applied, which have accomplished this with varying degrees of success. In spite of the limitations of the current technology (somewhat cartoon-like imagery and crude interface tools), the brain still treats the experience as ‘real’. Many people come away from a BURN2 event with the feeling of “I’ve never ‘experienced’ anything like this before!”
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BurningMan’s presence in cyberspace continues to grow. We’ve been in Second Life since 2003. At BurningMan 2015, there were two ‘virtual reality’ theme camps. One was digitizing the art and structures of the event in order to re-create it in a virtual environment. The other camp was demonstrating the BURN2 virtual environment.
Real Life BURN2 burners posed for the BMIR webcam at BurningMan 2015, which was streamed live into the internet and projected onto a screen in the virtual world of BURN2.
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Facebook group: BURN2 burners.
The BURN2 Carnival of Mirrors event is taking place October 17th through October 25th with over 130 builders and artists. The Burning of the Man is on the 24th and the Temple Burn is on the 25th. 
See ya on the other side of your viewing screen!
-Danger Ranger
