Got Virtual Fire?

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
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• Burniversity
• Community Services
• Lamplighters Dept.
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• Department of Mutant Vehicles (DMV)
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• 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.

BURN2 is experimenting with new virtual platforms, including OpenSimulator Metaverse, currently the largest implementation of an open-source virtual world.

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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

 

Element 11 Regional Burn

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E11, Utah

14 years ago, during my Road Trip Across America, I attended “Synorgy,” the 3rd annual Utah Regional burn. In 2015, I returned to Utah for “Under The Stars,” which was hosted by Element 11. WHAT IS ELEMENT 11? “el·e·ment 11 (ˈeləmənt/) noun 1. Sodium – salt: The eleventh element on the periodic table; the sixth most abundant element on earth. A regional characteristic of Utah, given the Bonneville Salt Flats and the Great Salt Lake. 2. A volunteer-based, non-profit organization with the mission to ignite a culture of creativity and self-expression! We provide a canvas for our community to play, dance, evolve, create & ignite. 3. A sanctioned regional Burning Man festival event dedicated to the Ten Principles and ethos of Burning Man. The Element 11 (E11) Arts Festival (Utah Regional Burn) is held the second weekend of July each year. 4. A community of radically, self-expressive artists, creators, innovators, do-ers, and participants who see art in all forms, in all ways, and in all people.”

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I have decided that UTAH is just like the rest of the United States… but with a bi-polar disorder. Utah has an interesting history, which is largely influenced by a religion founded in 1823 by a 17-year old boy obsessed with angelic visions, magic eyeglasses, a smart rock, and gold plates inscribed with secret hieroglyphics. And it’s not surprising that underwear and polygamy would be an important part of a young mans career choice at that time. This was the frontier religion that dominated the Utah Territory until it was invaded by the United States Army in 1857, which resulted in a year-long period where plowshares were turned into swords. Finally, in 1861, the Utah Territory was divided into Colorado, Nevada and Utah.

After a 45-minute drive on a dirt road in a remote part of western Utah, I arrived at the Stargazer Ranch, which is the new home for the Utah Regional burn. I set up my camp between a polyamorous family and a gay anti-goverment pro-gun survivalist. They were all really nice people. They were all burners. We are members of the same global tribe. A great thing about being a burner is that I might have weird neighbors, but I don’t have to kill them because they offended my god. Stargazer Ranch is located in a vast sagebrush basin with beautiful views. It could be a training ground for Black Rock; a little dust, a little heat, a little wind. There were about 1200 participants at “Under The Stars.” It reminded me of the early days of Burning Man out on the playa. This is what a post-apocalyptic community would look like before the gas & water runs out on Fury Road.

I was camped across the street from Cosmic Recess and on same block as the School of Safe Sex. In addition to the art, a handfull of theme camps and a few art cars, there were a variety of amusements, including a swing set, a teeter totter and a big slide. The day before the gate opened, the slide had fallen over, but now it was back up with more braces welded on.

There were 2 representatives from the home office in San Francisco: myself, and Megs, manager of the Burning Man Regional Network. She took the center camp stage a couple of times, and also did a talk about the Global Network and another time for her MegaFlame Cabaret show. She also spoke on the pirate radio station.

I did my “Coyote Goes to Burning Man” talk in the early afternoon, which was a real challenge because it needs to be pretty dark for anyone to see what comes out of the projector. We threw some additional tarps over the shade structure and with the loan of an industrial size projector, the talk was experienced by a full house.

There are lampposts here just like Black Rock City, but these have been modernized with low maintenance solar lights. I also note that they don’t steal the street signs at Element 11, at least not yet.

My favorite bar was the Crypster Saloon, a wild west styled trailer that was kinda like the Front Porch, but stationary.

photo by Jonny George Jemming

Inside was a wonderfully decorated bar with hundreds of tiny lights in the ceiling. The bartender was dispensing whiskey lemonade punch from a huge container sitting on the bar. The story is that several gallons of whiskey had been harvested from a large collection of antique Jim Bean collectable bottles that had decorated the walls of a brothel in Elko. With each drink the bartender poured, he would announce: “Whiskey straight from the pussy of the Virgin Mary!”

Music was provided by dj Eben Flow, a BRC PG&E veteran, who was spinning some of the best dance music in town, which had most patrons in motion. Out behind the saloon, standing on the dirt, was a vintage pinball machine and an equally old PacMan video game. When I ordered my first drink, it was evident that the bartender had been indulging in the holy sacrament all day long, and at one point, late in the evening, he crawled out from behind the bar on his hands and knees and I moved in to take his place behind the bar.

One of the high points that night at the Crypster was when a rhinestone cowboy came in after hunting scorpions with a UV flashlight and a camera. He displayed photos from his venture into the new sport of ‘scorpion watching’. The Burn took a while to get started. At this new location, the fire crew was overly cautious about having a large, hot fire on the scale of previous years.

One of 60 alert rangers

It all went very smoothly and orderly. Later, many of us gathered around the warm coals to chat and tell stories.

Music and entertainment could be found throughout the night at camps like Ballin’ Oats, Hail Satan, Disco Trolley and Adults Behaving Badly.

Morning after with Ranger Lushus. I was quite impressed by all the Element 11 crew members and volunteers. There was a strong sense of community. I was honored to be presented with a Ranger shirt and an honorary Element 11 Ranger laminate.

And there was this RV. Maybe Larry has a new sideline?

At E11, the soundscape is not yet out of control.

Less than 5 art cars, 2 ultralights, 1 hover drone, and no lasers.

                                         Someday, I’m going back to the Utah burn.

                                                                               The kids are alright.