Burning Man in Black Rock City Celebrates 30th Year

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to exist with only what could fit in a backpack for a week in the desert? No cell phone, no television, no car, and no deadlines or schedule?

For the last 30 years, the 'Burning Man' experience has grown to a following of around 60,000 people. Every year, the "curious" and "regulars" gather in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada in the effort to co-create "Black Rock City," a temporary metropolis dedicated to art, community, and radical self reliance. Event goers depart one week later, having left no trace whatsoever. They walk away with an unbelievable journey in spiritual awareness. It’s a city where almost everything that happens is created entirely by its citizens.

The 2016 event will take place August 28 – September 5, 2016. As stated on their official website, organizers believe that "the touchstone of value in our culture will always be immediacy: experience before theory; moral relationships before politics; survival before services; roles before jobs; embodied ritual before symbolism; work before vested interest; participant support before sponsorship. In order to accomplish these ends, Burning Man must endure as a self-supporting enterprise that is capable of sustaining the lives of those who dedicate themselves to its work. From this devotion spring those duties that we owe to one another. We will always burn the Man."

Brian McGloin, a photojournalist out of Austin, Texas, has been attending for the last five years, and two years ago, his wife Summer decided to go with him. McGloin, a former member of the U.S. Air Force Reserve and bicycle enthusiast who bikes everywhere – rain or shine-- said he easily adapts to the harsh Burning Man environment. However, Summer has always worked in an office setting and said the trip was a little physically "taxing," to say the least.  

She said, "We bought our tickets several weeks ahead of time and the whole trip ended up costing around $1,800. A few days before, we started out by flying into Reno, and then were picked up by a bus to head to the event. From there, a group of us were taken to a grocery store and given one hour to load up on supplies. For the week-long getaway, participants are expected to bring their own food and water, tent, clothing, and whatever other necessities they will need to survive for that time. Once our shopping was complete, it was off to the venue. It cost a little extra, but if you drive in, you may have to wait in line for up to 8 hours to get in, so we chose the bus route."

Some people arrive weeks ahead of time to set their camps up, and since both Brian and Summer have a background in journalism, they stayed at a camp site called Journeylizm, which attracts fellow journalists and individuals in the press.

As for hygiene and sustenance, Summer said it's recommended that "the average person will use 1.5 gallons of water a day, so it's not unusual to have on hand around 7-10 gallons of water per person. If one should come up short, there is a booth where people can buy coffee, tea and ice, and that's about the only place where money is exchanged."

Also, there are more than 1,000 porta-potties maintained regularly, and that service is included in the ticket price. There are no showers though, and if people choose to bring in some kind of wading pool to rinse off, they are expected to take their used water when they leave if it doesn't evaporate.

"The weather was really nice when I went--not too hot or cold; so we were able to get away with using baby wipes to sponge off with. There have been times, however, when there were some pretty blinding wind storms, but it didn't take away from the overall experience," said Summer.

She added that the event initially started on a beach in San Francisco back in 1986, and, in latter years, it moved to Nevada's Black Rock Desert on a seemingly endless dried lake bed. Every year, participants are polled as to what they would like to see for the next year's theme. This year, the Italian Renaissance of the middle 15th and early 16th centuries is the inspired theme. Past themes include a caravan, the circus, etc.."

Above: A mutant vehicle, or art car, is being driven slowly through the streets of Black Rock City.

Cars are generally not allowed in the city once the gates open, unless they are heavily modified, follow strict safety guidelines and operate as public transportation. They are vastly outnumbered by bicycles, which are the main mode of transportation in Black Rock City.

Each year, a large man is built in the center of the event based on the year's theme, and, at the very end of the event, burned to the ground in bonfire fashion. Summer anticipated, since this year's theme is centered around Leonardo DaVinci, it might resemble DaVinci's Vitruvian Man drawing. All of the artwork and illustrations related to the event will have that type of theme.

Summer said, "Brian is all packed and ready to take off; as for me, it was a great 'once in a lifetime' experience, but I'll take Paris any day."

As for what exactly goes on at Burning Man? If you could imagine a combination of Woodstock, Xanadu, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge's Kubla Khan, all rolled into one week, there you have it. Freedom, Art, the extraordinary, and peace for a week, worth every penny for those without fear or vulnerability.

Above: Brian explained, "Black Rock Rangers stand in front of a bonfire that moments before was the man, or the effigy, in the center of Black Rock City. The Black Rock Rangers are not police; they are a volunteer group who watch over burners (the colloquial term for Burning Man attendees), deescalate problems and provide a liaison between law enforcement officers and the Burning Man community."

As per their website, "In 2016 we will conduct a social experiment, inviting artists and patrons to settle around and activate a public plaza in the city. We will call on them to join together, pooling their resources to create a welcoming environment at the plaza’s center – a sheltered place where all our citizens may take their ease amid the amenities of high civilization. Thus, we will establish common ground where participants can be united by their shared experience. To quote from Leonardo’s Da Vinci's notebook, 'It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.'”

For further information on Burning Man, check out http://burningman.org. To see more photos of past events and many more of Brians' travels, including a most recent one to Iceland, check out http://www.brianmcgloin.com.