photo by John Curley
John Curley has a post up on the Burning Blog where he talks about a special meeting last week at Fly Hot Springs, located 10 miles from where Burning Man takes place on the Black Rock Desert. It turns out that Burning Man is interested in buying Fly Hot Springs and turning it into a year-round conference center.
What if there were a place that people could come together, people who believed in the values and principles of Burning Man, and who wanted to find ways of applying those principles in the default world … of bringing them home from the playa.
What if there were a place where the energy and creativity and approach to living that flowers in Black Rock City for a week every year could be sustained and nurtured?
What if there were a conference center where thinkers and do-ers could get together to plot and scheme and think?
Burning Man, as an organization, thinks that place is Fly Hot Springs.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Uh… so what exactly are the beliefs and values of Burning Man?
This isn’t snark, it’s an honest question, from someone who first went in ‘96 and last went in ‘06.
From where I’m sitting, and my experience, BM is a mess of a lot of different and very conflicting things and ideas.
Based on the limited research I’ve done, Burning Man is going to perpetually be the center of a lot of controversy from all points.
1. Where does the money go
2. Carbon Footprint of BM
3. Monetizing things like center camp cafe
4. Photo & Video rights to burning man
5. self-expression but only by BM’s rules & regulations (Paul Addis comes to mind)
6. non-burners against burners and questioning their self-expression
7. The future of BM & BRC and its uncertainty and everyone in the back of their minds asking if it lost its purpose somewhere along the way.
Now, with this said I think that acquiring the hot springs & setting up a year round center to promote ideals, the gift economy & focusing on a central location for the future which, from what I’ve read, is regional burns all over the world. This is the next step for the company & it’s partners and the truth is, burning man is something different to every individual even to those who don’t understand it.
Burning man, to me is an opportunity to rediscover myself in an environment that promotes self-expression & art. It could be thousands of other things to another person. Basically my point is, we need burning man more than burning man needs us and as long as that’s how it is, the LLC will continue evolving to be one step ahead of us.
The sooner we can perpetuate the spirit of burning man across the world, I don’t personally care who profits because what matters is the bettering of our human race and every burner feels like they’re a part of something big. That’s what’s important and there’s not much we can do to stop the movement now.
Well stated Adam.
As one of the support crew who made this happen, I was the proverbial “fly on the wall” for alot of the conversations about what the intentions and possibilities of this move could be.
This is an amazing and exciting opportunity to move the community foward and everyone involved seems to vennerate and understand the delicate nature of this place. I don’t think anyone want’s to turn Fly into a hottub for 50 thousand people.
A good thing happened this week. Rejoice.
So,… why hasn’t the organization purchased a private plot of land for the festival already? I hear land is cheap in the desert.
9mm’s, K9 dogs, and uniformed federal and local officers are a real buzz-kill !
The Bonnaroo music festival organization purchased their land after only 3 or 4 years.
I hear there may be a new landfill in the area soon. Perhaps that would make garbage management a bit easier. Hell, maybe they should buy the proposed landfill area to keep it out of the desert.
Finally, I think the imposed caste system should be dissolved. If artist can get funding for their labor (what was the ticket price of the Temple? – it was made with cabinet grade plywood) why can’t so many DPW laborers get funding as well?