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The Art of Burning Man

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The Art of Burning Man NO SPECTATORS: THE ART OF BURNING MAN April 26/June 7–Sept. 2 Happening every August in Nevada’s inhospitable Black Rock Desert, a thriving metropolis rises from the playa dust for a single week. During that time, many societal norms are put on hold as a unique community emerges based on 10 guiding principles that include Radical Self-expression, Communal Effort, and a glorious Gifting economy. Interactive art installations of all shapes and sizes are erected; some are burned to the ground and at the end of the week, the city vanishes WEL– without a trace. No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man offers some of the stunning, sometimes participatory works that have emerged from this annual gathering by many of the artists and collectives who have become synonymous with the event. The exhibition also celebrates its importance to the American story as one of the most influential cultural events of our time. Artworks are located throughout the museum’s permanent collection COME and special exhibition galleries. Using this map, we encourage you to discover the gift of No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man. Visitors may touch only the artwork featured in the No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man exhibition. Look for “Please Touch” signage located next to the appropriate artwork. Non Flash Photography is encouraged! Please post your photos on social media using the hashtag #NoSpectators. HOME Tripods and selfie sticks are not allowed. Additional museum policies may be found at cincinnatiartmuseum.org/visit. Visit cincinnatiartmuseum.org/burningman for information on programs and events. Artwork by Scott Kapeckas. Photo by Christy Parry A city in the desert. A culture of possibility. A network of dreamers “and doers. ST ND The Burning Man community has developed its own distinctive lexicon over the years. 1 FLOOR 2 FLOOR PRIMER Below is a glossary of a few useful, irreverent and colorful terms. 113 116 111 232 233 BLACK ROCK CITY The annual, FOMO Fear of Missing Out, a harmless PLAYA DUST The dried silt of Lake 105 106–107 108 109 110 112 114 115 118 temporary metropolis that is home state of mind caused by the overwhelming Lahontan, the prehistoric lakebed that is to the Burning Man event. scope of things to do and see in Black Rock now the Black Rock Desert. Its alkaline pH 213 213 City. May lead to sleep deprivation. makes it corrosive, and its extremely fine 122 230 231 212 BURNER One who pursues a way particles get into just about everything. 104 119 120 121 of life based on the values reflected JAVA COW Community legend of in the 10 Principles of Burning Man. a man-cow who appeared with hot coffee PLAYA NAME Originally spawned by 123 214 at sunrise on the morning of the burn, the need for unique names on the staff’s 215 224 CACOPHONY SOCIETY An influential 228 225 211 asking: “Do you want cream or sugar?” two-way radios, playa names have become 103 REC 125 124 216 source of many of the concepts and 229 almost ubiquitous and are sometimes used principles of Burning Man, the Cacophony MOOP Matter Out of Place. Litter, to provide an individual with an “alternate” Society was “a randomly gathered network debris, rubbish. personality or persona. Playa names are 101–102 100 127 126 227 226 of individuals united in the pursuit of traditionally given to a person, rather than 221 217 210 223 220 MUTANT VEHICLE A motorized Great Hall experiences beyond the mainstream.” taken on. Many of Burning Man’s founders were conveyance that is radically, stunningly, members of the San Francisco group. (usually) permanently, and safely modified. SPARKLE PONY Derogatory term 219 218 209 Larry Harvey likened Mutant Vehicles to for a participant who fails to embrace the 136 222 DARKWAD Anyone who walks or rides “sublimely beautiful works of art floating principle of radical self-reliance, and is on the playa at night without adequate across the playa like a Miro painting.” overly reliant on the resources of friends, lighting on the front and back of their campmates, and the community at large NO SPECTATORS A central tenet of person or vehicle. to enable their Burning Man experience. 208 the Burning Man philosophy. By blurring Often fashionably attired, since they DBS: DECORATIVE BULLSH*T A term the line between audience and performer, Ramp packed nothing but costumes. 137 coined by artist David Best to describe everybody is a superstar at Burning Man. the layers of unorthodox ornamentation TAZ Temporary Autonomous Zone, a term 234 151 OPEN PLAYA The portion of the playa he and his crew apply to the Temple. coined by writer Hakim Bey. Burning Man that is within the pentagonal event space, 140 207 isn’t one. 138 DECOMMODIFICATION One of the but is used for art installations and Mutant The Alice Bimel 205 10 Principles of Burning Man. “In order to Vehicle cruising rather than camping space. Courtyard 10 PRINCIPLES OF BURNING MAN preserve the spirit of gifting, our community The 10 core guiding concepts of Burning PLAYA The Spanish word for beach, 139 seeks to create social environments that are Man. These include: Radical Inclusion, 141 235 unmediated by commercial sponsorships, also used to describe dry lake beds 206 Gifting, Decommodification, Radical 150 in the American West such as the Black transactions, or advertising. We stand ready Self-reliance, Radical Self-expression, Rock Desert. to protect our culture from such exploitation. Communal Effort, Civic Responsibility, 201 We resist the substitution of consumption PLAYA CHICKEN Community legend Leaving No Trace, Participation, 204 for participatory experience.” concerning a rare species of vicious, and Immediacy. 147–149 146 143 202 carnivorous poultry reputed to live DEEP PLAYA The area of open playa THEME CAMP A group camp in the Black Rock Desert. Any strange beyond the Man and past the Temple in all designed to create an interactive Lobby phenomenon that is not readily directions, particularly the outer realms experience for participants through attributable to a known cause may near the perimeter fence. art, architecture, and/or performance. PHASE 2 144 203 be blamed on Playa Chickens. DEFAULT WORLD The rest of the world WHITE-OUT A violent dust storm Main Entrance that is not Black Rock City during the producing near–zero visibility. Burning Man event. 10 PRINCIPLES In 2004, Burning Man co-founder Larry Harvey wrote the 10 Principles as guidelines for the organization’s newly-formed Regional Network. They were crafted not so much as a directive, but as a reflection of the community’s shared values and culture. RADICAL INCLUSION Anyone may be CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY We value a part of Burning Man. We welcome and civil society. Community members respect the stranger. No prerequisites who organize events should assume exist for participation in our community. responsibility for public welfare and endeavor to communicate GIFTING Burning Man is devoted civic responsibilities to participants. to acts of gift giving. The value They must also assume responsibility of a gift is unconditional. Gifting does for conducting events in accordance not contemplate a return or an exchange with local, state and federal laws. for something of equal value. LEAVING NO TRACE Our community DECOMMODIFICATION In order respects the environment. We are to preserve the spirit of gifting, our committed to leaving no physical trace community seeks to create social of our activities wherever we gather. environments that are unmediated We clean up after ourselves and endeavor, by commercial sponsorships, transactions, whenever possible, to leave such places or advertising. We stand ready to protect in a better state than when we found them. our culture from such exploitation. We resist the substitution of consumption PARTICIPATION Our community is for participatory experience. committed to a radically participatory ethic. We believe that transformative change, RADICAL SELF-RELIANCE whether in the individual or in society, Burning Man encourages the individual can occur only through the medium of to discover, exercise and rely on his or her deeply personal participation. We achieve inner resources. being through doing. Everyone is invited to work. Everyone is invited to play. RADICAL SELF-EXPRESSION We make the world real through actions Radical self-expression arises from the that open the heart. unique gifts of the individual. No one other than the individual or a collaborating IMMEDIACY Immediate experience group can determine its content. It is is, in many ways, the most important offered as a gift to others. In this spirit, touchstone of value in our culture. the giver should respect the rights and We seek to overcome barriers that stand liberties of the recipient. between us and a recognition of our inner selves, the reality of those around COMMUNAL EFFORT Our community us, participation in society, and contact values creative cooperation and collab- with a natural world exceeding human oration. We strive to produce, promote powers. No idea can substitute for and protect social networks, public spaces, this experience. works of art, and methods of communi- cation that support such interaction. Cover image: FoldHaus, Shrumen Lumen (detail), 2016. Photo by Ron Blunt.
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