2009 ART THEME: EVOLUTION
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Illustration from portrait of Charles Darwin, by "DA" Dominic Tinio
It is interesting to contemplate a tangled bank, clothed with many plants of many kinds, with birds singing on the bushes, with various insects flitting about, and with worms crawling through the damp earth, and to reflect that these elaborately constructed forms, so different from each other, and dependent upon each other in so complex a manner, have all been produced by laws acting around us. These laws, taken in the largest sense, being Growth with Reproduction; Inheritance which is almost implied by reproduction; Variability from the indirect and direct action of the conditions of life: a Ratio of Increase so high as to lead to a Struggle for Life, and as a consequence to Natural Selection… There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers… and that, while this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed laws of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and wonderful have been and are being evolved.
-- Charles Darwin, The Origin of Species
Nature never made a plan, nor does it seem to copy very well. No living thing is ever quite the same as others of its kind. Charles Darwin called this Natural Variation. There is a kind of subtle chaos, a supple element of chance and change, residing at the core of living things. We've learned that DNA, the code that programs life, is subject to continual mutation. This enables generations to evolve within a changing world. This year's art theme contemplates the power and the meaning of the process we call evolution.
Design by Rod Garret and Larry Harvey. Rendering by Andrew Johnstone and Rod Garrett.
When at last I had disabused my mind of the enormous imposture of a design, an object, and an end, a purpose or a system, I began to see dimly how much more grandeur, beauty and hope there is in a divine chaos – not chaos in the sense of disorder or confusion but simply the absence of regular order – than there is in a universe made by pattern. This draught-board universe my mind had laid out: this machine-made world and piece of mechanism; what a petty, despicable, micro-cosmus I had substituted for reality.
-- Richard Jefferies
In 2009, the Burning Man will rise above a 'tangled bank' consisting of irregular wooden triangles. No two elements of this organic composition will be quite the same; together they’ll create what’s best described as a chaotic truss. At night the tangled bank will come alive with luminous life forms scratching, crawling and slithering their way through it. This space will also house a pond known as the Gene Pool. Strange Ur-creatures will peep outward from the surface of this primal soup. The central tree supporting Burning Man, beribboned with a double helix, will exist in flux: switching on and switching off, changing colors unexpectedly.
At bottom every man knows well enough that he is a unique being, only once on this earth; and by no extraordinary chance will such a marvelously picturesque piece of diversity in unity as he is, ever be put together a second time.
-- Frederick Nietzsche
The human species, Homo sapiens, has existed for approximately 200,000 years. The genus known as homo has a lineage stretching back two million years. Homo erectus, the first human ancestor to walk upright, and Homo habilis, the toolmaker, are among our relatives. We are a bud belonging to a twig of this ancestral tree.
The process of trial and error that has made this possible is called Natural Selection. Genetically encoded traits that aid survival tend to spread throughout entire populations. Living entities that bear these genes endure and reproduce, but maladaptive traits are not passed on. This causes species to evolve to better fit the world in which they live. However, this rigorous weeding out of 'unfit' individuals has gradually ceased to occur within our species. Medicine and mutual aid assure that nearly anyone is able to survive and reproduce.
Now adrift in our own gene pool, we have encountered a new phase of evolution. We've become a conscious breed of culture-bearing animals. Black Rock City is a kind of Petri dish, and Burning Man is an experiment in generating culture. We've learned that culture's a spontaneous phenomenon. It thrives as a result of numberless and unplanned interactions. All that's really needed is a fitting social vessel to sustain it. This happens best within communities that harbor many different modes of self-expression. We've also learned that cultures effloresce when human beings feel free to offer up their gifts.
Our theme this year prompts three related questions: What are we as human beings, where have we come from, and how may we adapt to meet an ever-changing world?
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WELCOME TO THE AUSTRALIAN REGIONAL NETWORK WEBSITE FOR BURNING MAN
This website is a project of the Australian Region of the Burning Man Network.
Its for those in Australia that:
Are interested in going to Burning Man, or
Interested in the Australian Regional Burning Man theme camp project, or
Have gone to Burning Man & who might wish to participate further, in the Australian Regional Network, to facilitate an annual regional Burning Man event.
The site will also provide a means for letting people know about various projects, either in collaboration with, or by the Australian Regional Network.
The content of the site is at a very early stage of formation, and please be patient, as we put it together.
It is built around a phpbb Bulletin Board web portal software package, which was migrated across from another project, of a festival nature.
We are grateful to have been donated this, from Human Communities, as some of the information that came with it, might help further down the track in putting on a Regional Burn.
Therefore, some of Australian Regional Web Site’s structure & content, at this stage, may not appear as orderly in structure, as we want, nor may all content be completely relevant to the approaches of the Burning Man Art Project & the Australian Region.
Nevertheless, in time, we will sort this out, and develop the site to reflect the interests and needs of the participants of the Australian Regional Network, for Burning Man.
So therefore, it is early days for this site, and much of the content is being filled out as you read.
Please register and participate.
1. Interested in going to Burning Man?
WHAT TO BRING - WHEN GOING TO BURNING MAN
Traveling that extra distance from Australia means that packing is all the more difficult and to get an idea of what is the best place to purchase what you need check here. camping gear
water
warm clothes
sunscreen
hat
good vibes
big smiles Cool
There is also comprehensive information on the main Burning Man web site, which we encourage you read.
Burning Man - Preperation
BURNING MAN LOCATION
...The Playa, Black Rock City, Nevada, USA.
Location
2. The Australian Regional Burning Man theme camp project.
ELECTRO BURN “The Burning Man” Information Night !!!
A big thanks to everybody for making the ELECTRO-BURN - collaborative fund-raising night - for the Australian Regional Burning Man theme camp project, the success to was.
The night was a true example of the community working together, which will make this project a great success, and an incredible lifetime experience...
We’ll keep you posted of the next upcoming event & more details on the Australian Theme camp as it evolves.
Also, if you need some background on the night, just held, check out the Calendar posting.
Calendar entry for "Electro Burn" (Click Here)
3. Participating further in the Australian Regional Network.
Regional Representatives
To ensure that the community has as much dialogue as possible, we are looking for people that are interested in being Regional Representatives in their State.
Firstly you must have been to Burning Man and give us a bit of an idea on how you would like to look after things in your area. Still looking for SA WA TAS NT
If you are interested then please email your interest to Regional Reps
Website Moderators
We are also looking for Moderators in the different sections of the website to Moderators
AUSTRALIAN REGIONAL BURN EVENT
Forum
Gallery
AUSTRALIAN REGIONAL WEBSITE FEATURES
The Commons
A place for shared community voice and resources such as Forums, FAQ and Support, Search the site, File Downloads, Memberlist, Become involved, Have a blog, Use Googlemaps, Chat real time to others involved in and going to the event, View the Image Gallery, Check Important Dates, Sell stuff, maintain your own Profile
Log In
Register Now
OTHER WAYS OF ACCESSING THE AUSTRALIAN REGIONAL WEBSITE
Grab it through your RSS Reader or through your Mobile
KIWIBURN
Our friends in New Zealand are doing a burn in February 2009.
KiwiBurn (KB09) is a 3-day event, and will be held from, Thursday 5th February through to Sunday 8th February, 2009.
The Man burns Saturday night.
Kiwiburn is New Zealand’s annual regional Burning Man event. Kiwiburn will be held at Whakamaru Domain, Mangakino in 2009.
Kiwiburn is a collective experience. Everybody contributes, everybody pays. As there are no paid performers at the event, there are no spectators and what is shared are the passions and dreams of those who gift them. You cannot “attend” Kiwiburn, but you can be a part of it.
There will be no money exchanged for anything at the event.
Due to this collective nature we cannot offer you a program or featured artist list. You can check out the list of registered theme camps and art installations, but as to the true nature of what will be at Kiwiburn, we have no idea - and that’s half the beauty. The Survival Guide and a list of registered contributions will help give you some indication, however this can not be a complete list due to the spontaneity of the event.
What we can tell you is that there will be a Center Camp with a stage, generator and amplifier for people to display their skills, be they dj’s, musicians, cultural groups, poets or stand up comics. What do you do? What do you want to share?
There will be art installations and people in costume, fire spinners, drummers... but that’s just us, and what we are doing... bring your passion and share with us your dreams.
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A SPECIAL PROJECT FEATURE 2007
~ THE FLAME TREE ~
IN CARDWELL, FAR NORTH QUEENSLAND
DAY
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NIGHT
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Images taken and provided by Dan Das Mann and Karen Cusolito of:
Headless Point - Artist Retreat and Labor Camp - www.headlesspoint.com
Two of Burning Man’s most famous artists, Dan Das Mann and Karen Cusolito were in Australia after their commission to build the huge flame tree at Cardwell’s Girringun Cultural Festival 13th -14th October 2007.
The 10 metre high tree in Cardwell made of recycled copper sprays water by day, and shoots flames by night. With fossil fuels running out and the effects on climate change, the artwork is a permanent reminder of the need for more sustainable ways.
The project came about through collaborations between the Girringun Aboriginal Corporation, Cardwell Shire Council and the US based non-profit, Black Rock Arts Foundation.
Mann’s origins were in landscape architecture, but while his renown has come from his large-scale festival work, he is also in demand by corporations. Cusolito’s academic background is in art and design, leading to many public art installations.
Both artists’ work reflects their abiding interest in humanity and the environment.
In its natural environment, The flame tree, also known as royal poinciana or flamboyant, is a member of the bean family (Leguminosae) and is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful tropical trees in the world.
This aptly named tree produces striking flame-like scarlet and yellow flowers in spring before the leaves emerge. As the trees mature, they develop broad umbrella-shaped crowns, and are often planted for their shade-giving properties.
The delicate, fern-like leaves are composed of small individual leaflets, which fold up at the onset of dusk. This tree produces brown, woody seed pods that reach lengths of up to 60 cm; they turn reddish-brown to almost black when ripe.
The Cardwell Flame Tree features a 10 metre high tree made of recycled copper.
In the day the tree sprays water.
At night the tree shoots flames.
The Cardwell Flame Tree is a reminder of change.
THE CARDWELL FLAME TREE PROJECT:
- Represents the logo of the Cardwell Shire Council between 19XX and 2007.
- Sprays water to remind us of the change in Australia 's rainfall and climate.
- Throws flames to remind us that fossil fuels are running out.
- Uses recycled copper to remind us of the need for more sustainable ways.
- Reminds us of the Caring for Country Conference, Cardwell, October, 2007.
Girringun Culture Festival - The Great Australian Corroboree - Cardwell North Queensland
www.greataustraliancorroboree.com.au
The Flame Tree is an art and sustainability education project developed for the Caring for Country Conference and Festival on behalf of Girringun Aboriginal Corporation.
www.uncook.com/flametree
Special Thanks: to Joanne Keune, a Girringun Culture Festival organiser, for her vision and work in making The Flame Tree project the reality it has become. Joanne is from Townsville, Queensland, Australia. She has worked in the Arts administration field in Australia & San Francisco, California, USA, and has been to a number of Burning Mans since 1994 to the current day.
Image taken and provided by MJ Ryan Bennett
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