“Burning Man” is an annual event held in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, USA. It is a week-long gathering of people who come together to create a temporary community based on the principles of self-expression, self-reliance, and community cooperation. The event features large-scale art installations, performances, and theme camps, and culminates with the burning of a large wooden effigy, from which the event takes its name.
Today Burning Man attracts 70,000 people a year who come and build an entire city around the Man-- for one week.
You may have thought it could be fun to attend a Burning Man event. Maybe it’s even on your “bucket list.” Well…now, through the miracle of Second Life®, and with the support and encouragement of Linden Lab®, you can experience the fun, excitement and inspiration of a Burn, all from the comfort of your home computer. Sure, it would be fun to be there in Real, but a Virtual Burning Man does not require you to purchase a ticket or pack and bring survival gear for a week in a harsh desert environment.
One opportunity to experience the richness, creativity, and general sense of community of a Burn will be this coming weekend at Burn2: Winter Burn. While wandering the grounds of Burn2’s virtual playa on Deep Hole, I came across iSkye Silvercloud, as she made some adjustments to one of the display areas. She graciously agreed to talk to me about the upcoming event.
Josh (Thomas1 Bellic) (JB): So, tell me, iSkye. What is Burn anyway? Is it just to set fire to stuff, or is there more to it than that?
iSkye Silvercloud (iS): Burn is about MUCH MORE than “setting fire to stuff”. Burn2 is a community of creatives who do and create things together. Winter Burn is one of four official regional events that we host in Second Life®. We are the only official regional of Burning Man existing in the virtual space, and there are more than 100 regionals across the world. All of our activities are centered around the 10 Principles of Burning Man, which can be found here: https://www.burn2.org/about/the-ten-principles/.
JB: Can you share with us a bit of the history of Burn in SL?
iS: Burning Man started in 1986 in San Francisco with some friends burning a stick man on Baker Beach; in 2003, the Lindens at the time received permission from Burning Man to replicate and virtually burn a Man in SL, and this became an annual tradition facilitated by the Lindens. In 2010, Burning Life became Burn2, a bona fide regional of Burning Man and since then, we've grown and evolved while still keeping the tradition of the annual burn of the Man. You can read the story at this link: https://www.burn2.org/about/burn2-history/
JB: How big is the staff that manages Burn2? And how many exhibitors do you have?
iS: We have a core team of department leads that manage the day-to-day operations of Burn2, with the support and guidance of a Regional Contact, 3Vilyn. There are currently 7 members of the team organizing the Winter Burn event with about a dozen department leads and co-leads providing support and structure for the event. All of us involved are volunteers.
JB: Is Burn2 a subset of Burning Man, and what is the connection between the two?
iS: Burn2 is a virtual regional of Burning Man, much like a chapter of an organization. It is the only bona fide virtual regional of Burning Man and is among more than 100 regional worldwide connected by a regional network. There is a very close relationship between our regional and Burning Man, with the Regional Contact as the liaison.
JB: I love the Floating Islands displays. What an ingenious idea! Who thought of THAT?
iS: The brilliant mind that came up with the floating islands is that of MirandaNomad, who is the Winter Burn Event Lead and also the Placement Lead. In fact, the theme for this year's Winter Burn event, "Winterburn Wonderland" was conceived by Miranda, so the floating islands, ice lake, and other features visitors will see on the virtual playa are part of her vision for the event.
JB: Will there be shows, or raves, with special effects and laser lights? Or an actual Burn? When and where is that? Is there a schedule of events?
iS: There will be two stages at the event, where DJs and live performers will gift their talents and time to the community. There will be a virtual Burn of an effigy, preceded by a procession and fire dance performance by the Lamplighters and their Fire Dancers. The effigy will not be the Man, because that is reserved solely for the annual Octoburn event in autumn. You can find the event calendar on Burn2's website, here: https://www.burn2.org/event-calendar/ to see when these things will happen - and plan to come and join us!
There are also about 32 installations built to the theme of Winterburn Wonderland, and the interpretations are wildly varied, much to the delight of event organizers.
JB: I saw a kind of “community bulletin board” with dozens of burning candles. What kind of messages do people leave?
iS: That is actually part of an installation by Chi Ardani (Bethann Causten) with co-builders Temptation Ardani and GB (GeneralBusybody), titled "Fjord-light". Heartfelt messages can be left by visitors on candles in this solemn and beautiful space.
JB: I saw a place where you can actually BE a "Burning Man"? What a novel way to promote the event
iS: Sabet Wanderer and EricMacron created this installation, entitled "I am Burning Man". Now, in the physical world, this would obviously not be something we would want people to do! But this is a virtual environment and the build is a wonderfully evocative interpretation of the communal experience of the Burn at Black Rock City where Burning Man's real-life event takes place.
JB: I saw an interesting train ride. Would you recommend that to visitors?
iS: The train ride is the creation of Huntress Catteneo, and it is a delightful way to tour the playa and explore the builds by the artists and builders participating in this event. Highly recommended!
JB: Is there anything else about Burn2 you would like to share with our SL Enquirer Readers?
iS: Burn2's event, Winter Burn 2023: Winterburn Wonderland will open at 5:00 pm SLT on Friday, Jan 27, with a walk-on by the Lamplighters. The walk-on will bring us to the Main Stage by a circuitous, relaxed route around the playa. Participants are enthusiastically invited to join in! DJs and live performers will bring music to the playa for all to enjoy. Greeters will be waiting at the entrance to say "Welcome Home!" when visitors arrive. But note: Once you enter through the gate, you will no longer be merely a bystander. You’ll become part of the spectacle - participate!
Winterburn Wonderland will run from Friday evening 5pm SLT through Sunday night, January 27-29. You can see more information about the event here: https://www.burn2.org/winterburn-wonderland/
Sooooo…There you have it, folks – the Hot Skinny in Burn2. If you have never attended a Burn, you are NOT going to want to miss this chance. If you HAVE attended a Burn, then you already know how much fun they can be – plan to come to this one! For further information, check out the hot links below. And be sure you don’t miss Burn2: Winter Burn.
Tell ‘em Josh sent ya.
Be there! Aloha!
JB
SURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Burning%20Man-%20Deep%20Hole/149/30/25
WEB: https://www.burn2.org/
FLICKR: https://www.flickr.com/groups/burn2
FB: https://www.facebook.com/BURN2BURNERS
SL Destination: https://secondlife.com/destination/burn2
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