Subject: English IV

Professor: Lic. Lizza Mendieta

Work: Celebration of Burning Man U.S.A

Student: Rosa Margarita Appenzeller

Account number: 201710010371

Deadline: 03/04/19
Burning man

is an annual seven-day event that takes place in the "city" of Black Rock, Nevada, United States.
Black Rock City (or "BRC"), which is not a municipality nor does it have a government, only exists
during the week of Burning Man, that is, it is a temporary city built by the participants until the first
Monday in September, Labor Day in United States, lasting approximately one week. The Burning
Man takes place in the vestiges of a lake, in the Black Rock desert of Nevada, 150 kilometers (90
miles) northeast of Reno. The 2012 edition brought together more than 53,000 people. In 2015 the
ticket was 390 dollars, although there are 4,000 tickets at 190 dollars that are sold to those who can
not pay the full fare.

Origin

The name is taken from the ritual that consists of burning a gigantic wooden sculpture in the shape
of a man on Saturday night. It is also possible to explain that every year a huge and magnificent
wooden temple is built, to be burned on the last night, on Sunday. The burning of the "man" is a
spectacular celebration with fireworks and explosions (in 2012, nature also created some 20 mini-
tornadoes that came out of the fire, something incredible to see), something similar to the burning
of the Fallas de Valencia. Instead, the burning of the temple is done in total silence, since it is a ritual
dedicated to people who have passed away. During the week participants write about the temple
or leave notes and photos inside, with the idea that when burned there is some kind of connection
or spiritual renewal.

The event is organized by the company Black Rock City, LLC., Under the supervision of one of its
founders, Larry Harvey, and five other board members.

Features

The festival does not accept merchants or brands and promotes the de-commodification and the
use of the collective energy of the attendees. Burning Man offers scholarships to hundreds of artists,
creating luminous, interactive and psychedelic pieces in the desert city, apart from many other
artists who create art for the love of art, including the many Art Cars, vehicles from golf carts to
buses disguised as dragons, pirate ships, giant discotheques or luminous toilets.

During the Burning Man the participant notices that in the whole city there is no garbage on the
floor, as everyone is aware of not throwing anything and pick up something if they see it. This is a
"leave no trace" encounter, since when Black Rock City was dismantled, the desert floor was cleaned
until it was left as it was -without noticing that there were more than 50,000 people there. It is
noteworthy that in Burning Man there is no trade or money, although the "free shops" where
something is given away (the Free Hugs Shop, for example) are not uncommon. The only thing sold
is ice and coffee, and there are no sponsors or advertisers. It is a society where it is shared, given
away or bartered, although this is the least practiced, following the spirit of the hippies and the
counterculture of the 1960s. The participants bring their own water, food and gifts. Everything that
is necessary to survive for a week. The departures during the celebration are infrequent, although
there is a gas station about 40 km.

Within what is appreciated and highlighted in this exercise is how many worries and stress disappear
when there is no money; being gathered together being able to do whatever they want, dressing as
they want (or nothing), having fun with art and music, feeling free of a world that is currently
perceived as greedy, over-commodified and with wars, and being part of a community which is like
a big family - that is manifested with great joy and extraordinary inner peace, something that makes
each year their followers return despite the challenges of camping in a desert in the middle of
nowhere. Despite allowing themselves the nude, the children are admitted, which is remarkable in
a culture as puritanical as the American

HISTORY

1986-2019

The annual event known as "Burning Man" is the result of the merger of two events, one of which
began as a beach party with no definite name that was held during the summer solstice in 1986
(reminiscent of the Night of San Juan ). In that celebration, Larry Harvey, Jerry James and some
friends gathered in Baker Beach, San Francisco, and burned a 2.4-meter-tall statue made of man-
shaped wood. They also incinerated a smaller dog-shaped one. The inspiration for burning these
figures has been kept secret by Harvey, who described it as a spontaneous act of radical self-
expression. The sculptor Mary Grauberger, a friend of Harvey's girlfriend, had held artistic meetings
in Baker Beach related to the summer solstice for several years before 1986. One of the keys to the
success of these celebrations was that Baker Beach was a frequented area by nudist people.

Harvey had attended some of the first meetings in Baker Beach. When Grauberger stopped offering
his parties, Harvey was the one who continued with that work. Harvey asked Jerry James to build
the first wooden statue 2.4 meters high, which was much smaller and more rustic than the
sculptures adorned with neon lights that are built today. In 1987, the statue had grown to almost
4.6 meters in height and in 1988 it increased to about 12 meters.

According to Harvey, the use of wood in the making of the sculptures had a symbolic meaning and
was an important part of the ritual. He also swore that he would never watch the movie The Wicker
Man, so that it would not influence his inspiration.

the principles of burning man

Radical Inclusion

Anyone may be a part of Burning Man. We welcome and respect the stranger. No prerequisites exist
for participation in our community.

Gifting

Burning Man is devoted to acts of gift giving. The value of a gift is unconditional. Gifting does not
contemplate a return or an exchange for something of equal value.

Decommodification

In order to preserve the spirit of gifting, our community seeks to create social environments that
are unmediated by commercial sponsorships, transactions, or advertising. We stand ready to
protect our culture from such exploitation. We resist the substitution of consumption for
participatory experience.

Radical Self-expression

Radical self-expression arises from the unique gifts of the individual. No one other than the
individual or a collaborating group can determine its content. It is offered as a gift to others. In this
spirit, the giver should respect the rights and liberties of the recipient.

Radical Self-reliance

Burning Man encourages the individual to discover, exercise and rely on his or her inner resources.

Communal Effort

Our community values creative cooperation and collaboration. We strive to produce, promote and
protect social networks, public spaces, works of art, and methods of communication that support
such interaction.

Civic Responsibility

We value civil society. Community members who organize events should assume responsibility for
public welfare and endeavor to communicate civic responsibilities to participants. They must also
assume responsibility for conducting events in accordance with local, state and federal laws.

Leaving No Trace

Our community respects the environment. We are committed to leaving no physical trace of our
activities wherever we gather. We clean up after ourselves and endeavor, whenever possible, to
leave such places in a better state than when we found them.

Participation

Our community is committed to a radically participatory ethic. We believe that transformative

change, whether in the individual or in society, can occur only through the medium of deeply
personal participation. We achieve being through doing. Everyone is invited to work. Everyone is
invited to play. We make the world real through actions that open the heart.

Immediacy

Immediate experience is, in many ways, the most important touchstone of value in our culture. We
seek to overcome barriers that stand between us and a recognition of our inner selves, the reality
of those around us, participation in society, and contact with a natural world exceeding human
powers. No idea can substitute for this experience.
 List of unknowing words

1. Merger

2. Solstice

3. Sculptor

4. Renewal

5. Brands

6. Garbage

7. Leave no trace
8. Greedy

9. Inner peace

10. Environments