Here are the original 14 Theses written for the We Have a Dream Petition.
After much discussion, we decided to axe all theses not directly related
to the question of Art at the event, leaving us with the 4 presented
in the final petition. We decided it unwise to take on every, or even
most issues of concern at the same time. We feared this would only produce
a morass of discussion that went nowhere. So we decided to stay focussed
on the core issue, and that core is the art. If the art is fixed and
robust again, many of the other issues will likely fall into place too.
Nonetheless,
in the interest of full disclosure of the Shipyard internal discussion,
here are all of the original 14 Theses. All of them still seem relevant.
1. CHANGE IS OBLIGATORY:
You can't do the same basic thing for 10 straight years and still claim
it as revolutionary. The ideas of the event are now fully explored and
played out. Little is uncertain or surprising. We know what to expect
on all fronts and all fronts manifest what is usually expected. It is
thus getting much more difficult to find truly deep experiential surprise,
insane transcendence, and sublimely sideways journeys on the playa,
despite much boilerplate to the contrary. In short, it is getting boring.
So let's move some
stuff around. Redo the site layout. The current one is tired and needs
an overhaul (see below). Move core ideas around. Move core people around.
Move core things around. Find major new creative contributors from here
and abroad. Reschedule what happens during the week. Burn the Man on
Monday. Rebuild it from sun-dried porta-potty shit and burn it down
again on Sunday. Make all artcars drive in reverse. Whatever. We don't
know. Nor do you. That is the point. But stir the stew. Mix things up.
Demand new forms, ideas and expressions. Poo poo the ones we have already
done. Embrace the unknown.
2. WE CURATE THE ART:
Let's return the art curation, as much as it is needed, to the participants.
We propose to do this through a combination of "Guest Curators"
and "Direct Voting" in art funding decisions. Here's how it
might work.
A. "Direct
Voting":
In March each year, we rent out SOMARTS and have an art selection party.
Kind of like the old Spring event. Invite everyone out and put all the
proposals up on the wall. Everyone who wants funding has to come and
promote their wares. Those too far away can send in posters, have reps,
videos or some other stand ins. Those who should be in the running but
can't write a proposal or make a drawing to save their lives will get
a little help so their brilliance is not missed. Pin the results on
the walls all around SOMARTS. Walk around and meet the people. Consider
the possibilities. Then put all of it on the Burning Man website so
everyone away from San Francisco can see too. Guest Curators might have
to pre-jury this to make the volume tolerable for mass consideration.
A week later we
all VOTE. That is, everyone who is in the Burning Man database by virtue
of a past ticket purchase or art project during the last two years gets
to vote. Each person can vote for their top ten projects, ranking them
in order of preference. Instant runoff balloting- just like San Francisco.
A simple webform can make all this happen quickly, easily and transparently.
No more nepotism and bitching at the Borg for who they choose or don't
choose. No more complaints about the great projects that got tossed
for X or Y reason. Make the whole thing OUR responsibility. Make us
ALL feel a stake in it again. It will be fun and make us all believers
again. And it only seems fair that those who are being "taxed"
to support the art get to actually vote where their money is going.
B. "Guest
Curators":
Each year we also elect a group of likely suspects to be "Guest
Curators". The Guest Curators would prepare and organize the above
SOMARTS event, decide the theme, cultivate art projects and people,
and generally scheme new stuff. They gather the creative forces each
year and frame the event with new ideas, narratives and general urban
planning. They make sure the event stays fresh and we are surprised
by new things, year after year. They do the event framing work that
has to date only been done by Larry. Larry seems tired of doing it,
so let's rotate who gets to sit in the high chair and paint the big
picture for Burning Man each year. New things will surely happen. The
Guest Curators would also form an independent "art council"
with Larry, Ladybee and several other artists to work out the details
of funding decisions and general art logistics.
We elect the Guest
Curators in a similar manner to the Direct Voting for the art. In November
of each year, all groups who want to be the Guest Curator for the coming
year puts together a blurb about their vision and plans for the event,
with a proposed theme, and potentially new site layout. These proposals
are posted to the JRS as well as the Burning Man website. And then we
all VOTE. ALL of us. Again, everyone in the Burning Man database with
activity in the last two years gets to vote, one vote per person.
Who are the likely
suspects for Guest Curators? Many come to mind. They might be regional
Burning Man groups or various local arts organizations; established
theme camps or general problems-about-town. This might become the vehicle
for bringing successful regional groups back to the center event to
show their stuff and have a meaningful role in the center event. Imagine
the difference in the event from year to year if some of the below groups
each had their turn at the wheel:
- Madagascar Institute
(NYC)
- Austin regional
- Seattle regional
- London regional
- Robodock (netherlands)
- Flaming Lotus Girls
- Spock Mountain Research Laboratories
- The Shipyard
- Odeon Bar
- Qbox/Box Shop
- SFMOMA
- Camp Carp
- The Cataclysmic Megashear Ranch
- Death Guild
- The Crucible
- David Best Temple Crew
- The DPW
- Houston Art Car Gang
- Cyclecide Bike Rodeo
- etc etc.etc.
3. TEN PERCENT FOR ART:
Yes, it is the art, stupid. The party is nice, but what makes this event
work is wildly ambitious, quietly clever, loudly obnoxious or just generally
unlikely creative work in all forms. We have tolerated the liabilities
of population growth for years. Now the art should reap some reward
in the form of increased financial support so more and better is possible.
Less than 4% of current total ticket income goes to directly fund art.
It seems a small gesture that 10% of ticket revenues are dedicated to
the direct and exclusive support of artists to make art.
4. NO THEMEATIC FUNDAMENTALISM:
Ok, we'll agree to tolerate the themes each year. But there is no need
to make them regimes of absolutism.
Can we finally admit
in broad daylight that most of the art has little or no relationship
to the theme? We just do what we want and dress it in appropriate words
so the Borg will consider funding it or place us where we want to be.
Have a great idea to make something spectacular and a hundred people
lined up to do it, but it is not "thematic"? Sorry, no funding.
No DPW help. No general support. No good real estate. You are banished
to the "non-theme art" bin. Have a stupid idea that reads
as an obvious stage prop for the theme? Well step right up- the Borg
would love to write you a big check to pollute the playa with more poorly
considered theme decoration projects.
In short, theme
compliance is not a good predictor of good art or successful community.
So let's toss the "theme compliance" litmus test. It is not
serving us well.
5. BURNING MAN ART IS "RADICALLY COLLABORATIVE":
The "interactivity requirement" for funded Burning Man art
has run its course to an unimpressive end. Good Burning Man art is nearly
always radically collaborative and tilted towards the apparently impossible-
interactivity may or may not be a side effect. The "community forming"
function of Burning Man art is in the broad gathering of people to make
it, not in some form of simple interactivity via the pushing buttons,
spinning of things, writing of graffiti, or being able to climb on the
finished product. Many of the historic best and most remembered projects
did not have any form of "interactivity" in their finished
manifestation. Likewise many successful communities emerged from projects
with absolutely no interactivity. So let's allow people to make what
they want, irrespective of interactivity, but encourage projects founded
on radical
6. SEARCH ALL CARS FOR ART:
Yes, mandatory "art search" at the gate. Kinda like the stowaway
search, but the other way around. If no art is found, turn 'em around
and send them back to Reno to wander the canyons of Home Depot until
they come up with some. Yes, claiming "my performing self"
is fine. If you are clever enough to blurt that out on the spot, you
will certainly contribute something interesting to the event. (OK, this
one is a bit obnoxious, but you get the idea)
7. THE BUREAUCRATIC IMPERATIVE IS NOT IMPERATIVE:
Bureaucracy is the sworn enemy of creativity. The current bureaucracy
is frustrating and driving away talent. Yes, we do have new limits imposed
by the Man, but a good part of our ever expanding bureaucratic infrastructure
is simply an expression of the organizational cultural of the Borg.
It is a typical human impulse to relate increased order, structure and
predictability with the more successful execution of the task at hand.
But these are not good predicting factors for good creative work.
Bureaucrats are
unfortunately difficult to stop once they have a good head of steam.
It seems the only way to foil them is to turn their *own* bureaucracy
against them- progressively miring them in heaping mounds of the very
bureaucracy they have made until they exhaust themselves and ultimately
agree to just stop, for their own benefit.
With this in mind,
we propose the "Bureaucratic Infrastructure Expansion Act for Burning
Man Bureaucrats" (or "BIEABMB" for short). The principle
of "BIEABMB" is simple: before any new rule, regulation, organizing
structure, new review committee, licensing or application process is
put in place, the acting entity has to justify in writing and post to
the Burning Man website (in detail and in triplicate) why the problem
at hand cannot be engaged through some form of voluntary cooperation
or general faith in a well-informed community, left to its own devices.
We as a community agree to not participate in any new regulation or
rule unless it is so considered and justified in writing. And we commit
that every new rule or regulation will be subject to deep scrutiny and
withering debate as to whether it really is, in fact, needed. With any
luck Burning Man bureaucrats will soon find the cost for enacting unnecessary
new bureaucracy to be higher than they care to endure.
8. BAD BORG, NO DONUT:
An Org that is creating (or even tolerating) the current level of frustration
and anger amongst its community is an Org that is not well serving and
leading its community. Orgs don't need to cause this level of disenchantment.
It is not a natural or inevitable state of affairs. The Borg has shown
amazing skill and foresight in leading our herd of errant cats through
the wilderness of Nevada- deftly defeating nearly every obstacle in
our path. Why it is now so difficult for the Borg to listen and respond
to legitimate, oft-stated and strongly felt concerns in its community?
And on our side,
can we finally acknowledge the Borg is not in this for the money? None
of them are getting rich from this. They are true believers and are
doing the good work, as best they can. The individuals of the Borg are
not aliens. In fact, they are all our friends and collaborators. We
made this thing together. So let's all fix it together.
9. NO SEEKING:
Burning Man is not in the business of providing existential solace,
dogmas of meaning, total life answers, or dusty desert ashrams for your
spiritual quest. Trying to fill the event with agendas of earnest seeking
nearly always makes the whole thing feel sticky and annoyingly self-important.
We prefer for it to remain empty and mean nothing. Or if you must: you
can consider the meaning of Burning Man to be the unknown and indirect
effect of interesting action and experience. There is no dogma- only
the "dogma" you make through your own doing.
10. COMEDY IS BETTER:
Do you remember when all this was kinda really funny? Remember when
someone made something so mind bendingly stupid brilliant that you couldn't'
stop laughing for a week?
Comedy, absurdism, pranking and culture jamming have always been our
best tools.
Seriousness of purpose, vague spiritualism, franchising the Burning
Man "dogma", and excessive earnestness in a quest to change
the world have been some of our worst tools and goals of late.
11. THEME FOR 2005:
It seems an appropriate theme to consider for 2005 might be: "The
Blank Slate". The idea? Nothing. Or maybe the idea is everything.
"The Blank Slate" is both no theme and every theme possible-
depending on how you want to look at it. Arrive in complete emptiness.
Go back to the beginning. Start from scratch. Rebuild everything. COMPLETELY
REDESIGN AND REBUILD THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE. This has always been the ultimate
idea, right? So let's finally cut to the chase. Wipe the slate clean.
Reimagine the whole thing and rebuild again from the ground up. We have
the technology- wind, rain, crushing exhaustion, bad beer, lost tools,
and failing generators notwithstanding . . .
12. THE SITE LAYOUT:
The baseball field site layout is tired. We need a new civic plan. How
about this? Two parallel infinity lines, each 3 miles long and separated
by about a half mile. Art on the inside and camping on the outside.
Everyone wants to camp on the Esplanade so let's give 'em 6 miles of
it. Space everywhere. Big desert horizon out both ends. Man in the center.
Café in Gerlach.
Don't like that
one?
OK, then how about
the other obvious one. Lay out the city in the shape of the Man himself.
Two gigantic arcs across the desert. Again, camping on the outside.
Art on the inside. Put the vertical Man in the heart of the horizontal
man. Rave camps go in the groin area. Shitters in the ass. Two cafes
this time- one for each tittie. And for Christsakes put the DPW in the
head. Why do we always hide the DPW back in the boonies? There are the
most interesting and critical part of this whole gig. So let's put them
right smack out in the middle so we all get to enjoy the show as well
as keep a good eye on them.
13. THE MAN:
Enough already. Can we please get rid of the running aesthetic catastrophe
that has been the base structures for the Man for seeming ever? No more
failed appropriations of ethnic vernacular architecture. No attempts
at massive event-wide interactivity or board games of life. Just put
the Man back on the ground, standing on his two feet, just like God
intended it to be. But build the Man twice as big as usual. It is getting
dwarfed by everything else these days and burns lamely as a result.
Invite up some of the pyros from Tultepec Mexico to do the pyro on it.
They put all of us to shame anyway.
14. CHAOS WILL PROVIDE:
Yes, chaos will provide, as it always has. Chaos is what built this
event. So why have we forgotten that the products of improvisational
chaos are nearly always more compelling that our best laid plans, scripted
schemes and formalized agendas? Chaos always pushes unlikely ideas,
people and things together in forms they would never have been otherwise.
When chaos is spotted- feed and water liberally. Shake and stir. Sit
back and wait. Something interesting is about to happen. It always does.
