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BORG2 Frequently
Asked Questions (FAQ) |
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FAQ CONTENTS
2. THE PRESENT 3. THE FUTURE
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The BORG2 FAQ is maintained
by Frank Jones (frankenspock@yepmail.net). Send all questions, comments
and corrections to the above email address.
Section 1: THE PAST BORG2 started with the We Have a Dream Petition to the Burning Man organization, written by Bay Area artist Jim Mason and The Shipyard, along with self-professed showman Chicken John, proprietor of San Francisco's Odeon Bar. The petition can be read here in its entirety: SUMMARY: We are the artists. We feel that this event which we helped to make great has gotten away from us and we would like it back. We want the art to be spectacular again and we are willing o step forward to do the work to make it so. But for this to happen, we think the "art curation" should be put in the hands of rotating "Guest Curators" and all funding decisions should be made by "Direct Vote" of the full community. The art should also be well funded (10% of the gate) and not subject to creativity squashing litmus tests for "theme compliance" and "mandatory interactivity". The petitioners at tinyurl.com/6l5lh request attention to these very reasonable demands or we commit to STOP CONTRIBUTING our art to Burning Man. Repeated discussions over many years have failed to result in meaningful change, so now we are resorting to more extreme measures. TOGETHER we can change things. This FAQ assumes some level of familiarity with the Burning Man event. If you are unclear on this background, more. Information can be found here: The petition challenges the
current structure, policy and process for facilitating art towards the
event and asks its organizers to consider introducing several alternate
methods to insure that Burning Man is made, once again, "about
the art, stupid," an attitude that the original petition writers
(and signers) feel has slipped away over the last several years. In
the words of the petition, "This year most of us left saying various
forms of 'Where-the-hell-was-all-the-insanely-great-amazing-art?', Further: "It is silly to tolerate the current level of ambivalence and dissatisfaction, yet continue to pour so much of ourselves and our art into this event. It seems we would all be better served if we decided en masse that it is over and done with, and direct our efforts elsewhere. Or we decided en masse that it is still an irreplaceable combination of people and ideas and we need to fix it- that we make it strongly felt, deeply creative and unfairly fun, once again." The petition suggests five main reforms to reinvigorate the art at Burning Man: a. Direct Voting Art submitted for potential funding through the Burning Man grant process would be put on public display, then subject to a democratic voting process to gain funding. b. Guest Curators Curators outside of the immediate circle surrounding Larry Harvey and Burning Man, LLC, would be chosen - through direct public vote - to oversee art at Burning Man, help choose the theme, encourage and work with projects and people, etc. c. Ten Percent For Art Ten percent of ticket revenues would go directly toward funding art. This would represent a 250% increase over current funding levels. d. No Thematic Fundamentalism Burning Man's annual theme (typically chosen by Harvey) would be left untouched, but artists (and funding) would not be obliged to incorporate that year's theme into their work for funding consideration. e. Burning Man Art is "Radically
Collaborative" For more, investigate: 14 Theses That Seem About
Right to Us Chicken John Reveals His
Inner Hippie
1.1: What was Larry Harvey's response to all of this? "In short... a 3,251 word exploration of, and elaboration on, the word 'NO.'" -- Mason. Read the full text here: http://www.burningman.com/art_of_burningman/petition_response.html Larry was not thrilled, and suggested that democracy is a terrible way to run a society, and we should just be thankful for the enlightened and benign dictatorship we currently have. Jim (as well as the majority of humanity) was unimpressed with this answer. So "Jim Sends it Back to Larry": http://www.odeonbar.com/petition/1/jim2.html
They gave up, and are currently in negotiations with the Rainbow Gathering to create peaceful contemplative art for the peoples that won't freak out anyone on drugs.
This is what happened: Rather than fold the tent and go kick homeless people for fun, Jim and Chicken made Larry a bet. This has become known as: The "More Woo Woo for you Hoo Ha" bet Full text of bet can be read
here: "I bet you that the people of the petition can make a system of MASSIVELY COLLABORATIVE, RADICAL DEMOCRACY, with guest curators and voting and all that, and in the process inspire a volume and quality of creative work that you will envy and wish you were responsible for yourself. In fact, I find these ideas so strong, so self-evidently true, so INVINCIBLE TO STUPIDITY, that no one alive could mess up an experiment based on these ideas. The ideas are THAT strong. I am so confident in these ideas, that I Chicken John (idiot) challenge you, Larry Harvey (leader of humanity) to a contest of curatorial methods. A bet of art facilitation and inspiration if you will. In short, I CHALLENGE YOU TO AN ART DUEL." The terms of the challenge: a. Give us a space at Burning Man to do whatever we want (within reason, and according to local and federal laws.) b. Give people an option to donate a 10% premium on top of their Burning Man ticket purchase to the BORG2. c. Give us a space on your website to bother people about all of this. "If I am wrong and the petitioners are unsuccessful, I hereby commit to sit in a dunk booth at next years Burning Man Decompression Party and let everyone soak my ass, all day long. And yes, I will sit there all day long- throw, after throw, after throw. Wearing a sarong." - Chicken John Rinaldi, 12/01/04
1.4: So Larry just, like, laughed hysterically about all of this and went back to ordering people to bring him grapes, right? Amazingly enough, Larry said... "Dear Chicken, Jim and the other participants of the BORG2, On behalf of BORG1, I, Larry Harvey, accept your bet. What is more is truly more. Let a hundred flowers bloom! Let a thousand schools contend! To enter more fully into the sporting spirit of this contest, please let me rehearse the terms of the wager. You pledge to create a "massively collaborative" art installation achieved through "radically democratic means" in an allotted district of Black Rock City, and you will accomplish this feat entirely with your own funding. The art that you produce will then be matched against our own poor efforts at supporting and creating art. Should your woo woo trump our hoo ha on the playa, I pledge to reconsider my opposition to your radically democratic curatorial methods. Should our hoo ha make your woo woo look ho hum, you commit to sit all day in a dunking booth at next year's Decompression. Let Chaos Provide! As to those things Chaos probably won't provide, I'll mention fire safety, camp placement, burn scar protection, clean up and any number of other small details, including the requirements of the BLM. BORG 1 and 2 will parlay to resolve these issues. In order to assure a level playing field, both parties must agree to honor all the rules of Black Rock City (Chaos also won't provide immunity from local, State, and Federal criminal laws. Here, BORG2's entirely on its own). In return for this cooperation, BORG1 will provide BORG2 with an appropriate space in Black Rock City for both art installation and camping, and the BORG2 will be allowed access to our Internet newsletter, the Jackrabbit Speaks. From this bully pulpit the BORG2 may solicit financial support from more than 40,000 participants. We will not be able to make our Internet ticket ordering page or our Web pages available for this purpose, however. These resources are currently dedicated to raising funds for the Black Rock Arts Foundation. This not for profit is devoted to generating artistic activities outside of Black Rock City. It funds projects that arise within our regional communities worldwide. In other words, it benefits the People in the broadest sense, and any appeal for direct funding from any single group or individual would interfere with this mission. However, the Jackrabbit Speaks is by far the single largest and most closely followed forum we possess. I'm confident that your eloquence (combined with the generous support of the 1,000 people who have already signed the We Have a Dream petition) can generate a ground swell of support for the ambitious project you propose. I feel that the crew of BORG2 are embarking on a remarkable journey during which they will make many discoveries. All of us at BORG1 wish them greatest success in their pursuit of art, money and democracy [Note: This statement does not represent an endorsement, surety, warrant or guarantee of BORG2 or its practices, including, but not limited to its agents, officers, representatives or any other and all associates known or unknown. BORG1 assumes no legal responsibility for this entity's financial dealings, its electoral process, the past, present and future behavior of Jim Mason, or any other individual or individuals who claim they're with a band.] I'm sorry for the tone of that last statement, but I was asked by our attorneys to insert it in the text. They tell me that it's merely "boilerplate", in any case. I sincerely hope that you will reach your stated fundraising goal of $250,000 in 2005 [please refer to the previous bracketed statement], and may the best BORG win!
... yes! Sort of. No ticket premiums, no access to the Burning Man website. But: "In return for this cooperation, BORG1 will provide BORG2 with an appropriate space in Black Rock City for both art installation and camping, and the BORG2 will be allowed access to our Internet newsletter, the Jackrabbit Speaks. From this bully pulpit the BORG2 may solicit financial support from more than 40,000 participants." And the people made ready
their swords and armor. BORG1 = Burning Man ORGanization. BORG1. BORG2 = duh. It is _all_ about the woo woo and the hoo ha.
Jim is working on this problem through acupuncture and hypnosis. The "now" part is covered in the next section, "THE PRESENT: MAKING DEMOCRACY SING LIKE A BEEYATCH."
Section 2: THE PRESENT
"Therefore our goal is to create models methods that if successful, can be transferred wholesale to the borg1 and easily without rethinking and reinterpretation. We want to create models, principles, and processes that if successful, are readymade solutions available for east take-up by the borg1 for future years." -- Chicken John's term paper, for which he received detention, cause he stole the text from Jim, and claimed he wrote it himself, as usual
2.1: What are these "models, principles, and processes"? Essentially, direct representation by the Burning Man art community for the art selection process. Direct election of a diverse art council to oversee the art selection process. Direct election of Guest Curators to go out and round up new artists, projects, and general interest (as well as give the art at the event a different flavor each year). Direct input from _all_ to select projects that will receive funding. . 2.2 Isn't all this going to cost some money? Why yes. We have committed
to raising $250.000 to fund new art towards the playa this year. Larry
promises to help us a bit in this by giving us access to the JRS to
encourage ticket purchasers to consider an "more art premium"
on top of their ticket. And we need your help also. Continue on . .
.."
2.2: Where does all the
money come from?
This really isn't about building
community. The community will follow the artmaking process, just like
it always did, and will do again. Make something great enough and people
will fight to be a part of it. Collaborative art making is our vehicle
towards meaningful community and strong ties between individuals. Community
needs to be earned through doing, not showing up and announcing it.
2.4: Let's hear about the levers. How does voting work? Voting will be conducted via the web. The precise interface and methods for doing this are still being discussed. The Art Council will be comprised of the following components: six (6) local seats representing the San Francisco Bay Area; two (2) national seats representing anywhere else in the U.S.; (1) international seat representing all those countries that don't have George W. Bush for a president. The 6-2-1 division was based on actual demographics of Burning Man attendees. If these demographics shift in the future, it would be expected that the balance of representative seats would also shift, just like the U.S. Congress (lower house) does it. Voting for Guest Curator will have a "winner-takes-all" outcome. Most votes takes the position, pure and simple.
2.5: Who decides who is eligible to run for office? Anyone. You can announce your candidacy on borg2.tribe.net . You will have to sign up with the tribe.net service if you're not already a member, but it's free. So as to keep all you grand-standers from toying with the people, we are suggesting a $100 donation/payment to the BORG2 Art Fund to run for an Art Council seat.
2.6: Who is conducting these elections? The BORG2 is. We are running them collectively, with input from the entire community. Jim and Chicken are setting up the process for the first election, as they have found themselves as kinda the default government until we elect a real one. The Art Council and Guest Curators will figure out how the second election, the voting for art funding will work.
2.7: Wasn't the idea to get Jim and Chicken out of the captain's chairs? Yes, and they're desperately trying to find the seatbelt release buttons. Be patient. That is the point of the upcoming election of the Art Council.
One year. Elections will be held on January 15th, 2005. The BORG2 experiment is a one year experiment. If the ideas work, the BORG2 will no longer exist and the ideas will be absorbed into the borg1.
Tracy Feldstein, a local trustworthy benefactor of the arts, was appointed to handle the money until the Art Council is elected and they can figure out how they want to proceed.
2.10: Is BORG2 a non-profit entity? And if not, why not? The BORG2 is a one year experiment that does not desire to be a permanent organization. We are trying for something fast and lean. A formal 501(c)3 application is not a good benefit to cost action for this experiment. Donations that need to be run through a formal non-profit can be done through the usual non-profit fiscal sponsorship route.
2.11: Where can I find out more about the candidates and their platforms? Debates will be held on January 5th, 2005, at the Odeon Bar in San Francisco. For directions: www.odeonbar.com For those unable to attend in person, a conference call will be set up and made available to listen in. You can also check out their platforms at borg2.tribe.net.
2.12: Isn't "Art Council" sorta kinda junior-high sounding? Maybe. Probably. Ok. Suggest something else, dammit. Currently popular alternates are "Art Scrum" and "Bad Ass Art Destroyers of the Cult of the Pterodactyls Resurrected". You can see how much time is being wasted here....
2.13: Aren't all of you
just trying to recreate the old event?
Sure, we welcome everyone.
The BORG2 is completely open to new people and new ideas.
2.17: Where can I get a t-shirt? Jon Sarriugarte made lovely "BORG2: More Woo Woo For Your Hoo Hah" shirts and sold them at the last meeting, December 15th at the Odeon. More entertaining merch may be on the way, so keep your ears tuned.
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The art proposals will be placed in public view online as they are received, in the order received. They will also be displayed physically and in real time at a public viewing at a local (SF-area) art space in the near future. These proposals will be organized and made ready for public consumption by the Guest Curators. And after the public has well considered them, the BORG2 public will be rank them in order of interest, each person picking their favorite 10 projects for funding. But frankly, the particulars of all this will be determined by the Art Council and Guest Curators once elected.
3.2: What kind of art will be eligible for funding? All art. Any and all. It will be up to the public and the council to decide what gets funded through BORG2.
3.3: Isn't this all about giving more money for Machine Art? Nope. First off, most of the people currently most heavily involved in the BORG2's doings are not doing "machine art". Secondly, we don't know what you mean when you say that thing. If you mean metal and steel things that involve big puffs of flame, yes, expect there to be some of that. This is Burning Man we're talking about. But there is certainly room for anything wildly creative, shockingly interactive, or emotionally overwhelming out there. It's a big playa, and we're making it bigger. No one's going to "lose" your application for your Temple of Sadness just because, well, it's a Temple of Sadness. If you make something that isn't AMAZING and SPECTACULAR and has also BEEN DONE A HUNDRED TIMES, you might not get the response you're looking for, however.
3.4: Is it fair to decide what is worthy art and what is not? Absolutely. The BORG1 does it every year. You have to draw a line somewhere, and we're doing it in a rigorously scientific manner called democracy. If you're not happy with this, you can always apply for a BORG1 grant. In fact, there is no reason not to apply for any and all grants, anywhere. Us, them, whoever will give you money for you to make art, take it. Don't be all dumb about this.
3.5: Will council members and guest curators be eligible for funding? Yes, though they will have to recuse themselves from the voting and final funding decisions. We are far more concerned about a "conflict of art" than we are about a "conflict of interest". We want artists on the Art Council and in the Guest Curator slots. If we say they can't apply for funding also, then we will lose most of our talent pool for these positions. We also have confidence that an informed BORG2 voting public will select the projects with merit. The public vote will ultimately prevent self-dealing.
3.6: Wouldn't that be a conflict of interest? Isn't the entire history of Burning Man a study in conflict of interest? No need to freak out about this. This is just some people trying to make art. There is not treasury to loot.
3.7: Will artists be asked to pay back part or all of their grants if they later sell their work? Absolutely not. Even the borg1 has given up that red herring of an idea at this point. It was an interesting idea for reseeding the funding pool, but it generated way more ill will than new money to fund new projects.
3.8: What happens if the $250,000 isn't successfully raised? The funds will still be distributed, but a lesser overall amount will be available to grants. Simple, no?
3.9: How much of the money will go directly to the artists, and how much will be set aside for administration? It was originally suggested that 8.25% of all donations go to the Guest Curators to administrate the fund. It is acknowledged that this is going to be a lot of work and they should get a small honorarium for their time. Now that we have proposed an Art Council, we are not sure if they get a cut of this too. Once cut widely, this will become so small that it might be irrelevant to each person. The final decision about how to deal with this originally announced 8.25% administrative tax with be determined by the Art Council and Guest Curators.
Negotiations are currently underway on this but we have been promised a large space at the end of the 2:00 arm for camping as well as a dedicated space to site the BORG2 art works. For the artwork area, we currently imagine an "art walk" that extends infinitely from the top center of 2:00 arm, as long a walk as we can fill with art.
3.11: Won't BORG2 basically be a big theme camp? Does your "theme camp" have a formal bet with the Burning Man LLC to determine the best methods to facilitate, fund and encourage towards the playa, and a large scale organization to run the experiment? Has the Bunring Man LLC granted you permission to run an "event within the event"? Thought so. Yes, many BORG2 will be able to camp together. But theBORG2 won't be sponsoring any communal facets, like a group kitchen or whatever, but it'll be a nice place to fall asleep to the whoosh of a roaring propane fire.
3.12: If I'm part of the BORG2 effort, do I have to camp with BORG2? Not at all. Do whatever you want. It's Burning Man.
3.13: Who decides who gets to camp where? First-come first-serve is the model that's most likely. And no hogging space.
3.14: Who decides where the art gets placed? The artists and Guest Curators will work together to figure this out. But in general, you can put your art wherever you want, as usual. BORG2 will have its own area for its art, but BORG2 artists can put their art wherever seems reasonable, though hte most fun will be in the BORG2 area.
No. Burning Man contracts for these services. We get to use them. We have to abide by the rules, and have many friends in the borg1 fire safety crew that will make this process as painless as possible for us.
3.16: Will the borg2 have a theme? Maybe yes. Maybe no. It is
up to the guest curators to decide. Some are making proposals about
this in their campaign platforms. 3.17: Will the borg2 have its own DMV? No, but we will make sure
any funded moving art gets processed through the borg1 system. The borg1
will be changing their dmv process this year to make it less of a nightmare.
We want to run an experiment in art, not recreate every dept at burning
man. The dmv is a hard problem with no easy solutions. We prefer to
stay out of this quagmire Ummm . . . no.
Indications are "no". |
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