Why art thrives at Burning Man | Nora Atkinson

[@nicholasley5665]

After having returned from my first trip there, I can say I definitely understand where all of the negative press comes from. It’s certainly a huge expenditure. And I won’t dance around, it costs easily between 1.5k-3k dollars just to go there if you don’t have ANY supplies (tent or RV, shade, food, clothes, water, ticket, etc etc etc). There are certainly very wealthy, privileged people in positions of power who go. And yes, there are plenty of people who go and forget the 10 Principles. But, for the thousands more who go with those in mind, it can be a very wonderful experience! I don’t have two pennies to rub together. And I’m still working my butt off to recoup. But I did the damn thing. And I’m so fucking glad I did. I met hundreds of people and developed a really close connection with many of them! Some of them definitely have more money than me in the real world or are in better positions. But I know they’d welcome me into their homes with open arms because of the connections we made. And Burning Man is about, not only connecting with your neighbor, but also finding something about yourself. It’s not an easy environment to make it eight days through: the heat, the dust, the wind, the wonky sleep schedule, the sheer madness of it all. But, going through that experience makes you come to grips with parts of yourself you may haven’t had communication with in a while. And, it’s for that reason that a lot of people advised me to set an intention for my Burn. And I did. And I’m glad to say I met that intention. And it gave an even grander sense of purpose to the whole thing beyond just a week-long desert party. It was a week where everyone could think differently and not be assholes to each other. The Default World conditions us to expect something good or bad about people before we meet them. We’ve lost an ability to give people basic respect and dignity to just remember their names. Out there, people hug you and ask your name. And they’ll remember you days later. Because it’s all about being open to new experiences and getting rid of the jaded lenses modern society forces us to wear. At the end of the day, you go for your own reasons, be they surface-level or deeply metaphysical. And you shouldn’t preoccupy yourself with why anyone else wants to go to Burning Man. Because, unlike Coachella and any other large-scale music and art festival, Burning Man still has a VERY loyal cult following that is VERY keen on keeping its founding values and principals alive. And you can choose to see all the ways they’ve failed to do so. Or you can go for yourself and witness what is easily, one of the most fascinating gatherings of human beings on this small chunk of rock floating in space and form a real opinion based on the time you spent there. Either way, #fuckyourburn

[@ShaudaySmith]

TLDR; Nick went to Burning Man and had a great time. jk bruh. Glad you had a great experience. I would never go, but i am glad festivals like this exist.

[@PhillipKnoll]

Thanks for writing this! I'm trying to decide whether I should go this year for my first time. I might have to sell my car to go. People around me are telling me not to. But, it sounds worth it!

[@markstern7783]

Well said, Nick!

[@inkanddreams4677]

"It's huge, it's dangerous, it takes a dozen people to run and it doesn't go with the sofa. It's beautifully crafted and completely useless. And it's wonderful." -Nora Atkinson I think I'll use this for my senior quote because it sounds perfect.

[@WTFSt0n3d]

I got goosebumps looking at these pieces. That's my barometer for amazing art.

[@StephenGwyn]

It is worth seeing

[@StephenGwyn]

Oh, and the best part is you can climb on it

[@kinsmed]

*T* Technology *E* Entertainment *D* Design Checks all the blocks elegantly. A mesmerizing, yet painfully understated representation of an often misunderstood icon. Someday... I must go.

[@50crowley]

Your Burning Man journey begins the moment you make that commitment to yourself. For some this is only weeks before the event; for others, it is years. It doesn't matter. It's all part of the experience.

[@jclm4188]

can i freak out and jump into the burning man???

[@buddyhoward]

I was at the 2014 temple burn that is shown at 9:00. The crowd was silent, reverent, many people watching through tear-filled eyes. I learned a lot about myself there. I want to go back.

[@BULLTRONHERO]

6:17 is Duane Flatmo's fire-shooting chimera-mobile, it's pretty badass. I worked at a lumber yard across the street from his warehouse workshop and he would come over and recruit me and my forklift to load parts of it onto his trailer when he was getting ready to take it to BM. He also made a huge steel octopus (with dozens of fire jets on it, of course) called El Pulpo Mecanico. I'm surprised it didn't make an appearance in this

[@ConstantDistraction]

El Pulpo!!

[@schroedingerx]

His Tin Pan Dragon (the first creation he brought, I think?) is in the Smithsonian's "No Spectators" exhibit right now at the Renwick Gallery. He does do amazing work.

[@Dr_Bombay]

i thought he took El Pulpo apart to make Rabid Transit. no?

[@50crowley]

That would make a lot of sense, seeing as El Pulpo didn't make it to the playa this year... at least not in it's usual form.

[@scottdarling5254]

I dont know if he took apart El Pulpo. My understanding is that Rabid Transit was built for the same chassis, so you cant have both out there at the same time. It would be pretty cool to see them switch midweek one year if that were possible.

[@wolfbear7]

YES!!! I'm going this year. I was told in 2013 not to go if I wanted to live to go next year. I got better. Life got in the way. This year, broken back and 8 extruded disks and all, I figured a way out of the pain prison my body has been. I tried a recumbent trike, and it did not hurt. I became a 12 year old boy with a new bike, and took off like a bird with a mended wing. I flew, screaming out "Thank you God". The force is with me and although I am on Social Security I borrowed and gathered enough to buy my physical freedom to match the mental freedom I achieved through many years of growth. Now, I can move in ways that will reduce my physical growth from the inactivity I endured. It is because Burning Man made me imagine a way for me to get around so I can see all the wonderful artwork and people there, that I figured this out. Burning Man has already radically changed my life, and I suspect there are incredible experiences and changes to come. LOVE IS THE MOST POWERFUL FORCE IN THE UNIVERSE, and if we open our hearts and minds, that Force is within all of us. Thank You.

[@216trixie]

Kudos. First TED talk I've watched all the way through in awhile.

[@stevenroth5424]

u sumised Burning man , in a way that brings the essence of what art is. Thank You.

[@fakesmile978]

Best Ted talk I’ve watched in a while!! Very eye opening

[@TheThemaninpink]

I was part of the team that built the tree of tenere, I have been a veteran burner for the last 17 years, and truly its the only place that matters to me, it feuls my art all year

[@cabannaboy64]

Thank you so much for your contribution, that art piece is truly remarkable

[@romansworldtv]

wow, one of the best TED talks I've seen. thank you for putting words to what I've been fortunate enough to feel in the desert

[@victoriasebanz281]

Very well articulated presentation. As an artist, educator and loooong time burner, I was touched. Thank you.

[@tomalizarin]

Thank you for this. I have many thoughts about BM. Before and after going. When those who haven't been ask me about it I try to explain some of those but this talk does a lot of that for me. I have a couple of friends who are serious artists (been performing and running their gallery for about 15 years) and this talk really hits the nail on the head for them.

[@209lapko]

That was absolutely brilliant! Well done...

[@theKurtAnderson]

I mean, I completely agree with all points made. But the fact that she didn't mention the presence (and widespread consumption) of psychedelics as a contributing factor to Burning Man's art scene is more than a little amusing.

[@viddythisthen]

Beautifully, insightfully articulated. Thank you!

[@niihjulienne6353]

I think this will go in my bucket list

[@pfreddyp]

And just like after she heard the word iridescent And everything was iridescent for a while It wasn't long before she exalted out of nowhere "Isn't this exquisite?"

[@hahuo1]

From my experience there is my less pretentiousness in the art in regional smaller burns, less money is put into the art which makes the creator work much harder to transfer his message across. burning man is the mother but the regionals are the creative children that work so hard to appease. wonderful speech

[@jomiar309]

I had no idea what Burning Man was about! This is one of the most beautiful ideas...I'll have to go some year soon.

[@StillLateToTheParty]

Go... you won't regret it

[@eugeneminton2613]

it's ok to relish the past and marvel in the beauty left behind from it... but for me art isn't about a beautiful picture...its about the moment, the experience.. don't get me wrong i've drawn and wanted to create things most of my life, but i don't expect anyone else to ever see it, to enjoy it, to find there own meaning in it... but i will not forget that i am the one who did it and for me that is the beauty of art... and to a much bigger picture...life...peace...

[@user-nw6qp1ki2n]

Eugene Minton 100% i agree pal 👍🏻✔️

[@Glenns_Concho_Ranch]

What a wonderful speaker!

[@oluwadamilareoyinlola2993]

Total love the message convey here

[@ninjabothandyman6063]

I'm sad to have missed it!! I live in salt lake city, utah, and although burning man is held each year very close to me--i never have made it

[@richierauscher5131]

Go next year, or the year after. You'll never regret giving it a shot.

[@wolfbear7]

You can change that.

[@JoshyBoy219]

WOW that was awesome!!

[@penmuni3833]

Burning man festival begin by a small group of anarchists who were having fun burning down things and wanted to propose a consumer free society. It is now hijacked by the upperclass white, rich bourgeoisies. My art collective group was there 2017 (sponsored by a tech company) and what we saw was vulgar display of consumerism and show of wealth. Nora Atkinson, our speaker, articulated the art scene of burning man festival very nicely. She forgot to mention that it costs around two to three thousand dollars to attend this festival now. Unless you get a corporate sponsorship, most artists like me cannot afford to attend burning man anymore. We asked around. To build any structures, it costs somewhere between ten to hundred thousand dollars. Artists don't 'create' them spontaneously as she suggested. It is usually sponsored by the big tech companies or crazy tech millionnaires. We were volunteering to build a structure only to find out that it is paid for by a software company. They sponsored 72 people from their office just to build something 'cool'. Their total budget was quarter of a million dollars for seven days. Was all these art cool? Heck Yeah. Was it worth going there? If money is no object, sure. The visual pleasure is amazing. But make sure you have a strong lung to inhale few pounds of sand. Are they art? Of course. Is it contemporary art scene? No. Contemporary art scene doesn't happen in such an expensive place in such a short time. It happens in forgotten places. What is Burning man then? It is an expensive music festival without the musicians.

[@katietownes411]

This was amazing. You made me cry. I will be going home next year! )'(

[@JuanNecochea]

I wonder if there could be a distinction between the entertainment art of Burning Man and propositional art of the art world... If you take a second dive into the BM culture, you'll see why so few people actually have been to burning man. The cost of attending BM creates a threshold that limits those who can and those who'll never be able to attend. I think that the tech world of SF and other hubs has found a profound and creative playground where they can create entertainment art; art that entertains and complements their experience of unplugging and going into the desert to show their collaborative work (with usually incredibly high self-financed costs and comfy portable infrastructure). I disagree with the title, I don't think that art thrives in BM, but I believe that it is one of the most extravagant rave cultures and that it sure inspires the rest of the festivals of EDM in their infrastructure and colors etc. I'd ask to think whether something is really being said in this art... or if it's simply awe driven entertainment.

[@peterhudson5748]

Have you attended? I am a painfully middle class blue collar artist. Burning Man gave me the permission, venue and luckily seed grant money, and fundraisers, plus a crew of 50+ volunteers to help realize my visions. Yes there are wealthy ravers and tourists out there, but there are also hard working inspired artists sharing their visions with the world.

[@b.s.adventures9421]

You are incorrect. If you are supposed to go, you will. There are many ways to get there without wealth. I am not a wealthy person. I have been more times than most. The art is the heart of it. Not a rave scene. You reap what you sow is no truer anywhere, than it is out in that harsh desert.

[@khuanmalingmei]

Interesting.., what a wonderful artwork.

[@DomAviationChannel]

Burning Man just made it on my *BUCKET LIST*

[@Xx_BoogieBomber_xX]

Is art supposed to have a use?

[@realglutenfree]

Still not finding a clue how art has to have a use. Its art.

[@realglutenfree]

But well, burning man is only for rich people anyway and thats the reason I never wanna go there. I dont wanna support this.

[@realglutenfree]

Whatever. I dont wanna argue about something so simple like art. You can read every dictonary about the word art if you want

[@holdmybeer]

been on mine since high school, circa 1997.

[@stephb700]

Bucket List ♡

[@TheNAGC]

I don't know if i'm wrong but if Burning Man is supposed to send a message of " freedom of expression / movement " as well as community cooperation, should a BM ticket be that expensive ?

[@lobaetoile8440]

Magnifique.

[@benhodges3582]

That was so beautiful.

Seems like I have a new dream… =)

[@olinabulba6215]

This is wonderful!

[@TheNames]

Well, burning man isn't only for hippies, you know. It's really such a breathtaking festival, and also there are some tech stuff too kzbin.info/www/bejne/onnPmqp5etd6hNU

[@LoveLightAbundance]

Whoa!

[@MarkArandjus]

Oooh, I was just listening to Chuck Palahniuk talk about Burning man on Joe Rogan, serendipitous!

[@Mikelovesmuseums]

The exhibit at the Renwick is amazing. Anyone in the DC area should check it out.

[@anthonystevens7946]

Just Wow

[@aaronwilson9763]

Posted on Google+ 11/01/2018: A beautiful love letter... BURNING MAN.

[@UU-qm2sz]

beautiful ephemeral installation

[@SolMuun]

Too expensive. Burning Man has become the playground for the super rich. Not only does this ban poor but otherwise talented people from participating; the POV of the wealthy is exclusively explored, which perpetuates the artistic control the moneyed classes. I'm not impressed.

[@b.s.adventures9421]

Yea it’s hot and dusty, you wouldn’t like it. Don’t go.

[@pfreddyp]

Here we are now where are we? It's like nothing I've ever seen We got horse throated huckster's whispered gimmicks Rubbernecking all the curious cynics And headlong walkers, one born every minute Do I plug it in or do I stick it in it? Well, I don't know what came over me I'm too dumb for words Well, I didn't think I'd like it here at all But I swear, I swear I'm on the verge

[@wolfbear7]

Take a chance, I know it will be a memorable experience. It's my first time this year.

[@pR1mal.]

You had me at hello!

[@Maxfr8]

Fire is hurty.

[@morganlake41632]

Braisimo! Life would not be worth living without art. The Burning Man is clean art - not greed art. I will come before I die. In fact, dying at Burning Man then be cremated would be just grand. Do people make lasting friendships at Burning Man?

[@bvu1887]

haha, please, don't die at Burning Man, feel free to have someone bring your ash tho :) and depends on the people, but yes :)

[@b.s.adventures9421]

Yes

[@iambusyrightnow4709]

Awesome

[@__mcat]

no place quite like la playa :)

[@PiChi713]

That's the best video I've ever seen

[@thomaspryor8202]

I fuckin' loved that!!!

[@chrissy0surname]

Burning man...an extension of "The Slabs" here in LA...happy birthday my baby boy...after all the "Burning Man" inception occurred on the day of your birth...in the town of which your grandfather was born...my baby boy, may you find your "spirit guide"... MAMA 🐻❤️

[@Kikilang60]

Burning man only last only a few decades. It's a hot spot for time travelers. Most of you are lucky enough to live while it's actually going. No one earth to day has the money to spend, like time travelers in the future spend to go to Burn Man. If you can, go see it.

[@Gaxhar]

It's too bad Burning Man is only for the rich these days.

[@monktv4090]

How can I show my art at the Burning Man festival?

[@b.s.adventures9421]

Build it. Buy a ticket. Bring it.

[@steveschott4566]

Very good, no, it was exceptional!

[@deonnnorton9384]

Now what about art at Woodstock?

[@lehman]

Do you have any ideas on that subject to share?

[@FelipeOliveira-pl1ne]

Maravilhoso, um dia estarei no Burning man

[@davidjohn9006]

Excellent perspective and presentation. 👍🏻👏⛩🎪🌅🔥🇦🇺

[@brynwhitehead1731]

Still.

[@Flyingtart]

Dude, art thrives at Burning Man because these ex hippies are old and wealthy enough to sponsor their crazy acid ideas.

[@taylorahern3755]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@angtien4995]

Muốn biết từng chữ cô ấy đọc thì phải làm sao Mọi người giúp tôi với Thankyou

[@bvu1887]

có chữ cc ((Subtitle/close caption) bên góc phải của màn hình đó bạn

[@angtien4995]

@@bvu1887 điện thoại hình như k có

[@bvu1887]

nếu bạn xài iphone, thì có 3 chấm bên góc trên bên phải, click rồi nó hiện ra cái list, cái thứ 2 có chữ CC, còn phone khác thì mình chịu :P

[@watch_nana]

hey

[@FabioRodrigues-fh5zv]

Very good

[@Surferant666]

Burning man should be held at the Isle of Man TT as this is where true sacrifice to the speed Demon occurs monthly during the Summer months of the British Isles... The Whicker man project. The Fastest longest motorbike race circuit on Earth.

[@passthebuckcanuck8574]

Love the boot

[@00godlovesus]

Iloveit:)

[@bvu1887]

how come the man didn't make it to one of the slides? It's Burning Man after all :)

[@paddleduck5328]

Ted posting this video while the 70,000 people who are currently at this years burning man won’t be watching it...

[@guesswhoami4723]

Nora Atkinson? Related to Rowan Atkinson? Mr. Bean? Johnny English?

[@awakenyourmindbodyandspiri1011]

Feel the love and passion in creating this work. ❤️ . Just as beautiful and emotional is the Burning Man Film: "Ignite" released a few weeks ago: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hminc3SYmbp4q7M

[@diegooland1261]

How on earth can you say "it's completely useless"? Since when does art need to be useful? And you did engage with it and report on it at TED. Apparently it has some use for you since you used it in your talk. Did you pay the artist something for your use or simply appropriate it for free?

[@0stre]

is it some kind of anarchoprimitivism? how to define this?

[@olgasilly1138]

i dint understand burning man but it seems really intresting, i would like to go some day

[@olgasilly1138]

@John Hillman maybe it's cuz of the KZbin videos but it's for everyone, I'm pretty sure

[@paddleduck5328]

The rich people who now fly in, stay in their vip area, and have stylists buy their wardrobes aren’t very respected by the people who have been going for years. So I’ve been told.

[@UtopiaBlue68]

@John Hillman You're totally way off base most are earthy green tree hugging hippies.

[@UtopiaBlue68]

@John Hillman 😅😅😅

[@Ez3qh]

+John Hillman You talk a lot and have a strong opinion about Burning Man for someone who has never been there.

[@subblonde3101]

OH thats why its called Burning Man....cool.

[@melainewhite6409]

"Strangers will hug you." And you will hug strangers, or perhaps you should skip on the ticket lottery. The best event artwork, as with Charon, are pieces that are both interactive and...require you to enlist the help of strangers to have the interactive experience. What no talk, no video, nothing short of your actual event participation can capture are the commonplace interactions like these two: On the way to see Charon, a smiling man comes running alongside my Bicycle Ooburlift and asks if he can hop on. Turns out he bet his gf that with a lead he could still beat her running to the piece and he saw this opportunity appear from nowhere for him to assure victory. At his first burn, my octogenarian dad tells a fellow participant he has trouble hearing her b/c his hearing aid batteries have died. She tells him that a person in her camp appears to wear the same aids and coming from overseas, she assumes he must have brought extra batteries. I go to her camp the next day, talk to a few people, am led to the bar, and there is an envelope with my dad's name on it left there containing the batteries for him. As for critics, yes, it is a horrible horrible place, don't go, please.

[@jclm4188]

dosnt burning the bernnyman release global warming co2

[@TimeSpaceWormsNow]

Well, it's not a surprise that people who can afford to spend 1000 dollars plus just to get there (this is the price tag of admission, okay, transportation and ticket, not to mention food and other sundries) before you even begin to consider the actual costs of both time, materials and labor to make and transport these behemoth objects into the middle of nowhere. It's an intensely narcissistic kind of art that, very much in disagreement with this talk, is realistically only open to people with vast resources both materially and socially. The huge numbers of silicon valley techbros that have taken over the event in recent years is a feature, not a bug, of what the event has become, and this talk sounds much more like an advertisement than an actual assessment of the value of any of this artistic production. The speaker starts by complaining about the huge sums of money spent in the art auctions, but the truth is that it's all part of the same institution of the "art world" which is more and more a way for very wealthy people to show how wealthy they are. Nothing about these Burning Man pieces is any different in this respect.

[@lehman]

How much do regular vacations cost?

[@richierauscher5131]

Traveling to Europe from the US to do nothing more than sightsee will run far more than a trip to Burning Man. You'll also make many more human connections in Black Rock City over the course of the week than you probably will in the 51 other weeks of the year. You treat Burning Man as a replacement to a yearly vacation, and you're better off for it. Trust me.

[@b.s.adventures9421]

Spoken as a true spectator.

[@aristochat3]

Because it costs 800 for a ticket that only Facebook stockholders can afford.

[@mikgus]

$425 but why let facts get in the way of a good rant

[@TimeSpaceWormsNow]

It's held in the middle of the desert. If you include the necessary transportation costs it's easily 800 dollars a person, and that ignores the costs of providing for your food, water and shelter or lost work hours or anything else.

[@mikgus]

"Because it costs 800 for a ticket"

[@realglutenfree]

He didnt write which current he means, so it could be 800 in some country

[@Liusila]

mikgus Depends on dates and where you’re buying, not to mention travelling costs. Snob.

[@theyoutubeguy1]

Make title sense anyone?

[@jenBaker707]

lsd is good for you

[@poundmytomtom]

She seems surprised that people create art just because they love creating art

[@kaiganardea9275]

Clicked this just to unsubscribe from ted

[@MrEinJulian]

this art is for trippying ! xD

[@jclm4188]

ted ..... .cruz??

[@ypraisethesun4431]

Too bad you have to be rich to go to burning man. It is for wealthy artist not poor artist.

[@b.s.adventures9421]

It’s hot and dusty. You wouldn’t like it anyways. Don’t go.

[@broccoliiicake1835]

i dont feel the excitement

[@user-px4pb5xr3y]

Bach is art. Homer is art. Voltair is art. Chekhov is art. Verdi is art. Fellini is art. Burning man is not art. It is an andywarhol.

[@shivamraj2660]

They're all dead. No beauty in death. Its all decayed and decomposed.

[@Dr_Bombay]

art is in the eye of the beholder. you can't dictate what others find interesting, beautiful, or worthwhile. that's kind of the point.

[@JBurd3n]

Art is subjective. Come on, we all surely know that by now

[@lehman]

This post is art

[@richierauscher5131]

reddit.com/r/iamverysmart

[@rsarahi14]

Yup.. unless you come back full of demons inside of you. 🤦🏻‍♀️

[@chetanhireholi]

Those Biceps tho...

[@ohmyblindman]

I can't trust anyone in heels that high.

[@Leeloo.says.Multipass]

Silicon Burning Man Valley

[@Ou8y2k2]

Celebrates anti-consumerism. Charges $425. Makes an ironic TED talk. Priceless

[@lehman]

Most events don't happen for free, you know.

[@Ou8y2k2]

Most events don't have "ten main principles: "radical" inclusion, self-reliance, and self-expression, as well as community cooperation, civic responsibility, gifting, decommodification, participation, immediacy, and leaving no trace." Burning Man's consumerism is antithetical to decommodification, community cooperation, and civic responsibility. It went from being a hippie-like event to a rich hipster-like exclusive circle jerk. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_Man

[@richierauscher5131]

It was never a hippie-like event. That's an outsiders misguided perception of it that has no grounds in reality. Next you're gonna claim it's a pagan ritual right? Because there are KZbin videos explaining it, from people who also have never been?

[@deimostsecundaria4135]

Zzz

[@civilservant9528]

Self serving BS

[@EgoBruiser]

out of curiosity, what causes you to feel this way? not looking to argue, just to understand your view.

[@Baxtyr]

you must be fun at parties

[@jayumble8390]

You know Nora, so what's really your point here? Burning Man is a momentary escape from reality from which everyone who attends must leave after one week. Please, any serious art person knows that if they want serious, legitimate art, they are going to go where the serious art is...and it's not at Burning Man. Burning Man is cute and "fun", but any serious thinking person knows that it is ultimately BS. Oh, and to the question - what is art for? Art is to enhance your life on a daily basis, like having a Rothko hanging in your living room 24/7, 365, not a plethora of cute lights and bizarre vehicles from Mad Max running around the desert and at the end of it all, you destroy by setting everything afire. It is bizarre that TedTalks would sponsor such a low level program like this.

[@parttime9070]

You have never been to Burning Man, Cute and Fun is an observation from someone who has ever only looked at photos..

[@b.s.adventures9421]

Yea stop with all this fun junk and be serious. Life is not supposed to be fun. Head down. Serious. Must Die miserable, surrounded by serious art.

[@soaceba]

Drugs