Burning Man 2004: Burning Man eclipsed by Mercury?
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For Astrology buffs, the verdict was unanimous. This was going be a tough year for the Man. With the planet Mercury "in retrograde" dark clouds were looming over Black Rock City, Nevada.
For
the uninitiated, a retrograde planet, when viewed from the earth's perspective,
appears to have stopped and temporarily reversed its movement through the sky.
For this 24 day-ish period, astro wisdom dictates that there will be unexpected
delays and frustrations everywhere. It is a time best spent on reflection rather
than action.
With Mercury 'going backwards' from August 11 through September 3 and the annual
Burning Man Arts Festival moving forward from August 30th through September
6th, the Roman God of communication and daily routines seemed to be on a collision
course with this modern God of alternative community and radical self-expression.
With the Man beckoning, reflection was not an option. 30,000+ would-be participants
had to get their art, gear and collective butts to an isolated desert playa,
two hours outside of Reno, Nevada. 
2004's "Vault of Heaven" theme was dedicated to the wonders of the universe. Described by the BM leaders as "a year to contemplate the cosmos - including its science and surreal realms of possibility" they warned us that "the laws of Nature might abruptly change" and to "close our eyes, hold our breath and prepare to fall into the sky."
Following several solid years of excellent art and organizational success, this year seemed to hit a roadbump. Whether it was cosmological hocus-pocus or collective exhaustion, 2004's art did not live up to prior years' standards.
When
it was announced, the Vault of Heaven astro theme seemed confusingly similar
to last year's "Beyond Belief" spiritual theme and did not excite.
Subsequently, the themed instillation art was mostly unremarkable while non-themed
pieces seemed out of place. With Mercury casting his spell, many interactive
pieces were broken or had lost power. Perched on a simple geodesic observatory
structure, the Man appeared smaller and less powerful than usual.
But alas, naysaying should be kept in perspective.
The most fantastic cultural experiment ever conceived was still that. While
each year brings out critiques and prophesies of doom, this movement still offers
a creative community experience like non other. With so many motivated people
building this fantastic temporary city, wonderful encounters and poignant human
interactions were there as usual. The glass, while less full, still offered
the elixir that all BM veterans have become addicted to.
Wonderful art and ridiculous theme camps could still be found. "Adults" still engaged in many forms of childlike behavior and unique gifts, warm hugs and kindness were freely exchanged. Dance camps thumped on a 24 hour basis, colorful art cars bounced about and random wackiness was everywhere.
Our theme camp, Kostume Kult, had its best year ever. With its ongoing mission
of "offering costumes and creativity to the aspiring fabulous", our
Esplanade based Kostume Dome, gave away hundreds of costumes and a myriad of
accessories while its Kostume Konsultants helped empower people to participate
in style.
Recalling the kaleidoscopic parade of wonderful souls that came curious and left grateful, it was a most fulfilling year and our community is stronger for it.
But what of Burning Man?
The
future will tell if this was the year when Black Rock City "jumped the
shark" or just hiccupped. With "Regional Burns" becoming more
established, it seems the Burning Man experiment is growing beyond its dusty
playa borders with the future offering many possibilities. Thus, the questions
are:
Is Black Rock City loosing its vibrancy too the fresher regional burns?
Has the BM leadership run out of gas while others are picking up the baton?
With this cultural genie clearly out of the bottle - what will happen next?
Offering that "special something" that our rapidly homogenizing culture is loosing, it is obvious that The Man will survive in one form or other.
The stars foretell of evolution.
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More photos in the gallery's Burning Man Section
