Burning Man 2017

And here are the last pictures of my time at Black Rock City for this time around.
First a bit of interesting Burning Man history.....



A painting I liked at Center Camp called "The Journey" by Mikey.
The white house represents the traditional American path to success - doctor, lawyer or civil career. The girl is a creative person. She is taking a journey into the unknown. The black cat is her intuition. He is her guide.



More Center Camp.



I visited the banya (steam room) where a Russian guy poured water on the rocks, then I sat in the banya and took deep breaths. After a few minutes he (the Russian) came back in and swatted me with the tree branches. When I stepped outside he misted me with some water that had a minty smell. Very refreshing.

















I always collect Playa dust, so I can take a part of Black Rock City with me home. This is what I made this year.....I picked up the friendship bracelets at Burning Man.



And.....that was it. With this entry I am wrapping up my Burning Man 2017 experience. I hope you have enjoyed it.

Here she is! Playa Barbie 2017. This is a highly collectable rare limited edition Barbie, as you all can see. Rare as in exclusive, out of the ordinary and one of a kind.







And I met the creator of the Playa Barbie Box, his name is Mike. What did he tell me.....if I recall it right his wife's name is Barbie.
Some more info on the Playa Barbie Box, "Internationally renowned, Playa Barbie is a Photo Box Art Project which participants pose in at the Worlds Largest Artist Exhibition. Thousands of Burning Man participants have taken thier picture in the Photo Box, providing much love, and individual photos from all over the world. Playabarbie is featured in many videos featuring the Art of/and Burning Man experience. Playabarbie Photo Project is a gift to the citizens of Black Rock City, NV. PlayaBarbie has been displayed for a week during the International Burning Man Festival since 2013. Visit - Playabarbie.com or #Playabarbie."

This year I decided that I was going to participate at Burning Man by being a volunteer. There are many areas for volunteering but since I love Center Camp and since I love latte I decided to apply for a barista position. It only made sense. Previous barista experience is a requirement. I applied a few weeks before Burning Man, exchanged some emails with café staff management and got in.
First I had to attend a mandatory training session at the Café and then I did three shifts, each shift is four hours long or should I say short.....because those four hours go by SO fast. I did two 11 am - 3 pm shifts and one 3 am - 7 am shift.
They made sure I knew what I was doing for the 3 am shift, I had to make a few espresso drinks in front of the shift supervisor and when I was done she basically said....you are good to go, you know what you are doing. I was slammed that shift, I was the only barista for a while and while I was making a drink I would sometimes have six more orders waiting.
Volunteering as a Center Camp barista aka Café coffee cosmonaut, how do I even start explaining..... It was SO MUCH FUN!!! I met so many nice people! Being a volunteer at Burning Man was one of the best decisions that I made in a long time. Am I doing it again? ABSOLUTELY! With pleasure and a big smile on my face.

Center Camp - I love this place! ❤



An espresso machine I worked on. The Café at Black Rock City is the the largest temporary freestanding tensile shade structure in the world. And some say it is the busiest coffee shop in the world for the duration of Burning Man. Is it busy? Yes.



Some of the people I met and worked with at the Café......



Pascal from France. His first Burning Man.



Ola from Poland but residing in London. This was her first Burning Man.



Donald and Lynda. Donald's second Burning Man, he was there for about a month! Setting up internet and whatever else he was doing.....I was so jealous.
I want to be there for a month too! Lynda's first time, she also volunteered at the Medical station because she is a nurse. Lynda wasn't too sure about Burning Man.....she said it was hot and dusty. I told her she might change her mind.



The morning shift crew, well some of us.
So besides baristas there are cashiers, runners, shift leads and I don't even know what else.



And me.....about 7 30 am, been up all day and all night. So not ready to leave Burning Man but a few hours later I was on my way home.



And another thing.....I made tips. The Café is one of the two places that money is exchanged at Burning Man, there is also ice for sale at Arctica. I decided to donate all my tips to a local spay and neuter project and I rounded up the amount a bit with my own contribution. The money will allow for a spay of a dog with some left over for whatever else the animals need.
You can also donate your tips directly at Burning Man. Our group (consisting of me, the cashier and the runner) made a $45 tip one time from one person, Donald was the cashier and he took the order. The tips get split between everybody working that shift.



If you are curious about Center Camp and Burning Man in general you should check out the video in this link......

https://burningman.org/event/volunteering/teams/center-camp-cafe/

Thank You Universe for leading me to Burning Man! ❤

The Man in the distance......



And up close.....



Me in front.....



The raising of the arms....



The fire.....







If I recall it right the structure was set on fire at 9 pm and started falling at 10 21 pm.....it takes a while for everything to fall. There are fireworks as well and heat. It's quite intense. Yes, I am aware of this year's accident or incident, not sure what to call it. I did not witness it but I feel bad for the people that had no choice but to see the unfortunate event unfold in front of them and the rescue workers that were there trying to prevent it and having to deal with it.

This year Burning Man's art theme was Radical Ritual. I have no clue how they decide on what art projects to include each year and how the art theme has anything to do with the art. All I do is look at the art with admiration. There were 270 art installations on the Playa this year. And sadly, yes I feel a tinge of sadness over this, I did not see close to enough of the art. But I did not expect to spend such short time at Burning Man as I did this year, I am usually there longer.....
But I did see some of the art and I took pics and here you go....some of the art of Burning Man Radical Ritual 2107.

This was called the Tree of Ténéré and it was my fave this year. People just loved this tree, it lit up at night with 25 000 LED leaves. Very beautiful, the tree switched colors. The inspiration for this piece of art, "We were inspired by a tree that once grew in the middle of the Sahara desert, in a region called Ténéré. It was the most isolated tree on Earth: not a single other tree could be seen for 250 miles. And yet, the tree became an important ceremonial gathering place for traders and travelers as they crossed the desert. It brought people together for community, ritual and rest.It was mysteriously destroyed almost 50 years ago."







Ursa Mater
This art was made with pennies, over 200 000 of them. I have to say that this Mamma Bear was very impressive.



The Flower Tower





La Victrola





The Temple Of The Inner Bitch
"The Temple Of The Inner Bitch is a shrine dedicated to radical, forceful feminine power. From birth, females are often taught by their families and society to 'be nice' above all else and to eschew assertive behavior. The Inner Bitch is a natural and necessary facet of self expression and fierce protectress - a force to be honored, loved and worshipped. The Temple Of The Inner Bitch seeks to explore how we can connect with that mostly feminine force in a more positive way."







XOXO



If you want to read more about these art installations you an find them all online. I like the story behind The Temple Of The Inner Bitch, the artist is Anna Metcalf.

When I saw this event, a George Michael Video Wake in the Burning Man What Where When book I knew that I would be there.....



It was amazing and also sad. The ones that gathered for it all danced and sang along to the songs while watching George's videos on a big screen. Occasionally people would yell, "we love you George". The moon and the stars were out, was George out there somewhere watching us? I hope so. We all loved him very much right there and then.