Chapters for Burner Portraits

THEMES

At this point, we envision the Galaxia Temple book will be divided into the ten themes below and will contain photographs and writings from many burners about the theme. The plan is to include 2 16x20"posters, one like the image to the left and another using Black Rock City as the base design.

1. Overview by architect Arthur Mamou-Mani 2. London Crew

3. San Francisco & Burning Man Organization 4. Reno Component Build Community

5. Oakland Component Build Community 6. Construction on Playa

7. Support Crews 7. Black Rock City Event Week

9. The Burning of the Temple 10. Leave No Trace

There may be a few changes down the road, but this is where we are as of 9/27/18.

.The images in BURNERS are organized around seven reasons people attend the event

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ to add your own text and edit me. It's easy.

ADVENTURE

Burning Man invites one and all to be adventurous. Whether it is first timers (we call them virgins) or seasoned veterans, every year is a new challenge.

The Adventure theme contains portraits that reveal the reason I think most people come to experience Burning Man for the first time.

We seek an challenge of some kind, an adventure that reflects a need at a specific time and place in one's life.

For me it was to experience something completely out of my normal routine after my wife's death from ALS--and to fullfil her wish that I go.

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DISCOVERY

The portraits in Discovery reveal another reason I think people come to Burning Man--to discover something about themselves and/or others.

When I dance with my photographic partners to make a portrait, I seek to amplify the Burner principle of radical acceptance by providing a safe and totally trustworthy environment in which my partner(s) feel safe enough to let the default shield drop and reveal an aspect of their soul in that moment.

These private revelations may be expressed through tears, vulnerability, rage, fear or confidence as the soul peeks out from behind the ego's shield.

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COMMUNITY

The third theme's portraits reflect the diverse nature of our Burner community.

For one week, we are a microcosim of the global community that believes in the power of art, freedom of expression and supporting everyone's right to be.

Above all, we celebrate the diversity of the human experience in an open and accepting emotional environment in the midst of a frequently hostile physical setting.

We call this "radical inclusion."

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CREATIVITY

This theme's portraits reveal our passion to express the soul through decorative art on (and for) the body--likely humanity's first canvas.

Masks, costumes, body art, dance, drumming, and the spoken word, combined with a frequently hostile environment of wind and dust, heat, cold and rain, returns us to the beat of our primitive tribal roots--even (or maybe especially) when the beat is techno.

We feast on the visual and verbal creativity of our fellow Burners.

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PLAY AND JOY

Theme five is about portraits that express the sense of play and joy Burners bring to the playa.

Whether it is through outfits, movement or other art forms, Burners love to play and/or see the playfulness that is possible in themselves and other in a completely accepting social environment.

These images remind me (as my late wife often did) to lighten up and be more playful in life. She would tell me that being childlike expresses the soul's joy with incarnation.

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SENSUALITY & SEXUALITY

The images in Theme six show the soul's delight in escaping the sheltered lives of relative comfort in cities and town and reveling in raw sensuality.

Of course the most common way of expressing and validating sensuality is through our sexuality, both overt and subtle.

Our senses, heightened by the heat, cold, dust, wind and cacophony of sounds and sights on the playa overwhelm the mind, forcing it to surender to the pure physical experience of being embodied--which is one of the primary reasons I think the soul inhabits the body.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SERENITY & SPIRITUALITY

Theme seven contains portraits that reveal a spiritual element of the Burning Man experience. The Temples are the focal point for the experience, but it is the Burners who make it sacred.

Each image is of a moment I felt a powerful, shared sense of serenity or spirituality in the connection I made with my photographic partners.

Mostly, I think the images reflected my partner's inner peace, calm, and often healing energy and it radiated outward, encompassing me as we danced together with my camera in hand.

THEMES

.The images in BURNERS are organized around seven reasons people attend the event

ADVENTURE

Burning Man invites one and all to be adventurous. Whether it is first timers (we call them virgins) or seasoned veterans, every year is a new challenge.

​

The Adventure theme contains portraits that reveal the reason I think most people come to experience Burning Man for the first time.

We seek an challenge of some kind, an adventure that reflects a need at a specific time and place in one's life.

​

For me it was to experience something completely out of my normal routine after my wife's death from ALS--and to fullfil her wish that I go.

DISCOVERY

The portraits in Discovery reveal another reason I think people come to Burning Man--to discover something about themselves and/or others.

These private revelations may be expressed through tears, vulnerability, rage, fear or confidence as the soul peeks out from behind the ego's shield.

COMMUNITY

​

The third theme's portraits reflect the diverse nature of our Burner community.

​

For one week, we are a microcosim of the global community that believes in the power of art, freedom of expression and supporting everyone's right to be.

Above all, we celebrate the diversity of the human experience in an open and accepting emotional environment in the midst of a frequently hostile physical setting.

We call this "radical inclusion."

​

CREATIVITY

​

This theme's portraits reveal our passion to express the soul through decorative art on (and for) the body--likely humanity's first canvas.

​

Masks, costumes, body art, dance, drumming, and the spoken word, combined with a frequently hostile environment of wind and dust, heat, cold and rain, returns us to the beat of our primitive tribal roots--even (or maybe especially) when the beat is techno.

We feast on the visual and verbal creativity of our fellow Burners.

PLAY AND JOY

Theme five is about portraits that express the sense of play and joy Burners bring to the playa.

​

Whether it is through outfits, movement or other art forms, Burners love to play and/or see the playfulness that is possible in themselves and other in a completely accepting social environment.

​

These images remind me (as my late wife often did) to lighten up and be more playful in life. She would tell me that being childlike expresses the soul's joy with incarnation.

SENSUALITY & SEXUALITY

The images in Theme six show the soul's delight in escaping the sheltered lives of relative comfort in cities and town and reveling in raw sensuality.

​

Of course the most common way of expressing and validating sensuality is through our sexuality, both overt and subtle.

Our senses, heightened by the heat, cold, dust, wind and cacophony of sounds and sights on the playa overwhelm the mind, forcing it to surender to the pure physical experience of being embodied--which is one of the primary reasons I think the soul inhabits the body.

SERENITY & SPIRITUALITY

​

Theme seven contains portraits that reveal a spiritual element of the Burning Man experience. The Temples are the focal point for the experience, but it is the Burners who make it sacred.

​

Each image is of a moment I felt a powerful, shared sense of serenity or spirituality in the connection I made with my photographic partners.

​

Mostly, I think the images reflected my partner's inner peace, calm, and often healing energy and it radiated outward, encompassing me as we danced together with my camera in hand.

​