Unit 4F: Art Festival.0:00
Don Thompson reports on a festival that celebrates free expression.0:26
Some years ago, my friends had been left with a spare ticket for the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert, and I reluctantly agreed to go along.0:32
If I had been an adventurous person like them, then maybe I would have jumped at the chance.0:41
But I went, though it didn't start well.0:46
The air conditioning in our mobile home was broken, so the journey was a nightmare.0:49
But then, all of a sudden, The clouds of dust finally parted and my frustration gave way to the first of many delights.0:53
Ahead of us was an 80-acre plot of land with hundreds of cars dressed up to look like whales, rabbits, steamboats.1:00
There was even a fire-breathing dragon!1:07
I immediately wished I had my camera.1:10
It looked like a scene from another planet.1:12
Every August, the desert landscape is transformed into a huge, dusty canvas for 50,000 participants, called Burners, who assemble their own unique pieces of artwork and build a metropolis called Black Rock City.1:15
You can see anything from a 17-foot gumball machine to a bicycle-powered cinema.1:29
The city itself runs as if it were a real city with its own airport, newspaper, radio station, and even its own police force.1:34
Arranged in a rough semicircle, the makeshift city is so big that it can be seen from space.1:43
I couldn't believe that it would soon be completely dismantled.1:49
The commitment to Black Rock City's motto, "Leave No Trace," means that every bottle cap, spot of ash, and drop of wastewater must be cleared away to leave the desert in its previously unspoiled condition.1:52
We parked our vehicle on the outer edge of the city and started walking towards the center.2:05
It wasn't long before we spotted the Burning Man himself.2:10
A huge wooden statue built to burn at the festival's closing ceremony.2:14
First set alight in 1986 on a beach in San Francisco, it was intended to mark the summer solstice, when the sun is at its highest and we get the most hours of daylight.2:19
As the burning of the statue became an annual event attracting more and more people, it was moved to Nevada.2:30
Black Rock City is not a consumer society.2:36
There is no money in Black Rock City.2:39
People were actually handing out free food like spaghetti and pancakes to passersby.2:41
If only real life was that easy.2:47
All we were expected to do in return was pay it forward by giving something away to a stranger later on.2:49
Each day of the festival, we headed into the city and were completely amazed by something different.2:56
What could be more bizarre than an ice sculpture playing music in the desert?3:01
One of my favorite art pieces though was two trucks stacked like a question mark with their tail lights pointing towards the sky.3:06
Everywhere I looked, people had painted their bodies, were performing expressive dances, riding their decorated bikes in the open air, or building various sunshades.3:13
On the last day, I walked to the temple where burners write messages on the wall.3:23
I looked at a few of the notes, most of which were very personal and some incredibly moving.3:27
That night we gathered at the center for the burning of the man.3:33
Thousands of us cheered as it went up in flames.3:36
I couldn't help but think that if I had shaken off my fears and truly embraced the freedom of the week, I would be a different person now.3:39
I think I'll return this year and be a much better participant.3:46
Who knows, maybe I'll even paint myself blue.3:49
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