From Seattle’s Burien, I write:
~ Three Burns, three 10 Principles events, three Regionals;
in two and a half months…
This is truly a first for me.
*Many of the photos in this are from others, shared via WeChat in groups. As such, attribution is unknown for some of them, though a few were by me. Doesn’t matter. No money here. Hah! (But if you know whose they are let me know. And if you would like to have a photo removed, also speak up. No worries.)😉
By chance, and healthily, I’ve unlocked this achievement and am filled with the energy of knowing that there are enough people in the world that we may just transcend the weirdness, enough people in the world to continue doing impressive art, enough people in the world to experience genuine community, no matter how divisive and oppressive and nihilistic the rulers and bosses and politicians seem.
Place: I’ve just returned to Seattle from so many places…
From Critical Massive, From China, From the Burns. . .
I’m back in Seattle for too short a time, again, but the moments here are becoming invaluable. The aging of my community into the fresh shape that it is, is something that I value and celebrate, and while I don’t understand it, I can learn from it, maybe add well to it, and hopefully continue to be a healthy member of it, because this is the place that I consider home-base. The years and efforts and art and fun and struggles and stories that I shared and continue to grow here are broader than any other area I know. I feel this will always be where I come back to.
“When?” is the question.
Always, “When?” ~
Working this out is at the whim of the world. Some summers or springs, yes. Some, no. I never know, until I do.
That said, there are places I’ll go from here and look back to that call me that are their own energy – calling.
I’ll head to live again in Guangzhou, China again. A grand plan is afoot.
I’ll head to visit my family in the east in a matter of days.
Time: July 19, 2019, 11:15pm
This Fall, I’ll begin a year of study – leaving behind the teaching profession for education in-verse.
I’ll spend the next year in an immersion-setting for my language studies – but also creating.
I’ll spend countless hours on the photos that I will share (through my ShowusChina.com website) so that they will have descriptions and ideas that can hopefully round out the experience of what you will see, so that it is more engaging and interactive. In the long run, perhaps it will take on another dimension.
I’ll be happy to hear your feedback about what I create. Your feedback will be more useful than you may realize, so please don’t hesitate to share it.
My goal for a strong working-copy is in about six months.
Experience: The Burns~ x3; Shanghai’s Dragon Burn, Taipei’s Turtle Burn, and Seattle’s Critical Northwest
Ah, kay~ So what did I do?
What were the burns like? Brilliant. . .
The Dragon Burn (a couple hundred miles west of Shanghai) was profoundly well done. In their sixth year, they have figured out how to create a space filled with discovery and wonderment and do it with the blessing of the Chinese government, which is no small task. Big ups to the team there.
With 800-plus people, it really had the ability to do a lot. It was well-pulled off. Quite a few large camps. Lots of gifting energy~ and participatory involvement from the masses was broadly expected from bold announcements throughout the whole planning stage.
As well, people really brought forward the notions of the 10 principles as elemental aspects.
There was a remote Temple.
There was a gigantic and intricately well-built effigy of a phoenix made from bamboo that must have raised 25 feet in the air or more. The phoenix came out of the flatland and spread its wings more than a hundred. Truly a majestic beast, in front of which we danced and sang and played and celebrated until it was time to burn the sucker down for catharsis and glee. Absolutely, ridiculously impressive.
There was a ton of super-fluid flow-arts throughout the entire event.
The Turtle Burn (south of Taipei, in the hills, on a mountain top, with a view) was also beautiful. It was (wonderfully) distractingly esoterically created~
Example: it had so many giant flying animals and was so remote, and yet within sight of civilization, it felt like we’d set up in a bubble of nymphs.
Not only that, but for how small it was (120 people) it was Impressively well placed into the woods. There were multiple dome-spaces, several large, thoughtfully well-installed public areas that merged a lounge vibe with dance well. Also, the large art was well-worth note. Especially considering the size and peculiar location.
Seattle’s Critical event is one that I was not new to. It might have been my 8th, 9th… I don’t really know. It’s been going for many years and I was there for the first, and the second, and after the sixth, or something like that, I missed one or something. Was busy being in Asia and the like. Regardless, it was coming home.
And it was great to be welcomed in like the family it was. Some remembered me from my infancy in the community, and some were like long-lost cousins, and others were so far in the distance they were hard to see. Hah~ It was good.
With about 1,600 participants, and a long history, and being very close to a metropolitan area, lots of substantial installations were possible and created. From the fire truck that could breathe fire, to the articulated sculptures that were hung from trees, and the bacon art in-between. There was no shortage of creative reality. There was tubing on a river that was technically too shallow to die in, but still fast enough to ride down (butt-bruises notwithstanding), and performance art that showcased numerous talents in a variety of settings. I saw people soldering giant interactive game boards and a dozen people dressed as Waldo at a camp that was sharing post cards from the mid-sixties. So much.
To describe any one or all three of these at length would take up to much space. . . I’m told by the world that a thousand words is edging on a long post, and I can see I’m about there.
So, let me simply say that I am ultra-grateful for being able to have participated in these three events that are cousins to each other, fed by the sociological experiment that is Burning Man.
May your year inspire you as well.
Take care.