Participate Without Attending
Monday, July 18th, 2005 12:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
flwydI learned from this week's Jack Rabbit Speaks that you can send mail to people at Burning Man, and the kind folks at the Black Rock City Post Office will do their best to deliver it.
So not only can you give your condolences to friends if you can't make it, you can actually take part in (one of?) the largest participatory art experiences in the world. I've been scheeming up all sorts of things I could send to random people. For instance, I could send a letter addressed to "Someone spinning fire near the Man", and include a paper with instructions like "Finish this sentence: To me, fire is... Then give this to someone else and have them give their thoughts. If this is in your posession when you leave Black Rock City, please send it to {{me at my address}}." It's participatory art and social science at a distance!
There some good, less involved, ways the BRCPO can be used, as well (even if you've never attended). If you have something you would like to release, to send up in flames, stick it in an envelope and address it to The Man. If you have loved ones you've lost and would like to honor, send a picture or poem and instruct it be placed in The Temple before it burns. You could even ask the post office to return the envelope to sender, covered in Playa dust. And hey, if you're able to make it, you could always send something to yourself...
The addressing scheme is:
Friend or Enemy Name
Camp Name
Camp Address
c/o BRCPO
Burning Man
Gerlach, NV 89412
The c/o BRCPO is the key part. They suggest mailing on 8/26 or 8/27. Even if you've never been, I think it'd be a fabulous idea to send something.
So not only can you give your condolences to friends if you can't make it, you can actually take part in (one of?) the largest participatory art experiences in the world. I've been scheeming up all sorts of things I could send to random people. For instance, I could send a letter addressed to "Someone spinning fire near the Man", and include a paper with instructions like "Finish this sentence: To me, fire is... Then give this to someone else and have them give their thoughts. If this is in your posession when you leave Black Rock City, please send it to {{me at my address}}." It's participatory art and social science at a distance!
There some good, less involved, ways the BRCPO can be used, as well (even if you've never attended). If you have something you would like to release, to send up in flames, stick it in an envelope and address it to The Man. If you have loved ones you've lost and would like to honor, send a picture or poem and instruct it be placed in The Temple before it burns. You could even ask the post office to return the envelope to sender, covered in Playa dust. And hey, if you're able to make it, you could always send something to yourself...
The addressing scheme is:
Friend or Enemy Name
Camp Name
Camp Address
c/o BRCPO
Burning Man
Gerlach, NV 89412
The c/o BRCPO is the key part. They suggest mailing on 8/26 or 8/27. Even if you've never been, I think it'd be a fabulous idea to send something.
