rites of passage: the temple of transition

this shall be the last of my burning man art curation posts for this year, and i purposefully saved this one for last.

this piece is the temple of transition...

{photo by michael holden}

it was an enormous collaboration by the international arts megacrew.

the temple is...

"a place of ritual and transition, a place where we both remember and look ahead, a place of ending and beginning. 

Vaulted, lofty, and delicate, five smaller temples surround a larger central temple. Within each temple a different phase of life is marked and explored. Altars and shrines abound amongst intricately decorated archways, windows, and walkways. Peacefulness, reverence, and reflection suffuse every aspect of the temples. Everyone is welcome, it exists for everyone..."

throughout the week, thousands of people visit the temple and write messages on the walls, leave artifacts and photographs, participate in memorial services, sacred music, marriages, meditations, celebrations...

{photo by simone paddock}

on sunday night, the temple is burned to the ground...

{photo by michael holden}

spending time at the temple is always an extremely profound and emotional experience for me.

personally, i visit the temple for two important reasons: to say gooodbye and to say hello.

goodbye to humans in my life who have died. goodbye to relationships that have ended. goodbye to habits that need to go. goodbye to chapters in my life that are finished. goodbye to guilt, shame, and regret. goodbye to ways of being which no longer serve me...

{photo by michael holden}

hello to new adventures. hello to the next challenges. hello to another year on this globe. hello to fresh ideas. hello to exciting possibilities. hello to growth and change. hello to different stories, travels, journeys, friends...

{photo by mike hedge}

the process is intense and i often avoid it until the end of the week.

this year, when i went to the temple, my arrival was quite overwhelming.

approaching a structure of such scale and intention which is filled with people meditating, weeping, hugging, rejoicing, writing, praying, and processing was quite a lot for me to comprehend all at once.

it literally took my breath away.

i walked up to it and gasped. my emotional response caused me to inhale sharply and start crying instantly.

it was a relief.

and it felt lonely.

as i stood there sadly sobbing into my dusty hankerchief, a tall guy with a triangular straw hat and a rainbow scarf made eye contact with me.

he instantly saw my forlorn face and opened his arms, gently offering me an embrace.

i walked right over to this complete stranger and hugged him.

he was firmly grounded in kindness and allowed me to cry with total abandon on his chest.

i wept freely. he simply held on until i was finished. i took a deep breath, stepped back, and smiled at him. he smiled at me and silently moved on...

{photo via scott london}

it was a very special moment in my life.

after this interaction, i was able to find the strength to write my goodbyes and hellos on the walls of the temple. i took a marker, listened to the music of the gamelatron, wandered throughout the sacred space, and wrote my messages.

the whole experience was absolutely peaceful, profound, and liberating...

{photo by lorene flaming}

i wish each one of you an exquisite temple where you write your goodbyes and hellos and watch them burn.

here is a beautiful video which is a love letter to the temple...


{video via ian mackenzie}

rites of passage: the trojan horse

during this year's burn, an enormous trojan horse stood majestically at the end of my street...

{photo by lars in japan}

this gigantic creation was built by an amazing team of artists who describe the project using these words...

A giant, 28-ton horse stands, dark and menacing, its head nearly 50′ above the playa. During the day, it casts an ominous shadow and is the scene of much imaginative interactivity as costumed members of Troy Camp and volunteers from all over the world play Greek gods and goddesses and characters from the Trojan War. At night, the horse glows malevolently from its core and a surrealistic room opens in its belly that will stimulate and challenge the five senses. Created by artists, architects, engineers, and others from around the world, this magnificent structure is designed to reflect Burning Man’s 2011 theme, Rites of Passage.

The Trojan Horse will undergo its own rites (and rights) of passage Friday night. Accompanied by an immense brass and drum corps, the masses will pull the beast from the Esplanade through the Gates of Troy and into the Temple of Dionysius. There it will be consumed by a spectacular conflagration. The sheer size, artistic power, innovative technology, and theatrical elements of this installation will make it a memorable part of Burning Man 2011.

the trojan horse was illuminated at night and became the landmark which my campmates and i searched for when trying to find our way home...

{photo by james addison}

{the last night of the horse}

on friday evening, three of my awesome campmates dressed in togas and joined hundreds of slaves which pulled the huge beast all the way out to the middle of the playa...

{slaves pulling the horse}

finally, on friday night, the trojan horse was the centerpiece of a spectacular fireworks display. it was ultimately surrounded by archers shooting flaming arrows which ignited it into an incredibly hot raging fire...

{photo by ernoflex}

we all watched the burn up close while standing on the fish and i was admittedly a wee bit scared. it was the largest and most intense fire i have ever personally witnessed, with powerful billowing flames pouring out of the horse's belly. we were close enough to feel pulsing waves of heat. it was absolutely exhilarating, though. and magnificent. so very magnificent.

as a luminous landmark, an impressive hunk of structural art, an ongoing interactive performance piece, and a creation with a fiery finale, i loved the whole experience of the trojan horse.

rites of passage: big fish

a desert dream came true for me at burning man this year: i experienced the playa in a beautiful work of art known as a mutant vehicle...

my beloved campmates from sacramento built this amazing angler fish from scratch. it is known as the BFF (Big F*ing Fish) and was a spectacular art car creation...

it was truly a thrill to ride in the fish. due to the generosity of my campmates, i spent my very first night out on the playa sitting in the chair on top. feeling the cool desert breeze on my face while observing a three sixty view of all the stunning art around me was unforgettable.

with all my heart, i mean this: it was one of the most incredible moments of my life.

to ride on this work of art while viewing the night playa in all its splendor...to interact with people around us who loved the fish and expressed that love to my friends who created it...to feel the craftsmanship and connection that went into the making of the meticulously built vehicle...well, it was a joy overload. 

happy tears poured down my face that night as i perched on the poisson...

many memories were made on the fish. laughter, jokes, silliness, reflection, tears, naps, new people, old friends, dancing, gifting cold drinks, getting parties started, helping fellow travelers, screaming while being chased by sharks, listening to music, observing enormous things bursting into flames, rolling around the city with kindred spirits in a luminous night scene...

{photo by TWITA2005}

this is a short video i captured while preparing the fish for a night out...

a deep heartfelt thank you to my village (camp innuendo) for so graciously sharing the fish. by allowing me to join your adventures, you inspired me to my core and made me feel like the luckiest girl in the world. i adore you and am forever grateful.

rites of passage: charon (a stroboscopic zoetrope)

during my first night out on the playa, i discovered one of my favorite installations...

{photo by trey ratcliff}

the piece is called charon and it was created by san francisco artist peter hudson. in his words...

Based in Greek mythology, this visually arresting piece will physically engage people in a vigorous genuflection of sorts which bring life to Charon, the gondolier to the afterlife. Charon engages them to reflect on their own mortality, and ponder how to give and get the most from their brief time here on earth. The artist’s hope is that they will not dwell on their ultimate demise, but to instead ponder how they might make their own lives richer and more meaningful. Recent losses in the artist’s life give him reason to consider the piece a final farewell and bon voyage to those who are cherished, gone but not forgotten.

the zoetrope movement was created by teams of people pulling the ropes...

{video by mark day}

it gave the illusion that the skeleton boatman was rowing us across the river styx in his vessel, gazing steadily from side to side...

{photo by michael holden}

charon was ominous, beautiful, eerie, grand, mesmerizing.

an interview with the artist...

rites of passage: el pulpo mecanico

oh my.

your innkeeper has returned from the desert in a swirly twirly cloud of dust and dreams.

i had an epic adventure, a magical journey, a sacred pilgrimage.

currently i am experiencing "afterburn" which is the opposite reaction to all of the intensity experienced in black rock city. for me, this is a combination of exhaustion, glow, inspiration, sadness, confusion, joy, and a miraculous multitude of ideas.

i missed the inn immensely but shared it with many new people and filled my creative well for the year ahead.

today, when i sat down to write this post i felt a sense of total overwhelm...where to start with something so big?

the answer to this question: just start somewhere.

so the first gift i share with you is my favorite mutant vehicle of the week: a fiery steampunk octopus called "el pulpo mecanico" which lived down the street from my camp...

{photo by rienchien}




i could see this fantastic creation every morning when i peeked my dusty head out of my gypsy tent.
more amazement to follow as i ponder, process, make meaning, and find words to articulate my rites of passage.
sending an enormous amount of love to you from the inn!