BURNING MAN 2002
“Love one another, but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.”
Khalil Gibran
OVERVIEW
Post-9/11 Burning Man was a haven, away from the violent place the world was starting to become.
Black Rock city became a sea complete with an island, a waterfront, sea creatures and monsters, and a vast unknown. The Temple of Tears was reinvented as the Temple of Joy, and the Man sat atop a commanding lighthouse, overlooking the crowded confines of Black Rock City.
THE THEME
The theme for the 2002 edition was the Floating World. Wooden ships, full of performers, a giant shark vehicle, swimmers and sea monsters roamed the playa. There was a section called the Unknown, which was unmapped, so, whoever ventured there truly couldn’t know what to expect.
After visiting the different camps, doubloons were obtained, which gave access to the Lighthouse, where the giant Man had been placed.
Playa art at BN 2002 included an el-wire covered beehive and a ring of American flags featuring corporate logos instead of white stars.
In tune with the times, Michael Light’s theme art 100 Suns was made of 100 printed images of American atomic and hydrogen bomb test blasts that occurred between 1945 and 1962. The images were nailed directly into the ground, stretching along 200′ of playa surface.
Carpal Tunnel by Robert Carlson was a 12 foot in diameter, 20 feet long rotating tube lined with schools of luminous fish. The kaleidoscopic interior evoked an aquarium by night and a snorkelling reef by day.
The Temple of Joy by David Best was one of the most beautiful temples ever built for Burning Man. Made of recycled wood, the imposing structure as well as the ornaments of windows, altars and roofs were simply breathtaking.
