–––––––––––– Black Rock City 2012 –––––––––––

For the weeklong Burning Man festival, a temporary city is built in the Black Rock Desert in northwestern Nevada where every year more than     50 000 participants endure extremely harsh living conditions to create an artistic community unique in the world.

They settle on a clearly defined layout  organically improved over             two decades of  adaptation to the growth of its population and ever increasing regulations that govern a private event held on public land.

The Leave No Trace, Self-reliance and Decommodification principles condition the nature of this habitat and demand a new approach to urban planning and the viability of temporary dwellings.

To survive in style (or not) a scorching sun, destructive gusts of wind
and the omnipresent dust, Burners, forward-looking citizens, come up with solo and communal camps, the fruition of year-long preparations along with sheer improvisation, to create an ephemeral architecture that will vanish leaving deep memories and no trace.

I recorded these images after countless hours bicycling around                   Black Rock City to keep traces of this profound urban experiment.

These photos are the gift I received from this thriving, yet physically ephemeral community.

                                                                    

                                                                             Enjoy, sit back and welcome home again!

                                                                                                               Philippe Glade 2012

Camp or installation misnamed? contact me: brc(at)philippeglade.com (plz:no flame, all smile)

This is a SFW blog.

This blog is a Ginormous labor of love that I want to keep commercial-free by adhering to the Decommodification principle.
If you share the same view and still read real paper books, you can support my book illustrating hundreds of solutions built during 15 years in the desert from 1996 to 2010:

- 81 copies left: when it's gone, it's gone -
At the 69 mark there will be a $10 price increase for collector item :-)

Black Rock City, NV the ephemeral architecture of Burning Man

BROWSE IT


Super special thanks to Heather Gallagher (camera girl), Michael Vav, Harley K Dubois, Terril Neely.

Blog dedicated to Rod Garrett, the city designer/planner who for 16 years created and improved the original grid of the city. 

Previously: 2011  2010  2009  2008  2007 to 1996

2012 Table of contents

5 pages/51 posts  at the bottom of each column click older posts to access the next one

1 Cityscapes/Golden Rebars/Originals

2 Camps/Hexayurts/Camo/Tensegrity/Mini Houses

3 Domes/Monkey Huts/Fabric/Canopies/Teepees/

   Participants/Showers/Wood Frame/RV's

4 Tents/Parachutes/Ring/Mutant Cars/Art Installations

5 The Temple/Me and many photographers links

Click images to enlarge

Soundscapes for BRC and this blog: Eno KLF Tron Underworld Vangelis

All Photos/Texts©Philippe Glade 2012

What friendly blogs say about This is Black Rock City:

Weburbanist
Bettery magazine
Irregularshelter