Burning Man

After speaking to Leon, many of my preconceptions of the Burning Man festival were shattered. I assumed that it was just another large scale commercial festival but it would appear that that is not the case and that it is run in an entirely different spirit. Leon describe it as a place where you don't rely on money but have to get by trading things and giving someone something tangible in exchange for something else that you want or need, I wonder how this works with food as if someone has brought a large supply of food then you must surely offer them something of modest value in order to acquire their service/ food. I don't know, I need to read more into this in order to gain an accurate understanding. I think In a festival with 45000 people offering exchanging things, especially it being an arts based festival that I might be hard pressed offering my drawings in exchange for goods. On a page covering the history of the festival it described the event as a place with "An experimental community, which challenges its members to express themselves and rely on themselves to a degree that is not normally encountered in one's day-to-day life."

This is very interesting to me and my ideas to travel the world relying on only what I can carry and barter with and an attempt to not rely on any money at all.

On the opening page it also makes this comment which is interesting to me and my ideals

"There are moments of crisis and frisson in our lives which inform us that we've somehow crossed an inner threshold and are changed. Thus moving from one state of being into unknown another obliges us to face our innermost insecurities, and it requires faith, a willingness to leap off the ladder of ordered existence." This is a description of the 2011 burning man theme by Larry Harvey (founder of Burning Man). A theme is often set each year for people to react to artistically when they attend the festival. This theme is called "Rights of Passage". I find it almost strange, possibly another coincidence that these two closely linked themes, the ideals behind the festival (surviving spontaneously in the moment through your own unique abilities) and this theme of a transition or change within yourself, possibly brought about through difficulty or trauma and then running with and embracing the changes in yourself. I find it interesting that I have felt and meditated on these things so much and now see them again closely linked to each other. Is this possibly another strong factor to consider with my uni work?

Anyways here is an interesting sculpture called Syzygryd, I just figured it looks quite beautiful and it makes me want to go all the more.

European Voluntary Service

Came Across this today in the central services building. The European Voluntary Service who can be found at everythingspossible.org. The idea is that you make a commitment to volunteer your time and as a result you get your travel, visas and accommodation for free (well I guess you kind of earn it) although you do get pocket money as they put it. I think this is quite interesting and I intend to recommend it to James as well as apply myself. I will have to send them a little e-mail asking how long they think the program will continue to run/ receive funding as on the website it indicates that it will only run until 2013 which means my plan to work for 3 years before going is a little scuppered :( but hell that's one thing I shouldn't be doing... making plans!

I do however need to remember that I owe my bank money and that I should probably pay some of that (£2000) off before disappearing for at least a year...