Burning Man, the 9-day festival of liberated free thinkers and creative space shifters came to a magnificent end last night. The Sherp chronicles the best moments!
As Burners would say, and agree, Burning Man is more than an alternative lifestyle experience in the desert expanse of Nevada. It is where people with thoughts emancipated from social norms and control, artists attempting to break the mould of commercial ground, and underground lifestyle champions come to experience the best of community culture. This year’s edition too, despite the desert bug scare and the presence of FBI, saw over 70,000 people making it to the festival in all radical-glory. We look back at some of the more priceless moments at the festival.
1. LSD is one of the more revered aspects of Burning Man. Many loyalists contest that the drug helps attendees truly experience the expedient Burner lifestyle. One would think that Timothy Leary, American writer and psychologist, who advocated the use of LSD for a mind-altering experience would have definitely agreed with Burning Man’s mantra.
If so, Susan Sarandon agrees with you.
The Academy Award winning actress and all round crusader for liberal rights, led a procession with Timothy Leary’s ashes to the Temple of Confessions, that was later burned down along with the ashes, at Burning Man, with many of Leary’s supporters joining her for the great LSD guru’s reverence parade. It was a moment that will go on to be one of the more iconic Burning Man memories.
Of the ceremony, Susan Sarandon had this to say to USA Today –
“I think he’d be so happy. I think he would have loved the chaos (of Burning Man). He would have loved it. And all these people honouring him with LSD.”
2. Katy Perry’s virgin Burner experience.
The pop-star had a 360 degree turnaround, quite literally, when she headed to Black Rock City for her first Burning Man, and managed to fall off a segway, proving that there cannot be a virgin Burning Man experience that is not awkward.
3. The Burning Man Ultramarathon (of Hangovers)
The Burning Man Ultramarathon has become an annual ritual of serious runners joined by intoxicated run-alongs, hungover kindred, and those that run in style and nudity, to become one hell of a race along the 31-mile quadruple, around the playa, in the wee hours of the morning, while many are still returning from their night of activities.
(Source: www.burningman50k.com)
4. The 2015 art installations at Burning Man were every bit as visually gratifying as one would expect them to be. Tall, monstrous, and in some cases, satirically funny, they were in tune with Burning Man’s inherent spirit. And people didn’t shy away from posing with them!
5. Even though some installations were ridiculously creative.
6. And friendships, just the kind Burning Man is used to seeing –
7. We’re quite sure Burning Man 2015 witnessed quite the surge of friendships and squads!
8. And lone travelers, coming for their share of Burning Man nirvana and soul-searching.
9. Because it’s the only festival where you’ll be welcomed in graciously, even if alone.
10. And all of them adhered to Burning Man’s inherent idea of expressing your inner artist, whether it was by installing grant art –
11. Or by integrating yourself to it –
12. Burning Man 2015, like true Burning Man tradition had it all –
From outlandishly brilliant art installations to post-apocalyptic style of fashion
13. From the magnificent Burning Man architecture –
14. To genuine shows of companionship!
15. People made connections, like they only can, leaving behind civilization’s norms, at Burning Man.
16. And they developed a keen oneness with their surroundings –
17. And with their own selves
18. And that would include them all, young and old, alike –
19. And truly embodying that community spirit!
20. For it is only at Burning Man does one learn to unnerve, relax, and truly let go.
21. And it only at Burning Man, where the grandness of creativity and the curiosity of human mind come together –
22. And where alliances, the most aspirational, are formed!
23. Because the burning of the Burning Man art is not just a tradition; it is symbolic to the festival’s virtue of celebrating now; the present that holds more significance to the paradoxical nature of Forever.
