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: burning man film festival

Saturday, Sept. 28, Rio Theatre, Santa Cruz, 2-8 p.m.
Ask the 29,000 participants of Burning Man 2002 what it means to them and you're likely to get 29,000 different answers. It's a celebration of art. A gift economy. A manifestation of cyberspace. A temporary autonomous zone. A big party. Great ideas executed poorly.

Paraphrasing a former member of the Weather Underground: "It doesn't show people how to live outside the box, it shows there is a box."

The films and shorts included in this festival span eight years of the event, starting in 1994 when the population was 2,000, through 2002, having grown to 29,600 - the seventh largest city in the state of Nevada (for one week).
In order of appearance, what follows is a schedule and brief descriptions of each piece:


Schedule
2 p.m.- EGG
2:13 - Nosolomusica
2:52 - Untitled, The Seven Ages of Man
3:21 - The Pyromid
3:38 - One Minute to Burn
3:47 - Burning Man 1994
5:16 - Obtainium.net presentation
5:25 - Spinnin'
5:39 - Performance by Colt Briner and Nocturnal Sunshine
5:51 - Drama in the Desert
6:20 - Aqua Burn
6:46 - Larry Harvey remarks
7:03 - Gifting It

EGG, the arts show, WNET New York
BM2000, nine minutes, by Amy Teuteberg
Each year, artists, teachers, mechanics, farmers, grandparents, and grandkids come together in Nevada's Black Rock Desert, one of the harshest environments on earth, for Burning Man. Braving extreme temperatures and weather conditions, this community convenes to build a city dedicated to radical self-expression. The only rule is that you can't just stand on the sidelines and watch -- you have to participate. From monumental sculpture to art cars, Burning Man proves to be an oasis of creativity.

Nosolomusica - Burning Man
BM2001, 33 minutes, by Carlota Nelson
The very first Spanish-language documentary on Burning Man, produced by a crew from Madrid for the Telecinco network show "Nosolomusica". Nelson and her crew travel the world and report on unique festivals and celebrations. This will be the first and only time this piece will be shown in the U.S. It includes interviews with artists, performers and Larry Harvey. In Spanish.

"Untitled (Burning Man 2001: The 7 Ages of Man)"
BM2001, 17 minutes, by Steven Piasecki
This as yet untitled piece captures the aesthetic essence of Burning Man. Shot during Burning Man 2001 and mirroring the festival's theme of The 7 Ages of Man, the film is a flowing collage of image and music, celebrating that which makes the event so special and unique - the extraordinary art works which are peculiar to the playa.

The Pyromid
BM2001, 18 minutes, by Brian Scully
The Pyromid chronicles how a simple theme camp by day can transform into the most chaotic and dangerous burn on the playa. Dick Dale and William S. Burroughs narrate.

One Minute to Burn
BM2001, five minutes, by Paul Andresen and Mo Stoebe
It all began when micro-tycoons saw infinite bags of gold in binary codes of zeros and ones. Then the gold rush was over and from the ashes of the dot-com bust a film arose. And we call that film "One Minute to Burn". So now, with open arms, we give it to you for your enjoyment. In the words of the immortal Woody Guthrie, "This film is your film, this film is my film, from California to the New York Islands..."

Burning Man 1994
BM1994, 74 minutes, by Chuck Cirino

One of the first full-length documentaries of the event, Cirino captures Burning Man when the population was 2,000, you could still get a lift across the city by a truck towing a toilet, and the Drive By Shooting Range was, for some, the highlight of the event.

Spinnin'
2001, seven minutes, by Splinter
A short film on New York City's fire spinning community, set to Eric B and Rakim.

Drama in the Desert
BM1997-2001, 17 minutes, by Holly Kreuter
Our first project is Drama in the Desert, a full-color, 10-inch-by-10-inch art book that includes a multimedia DVD. It's a compilation of images and sounds collected over five years at Burning Man. It's a fully sensory, audio-visual experience capturing what it feels like to be at the event. It includes images, poetry, essays and a digital soundscape CD recording to illustrate how Burning Man is a place and state of mind of your choosing; a city of freedom and friendship. Freedom to express and live out dreams or fantasies; when people live that richly, they're open to friendship and community in its purest sense. Through snapshots and snippets of sound, this book documents experiences and archives moments from this tremendous humanity festival.

Aqua Burn
BM2002, 24 minutes, by Bill Breithaupt
Aqua Burn is an interpretive look at BM 2002 that documents the water theme, the spirituality, the creativity, and the fun! It showcases the participants' imagination, effort, and time that went into the art projects, camps, and activities to make them so engaging. Aqua Burn includes enlightening interviews with participating Burners, from first timers to veterans. Breithaupt has given out hundreds of his energetic annual films that
capture the experience of BM: "The Burning Man Project" (1999), "Got Fire?" (2000), and "Are You Lost?" (2001). Aqua Burn is a change of pace from Bill's prior films, but arguably more compelling. He has really burned the midnight oil to get this 2002 film ready in less than 30 days.

Gifting It
BM2000-2001, 74 minutes, by Renea Roberts
GIFTING IT is a meditative piece that seeks to explore one aspect of the Burning Man festival that truly makes it different. An aspect that provides the foundation for a host of social elements to recreate themselves beyond the boundaries set in a world increasingly turning commodified. Here, things are different. You can make your own unique mold and be different too. And if you decide you'd like to take it with you, well — there's no charge.

In addition to the films and shorts, the festival will also include the following:

Talk by Larry Harvey, executive director, Burning Man
Born in 1948, Larry Harvey grew up on a small farm on the outskirts of Portland, Oregon. In the late 1970's he moved to San Francisco, and soon discovered the city's thriving underground art scene. In 1986 he founded Burning Man at a local beach, and has guided its progress ever since. Larry likes the word "prodigious." "Primal" would run a close second. "Looming" and "vast" would doubtless place. He has, by his own admission, a grandiose imagination. This is tempered by a love of people and a keen appreciation of their characters, capacities and creative ideas. In his role as spokesperson for the Project, he is known for his hat. The famous Stetson, a pearl gray 7 3/8" Open Road, seldom leaves his head. It is worn, he tells us, in remembrance of his father, who wore the original.

Larry is executive director of the Burning Man Project. He serves as chairman of Burning Man's senior staff and Black Rock City LLC, its executive committee. He also co-chairs the organization's Art Department, scripts and co-curates Burning Man's annual art theme, and collaborates with artists in creating aspects of the art theme and the design of Black Rock City. He produces Burning Man's annual newsletter and writes articles and essays for the Project's website. As spokesperson for Burning Man, he is frequently interviewed by reporters, and he has lectured on subjects as diverse as art, religion, civic planning and the rise of cyber-culture in the era of the Internet. Larry is also a political planner. He supervises the organization's lobbying efforts and frequently attends meetings with state, county and federal agencies.

Digital Fire Performance by Colt Briner of Coltronix and members of Nocturnal Sunshine
Spinning fire in a crowded theatre just wasn't in the cards, according to the city powers-that-be. First-time burner Colt Briner and members of the Santa Cruz fire performance troupe Nocturnal Sunshine will give a digital fire spinning performance using a product Briner developed called "Street Lights."

Phusion light dancing is an adaptation of the ancient art of Polynesian fire dancing that incorporates both ancient and modern influences from many other cultures including our own United States. Depending on the pace of the music, Phusion dancing reveals different hints of its cultural influences. With slower music, Phusion dancing bares a resemblance to the Chinese art of Tai-Chi. With faster music, hints of a Japanese Karate Kata come to mind. The tracer effects of the lights also deliver distinct visual impressions. People viewing photos of Phusion performers recall images of Native American dancers wearing feathered headdresses, or dancing angels because the spoking effect of the lights can make them resemble wings.  Phusion dancing has something in it that appeals to people of all ages and cultures.  It can be performed with any kind of music and suits almost any occasion.  It is the art form for those who need to boldly glow.

"Obtainium Dot Net" presentation by project director Felix Baum
"Obtainium" describes useful materials and supplies found or obtained for free. Obtainium.NET is an online community of constructively creative folks who think that a crappy economy shouldn't be an impediment to the fulfillment of creative visions. Felix will give an overview of Obtainium dot net and how you can use it to both find the gear and the help you need to bring your creative visions to life, and to get rid of stuff you no longer find interesting.

Audio interludes from the CDs 'Playaphone I' and 'Burning Man '99'
PLAYAPHONE I, by Ray Link and Alice DuChamp is an experiment in communication, the Playaphone is a closed circuit multi-phone system that has been a toll-free utility at Burning Man since1998. From Frostalicous at the bar to calls from the 6th dimension, conversations are defined by the lowered inhibitions, instant intimacy and playful creativity found in the Burning Man community. The Playaphone I CD documents the random connections recorded from the anonymous Black Rock callers set to an original soundtrack. Burning Man '99 was recorded live at Burning Man 1999 on Aug. 31 and Sept. 3-4 by Michael Zelner.

Copies of Chuck Cirino's "Burning Man 1994" and "Burning Man 1997", Holly Kreuter's "Drama in the Desert", Renea Roberts' "Gifting It", and the Playaphone I CD will be available for sale during the festival. Proceeds from the sales go back to the artists. If you appreciate what they've done, please support them.

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