Burning Man 2010 in the Nevada Desert

The Burning Man celebration of art and self expression kicks off the Sunday before the Labor Day weekend with the opening of the gates at Black Rock City. Burning Man will reach its climax on the Saturday night of Labor Day weekend when an effigy of a large man stature made of wood will be set alight. Close to 50,000 people will gather for Burning Man 2010. The Burning Man Event in the Nevada desert bills itself as a celebration of "art and self expression." Thousands of artisans, thrill seekers, nudists, and fringe elements will continue to flock to the playa outside of Reno Nevada to live and commune in Black Rock City.

Black Rock City - Burning Man's Home
Black Rock City is literally built out of the desert floor every year for the Burning Man Event. After Burning Man is finished, volunteers will spend weeks returning the desert to its former pristine state. The city feature a mid line main village which as were the effigy of the Burning Man will be placed. Surrounding the effigy will be different smaller villages and camps that are based on a central theme. Themes can be based on just about anything having to do with society, co-existing, art, and expression. It is up to the Burning Man attendees to come up with the theme and make it fit with the overall event. It can include static displays, live performances, or just about anything to make for a fun event. Expect the unexpected when you go to the Burning Man Event.

Art of the Burning Man
Several large sculptures from noted artists will be brought onto the playa for the week. One will be the impressive "Bliss Dance in the Daytime" by Marko Chocrane, feature as 40 foot tall sculpture of steel that was brought all of the way out to the desert. Although being 40 feet tall, the sculpture only weighs 7000 feet and is made up of 97% air.

Anther interesting sculpture is "Future Past" by Kate Raudenbush. This one feature a structure that looks like a cross between a sky rise building, a pyramid, or a large obelisk, that has integrate modern circuitry modeled throughout.

Leave No Trace
One odd aspect of Burning Man is that despite the gathering of 50,000 people on the playa, there will be no trash cans provided. You would think that the place would be left with tons of litter on the ground after the Burning Man event is over. However, since event organizers heavily promote the "Leave no trace" principle, there usually is not a lot of clean-up to do. The attendees promote and self police the clean-up efforts, which help keep the amount of trash left on the ground limited.