Recorded in Black Rock City, you can hear the grainy gravitas of their voices... For decades now, Jon Sarriugarte, Kyrsten Mate, their daughter and their team build mobile art. From a meter maid cart turned space shuttle, to a custom copper retro fire snail on wheels, their creations make up part of BRC's moving landscape. They built a trilobite to ride, a gilded golden zeppelin car, and a noir submarine buggy. Then there are the Serpent Twins. Back in 2011, when the playa glowed with now outdated EL wire, these 50-foot long slithering dragons rippled with color from a touch of their LED skin. What about this green insect rocket? Project: EMPIRE returned to BRC with more sights, sounds, and stories. It’s a NASA spaceship and a giant bug, a bewildering blend of art, engineering, and a delightfully conspiratorial backstory… On playa we tracked down Jon and his daughter Zolie who has been Burning her entire life. They shared stories of the absurd early days, and the adventure of navigating the desert in a two-ton masterpiece. We talked about bringing radical self-reliance to the default world, and the mechanics of a legacy built, piece by painstaking piece, in the name of art.

Hear the stories of the art and artists. Black Rock City hosts 400 artworks from around the world. This episode features 12 of them, and this year’s Temple.  This is a sonic journey of artist's recordings and chats with Burning Man Project's Director of Art, Katie Hazard. Desert Arts Preview is your chance to step behind the scenes and listen to the process of creating interactive, collaborative, community-built artworks. This episode explores:  · The Sphinx Gate - Mareesa Stertz & Tania Abdul  · Sinksphere - Scott (Scottysoltronic) Whitaker  · Afterlife Reincarnate - Adrian (Blitzy) Tay  · Resilience - Whitney Webb  · Moonlight Library - James Gwertzman (Moonlight Collective) · Desert Air Oasis: BreathCore 7 - Elnara Nasirli (MXNZM)   · One Tin Soldier - Mark Deem (Misfit Toy Crew)    · Black Rock City Chicken Ranch - Rob Brown, Alysha Cypher, & Aviva Kinoko  · Disco Snail - Alyssa Oliveira (Alpine Artists Collective) · DROP - Auli Uiboupin  · Pillar of Po Tolo - Antwane Lee (Solar Shrine Collective)   · Rose Wonders - Thomas Dambo   · Temple of the Deep - Miguel Arraiz

REMASTERED FOR 2025: Our most popular episode of all time. Listen in as longtime Burners talk about the dynamic aspects of thriving in Black Rock City: mental, physical, material, and relational.Andie, kbot, Molly, Stuart, and Vav explore: · socks secrets · FOMO variants · saying yes and saying no · giving and accepting help · No Friends Monday · and much more and other and new! Featuring cameos from longtime Burners: Anjelika, Chef Juke, Crimson Rose, DA, Dave X, Halcyon, KJ, and Lulu Lurine. They discuss doing it all, doing it right, and doing it wrong, as access to being real. Don’t just pack. Prepare. Here’s how to have BRC overwhelm you in a good way.

Zander was the executive director of The Long Now Foundation, dedicated to long term thinking. He also helped build their library, a book club for the end of the world, with all the titles we would want to rebuild civilization, if needed. He is one of the brains behind the 10,000-Year Clock, designed to tick off the years, and chime the centuries. He’s now co-creating the future of the web at Automattic. He and his team are bringing a library to Black Rock City, to the World’s Fair pavilion under The Man. It’s a refreshing opposite. Like his theme camp inside a refrigerator truck NOT being hot, this library is about NOT being burnt. It’s an ephemeral manual for civilization. We the participants will choose what books to save from burning. Zander shares stories on the effects of books, websites, and rituals, as well as Burning Man’s past, present, and future.

AI is a context changer, a shaker upper, and a force multiplier to what our human minds can do. Andie says that AI is a major philosophical shift in humanity, and when this kind of thing happens, the first people she goes to are artists and academics. Andie and Stuart talked with a few artists and academics about their AI infused art coming to Black Rock City. They share their dreams and nightmares, and how to 'go beyond.'  · Chad Elish — Verse-O-Matic  · Kate Greenberg, Deva Temple, Eric Vicenti — "Out the Other"  · Dr Jukka-Pekka Heikkilä, Kiana Kaiser, Michael Zeltner — Burning Stories & Burner AI This is transforming personal stories, creating unique dialogues between humans and the machines that reflect us, the good, the bad, and the ugly… and the beautiful… and the surprising. Here is how artists conjure creativity and empathy using AI at Burning Man, a home for art to push against and learn from.

Kevin Kelly is one of the leading thinkers of the digital age. The founding executive editor of Wired Magazine, he helped produce the Whole Earth Catalog, and an early internet pillar “the WELL.” He is a journalist, an artist, and a long time member of the Burning Man community. He is a radical optimist. The future is a construct of the collective imagination. We see utopian stories as pie-in-the sky. We can’t look away from dystopian stories. What’s in between is iterative improvement, protopia. Delve into this conversation on the impact of cultural narratives, the transformative potential of AI, and the rich context-shift into lifelong-learning.

Black Rock City's soundscape is a wild ride from Afro-punk to Zydeco. This episode explores the why and how of two styles: the thumping electronic dance music that makes BRC a DJ's Mecca the anything-goes improv of jazz, a dusty mirror to the Burner spirit Stuart, a self-proclaimed EDM newbie, gets a crash course from a DJ in the know. He chats with a legendary DJ about how Burning Man transmogrifies DJ culture into something utterly unique. It’s a refreshing deep dive for aficionados! Then, Allie spins the radio dial through BRC's sonic smorgasbord and tunes into jazz. For decades, the Playa Jazz Cafe has been hosting live musicians in a dreamy, pop-up club. Camp lead and "hack” jazz musician Neil Kelly shares stories of serendipity, alchemy, and in-the-moment vibes of jazz at Burning Man. What's the common beat between a big-name beat-dropper and a jazz flow pro? BRC magic cannot be bottled without a loss of taste and potency. You just gotta be there.

Leo is a pioneering light artist, bringing teams and tech together to activate buildings, bridges, and bastions. He started Burning in 1994, founded Disorient camp, and has been to every Burn since. Join Leo sharing his journey from crafting a single beacon for his tent to leading monumental art projects that reshaped skylines. He illuminated the Bay Bridge in San Francisco, the historic bridges over the River Thames in London, and projects everywhere from Washington DC to Iowa, from NYC to Tokyo. Leo and Stuart discuss how the open-source innovation of Black Rock City impacts the default world. Leo shares his process for conjuring tech, from coding sequences, to customizing LED fixtures. He encourages artists to engage with their communities outside of their comfort zones. Plus, he shares his way of being a lifelong learner, and tells stories of the convening power of photons as an artistic medium, as a digital campfire for all. Hear him flip the switch, and stay until the brilliant end.

Thunderdome has been part of Black Rock City for 25 years. Marisa Winter has led it for most of that time. One need not experience it to benefit from the wisdom of a high-profile, high-intensity theme camp’s insights. Hear Marisa and Stuart talk through the leadership structure and community practices that result in the Thunderdome's chaotic harmony of performance, showmanship, and cathartic “consensual violence.” Marisa shares insights gleaned from decades of theme camp operation. Such insights include:  · Letting people make non-permanent mistakes allows them to own the lessons · Prioritizing community is never the wrong answer · Making hard decisions ASAP attracts quality people · How to schedule your crying day! Listen in on the laughter, and tolerate the cringe stories that prove Thunderdome is not cosplay, and you will be rewarded with the inspiration and institutional knowledge of the infamous Death Guild Thunderdome.

Most people in Black Rock City live together in placed camps, aka theme camps, the most unique aspect of this unique event. There are 1200 camps in BRC. Somewhere at the intersection of Communal Effort, Self-Expression, and Immediacy, theme camps provide a uniquely decommodified ‘third place’ of goods and services and ambiance offered as a gift. The annual Camp Symposium brings together staff and volunteers to share how they gift their interactive camps to participants. There’s an art and a science to it. This is an episode of highlights about the art of it. · Bryant Tan (aka Level Placerman): head of Placement · Andie Grace: Producer in the Philosophical Center · Charlie Dolman: Director of Event Operations · DA (aka Dominic Tinio): Environmental Restoration Manager · Harley K Dubois: Founder & Chief Cultural Officer · Stuart Mangrum: Director of the Philosophical Center and a keen crew of Placement Team volunteers: · Bravo · Cosmic · Governess · Hepkitten · Huntress · KGB · Razzmatazz Listen to how it started, how it’s going, and how Burners create these unique and interactive passion projects.

Solar power is simple now, thanks in part to Burners who gift the power of the sun. The Burners in this episode also gift steamed rolls with savory fillings called bao — so much delicious bao. The theme camp “Bao Chicka Wow Wow” has been a part of Black Rock City for a decade. They share the prosperity of bao to artist groups, volunteer teams, and participants lucky enough to find their camp or their pop-up “restaurant row” — all powered by their custom solar kits. David Hua (Chairman Bao), Marcus De Paula (Next Level), and their campmates also refined their solar systems to power a charging station for EVs and e-Mutant Vehicles. They share their learnings with neighboring camps, the Temple Builders Guild, and us right here in this episode. This is how to wean off gas generators, or bring more power to your offerings at BRC, your Regional event, your home, or even the collapse of civilized civilization. This conversation is lively and informative. It’s a feel-good story set for foodies and those of us who want to up our game of gifting and solar energy.

Explore the magic monuments of Black Rock City 2025. Katie Hazard, Director of Art, leads the selection, placement, and installation of artwork, and she leads Burning Man's art grant selection committees. The ARTery is in the center of Black Rock City, slightly offset like the human heart. It’s the epicenter of art support for nearly 400 art pieces, from towering sculptures to immersive environments. Before these art projects are sourced, crafted, and assembled with everything from hot glue to heavy equipment, they are first conceptualized by artists and engineers. Burning Man’s Honoraria project grants 76 of these art projects about half of the funding they need, a total of $1.3 million. Katie and Stuart explore how to foster accessibility and agency in artist groups. They describe some of the installations coming this summer, from interactive Sphinxes to a sphere of sinks, from a lost troll of sustainability to a fire-spinning pigeon. Some of the experiences include: · an inflatable black cloud from Ukraine · an Indigenous deer destined for ceremonial land · an Afrofuturist pillar with an ancient modern secret · a screaming booth that displays visual reactions to sound · a woman with a merry-go-round crown, jump rope dreadlocks, and swing earrings Listen in on this sonic journey of how Burner art is co-created and curated, and how BRC’s surreal skyline is taking shape.

Legend whispers of a time when Burning Man was a lawless Eden, a fiery playground of unbridled do-ocracy; no rules, just pure creative chaos. But as Black Rock City has grown into a thriving metropolis, so has the need for structure. We've gone from jokey forms for an ‘artistic license’ to complex permit obligations. We’ve gone from giving ourselves permission to taking on a system that can feel overwhelming. How can we better balance radical self-expression with the necessities of a city? How can we purge bureaucracy, or are all those old rules essential for safety and sustainability? This episode delves into the "agonizing reappraisal" within the Burning Man Project, a movement to streamline processes and discard red tape. Stuart explores the dusty trail from Black Rock City's anarchic origins to the sign marked 2025. He talks with Louder Charlie, the Operations Director of the whole place. He also talks with Chef Juke of the DMV Council, and Level Placerman, Manager of the Placement team. Here’s a sneak peek behind the scenesters who are preserving the unique magic while navigating the complexities of growth, and how they ensure that the spirit of creation remains accessible to all. Is it possible to balance the wild heart of Burner culture and the grown-up practices of a city? We’re about to find out.

Mutant vehicles! Theme camps! Art experiences! It all emanates from the community… overlapping circles of people who are everywhere between being newcomers and seasoned, local and global, young and old. Andie Grace talks with next-gen Burners Taylor Andrews, Kat Ebert, Mani Senthil, and Whitney Wilhelmy about how to find your crew like you never thought possible. They break down barriers and clear pathways through an initiative called “Rising Sparks” which demystifies BRC and Regional events, and guides Burners to get more from the magic. They explore the art of participation: · seeing the sweet spot between being unmoored and overdoing it · balancing of survival and self-expression · finding fresh takes on mentorship Hear how they claim their place and shape the future. "Rising Sparks is a grassroots collective fostering intergenerational collaboration, connection, and cultural continuity within Burning Man."

Hundreds of people create the temple in Black Rock City. It’s a community intent on creating a work of art that is a space for people to grieve and revive. For the first few years of Black Rock City we didn't have a temple. Now, people can't imagine living without it. Each year, participants create messages, tributes, and altars for who and what they want to release. The event culminates with the burning of the temple in what organically evolved to be a silent Burn. Listen to Stuart talk with Miguel Arraiz García, the lead artist for this year’s “Temple of the Deep.” Hear stories about how a temple is built, from crew selection to fundraising, from chances taken to lessons learned. This poetic and playful conversation exemplifies how this year’s temple is already healing. Miguel says, “We are always looking for the answers above us. I was trying to make something just to look for the answer between us or among us. So it is not that much building a temple, it is more building like a shelter for emotions, a safe space where you can be with people.”

Disasters happen. Communities come together to recover and rebuild. Governments and NGOs help however they know how. Will Heegaard sees every disaster as a chance to build back greener. His non-profit provides power and water from nature. · power from the sun – instead of gas generators · water from the air – instead of plastic water bottles He helped with disaster relief from hurricanes in Florida, North Carolina, and Puerto Rico. He helped in West Africa, in the Philippines, and with the Maui Fires. He helped with the LA Fires. And he taught himself to create power and water from nature while serving as a paramedic in Black Rock City. These adventure stories include laughter and levity in learning.

Back again by popular demand: more tales from Burning Man’s oral history project, an ambitious endeavor to track down and talk with people who helped shape the culture as we now know it. Hear stories of early technology on the playa, in Silicon Valley, and on the internet. · Andie Grace, aka Actiongrl, interviews from the vantage of having co-created Burning Man’s world of communications, from Media Mecca to this very podcast. · Brian Behlendorf - technologist and open-source software pioneer. He developed Burning Man’s online presence and connected people through the Venn diagram of luminaries from SFRaves to Wired Magazine to the Apache Software Foundation. · David Beach - designer, creative director, and instigator of the impossible with early dynamic content on the web. He helped create Burning Man’s first live streaming and web presence. · Scott Beale - documentarian, founder of Laughing Squid, subculture super-connector of various tentacles of the meta-scene. · Stuart Mangrum - zinester, cacophonist, billboard liberator, Minister of Propaganda, Director of the Philosophical Center, publisher of the first on-site newspaper of Burning Man (the Black Rock Gazette), and always in the same place at the same time as Burning Man’s media experiments.

He is a celebrated author, entrepreneur, leadership maven, and a founding Board Member of Burning Man Project. He’s a serial contributor to the culture and the cause. In this episode, Chip and Stuart explore how to use the 10 Principles to make conversations interesting and how a description of Black Rock City always becomes a riddle. They resist the urge to quiz newbies on the 10 Principles, while they also say that Burners should not take themselves too seriously. They try on the notion that nothing matters and everything’s humorous. They make sense of big ideas like collective effervescence, emotional equations, and the need for aesthetics and beauty. They talk about a deep diversity of ritual gatherings around the world, and the influence of the global community emanating from Regional Burns. They tell stories about all this and more, and somehow it all flows.

Burners often speak about the work it takes to prepare their art, art car, or camp for Black Rock City, but for many, it doesn’t end there. A project sparked in the desert or at Regional Events can take on a life of its own, continuing year-round in surprising ways. What happens when a camp or mutant vehicle takes a break from Black Rock City? After all the Communal Effort devoted to their playa project, do they even know how to stop? Apparently not... and the world benefits. kbot and Stuart speak with people who pressed pause on producing in Black Rock City, only to put their time, imagination, and heart into projects that build a better world. · Leon & Patrizia of New York Dangerous discuss how their resource rescue nonprofit fosters a ‘pay it forward’ form of altruism. · Leo & Catarina of Jaguara share how their mutant vehicle has become a vehicle for education and expression in Columbia. · Zoe (aka “Jeff”) of Camp Starbarf tells how a year off for her camp spawned a voter support initiative and a punk rock band! Their stories share a theme: the 10 Principles (and playa-born fortitude) inspire their year-round endeavors.

Tom Price co-founded Burners Without Borders, Black Rock Solar, and a company that gifts clean-burning kitchens to people in Kenya. Tom talks about the weather, specifically hurricanes, and how Burners Without Borders started and grows despite extreme circumstances because Burners are extreme! Tom’s tales of adventure include paperwork pranks and ad hoc Cajun catharsis. If Burning Man is a permission engine, giving people agency in their lives, he says the lesson of Burning Man is finding out what is too much and then finding the sweet spot. Note: The company names they joke about in this episode are NOT sponsors, because if we don't have Decommodification, we don't have Burning Man!