Jaded?

[goathead]

I am getting jaded on the sponsored art.
That leaves the playa and is then sold for big bucks.


Have we just become an upscale gallery, of a dusty nature?

Kind of like the picture album in one of the other folders here.
Loved it, the guy is a burner, to pictures of, other burners, doing burner things.
not models posing for a photo shoot.

Miss all of the neighborhood art.
small stuff

[Simon of the Playa]

the big stuff is great too, but because its so big, it gets all the photos, all the selfies, all the attention.

i too like the small, very personal art that is almost everywhere, filling the spaces, hiding in cracks.

it's passionate, and very accessible, and sometimes the logistics of bringing that "work" to the playa, for a single, non-funded entity or group is a struggle and challenge, especially from a distance.

yet they do it, year aftet year.

no recognition, no reward, no future promise of a show at art basel, no commissions.

they do it because of the "fever" that all artists get.

this need to create, its the driving force.

so maybe this year i too will spend a little more time cruising the alleyways, checking out the outsider outsider art, and talking to those people with a gleam in their eye and the "fever" of imagination but maybe not a crew or kickstarter behind them.

here's to the little art, that fills the big space between the big spaces.

document it, and show those unknown artists that their stuff is just as important and meaningful as anyone elses.

[Molotov]

I think the artists behind some of the more high-tech outdoor art like Koi Pond and Sonic Runway use the event as a "torture test" of their equipment, in that if it survives on the playa, it should be up to any challenge in a commercial environment.

In the interest of full disclosure: I loved both of those art installations.

[AntiM]

Small art is the very soul, the sole reason, for my project.

[Popeye]

Small art is the very soul, the sole reason, for my project.

And you do it beautifully. Thank you.

[Meat Hunter]

What Popeye said + 1.

[Papa Bear]

For me the small art created by anyone who cares to try, whether or not they've previously identified as an "artist" is a really core part of what the burn is about (and I've long revered the Home for Wayward Art for celebrating it). But the grand projects people take on are also important.

I'm really not overly bothered by art pieces being sold afterward, so long as that money flows back into creating more art we get to see on-playa. I think it's rare that any of it is sold at a significant profit (or even at a profit). While a given piece may fetch big bucks, those pieces usually require big bucks to create in the first place.

I also like the idea of being able to see art originally created for the playa again out in the wider world. After all, what's the alternative? Spend resources hauling it back to the playa every year that could instead have been spent on creating new art, or letting the art rot in storage somewhere?

[Simon of the Playa]

this is my opinon, and im trying not to piss on any art at all, more on the intent of the "artist."

is our community merely a springboard to launch a career via "playa exposure"?

is the burn a bullet point on a marketing strategy outline?

do you have corporate sponsors who want to secretly place free product in the hands of the kool kids so the other kids see them?

because if it is, maybe you should go fuck yourself.

just my 2 cents...

[Papa Bear]

is our community merely a springboard to launch a career via "playa exposure"?

Does that ever actually happen?

is the burn a bullet point on a marketing strategy outline?

do you have corporate sponsors who want to secretly place free product in the hands of the kool kids so the other kids see them?

because if it is, maybe you should go fuck yourself.

These, on the other hand, obviously do (a certain champagne brand comes to mind)... and I agree.

[AntiM]

Corporate marketing at this level is obvious to jaded old burners, but do we, can we, create enough of a backlash to make it a bad strategy? Or are the widdle Kool Kids so eager to drink the KoolAid that they cannot see the invisible hands stroking their strings?

[FlyingMonkey]

My $.02,

Bigger & Better Art scares me. Where does it end & what affect will it have on small artists and the event(I know, it's not an event its a journey) as a whole? I'll take small unknown artists & janky Mutant vehicles over excessively expensive/funded mega-art any-day.

I prefer the art I stumble upon while riding the back streets. One year I was on what must have been 5:30 & "B" or "C" (I really have no idea where) and found the coolest 3D art that just totally blew my mind. Kudos to the small artists who bring their A-game.

[BBadger]

I don't really have a problem with the art being sponsored or sold off after, assuming that none of the sponsorship is noted in any official credits. I'll only have a problem if it diverts tickets and resources away from other artists. Otherwise, I wouldn't know better either way because I rarely read up about the art going to BM in the first place.

Anyway, the small art is where it's at. Somebody or a group of people who bring some intimate piece, or performance art. I also like going treasure hunting in deep playa. It's a shame there isn't as much small deep playa art, possibly because it's hard for people to plan to bring that kind of art that doesn't directly reflect on the camps for a DGS credit. I want it to be where people feel they can and should bring whatever they've build at any scale to share.

The big art is kind of like going to the Statue of Liberty. It's real cool and all, and makes for great photos, but it's hard to provide much more than just a show. So you see it up close once, or maybe again with the friends who arrived later in the week, and then mostly see it from a distance for the remainder. "Oh did you see the WHATEVER?" "Oh yeah, we rode out to that yesterday. It was pretty cool. Hey there's a camp way down on G and 4:00 that has this weird wall you can stick your head through and it looks way different on the interior. I won't spoil it for you. Want to check it out?"

[Perpetual Burn]

The essence of The Burn IMO is to set to waste the financial system we live in....

Ironically the best way to Burn down the system is to literally Burn money/waste on Playapartytacular art/experience...

So if along the way or long after if you can acquire more fun coupons (money) to Burn on the next trip in the Dust... do it... then Burn it down...

The Soul of Art transcends all Commodification.

Burn big. Ball small. Burn with Love!

[helitack]

I am getting jaded on the sponsored art.
That leaves the playa and is then sold for big bucks.


Have we just become an upscale gallery, of a dusty nature?

Kind of like the picture album in one of the other folders here.
Loved it, the guy is a burner, to pictures of, other burners, doing burner things.
not models posing for a photo shoot.

Miss all of the neighborhood art.
small stuff

Perhaps one might finally realize that the illusion created by, for and about burning man is ultimately by, for and about commerce...

[ygmir]

I am getting jaded on the sponsored art.
That leaves the playa and is then sold for big bucks.


Have we just become an upscale gallery, of a dusty nature?

Kind of like the picture album in one of the other folders here.
Loved it, the guy is a burner, to pictures of, other burners, doing burner things.
not models posing for a photo shoot.

Miss all of the neighborhood art.
small stuff

Perhaps one might finally realize that the illusion created by, for and about burning man is ultimately by, for and about commerce...

hey there helitack!! I was wondering if this thread would bring you out.........good to see ya!

[Papa Bear]

I don't think it's true that one is necessarily crowding out the other. There's room for both.

The biggest thing that attracted me to the art installation I'm working on is that it has a balance between large and small scale art - essentially using the former as a showcase for the latter. We all contribute to building the big structure, but each of us is also making at least one mating pair for the mobiles - the interpretation and execution of which are entirely up to the individual maker.

Only a couple of us on this team would be considered professional artists (and neither of those are working in their usual media). In fact, for most of us the last time we created any kind of art, it was in finger paint and displayed on our parents' fridge.

It's also become something of a catalyst for bringing together the local community. Turns out there are considerable more "burners" in our area than any of us had realized, we're just scattered into small groups in multiple communities that until recently were largely unaware of each other. There's certainly a lot further to go, but I'm pleased to see the connections being made and creative ideas being sparked.

We're definitely not making any money on this. Even if our crowdfunding campaign succeeds, and even with the honorarium grant, we'll all be into this piece for considerable sums individually - and I don't think ours is the sort of piece anyone will be looking to buy. I'd guess the majority of projects out there are in the same boat.

[joejoetheclown]

Hey there Molotov,

Joejoe here, artist behind The Koi Pond... glad you liked it!

I totally agree with your statement, even going back to the days when the July 4th week was torture test of equipment for Burning Man preparedness. I'm sure some people use the event as a giant environmental chamber.

In the case of the Koi Pond though, that was just good ol' fashioned art for art's sake.

I've been a part of other large art pieces that have been sold (sometimes close to a decade) after the event, and I personally don't know anyone that's getting rich off of it. More likely that they maybe cover the cost of having stored it, or paying down the initial debt from building the piece. Grants are usually about 1/3 of the cost of these "smaller" pieces, and the org actively wants to see most honorarium artists engaging the community to make up that difference. Honestly, I'd have jumped at the chance to have the Pond find a nice home where it's appreciated rather than sitting packed up in a container.

Side note: if you really want to torture test something, put it in front of the Exploratorium for a few months. We thought we had Pete Hudson's Homouroboros (aka The Monkeys) nearly bulletproof until we did that installation.

Cheers!
jj

I think the artists behind some of the more high-tech outdoor art like Koi Pond and Sonic Runway use the event as a "torture test" of their equipment, in that if it survives on the playa, it should be up to any challenge in a commercial environment.

In the interest of full disclosure: I loved both of those art installations.

[Captain Goddammit]

The essence of The Burn IMO is to set to waste the financial system we live in....

Ironically the best way to Burn down the system is to literally Burn money/waste on Playapartytacular art/experience...

So if along the way or long after if you can acquire more fun coupons (money) to Burn on the next trip in the Dust... do it... then Burn it down...

The Soul of Art transcends all Commodification.

Burn big. Ball small. Burn with Love!

Ski into a rock face.