Storage container as art, placed in deep playa?

[sparr]

Can the container storage program drop a container in deep playa, as part of an art project? Something like the base of the giant victrola, or the saltines box. The FAQ doesn't address this, and I can't find an example of the container placement instructions to see if it would even be possible to indicate a deep playa location.

[Ratty]

Sparr, You have a year to figure this out. The Artery is quite busy now with this years art. Ask them in October or November.

[sparr]

Why Artery? I thought most containers were for placed camps, not art? Wouldn't that be handled by placement or DPW?

I didn't mention in my original post because I expected to be accused of whining, but it does stand out to me that none of the pages about the storage container program give any sort of contact info or even mention what team/dept coordinates the process.

[sparr]

You have a year to figure this out. [...] Ask them in October or November.

No matter when I ask questions like this, someone tells me it's the wrong time. July or August? Too close to the event, ask later. September or October? Everyone is decompressing, ask later. November to April? Everyone is taking time off, ask later. May or June? That process is done for this year already, you should have asked earlier.

I'll go right on asking when the questions occur to me.

[Traveller in Time]

There is no time like now

It is a state of immediacy

[homo ardentum]

If it’s art, then you’ll want to register your project with the Artery. They will review your project and, if accepted, place your artwork based on how they think it will fit in with other art. You’ll have some say in its general location, but you won’t know exactly where until you show up.

There is a huge infrastructure set up to get your stuff where it needs to be. You will need to hire the contractor for transport but ASS is great in getting stuff where it needs to be!

Swing by the Artery this year and you’ll get all the info you need. Good luck on your project!

[sparr]

You will need to hire the contractor for transport

I thought this is what the $350 delivery fee was for?

[homo ardentum]

Not to get it to the playa. You’re still looking at the wrong stuff. Artery handles all of this and has nothing to do with theme camps or camp placement. If it’s art, then start over and look at the process to bring artwork to Burning Man.

[sparr]

This post is about https://storage.burningman.org/storage-container-faq/

[homo ardentum]

Storage Container as Art....that’s your topic?

Art projects start here:
https://burningman.org/event/art-performance/playa-art/

Your container will not be delivered as “art” anywhere without going here first.

[BBadger]

You'll need to coordinate with both the Artery to see if you're even allowed to drop the storage container in some arbitrary spot outside the city and who might help you with the process, and also the container service folk to see they're willing to drop and retrieve the container in a designated location outside the city, which might be very out of their way.

Your request is out of the ordinary, so it is not addressed in the FAQ or otherwise. While dropping a container in the city can be done without intervention by a person on the ground via a detailed map, the road and city plan, and instructions, positioning something like that in the open playa may require additional intervention that could make the request more difficult.

So you'll just have to open up channels of communications with the people involved, or find out who those people are to do it (sorry, I have no idea), and then get the process going. It is probably a good time to poke people after the burn and after some decompression, but before art request grants and stuff, so that they can devote more attention to your requests.

[sparr]

Art projects start here:
https://burningman.org/event/art-performance/playa-art/

I'm sorry you feel that way. Are you under the misapprehension that putting art in deep playa requires coordination with or permission from the Artery?

You'll need to coordinate with both the Artery to see if you're even allowed to drop the storage container in some arbitrary spot outside the city and who might help you with the process

Thanks. I've seen their guidelines on "prefab structures", but got curious about how that worked when I saw the saltine box and the victrola base last year.

[You'll need to coordinate with] the container service folk to see they're willing to drop and retrieve the container in a designated location outside the city, which might be very out of their way. [...] So you'll just have to open up channels of communications with the people involved, or find out who those people are to do it (sorry, I have no idea), and then get the process going.

I would love to do that, but they don't seem to provide any sort of contact information anywhere that I can find.

positioning something like that in the open playa may require additional intervention that could make the request more difficult.

I'm not picky about placement, I'd be happy if they just drove to a random location and unloaded it. That's how I've done my playa art in the past.

[BBadger]

The Saltine box came to mind too when you mentioned containers on-playa. Maybe the folk at brcstorage@burningman.org could help you out. They might have stipulations on how you can (not) decorate it or other stuff like that and need written authorization or something from the Artery, assuming they're willing to do it. The Artery might also be able to get you in contact with them or explain how the other installations brought their containers.

[Ratty]

I'm sorry you feel that way. Are you under the misapprehension that putting art in deep playa requires coordination with or permission from the Artery?

Sparr did you go to the BM site?
Upper right, 'The Event'
Art and performance
Creating Playa art

Read and explore each link. You'll see that NO. You are not allowed to bring your art and plop it down out on the playa. Each piece is critiqued and each person fills out an application. Otherwise it would be a shitshow of junk blowing around, not lit at night with no insurance. the art application is open from February till June. this info wasn't hard to find.

[Ratty]

Read the part about prefab art. No tents or domes or prefab. Only hand made pieces. Some exceptions may be placed near 2 or 10.

[trilobyte]

BRC Storage placement is for camps within the city, at camp name & location. Anything placed on the open or deep playa must be done through ARTery.

In order for such a plan to work, you would need to register a project through ARTery, then receive placement from them that can be passed along to the folks at BRC Storage. These are conversations you should be having directly with both ARTery and BRC Storage, well in advance of either the event or the art installation questionnaire closing for the year.

[spacetime]

I just gotta ask, what’s in the box?

[Captain Goddammit]

Five big Zorbs!

[sparr]

Maybe the folk at brcstorage@burningman.org could help you out. They might have stipulations on how you can (not) decorate it or other stuff like that and need written authorization or something from the Artery, assuming they're willing to do it. The Artery might also be able to get you in contact with them or explain how the other installations brought their containers.

Thanks for the email address. That was missing from their web pages, probably intentionally. I wouldn't plan to do any permanent decoration to the outside; it would still look plain drab sand color until we unpack the decorations from inside and attach them to the outside. I will reach out to the Artery as well, although I have no idea what month is best since people keep telling me not to do it in [X=any] month.

[clipped instructions to get to https://burningman.org/event/art-performance/playa-art/]
Read and explore each link. You'll see that NO. You are not allowed to bring your art and plop it down out on the playa. Each piece is critiqued and each person fills out an application. Otherwise it would be a shitshow of junk blowing around, not lit at night with no insurance. the art application is open from February till June. this info wasn't hard to find.

Anything placed on the open or deep playa must be done through ARTery.

Nothing that I can see there says that it's a requirement to do any of that. After speaking with the ARTery the first time I brought a piece of big[ger than a person can carry] art, they made it clear that that process is only mandatory for fire art and/or art that wants to be on the playa art map or directory at the ARTery on playa and/or art that wants logistical assistance from the ARTery. Please, let me know where you're finding the requirement that I've missed.

I just gotta ask, what’s in the box?

Cold air and some sort of ice cave theme. Probably a vaguely different theme, maybe with someone new doing the decorations, each year.

[Ratty]

It's pretty clear.

https://burningman.org/event/art-performance/playa-art/

If you want to bring art to the playa…

Fill out and submit our registration questionnaire (open from February 21 to June 5, 2018; if you miss the submission deadline you may submit a late registration or register on-playa at the ARTery). If you are interested in creating art for the Center Camp Café see their guidelines.

In Black Rock City, volunteers at The ARTery will assist you in placing your art on playa.

[lucky420]

Five big Zorbs!

Bwahahahaha perfect

[AntiM]

Wanna see my big zorbs?

[Token]

Party like it’s 1999

[BBadger]

Thanks for the email address. That was missing from their web pages, probably intentionally. I wouldn't plan to do any permanent decoration to the outside; it would still look plain drab sand color until we unpack the decorations from inside and attach them to the outside. I will reach out to the Artery as well, although I have no idea what month is best since people keep telling me not to do it in [X=any] month.

I found that email address on the storage page. It's also in their FAQ.

Nothing that I can see there says that it's a requirement to do any of that. After speaking with the ARTery the first time I brought a piece of big[ger than a person can carry] art, they made it clear that that process is only mandatory for fire art and/or art that wants to be on the playa art map or directory at the ARTery on playa and/or art that wants logistical assistance from the ARTery. Please, let me know where you're finding the requirement that I've missed.

The site states:

You MUST fill out the art installation questionnaire if you would like to bring an art installation for placement on the open playa. Please read through the following guidelines before registering your project.

This questionnaire is only for registering physical art installations to be placed on the open playa, and not Mutant Vehicles, performances, art for the Center Camp Café, or art inside your camp (which doesn’t need to be registered).

The questionnaire also implies that the person must receive permission to bring and set up the art, which involves having have a proper plan for LNT, meeting setup and teardown time guidelines, having someone whom to coordinate with, etc. It's not just some notification to the ARTery that you're bringing it and would like to be mentioned in the guide book. The questionnaire and the department behind it keeps out art that is not suitable for the playa (messy art, etc.) and artists who are not willing to be responsible for their art.

There are people who will still try to sneak in art, bypassing the proper channels. You don't sound like someone who does that kind of thing. You should therefore speak to the ARTery and coordinate with them to place your art properly, especially something as conspicuous as a storage container in the open playa.

[sparr]

The site states:

You MUST fill out the art installation questionnaire if you would like to bring an art installation for placement on the open playa. Please read through the following guidelines before registering your project.

This questionnaire is only for registering physical art installations to be placed on the open playa, and not Mutant Vehicles, performances, art for the Center Camp Café, or art inside your camp (which doesn’t need to be registered).

I think there's a terminology problem here. You are reading "placed" as "I am going to put it there"? I am reading it as "ARTery assigned it a location ('Placement')". When I spoke to ARTery about on-site art registration a few years ago, they told me I didn't need to bother if I didn't want to be on the map or assigned a spot.

[Jackass]

You'll probably be in good shape placing your own art in deep playa, if you trailer in your container using an extra VP you may have laying around and bring your own container-moving giant forklift... Or you could just go through the proper channels.

I'd try getting a hold of them first thing in November

[Ratty]

Sparr, how do you think it would work if anyone, could put anything, wherever they wanted, on the playa? Don't you think there would be a bunch of stuff circling the Man and the Temple? Also the roadside of Esplanade would be full of people's creations. Artery HAS to tell people where to put their art. Otherwise it would be a nightmare for emergency services. There must be room for crowds around the big popular pieces. there also has to be room for the perimeter when things are burnt. If someone spends a year and a ton of money making a beautiful piece they can't have a shipping container sitting 20 feet from it. The Artery spaces things out. It's nicer this way.

[Ratty]

I keep meaning to ask. What are you going to do with the container after you buy it? And, how far down are you on the waiting list to get one?

[Just_Joe]

You are reading "placed" as "I am going to put it there"? I am reading it as "ARTery assigned it a location ('Placement')". When I spoke to ARTery about on-site art registration a few years ago, they told me I didn't need to bother if I didn't want to be on the map or assigned a spot.

It's called Renegade Art and is subject to removal.

Projects need to be reviewed for safety reasons.
Placement is required to keep yahoos from setting up a container 20 feet in front of the Man.
If unregistered art was allowed or encouraged, you would have seen reference to it, along with self-placement guidelines.

edit: Yeah, what Ratty said.

[BBadger]

I think there's a terminology problem here. You are reading "placed" as "I am going to put it there"? I am reading it as "ARTery assigned it a location ('Placement')". When I spoke to ARTery about on-site art registration a few years ago, they told me I didn't need to bother if I didn't want to be on the map or assigned a spot.

I don't know what the circumstances were about what "on-site" was referring to, or other details discussed with you those years ago. Perhaps they thought you meant having it on-site in your camp or within BRC -- the latter of which can also have placement by the ARTery.

What I do know is that the written policy on that site states that you MUST fill out the questionnaire for anything that will be placed on open playa, further stating that this only applies to art on the open playa, not performance, mutant vehicle, or in-camp art. I believe in-camp art can also include some space across the Esplanade for camps placed on Esplanade, as it is associated with the camp.

It is possible that the ARTery trusts or trusted your discretion for placing smaller art, art that registered late in the process, or after the known locations for other art have been established; however, certainly for something as large as a shipping container the ARTery will want to be involved in the placement process. Regardless, you will need to register the art with the ARTery.