Making plans for 2013

[atomicray]

Greetings all!

My wife, kids, I are making plans within plans to attend, participate, and interact with the general masses with a mutant vehicle/house as well as setting up a large scale gray water recycling art piece that if accepted will feed a public though not public viewable shower.

I have many questions but the one that my wife has brought up is young children. Our kids, 26/22/20/19, are all beyond the issue at hand...public nudity, public naughtiness, and in general public adult behavior around small children.

I read the FAQ @ burningman central and I have little issue with the potential for a given young kid or two with parents hovering about being involved with the program as a whole...but as we have lived and loved through many (many) Marti Gras in New Orleans and many (many) Fantasy Fests in Key West (we lived in both placed while we were serving in the military) and had to explain many a crazy sight...flashing for beads is common place in both events as are some mild touchy feelie sights...but the only thought here for us is how many kids are there?

In all the pics I have found online for 11yrs+ of Burning Man events there was only one young kid in any picture.

So in general how many young kids are running about in what I would have thought to be a majority adult event?

Before I started really digging deep into the requirements, recommendations, and other useful write ups to prepare for the experience I had not given it a second thought...I just assumed Burning Man was 100% adult without out a thought of young children being allowed.

Now before rocks get thrown at me, we are not some weird prudish family...but I just did not expect the same event that has various collections of partial clothing or clothing optional costumes, partying, fire, drinking, etc. and also little kids...just strikes me odd that's all.

So please, a rough idea of the 30-50,000 attendees...how many are young children?

Thanks in advance.

Atomic Ray

PS
The art installation uses a solar boiler, 4 stages of media filtration, and an ammonia chiller.

[Elderberry]

I have no idea of the exact number, but there is at least one whole village that is set up especially for children. "Kidsville"

Interesting idea the community shower. I'm not sure the State Health Department is going to like it all that much though.

[atomicray]

Hi!

The way the showers are designed it is not a communal as in open shower, there are 10 stalls.

I will have all the testing done a year before. I plan to build it outside of Reno rather down here in Texas and then travel with it across country.

The filter system works already. If the full shower system becomes an issue then I will turn it into a jumping water piece.

*****

A whole village of young children you say? That is curious. Then I guess the stories are not as accurate as the general fluff articles would like to paint...which is as I suspected...who would bring young children to an event if there were as much of the sexual and drunken activities as the uninitiated assume.

Such as it is with most things.

I will have to make sure my final works are approachable by young kids then, which I had not planned on.

Thanks for the input.

[Sham]

There are a good amount of children at this event. You may have a squeued view of what this really is. It's an incredible arts festival put on by some of the most creative minds in the world. Participating in this means that you do something to enhance the event, and therefore it's actually put on by the participants, not the organization who provides the infrastructure of the city. This is very different than a place like Disney World where it's pre-built and "guests" come to see the place and spend their money.

At Burning Man there is no open lewdness and it's not some sex filled orgy in the dust. There is some nudity and free expression going on, but kids are always welcome and nothing should be inappropriate for them, unless their upbringing included the shame off seeing a naked body--or any part of it.

As far as making a shower project, I would probably attend your first year and see what this is all about. It's NOT Hedonism although there are some closed off camps that have some pretty funky themes.

Public pools and public watering holes are banned from this event, partially for health reasons and partially for the muddy, sloppy mess that the spilled water creates on the playa. If you are making a shower stall piece, you would have to be sure that no water is allowed to go on the ground.This is why attending ahead of time would come in really handy.

[atomicray]

Thanks for the input.

We were getting involved for the art. I have been invited for years but could not get away, but now that I am retired I have the opportunity.

I had read up on the water issues and yes the water piece would be set within a dual tray system to catch the runoff.

We will be attending in 2012 with another artist to help them with their build.

As for the sexual aspect, that was not in my plans...dust, scorching hot desert, mobs of strangers...not my idea of aphrodisiac lol

I was really only mentioning the young kids because I did not see any in the pictures...I have been reading up on the pets, plants, and other issues as well.

Again I appreciate the input.

If no shower element is involved then perhaps a human powered pipe system to push the filtered water up, 75'+, to operate a large mouse trap sort of setup with Goldbergian machine elements...this way there is hands on interaction, recycling, functional art, and with the churning of the water through various top open sections there would be plenty of opportunity for evaporation...maybe some high pressure tiny misters up high, the mid day heat would most likely blast the droplets before they got close to the ground...or even a glass underfall...you can stand under the splashing water while watching it fall on angled glass panels (also assisting with the evaporation efforts).

The reason I am trying to include the water elements is that it is a commission project. A client brought the desire to clean the grey water with an art piece and then move it to a site to be named.

Anyway, have a good one all.

[theCryptofishist]

I wondering if you'd feel comfortable contacting the State of Nevada? Pershing County? Washoe County? Department of Health and have a discussion about permitting, etc., to find out if it is possible to do this. If you are really doing an effective recycling (would it include sterilization?) than maybe it's a moot point.
There are multiple considerations here, it was just an idea.

[atomicray]

I am making all the connections to see if the health concerns are then I can allow at least a mister. And yes, there is a solar boiler in the system as well as filtration and UV sterilizer.

Most likely I will have to present the working unit for inspection and testing, which is why I am building it near Reno the year before.

Should be fun.

[AntiM]

One reason you don't see pictures of young children is they are not of the age of consent to agree to have their pictures taken/posted. You'd see more such pictures on the sites of family members. It is considered bad form to take pictures of kids who are not your own.

[Ugly Dougly]

Are you looking for kids?

[theCryptofishist]

I am making all the connections to see if the health concerns are then I can allow at least a mister. And yes, there is a solar boiler in the system as well as filtration and UV sterilizer.

Most likely I will have to present the working unit for inspection and testing, which is why I am building it near Reno the year before.

Should be fun.

Just so you know, the food camps can do their paperwork beforehand and have an on-playa inspection. Of course, this is somewhat more controversial, so I can see their taking extra care with it.

[atomicray]

Are you looking for kids?

This is a take at humor right?

In case, the answer is no.

No I am not looking for kids.

I have four already, but thanks for offering.

If it was meant as a joke, well good for you, funny

[Ugly Dougly]

You have to admit it looks pretty weird to have kids in the shower as an introductory message.

[Lassen Forge]

That is so... devolved. (Sorry, wrong theme year...)

What Fishy said... I'd contact Washoe Co., NV, tell them what you propose, your concerns re public safety, etc... Plus handling that much water and runoff for the event.

I think it's a HUGELY great idea, and hope that you can jump through all the hoops to make it happen.

The iggest issues I can think of would be water handling, sanitation, water filtering / disinfecting / reuse issues, etc...

One thing I *do* know is you will have to get BMORG's signoff on a huge water thing - there were such massive issues with playa scarring and irresponsible use of water in the past that they look at any large-scale water installation with a jaundiced eye. Make sure you have things like a solid water management plan, triple containment or better, etc, in your plans.

Also... I do know Washoe requires potable water for things such as showering, etc. AND there is something somewhere about public showers...

I'd contact the folks over at the Black Rock French Quarter (Espy at or about 7:00ish), ask them, as part of their gig for their kickstarter benefactors was a hot bath or shower... They're really pulling off a class act, if they can do it!

[atomicray]

You have to admit it looks pretty weird to have kids in the shower as an introductory message.

I see. Those were completely unrelated subjects, but if you did not see that these were unrelated I could see an certain oddness.

To be honest...if the showers got approved...and at this point that is a huge if...these would be single stalls, no exceptions...and no one under 18yrs old, and yes there would be ID checks as it would be the only way to be sure would be allowed in.

But with what I have picked up from the main site and little tid bits so far I suspect I will make the water treatment and application an art installation only...too many issues with a shower.

And actually, beyond my own kids I would really rather not have them hanging about...I have low tolerance for unsupervised children.

Sorry that you saw shower and kids and got caught in that loop

[atomicray]

Thanks Sue I will do those very things.

I do appreciate the input

Atomic Ray