Burning Man 2001 - Full Moon at Black Rock City
New York Renaissance Faire - There's no time like the past...
Coney Island's Mermaid Parade - New York's
wildest summer costume party
NYC's Gay Pride Parade - What part of equal don't you understand?
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I left Burning Man with tears in my eyes.
This unique experience had somehow affected me in a profound new way and I felt that I was leaving a dear friend behind. It was an intense week with both hardship and joy and now that I'm back home with the modern conveniences, I find something is lacking, something I found at the Man.
To
attempt to explain Burning Man, it is best to discuss possibilities, philosophy
and community. This event is for and by people who care deeply about these things
and pray that it stays that way. But first some facts…
BM was launched 15 years ago by a group of San Francisco artists celebrating the summer solstice and, once it ran afoul of the San Francisco authorities, it moved to the desert outside Reno, Nevada. The event now attracts over 25,000 people who make the pilgrimage and build a temporary city for the purpose of radical expression, self-reliance and freedom from society's suppressing forces.
Burning Man is not for the casual tourist. On this dusty, hard-baked desert
playa temperatures can reach 110 degrees by day and 30 degrees at night while
high winds can easily rip out tent stakes and send critical belongings miles
downwind. BM requires detailed planning, knowledge of desert survival, a stable
shade structure and a week worth of food and water. With only coffee and ice
available for sale (in only one place), each participant must plan for their
every need and be prepared to help friends and strangers alike. 
The Man's home is Black Rock City, a truly impressive site with hundreds of theme camps populating a nicely laid out city grid complete with posted street signs and well-maintained porta potties. From the sky, The city looks like a large "C" with a 40-foot combustible man statue at its center. The area surrounding the Man is open and dedicated to large, often interactive, art instillations. The city grid rings this large circular desert expanse. Modeled after a clockface, the city's 18 eighteen "streets" radiate out from the man and run, every half-hour, from 2:00 - 10:00 (street names = 3:00, 3:30, 4:00, etc.) and the city's nine "avenues" circle the man and are named in accordance with the yearly theme. With the 2001 theme being the "Seven Ages of Man", these roads were named, in outbound order, Infant, Child, Lover, Soldier, Justice, Pantaloon and Oblivion. There is a main "Center Camp" with a large common area and the innermost avenue is the Esplanade which is the main drag where costumers, nudists, art bikes and art cars all cruise around. This main drag also has many impressive structures and serves as the city's skyline which, when lit up, is a truly awesome spectacle.
What
is most impressive is the fact that this is a temporary city built with no profit
motive where all the necessary building, lighting and power supplies are trucked
in and out by the participants at their expense. This is a city built on sweat
and love, for the enjoyment of all.
Burning Man is essentially a thousand-ring circus with scores of wildly varying
theme camps, large and small art instillations, interactive performance artists,
dance clubs, art cars & bikes and thousands of costumers all with their unique
sense of "playa style". There is so much to see, feel, hear and even taste that
it is critical to bring a bicycle and even then it is impossible to experience
everything. With a vibrant nightlife and many dance club theme camps, anyone
with the stamina can dance until dawn in a variety of techno and alternative
music environments. Everywhere you turn, there is something that invokes awe,
laughter or incredulity 
Hand-in-hand with self-expression comes fashion, and BM is a costumer's paradise. In a bid to impress and express, BM's many creative souls compete for the compliments and applause of all. Costume concepts range from sexy to outlandish to really cool with some common themes being dictated by the time of day. During the hot days, the most prominent fashion involved minimal, or no, clothing and the liberal use of body paint and physique enhancing wear. In the cooler nights, the emphasis is on warmer costumery employing "night-time lighting concepts". In a city with no street lighting and a steady stream of pedestrians, bicyclists and art cars, it is essential to utilize some personal lighting to keep from being run over. The most ambitious costumers take night-lighting to an extreme and employ a colorful array of fluorescent colors, glo-sticks, glo-string and a wide range of electronic gadgetry.
Staged
performances are everywhere. Of interest were the battles at "Thunderdome" where,
much like the Mel Gibson Mad Max film, combatants fought each other while tethered
with springy elastic harnesses to the joy of a bloodthirsty audience surrounding
and hanging from the frame of the large geodesic dome. Another performance was
the nightly robot battles between Dr. Megavolt, the Subjugator and others. Dr.
Megavolt is essentially a large motorized lightning machine that crackles while
shooting out visible lighting bolts in all directions and often creates a powerful
current between itself and its foe. Subjugator has a three-pronged steel claw
and shoots fire. On Saturday night, the bout began when Subjugator decided to
venture into a neighboring theme camp and grabbed a large Elvis head and dragged
it out onto the playa and burned it. Ultimately, Dr. Megavolt taught Subjugator
a lesson for this evil act.
"The Burn" was one of the wildest spectacles I have ever seen and this one
seemed to be truly special. Just after darkness under a completely full moon
which cooperated by rising just after sundown (I'm not making this up), thousands
of spectators, art cars, trucks & buses ringed the man to await the mayhem that
would ensue. The ceremony began with tribal drumming and hundreds of scantily
clad fire "spinners" (dancers who spin lit torches and flaming devices) participating
in a pagan-like ritual under the full moon. As the tension reached its peak,
an explosion
boomed and the Man, arms upraised, began to burn. As the flames and heat grew,
a strange and wonderful thing happened. With the fire consuming the 40-foot
tall structure and the wind and smoke blowing directly towards the full moon,
tornado-like smoke funnels began to develop and moved from the Man towards the
moon. Several dancers jumped into these funnels and disrupted the flow but other
funnels were soon to follow. Eventually, the Man crashed to the ground and the
crowd was then allowed to rush in and frantically dance around the flaming wreckage.
Wild partying continued until well after dawn.
* * *
Burning Man feeds on something that is primal and good. Since pre-history, symbolic ceremonies have helped build and shape disparate communities. As a first-of-its-kind, sophisticated, temporary city, BM works because it is fueled by basic human needs and desires which were around long before our artificial consumer driven society began to take shape.
BM's
most radical move, the abolishment of monetary commerce along with its "Leave
No Trace" environmental credo harken back to days when man was more in touch
with the earth. These principals help to create an environment where people
work together to help each other while taking care of their surroundings.
In a world where artistic creativity is often linked to sales and customer requirements, and environment that embraces original art for art's sake is refreshing and essential for true creative growth in a world that often stifles it. As BM inspires regional parties and other like-minded art fairs, one can only hope a trend is developing.
As a Manhattanite who has watched NYC's fall from grace as the leader of the hip underground art scene, I worry about the ramifications of a conservative era throughout the US. Since the lifestyles and activities of some of the most visible BM attendees are anathema to our ruling minority it is possible that there will be some moves to bring this movement to heal. This would be a mistake.
Burning Man is, in fact, a populist movement involving many people from all walks of life who find positive ways to contribute to this event. When any group transforms a barren, hostile environment into a thriving, environmentally friendly community using their own resources and love, there is a lesson for all of us to see. Whatever that lesson is, it is good.
For over 100 Pics go to the gallery's Burning Man section. If we missed anything, please email us your comments/pics and we will post them!
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It was a fine day for chainmail!
On this humid day with temperatures creeping into the mid 90's, thousands of medievalists, role playing gamers, witches, warlocks, faeries and other fair folk descended upon New York's Sterling Forest ski resort to participate in the annual NY Renaissance Faire. Held every day from late July to mid-September, this renfaire is one of the largest with hundreds of actors, merchants, rides and attractions.
More
important than all the props is the joy experienced by all the medieval enthusiasts
who delight in the journey to another time. Renaissance Faires are not just
places where you can buy swords or nosh on roast mutton, but an interactive
environment where people communicate in olde English and escape our mundane
world of traffic jams and dotcoms. All who costume become players in a medieval
village with Shakespearean actors, knights in shining armor, fair maidens, talented
musicians and farcical jesters.
Crowd favorites include the Joust, the Human Chessboard and The Mud Show.
During the Joust, the combatants include the two warring factions from the Robin
Hood saga aligning behind Robin Hood and The Sheriff of Nottingham, 
accordingly.
Demonstrating manly looks and fine skills, the jousters shatter lances on each
other's shields while racing about on horseback. One side or the other wins
and the saga continues.
At the Human Chessboard, the same characters battle over position in duals involving many male and female characters swashbuckling away and hopping around. The talented combatants put on a great show displaying amazing fighting skills with little or no protection. With the kings, queens, nights and bishops all proclaiming and politicking, the crowd is given a good show.
The
Mud Show is another story… Suffice to say, it involves mud, farcical goings-on
and… mud. Leave your intellect by the gate.
Throughout the faire there was family fun, frequent flirtation and many great
outfits. Guys sported a range of armor, cloaks and assorted rogue-wear. The
ladies were evenly split amongst warriors, witches, wenches and ladies. Oft
times, bright smiles were accompanied by impressive busts well displayed in
various styles of cleavage-wear. Others wore pointed ears and faerie wings and
flitted about the faire grounds. 
Throughout the US, Canada and Europe, there are hundreds of Renaissance faires. This growing phenomenon is a truly excellent thing that combines history and community in an entertaining, engaging way. Take our word for it. Visit your local renfaire and… go in costume.
Check for faire pics in the main photo gallery's Renaissance Section along with a feature article on the History of Renaissance Faires in the Summer 2000 section.
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It's what New York's Halloween Parade used to be, with more nudity…
The Coney Island Mermaid Parade is one of New York's most delightfully irreverent events featuring hundreds of costumed mermaids, mermen, merkids, Neptunes, sea creatures, classic cars, aquatic inspired floats and random ridiculousness.
This
years' 19th annual event featured a new format utilizing Keyspan Stadium, the
home of a New York Mets' minor league team, the Brooklyn Cyclones. Since the
parade has grown dramatically over the years, parade founder, Dick A. Zigun
and the non-for-profit organization that oversees the event, Coney Island, USA,
have re-organized to allow more people to easily view the goings-on of this
colorful affair.
By midday, the parade marchers were all organizing in the Keyspan Stadium
parking lot and preparing for the 2pm kick-off. This impromptu tailgate party
was unlike those at many other stadiums because it was not about portly men
guzzling cans of
domestic beer and barbecuing various breeds of meat. Instead, this parking lot
party featured many creative sea-inspired costumers all hamming for the cameras,
while adjusting their wild outfits.
With temperatures in the high 90's on this sunny day, those who opted for skimpy costumes clearly had an advantage. The many mer-folks and other scantily clad sea-critters proudly displayed their creative use of body paint and pasties. Others, who seemed to have worked on their costumes for weeks, used the opportunity to highlight their imagination and capabilities.
The
parade kicked off, slowly, at 2ish and was first channeled through the stadium
where a paying audience ($10) could view the spectacle in the comfort of the
relatively empty stadium. All the costumers, cars and floats crawled past the
reviewing stand where the judges were supposedly rating everyone's work. One
judge shamelessly approached the parade line with a bucket labeled "bribe the
judges" that was filled with beers and other sundry items. Guards were close
at hand to keep the rowdy sea creatures from venturing out onto the well-groomed
playing field that was too beautiful for some to avoid.
Once through the stadium, the parade merged onto Surf Avenue for its half-mile trip towards Astroland and the world-famous Cyclone roller coaster. Unlike the huge Halloween Parade, this parade is still an intimate affair with easy interaction between the crowd and the marchers. Everyone enjoyed each other on this exceptional day.
The Costume Network team, as usual, took hundreds of photos and the best ones can be seen in the main photo gallery's Parades section. Besides all the mer-beauties, special congratulations go to the creators of the Cowboy Fish, the Red Sea Horse, the mutant blow-fish, the Narwhal/Unicorn of the Sea, the Campbell's Mermaid Soup and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. If we missed anything, please email us your comments/pics and we will post them!
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As usual, there were no available closets at this year's Gay Pride Parade.
Instead there were thousands of openly lesbian and gay revelers all dancing, laughing, biking, flirting and hamming for the crowds and cameras. This is truly one of New York's most festive costume occasions, as one of its most creative communities mobilize for the highlight of the weeklong celebration of gay & lesbian pride.
This
year's event, themed "What Part of Equal Don't You Understand?" by the parade
organizers, Heritage of Pride, Inc., was an especially joyous one with a great
turnout and almost perfect parade weather. The parade was lead by the Sirens
Motrocycle club and, as usual, moved down 5th Avenue from the 50's to Washington
Square Park where the procession turned right through Greenwich Village towards
it grand finale on Christopher Street. The joyous revelry was quieted once,
when, at 2pm, there was a moment of silence for all those who have been lost
to AIDS.
Being a mayoral electoral year, this year featured all the candidates who, despite almost identical positions, sought to 'out gay-friendly' each other by currying favor with this large and active voting block. Mayor Rudy was hanging out with Mike Bloomberg. Senator Schumer was present, Hillary was not.
The
amazing costume themes included cross-dressing, fantasy wear, outlandish and
pure exhibitionism. For those who chose feminine garb, it was often impossible
to identify the women from the men if you even cared. There were many hunky
hard-bods and others showing off their wonderful creativity.
The Costume Network team was amazed by the diversity and beautiful spirit
of all who participated. Special congratulations go to the Brazilian Rainbow
Group
for their sheer enthusiasm along with those we call the French Poodle, Skater
Girls, Rainbow Dandy, Whole Lotta' Woman and Flower Girls. 
If you would like to contribute additional comments/pics please email us. Also check out pics from the Fire Island Invasion in the gallery's Gay/Lesbian section.