Burning Man : NYC at BRC
Mermaid Parade: Swamalot seeks the Grail
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For its first 20 years, the Burning Man Arts
Festival has been mostly a west coast phenomenon. Change comes.
Born in San Francisco in 1986 and moved to the Reno desert, just across the Nevada border in 1995, Burning Man has proven to be one of the most intense and complicated events ever experienced in the history of humankind. With over 35,000 people building a fully functional city in a completely barren environment, this event, logistically, is one of the most daunting annual endeavors ever pursued.
Not just a camping trip, Burning Man preaches "radical self expression" and "participation required" with no commerce allowed and very few services mandating that attendees haul a huge amount of stuff to, and from, the desert. Materiel and gear include a wide range of art instillations, hundreds of theme camps with a variety of interactive props, the most cutting edge laser arrays, artistically modified vehicles, thousands of bicycles, tons of food, water and party supplies, power sources, camping gear capable of withstanding vicious winds and a myriad of other devices, do-dads and ridiculous items.
Thus, it is MUCH easier for those who live within a 1-2 day drive and, annual attendees are still predominately westerners.
That said, the mystique of this glorious festival is now addicting many who must fly into the event. And once you have *drunk the koolaid*, one must come back and do it right each year adding their own diversions and do-dads. This means, that to play at the same level as the westerners who can haul in the same stuff every year, the east-coasters and other-continentees must go to much greater lengths and much higher costs to achieve the same levels of effect.
Here in NY, most of us fly into Reno, SF or therebouts and have
to rent vehicles and ship materials to burn right. The established NY area Burners,
artists and theme camps band together to rent a large shipping container for round-tripping
our stuff, we throw multiple fundraiser events to pay our additional expenses
and in general, negotiate, scam and mass-email way more than our westy friends
in pursuit of like ends.
Despite our need for a well-coordinated effort, NY, for whatever reason, has always seemed a tad dysfunctional in getting there with maximal effectiveness and minimal angst. Furthermore, for the size and passion of our arts world, the NY Burning Man community has not yet been fully established. While we have some events, our annual (post-BM) "Decompression" event has not come together with as much art or as many resources as the west coast "decoms" and our closest "regional burn" (several day BM-sanctioned camping events held throughout the country), "Playa Del Fuego" takes place in Delaware.
But in 2005, this tide seems to have turned....
This year's BM, themed "the Psyche", was a wonderfully fresh year where things just seemed to go more smoothly than most. The weather was beautiful, the art seemed more stunning and prolific than in recent years and the level of participation- especially by NYers- all seemed to bring deeper connections than in years past.
With a much larger population than any real US city and an established arts community that has been at the forefront of many social movements, this movement - now being called- "Participatory Culture", does finally seem to be coalescing in this global creative hub.
With the most established NY camps including
Disorient, the small-camps collective Asylum Village and (our) Kostume Kult all
camping in the same area and coordinating many of our pre-BM fundraisers and shipping
plans, this mish-mosh of annually desert-bound folk are, seemingly, coming together
with a distinct year-around vibe and the interwoven relationships that characterizes
a true community.
Beyond Burning Man- events like the Decom, Santacon, the Mermaid Parade and the Halloween Parade are now pillar events around which this growing community is coalescing. And, make no mistake, this is a whirlpool that is attracting many new recruits. And once certain individuals get sucked into the vortex, once they too drink the koolaid and begin having "more fun than ever before" (what Burners call "finding home") the gravitational pull takes hold and lives get changed. People find new meaning, learn to truly participate (not just coming to parties but getting together to plan/create for events) and find people they have been seeking all their lives- whether they have known it or not.
And even though some in this growing movement may never make it to the Reno Desert, this is no longer so important. The world's media hub, as NY awakens and coordinates, big things are sure to come. Big things that will be seen not just in NY and the desert but all around the world. Big things that will change how many people think, feel and interact. Big beautiful things.
You will see.
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And now for something completely silly…
With the Monty Python based "Spamalot" storming Broadway and winning its own Holy Grail (the Tony Award for best musical), Kostume Kult had little choice when faced with a group theme for the Mermaid Parade.
Swamalot! it was to be for the NYC area's most excellent Summer event. An all-day party held annually at the kitschiest beach in the Northeast, the Coney Island Mermaid Parade brings out a most entertaining mix of NY City artists and Brooklyn eccentrics for a day-long fest beginning with a parade and ending with a drunken boardwalk & beach debauch.
With
several elaborate Monty Python & the Holy Grail costumes
already in its collection, Kostume Kult got to work "aquafying" what
we had while creating a motif for others to join in.
Knights became Merknights (and sharknights), the Virgins became Mirgins and a Trojan Seabunny was created and mounted on a shopping cart. There was Tim the Merchanter, the Black Merbeast of Ahhhhrrgggurgle, a Neptune who said Ni! and several soggy Ladies of the Lake lobbing scimitars at people.
And there was much rejoicing….
With
a Guinevere like beauty catapulting sea creatures this way and that, and the big
blue sea bunny cutting a swath through the crowd, the Swamalot crew clomped coconuts
and swachbuckled their way along the parade route.
Yes, we did say Ni! to some helpless old ladies, some onlookers were repressed and the black beast did caused many to 'run away!' but mostly it was good clean, naughty fun for all the men, maidens, monsters and bunnies that were clomping along on this fine summer day.
Approaching the finish line the highlight was at the judge's reviewing stand where a small army of mer-virgins were dispatched to spank, be spanked by and otherwise charm the judges with their whimsical cuteness. As we danced, posed, Ni'd and launched sea critters into the reviewing stand, it was obvious that Kostume Kult had made an impression. The Parade Marshal, presumably after a good mer-spanking, was heard to say-"OK, now the parade can end!".
But that was not all!
After some ridiculum on the Camelotish boardwalk (twas
a silly place indeed), it was decreed that the seabunny should go for a swim.
With an escort of 
knights
and virgins- what began as a happy occasion quickly turned dark as a cry of "Kill
the Wabbit" started to circulate through the crowd.
When Monty Python turned into Bugs Bunny into Lord of the Flies, I do not recall, but soon the whole beach seemed to be circling the big blue bunny screaming:
Kill the Wabbit!, Kill the Wabbit!, Kill the Wabbit!!!
Then it got ugly…
Beating
him (her?) with sticks and shouting the blood curdling refrain, the Monty Python
crew did not know whether to Ni!, Run away! or soil their trousers. Soon the sea
bunny was ripped from the shopping cart and dragged into the sea.
And there was more rejoicing…
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EPILOGUE: A few weeks later,
a holy grail-like trophy arrived at KK HQ. Apparently we had won the Best Group
Theme award. Not exactly a Tony, but this would more than suffice. For now ;)
