Too many registered art cars so not everyone 'll get license

[Jiva]

As far as I can tell, party barges have turned into a way to skirt the restrictions on sound system wattage at non-outwardly-facing camps. One parked alongside our neighbors this year and was there all night pumping out a godzillion watts of bad German techno-rap. I hate to propose additional regulation of the art cars, but if it comes they will have brought it on themselves.

[diane o'thirst]

Why not discourage the "bars on wheels" and give licenses to real mobile art?

Definition of "real mobile art:" par example, Draka, Ark of the Nereids, the Solar Barque, Contessa, the Victorian house from last year, the break-dancing Jellyfish...

[unjonharley]

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there was a lot of great stuff this year... good art.. bicycles up the ¿¿.. some outlaws drove without DMV tags.. few motor scooters... some down right dangerous outlaw junk.. a few DUI art drivers.. and the local law drew down on a couple..

[ecomain]

If anything, it seemed like there were less art cars than in previous years. I can't figure out why they would freak builders out by suggesting they would deny licenses just due to the volume when so many concepts never make there anyway.

I too worked my ass off for several overstressed months and spent over $2,000. I delayed arrival to finish the damned thing. By the time I got to the Burn at 8:00 am friday (due to the art car) I had been up for 35 hours straight.

Then...DMV started over scrutinizing my vehicle. I did use an ATV as a base and tried to explain how after removing all plastic and stripping the thing down to bare elements...underneath the backlit fiberglass shell was a huge amount of metal fabrication work. They could see part of the gas tank and engine and thusly denied the license. I brought a bunch more junk with me to work on it with, but they wouldn't tell me what mods to make to pass it. Told me not to come back. Driving to and back from DMV, 40 people stopped me to take pictures of the vehicle, so others must of thought it 'artistic' enough. Many wanted rides on it.

It took me four years of attending to get set up for this and I finally felt like I was contributing art to the burn. Can anyone imagine how lame it feels? All the years of defending Burning Man to the outside world and dedication to it, then dissing work to get this stupid art car working. May not sound like much to others, but it was a lot to me. A lot of stress, sacrifice and turmoil.

I think DMV sucks and should be eliminated. I realize there are volunteers involved, but the cross-dressers evaluating my car clearly spent their lives getting manicures and no understanding of mechanics whatsoever, so they couldn't make a case for what I did (I have no idea what gender I was dealing with, not that it matters...no problem with that, I would just prefer a creature familiar with metals or materials). DMV is inconsistent, hours are bad, and they are often flat out wrong. I counted 20 vehicles over the next two days that were practically stock (mine was far from stock). One ATV just had some hoola hoops with fabric draped over it and it had a license. Another was a golf cart with a platform on top, but no mods to the cart itself. I saw a cushman cart painted with daisies and no mechanical alteration. They all had licenses. The list goes on. Apparently it is all who you know. I didn't know anyone so I was SOL.

I'm not whining, I'm really pissed off. There needs to be a better process with levels of assurance. It is a collossal pain in the ass to make and bring an art car for the sake of the art. I'd like to know that if I send in pictures of my completed vehicle ahead of time, if it stays the same that they will 100% license it. No more of this "let's grant an approval then change our minds on giving out licenses" utter bullcrap. The hours and the attitude is too much like the real-world DMV. Larry! Please intervene! Your art car nazis are out of control! Burning Man would be a far less interesting experience without art cars. Let's keep the motivation flowing instead of destroying it.

[CapSmashy]

After seeing the work that Killbuck and many others put into Apoc's Roam'in-Off including extensive, step by step documentation of showing the concept sketch become reality many weeks before the event and available for DMV review, I could see making this a new avenue of application.

Document and catalog your work and submit it as a total package PRIOR to going to the expense of bringing it to the Playa. While I have no idea of how many there are, I would be very willing to surmise that there are numerous concept sketches submitted that do not even remotely resemble the finished project.

Would this add pre-event headaches to the DMV? Probably, but it could also eliminate a lot of the problems they run into on Playa and the hurt feelings some of those problems can lead to. You submit a detailed series on your art vehicle showing what you have done and have to receive a tentative approval pending final, onsite inspection before you leave for BRC. If for example, it is quite obvious that there is nothing resembling the original concept sketch and the default vehicle is easily visible, the license request is rejected before the vehicle even leaves for the Playa.


I have an art car planned for next year. An interactive one that might even lead to an interactive deep playa installation over the next few years if a lot of technical and funding aspects can be overcome and sorted out. After seeing so many "art"cars that were nothing more than a paint job and some stick ons with no real discernible effort made to hide the original vehicle (like the daisy painted Cushman... unless it was a handicap vehicle but even so, more effort could and should have been made). The only part of default vehicle on mine that will be visible will be a few inches for ground clearance at the wheels. And if I can figure out a way to make a skirt that conceals this gap without risk of moop, I'll add that as well to completely hide the default vehicle. 98 - 100% full enclosure is my goal so that there is no distraction from the design and interactivity. If I can not obtain that base goal, I will not even try to submit it.



And if you eliminate DMV, you eliminate art cars. Is there favoritism? Probably. This unfortunately tends to exist within any organization that has grown to the size of what there is now in BRC. Knowing that there is the potential for preferential treatment which might make your submission a little harder to get passed should be the necessary catalyst to encourage you to make something truly inspiring or unique. I know the number of vehicles are limited and I know the number of submissions outnumber the BLM permitted vehicle load.

This tells me I have to make something unique, spectacular and beneficial on some level for the community at large if I want to be in the running for a license. If I get out there next year with my project and for some reason it is rejected, so be it. I will not be real happy about it, but if it is built as I am envisioning it now, it will still be a great piece parked at the front of the camp to interact with the community that passes by.

[Dustdevil]

Hello Eco

I for one am interested in seeing your work. Could you possibly post a picture of it?

Jack

[ecomain]

Scooters are not regulated. Nor are bikes. They seem to get along fine without DMV. However, I agree that you can't have all the regular cars driving around. Either a better licensing process needs to be developed that includes a quick and just appeal process, or a recategorization is in order that would allow more builder flexibility.

The question we all must ask in all societies is: Who is watching the watchdog?

[Steven bradford]

Before the event I wouldn't have agreed with you--but after seeing many lame barely modded hardly mutant vehicles-- you're absolutely right.

However, what may have happened more than anything to influence it was your arrival time. I'm going to guess, based on no information, that they were much more lenient on monday, then later in the week, after many cars were already approved.

[Iron Monkey]

I think the DMV is essential. They should be lauded for the job they do. Next year I am bringing gifts just for them.

One of our camp members delivered a beat down to some asshole on a scooter who was caught red-handed stealing our DMV tags. The guy started crying and whining like a child, fumbling over his own blubbery lips trying to apologize. He still got his ass kicked.

We need more DMV, not less. We should empower the DMV to patrol and confiscate all vehicles that obviously don't qualify. I saw many vehicles that didn't belong, and I have a sneaking suspicion that a lot of DMV tags get stolen. These thieves should be tarred and feathered. Seriously.

I personally enjoy violent solutions to problems such as these, but I recognize that a more diplomatic solution is necessary. This is why the DMV is essential.

Another vexing problem we had was the goddamned candy ass ravers who insisted on boarding even as we told them we were maxed out. On several occasions we had to physically and violently repel people who simply wouldn't listen. I found it ironic that we had to do this to protect the integrity of our ship and the safety of our passengers.

The process of applying for and receiving a permit/license is EASY. It does not need to be streamlined. It does not need to cater to the dumbest and weakest out there.

We almost didn't receive our night permit. ...and you know what? The DMV would have been correct to withhold it from us, as we were definitley dark. Luckily, they liked our ship enough to let us slide. Lesson learned....more lights next year.

Thanks DMV! You guys do an outstanding job and I appreciate your hard work. Cya next year!

[diane o'thirst]

Well, there's a ringing endorsement if I've ever seen one.

Too bad you couldn't find a better way to keep ravers off your vehicle than by way of fisticuffs.

[theCryptofishist]

Too bad you couldn't find a better way to keep ravers off your vehicle than by way of fisticuffs.

How about "raver fishing" with a glow stick 20' off and then roaring away at 5mph.


Nah, I guess that aint it.

[Iron Monkey]

[quote]Too bad you couldn't find a better way to keep ravers off your vehicle than by way of fisticuffs.[/quote]


Well.....I agree with you. We are looking for non-violent mechanisms to prevent illicit boarding. My personal favorite is sharpened glass shards on every climable surface. Hell, it works in Louisiana and the rest of the third world, it should work at BM.

[safetythird]

From what I saw licensing in purely a subjective matter determined by the hottie you happened to draw. I was fortunate to get a mechanically cluefull gentleman for my day license and we talked about how this and that worked. Watching his eyes light up as I explained the steering mechanism was a joy in itself. My MV was certainly not the "best" one out there and might have been the smallest but the way I solved problems and built from scratch, I feel, got me extra points.

At night we drew a lady who was happy to see the overall concept. An ice cold mini keg probably didn't hurt our chances either and allowed us to show her the interactive part of the concept. Don't forget that bribery is a tradition. We were fully licensed but it only survived four days before the inevitable playa breakdown. Too bad we couldn't transfer the licenses to someone who could have used them.

I guess one part of it is how imaginative your overall concept is. My MV only seats two and is certainly not the most imaginative piece but rather a tongue in cheek stab at the monster bar cars out there. A snarky attitude in the design didn't hurt.

After my MV died we caught a ride on another MV one night and saw a lady running up from the back. Everyone was telling her "No boarding while the vehicle is in motion". This didn't stop the middle aged lady (not your typical etard) from doing the art car flop as she missed the rear step and face planted on the playa. If there had been a trailer things would have been .. well .. you know. Some people are just dumb.

S3