Death Guild / Thunderdome - scarydome!

[zont]

On the night of the burn did anyone else happen to see the guys in Thunderdome who were hung up by the skin on their backs?!? I am usually a big fan of Thunderdome, but I had never seen mutilated people in there before. I have never seen anything so disturbing (a buzz kill to say the least). A sight I wish I'd never seen and never want to see again. Do they mutilate people every year and I've just (luckily) missed it?

[meyouseek]

I haven't seen anyone do a suspension at Burning Man... but I'd assume it's been done before. The practice has been gaining popularity and there have been some recent stories about it on Discovery Channel or National Geographic.

Though the idea of suspending myself by a couple of hooks sounds pretty extreme and painful I did try out a bed of nails at a bar near 10 o'clock.

[BeesWing]

People were doing this last year in the Thunderdome in the middle of the day. It was shockingly unexpected and not a pleasant site, and I have a pretty high interest and/or tolerance of random and/or bizarre acts. But this was esp. troubling to me because one of the people -- a petite woman -- was being taken down and looked like she was in amazing pain and discomfort. While this kind of practice has a long history in Native American and other cultures, I personally found it too far out even for Burning Man in the middle of the day in such an openly public space. I thought perhaps, like group sex domes, etc., that a better way to engage in and display this type of activity would be to have it happen in a covered dome so that random passerby wouldn't necessarily need to directly encounter this activity unless they sought it out. I might sound like a prude, but just about everybody passed the dome quickly, and there were few people staying around to watch this spectacle.

[zont]

Beeswing, yes, thank you. I too have a pretty high tolerance for the absurd (as do most burners), but this was different. I normally really love Thunderdome and was soooooo excited to show it to my younger sister (a virgin) this year, but when we got there and realized what exactly we were looking at our entire group walked away dismayed, disoriented and disgusted. I can't explain how the whole experience ruined the carefree mood of the evening. We tried not to dwell on it, but I still can't get the images out of my mind. Some things aren't for everyone and perhaps there should be some sort of warning for the squeamish. Yes, I know "DeathGuild" should be a warning (ha), but... still.

[stew]

While I didn't see this at Burning Man, I saw a suspension show at Nowhere (the Spain regional) and I thought it was beautiful.

I find certain people's testicles a much more unpleasant sight than suspension. And it's really not as bloody as it sounds.

[yvette]

I was part of the group doing the suspensions at the Thunderdome. I could write about the intention of each ritual and explain the major reasons why people chose to suspend if you like.

The beauty of suspensions is that they are pure... you are being held up by nothing more than your own body/skin. The reasons for choosing to go up vary from person to person. Every person that suspended in the Thunderdome had a powerful and magickal experience, and each would do it again. It is not about pain or blood, it is about a feeling of empowerment and release.

I know that there may be groups out there doing it more for a blood show, but that is not our intention. As a matter of fact, you barely see any blood at all.

I hope you will stop the next time you come across a suspension and give yourself a chance to see the beauty of this ancient artform.

[goathead]

I wish I would have seen it. For me this is one of the things BM is all about, exploring, and learning about things I wound normally never see.
There is so much more to suspensions then just the act itself.

For me the Big Rig Jig, raised the OH FUCK FACTOR for me.
When I saw it, a girl was attempting to crawl out of the suspended cabs drivers side widow. Stupid, stupid, stupid, just because they build it doesn't mean its a good idea to climb out of it.

Admired the piece, couldn't go back to see it though.

[DJ Dominus]

I thought the suspension fight i saw was awesome. Then again I know a girl that manages a group that does suspensions. Keep it going Thunderdome.

[JediDale]

First, I would like to say that suspension is an art form. Has anyone seen Arials? Very similar, minus the rings in the body. Not my cup of joe, but we are talking about Burning Man! Suspension has absolutely nothing to do with sex, unless the participants choose to do something sexual whilst suspended.
Some people also mistakenly consider BDSM a sexual activity, again, not so unless the sex is added. Obviously, not for the faint of heart!

Genuinely,


JediDale Of Reno

[JediDale]

To Quote BeesWing:
"I thought perhaps, like group sex domes, etc., that a better way to engage in and display this type of activity would be to have it happen in a covered dome so that random passerby wouldn't necessarily need to directly encounter this activity unless they sought it out. I might sound like a prude, but just about everybody passed the dome quickly, and there were few people staying around to watch this spectacle."

Ironic that the vast majority of Americans will watch hours of extremely graphic violence and think nothing of it, yet to see it in real life makes them squeamish! Amazing!! Remember, Burning Man is a "Non-Politically Correct Zone" for the most part!!


Genuinely,

JediDale Of Reno

[Token]

I personally would like to to thank Core for doing the suspension, and the beautiful angel that survived the equipment failure. I felt every swing and kick in the bottom of my soul.

As Yvette said, one could write books trying to explain the ritual, the resulting ecstatic state the performer is in, the transference of the ecstatic state to the experienced observer... but it would largely be futile, unless you have experienced it personally.

Explaining suspension to the novice is like explaining the spirit of Burning Man. There are no words to describe it unless you have in the past shared the experience. Even then it is difficult.

If you ever want to open yourself up to the experience, seek out a Morris Bell Dance, where the bells are sewn into your skin. It is a nice introduction to the art and is safe.

[meyouseek]

Wow, human mobile!

http://www.vidmax.com/index.php/videos/view/3209

[MikeVDS]

I saw some of this there this year and in 2006. I personally think it's awesome intriguing and beautiful. 2006 there was a male and female each with two hooks in their backs and jumping on the bungies. This year was a female being suspended from her front. Yes, I think it is prudish to want this hidden away.

[cupcake]

Was it normal Thunderdome stuff? No it was members from CORE, and what better place to do it? Are we not all accepted in BRC for what/whom ever we are?

[Ugly Dougly]

I have never seen anything so disturbing (a buzz kill to say the least).

Sorry, I meant to tell you before the event. You WILL see something that disturbs you. That's part of the experience.

[blyslv]

Yes, I know "DeathGuild" should be a warning (ha), but... still.

There is. It's on the back of your ticket. Will you propose banning suspensions now, to protect your sensitivities? Where would you draw the line?

[Xavier]

I've seen to suspensions on the circle around Center Camp in 2003, full view, with plenty of spectators. No one commented or complained and I never heard anything about it on Eplaya. It's just another form of art, no less extreme than walking around naked with 15 piercing in your dick.

[Tabula Rasa Mistress]

Wish I had happened upon this art/ritual...

Suspension rarely results in blood loss, and is deeply personal to those that participate in it...

I saw a disgusting image inside one of the balls hanging off a tree by the man, and it was made with dolls...

That was disturbing; suspension, to me, is not.

[Rev. Trigger]

I'm just amazed that anyone could suspend during this event, given the conditions of the playa/how much havoc it reeks on the body. I've suspended around 7 times now and each time is so physically demanding, that I couldn't imagine giving up that much of my self on the playa. The desert completely drains me as it is. Kudos to those who can do it! I hope I am able to witness some next year. Perhaps a pull could be managed next year...hmmm now I'm thinking about hooks....it's been a while.

[transgirl]

Getting disturbed at BM is one of my favorite things. I always wonder later why it affected me like that.

[transgirl]

[quote="BeesWing"]...But this was esp. troubling to me because one of the people -- a petite woman -- was being taken down and looked like she was in amazing pain and discomfort...[/quote]

haha. Did it trouble you because she was a [i]woman[/i] experiencing pain or that she was [i]petite[/i], or both? Does being a petite woman imply frailty, moreso than others?
Women aren't strangers to pain. We have a higher tolerance for it actually.

[Toolmaker]

I personally found it too far out even for Burning Man in the middle of the day in such an openly public space.

Than maybe you aren't really meant for a far out event like Burningman.

[Ugly Dougly]

Getting disturbed at BM is one of my favorite things. I always wonder later why it affected me like that.

Yay!
(you have your HTML disabled, btw)

[ZaphodBurner]

Craziest shit I ever saw onstage was two surgeons operating on two people behind a screen while a woman was brought out, stripped and attached to puppet strings by sharkhooks through her flesh.

When the surgery was complete the screen was removed and revealed two people with porcelain Bill and Hillary Clinton masks stitched to their face. One was pulling the strings of the puppet (supposed to be Monica Lewinski) while she screamed and danced and blood streamed from her naked body, while the other Clinton threw fake money at the crowd.

Second craziest shit was the Genitorturers. When I was EIC for a local artist magazine we put a cover photo of somebody suspended from shark hooks and at least a half dozen shop owners that carried it were -furious-. Welcome to the west coast.

-zb

[Valkyrie]

Man, I really missed out. I didn't get disturbed at all this year. I'll have to try harder next year.

[barnz]

Man, I really missed out. I didn't get disturbed at all this year. I'll have to try harder next year.

Or the rest of us will have to try harder to disturb you!

[spectabillis]

Second craziest shit was the Genitorturers.

mang that brings back some memories, great show.

[Burner till death]

Obviously theres pain, but I am leary of a novice attempting this. If the hooks are not planted right wouldnt they simply rip out?

ouch -

[MikeVDS]

If not placed right, they could rip out. I've been told that if properly placed the skin can support much more weight than the weight of the person.

[NeonBunny]

Sending out major respect to the ones who did the suspension.

I have not seen such acts since around 1999, a year I saw suspensions at thunderdome, on a trapeze swing, and a push cart that held 3 people suspended.

I will never forget the time I walked back from the playa, to see a guy swinging from a trapeze through the hooks on his back. What I will remember the most is seeing the look of joy and bliss on the young man's face. And the fact that the swing was slightly off centered, and he kept having to catch the pole on the side that held the swing up to prevent himself from slamming into it. It almost had a look of childhood innocence to it.

I also remember the burn night of that year, sitting outside the ring waiting for the fire to light, and sharing a smoke with a random stranger - and then realizing it was the kid who had been suspending earlier in the week. We talked, he shared some insight with me into this american ritual that was started long before the white man came here.

Thank you for keeping this tradition alive and keeping the people aware of it.