Roots Society and Opulent Temple Pissed About Placement?

[Simon of the Playa]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yvEYKRF5IA[/youtube]

[jefr]

just spent some time reading all the posts...nice one :)
Simon-thanx for representing and for famously stirring the playa giz!

A few observations on our camp's placement.
We have been on the 10:00 corner for 4 years. Before that we had 3 years working hard, learning and earning our stripes with all the mistakes: bad wedding tents, bad music, etc. A couple of our camps took a week to build and only 14 people came. I have a very good relationship with the bm mgt team and before placement in 09 we discussed some alternatives to the corner(we ended up on the corner) and I sensed their desire to mix up the corners to allow for the natural growth of "up and coming" camps.
Basically mirroring life--if you work hard good things are supposed to happen--at Burning man the corner location is perceived as the ultimate spot. We began discussions in February of 2010 and collectively agreed to move back a few streets because it was the right thing to do. My only request was to be able to build our stages across the road from our tipi camp. my theory, we'll see if it works, is to create with our huge dome(45 feet high) and video wall a new extended corner of sorts at 10:00 and Baghdad. I am curious if you all think this will work.

Mgt tells me there's a natural big sound camp life of about seven years. Some of you probably remember Sol System and more recently Deep End and being deeply in this Root Society experience I can tell you there is truth in this fact. Root Society has been my love and dream for as long as I remember. Ive been an electronic dj since 1979...and so at the center of all of this is a love for the music. In parallel I have developed friendships along the way that love to build with me. A number of them have joined me on this bizarre Burning man journey. We discussed after a very big year in 09, taking a year off...everyone was proud and tired.

As a side note--We own 4 domes and a Rolling Stone style concert sound system>>building up inventory slowly with a future goal to do a festival of our own. Doesn't seem totally crazy to dust off our baby and explore the world outside the playa walls!
Root Society outside burning man??? "Lets see if it will work"... so I introduced the idea to Ultra in Miami and we pulled off an amazing Root Society party in March 10. And they would like us back.

As the fog cleared, our vision for Metropolis became clear as well, we should do one more year at Burning Man and GO BIG AND GO "HOME"!
We have a fantastic camp layout, 3 stages with our brand new stage "The Tower of Babel" powered by 2 giant 20,000 Lumen projectors, 76 Dj's(all our DJ's are amazing and Ive worked countless hours using the proper channels to bring you artists from 8 countries) and at my count 160 people camping with us.

There are some challenges brought on completely by our own doing.
Try figuring out how many amps you need to power 3 kick ass stages combined with how many pancakes 160 people will eat on Sat morning...you get the idea.

Why is this our last year? One answer is simple (no attitude)...its time!
The other is exciting, and Simon had it right, my wife is due in Feb 11. She has been to the desert with me 4 times and and the last few years she has let me come out and do my thing. My turn to be there for her.
My captains and crew deserve much credit but in the end my dollars and hours glue it all together. Ive lived the motto "if it's worth doing it's worth overdoing" and I cant wait to bring our little piece of the party to the desert one last time!

please come by for a playa hug!
jefr

[Simon of the Playa]

maybe this year i MIGHT let people actually hug me.

root society, like burning man, is a diverse, highly skilled, supportive and loving freakfest of people from all walks of life, and i have been part of this ongoing extended FAMILY since i wandered in from the desert in 2005.


Jeff is a man of Honor, Integrity and Great Kindness.

thanks, Jefr, you put on one helluva party, the best.

I will look back on these years when i grow even longer in the tooth with the warm ache of memory of good times with good friends.

i'll even wax poetic about the sonic re-arrangement of my innards by sub-woofers.

and indeed, our chill domes put the HUMP in THUMP!

so, before this turns into a masturbatory circle jerk of accolades and gushing pride in the Camp that has been my home for the past 5 years i'd just like to finish by saying



SHAKE THAT ASS PLAYA PEOPLE! SHAKE IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT!

IT MAY BE THE LAST TIME YOU GET TO DANCE,

SO DANCE WITH GRACE AND FURY!

[ygmir]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6ya7ZRlrEo[/youtube]

[Simon of the Playa]

*sniff*


the good old days.



when Italians still ran the Mafia, and Jews were blind in one eye and Black.

[ygmir]

that, my friend, was the top.........

[raftin]

This topic seems a little beat up but I figured I might give a shot at a reply.

I think what we are seeing here is camp evolution. A camp starts with a good idea and fresh energy. It moves its way along and gathers energy and people. Each year the camp tries to out do itself and become larger and more impressive. I would have to think that there would be people involved who have some ego. Ego is not a bad thing in this context as it brings an extra kick of energy to the group that another leader might not have. Wanting to be the best can be a legitimate goal and many (but not all) of the most brilliant creations I have seen on the playa come from people with some degree of ego.

Large camps are a tremendous amount of work and even the energy needed for fundraising can be a full time job but as long as the camp is growing and becoming cooler all those involved see results of their work and press on year after year. The large camp will continue to grow until it can no longer support itself either financially or through human resources. I bet every large camp that has disappeared had a leader or group of directors that have looked out on Monday and thought "This was it, I don't think we can go any bigger".

That point can be ushered in quicker as different responsibilities take time and energy away from the person or group carrying the weight. A leader might have kids, get married, start flying remote control airplanes, whatever. The leadership will say "I really don't want to go through all of that to achieve the same thing or less next year". The leadership might try to stretch out that "ultimate growth point" by finding ways to lessen the load on their organization through delegation or donations of other people's time and money but eventually that point comes and the group ends.

Now there are some camps or organizations that will thrive for a long time. They have leaders who carefully control growth and and never get to critical mass. You are less likely to see new and innovative projects each year and their growth will be slower and possibly stagnant. Not a problem, it is just a different personality. You will also see groups that try to come out to the Playa with huge goals and crazy expectations and ego but little leadership or organization. I think that the way many art projects have failed.

I think camp evolution can be seen in many organizations out there. Root and OT seem to be the main focus of this topic, but also look at groups that have built the BM temples in the past as well as projects like burnanator. It will end eventually. Not due to the artist being pissed or lack of skill. It will more just be a moment when the leadership says "We are done here".

So don't freak on Syd or Jefr or anyone who tries to go big. It is their dream and let them follow it. If they want to ask BMORG for support let them. If you don't like the way they run their camp then don't go to their fundraisers. Remember that there is not one camp at BM that everyone loves. If camps were allowed that only had 100% approval I think it would be a pretty empty playa.

In closing, go to Burning Man, celebrate the things you love, do the things you like to do, try to understand the things you don't and just for the fun of it, go to the place you hate the most and ask someone there that seems to be having a good time "What do you like about this?" You will find we are all different, have different goals, different ideas of fun, and that is what makes Burning Man such a great place to visit.

[Simon of the Playa]

um, has anyone told this guy rational discourse is not allowed on e-playa?

[EspressoDude]

um, has anyone told this guy rational discourse is not allowed on e-playa?

apparently Raftin has been there and had his brain playafried....yet

[Syd Gris]

Hey Syd from OT here, the narcissistic, entitled lover of sparkle ponies !

Just to clear it up, for what that's worth on e playa....

We have no issues (or hissy fits) w our placement this year. We told BM if they want, switch it up even more and move us to 10:00 but they didn't. We welcome the change and look forward to seeing how it switches up the vibe. (We also look forward to less MOOP clean up from the corner getting pounded.)

We were continually surprised we kept getting the corner, we honestly didn't expect that to last so long, and we did not feel entitled to it.

As to the other criticisms of me and us for asking BM for some forms of support, like it or not, but at least like it or not w the correct info.

It was a collective of sound camps that approached BM w a request to consider some changes - not just OT. Our main request a few years back was let ALL the theme camps on Esp and 10 & 2:00 (those most exposed and traveled through by BRC citizens) to get to apply for art grants for specific art pieces they are building, and be chosen on the same merit as the art on the open playa. (The same art piece is elgible for funding support if it's on the open playa, but not if it's within the boundary of a theme camp) So no a hand out, just a shot.

Yes, we also asked for the possibility of other kinds of support too, but the art grant thing was the main effort. (Living in SF and being close to a lot of the inside BM stuff, I can tell you lots of people get free or discounted tickets for contributions much less significant to the event that what major sound camps provide.) - Yes - that's opinion so flame away if you want.

I might also note some of my earlier posts were some years ago under different circumstances. Some things I would do and say differently. I think things w BM have gotten better, I've had some great conversations with some key folks who want to find ways to support and in some cases those things have happened. We know if we're not into it we simply stop coming, it's their event and we're guests at it, but by the same token it is a community / participatory driven event so we all get a voice as well.

Anyhoot, we know there's plenty at BM who don't like any sound camps, and many that love them and that's a large part of why they come to BM.

Hope you all have a great week out there whatever you're into.

Respect to Roots Society, Jeffr and crew for the gifts you've brought the event. You'll be missed.

[Snowah Zark]

[Finnegan]

Yes I made an assumption. Let's have god strike me down with lightening right now.

That'd be awesome!

[Simon of the Playa]

as you wish.

[dj_john69]

**waves hi to Syd & Jefr**

See ya two soon enough. Have safe travels to BRC