What is needed?

[Runs; With Scissors]

If a camp were committed to providing a service to the community, what type of demand is there?

Some potential thoughts:

MOOP Drop - A camp that sets up MOOP collection stations at various intersections and accumulates MOOP through the week and deals with it after the burn. I’m thinking of this because I found myself with a lot of random stuff and no way to unload it. I hesitated to pick some things up because they would stay with me all day.

Sewing Repairs Camp – Create Patches / Repair damaged tents and shade structures – stuff gets messed up, but would people take down their shelter to get it repaired? What if we went around doing it, or people made appointments?

Bike Carrying “Art” Car – Basically, an art car which is wholly utilitarian and not very artsy. The idea is that it would follow around the party art cars and collect bikes so people wouldn’t end up stranded at the end of the night. I saw a few of these, but not very many.

More personally, (Translation: lazy people, stop reading here)

I’m the type of person who is happy when they’re working. I like to make things, lead things and create things, pretty much non-stop. I have an above average mechanical aptitude and I thrive when things are catastrophically failing. Working with a team to complete things is excellent! This was my first burn, all was well and decent, I got my dance on and my explore on, I got a feel for the environment and scouted it out well enough - but I would have had a much better time if I had an ongoing project and a crew.

I brought projects for myself to do. I coordinated with some people and we pulled together a camp last second that was great. It didn’t take nearly as much effort as the other camps that slave all year. I was done quickly, and bored again.

I offered help at any chance I saw, in planning, prior to and during the burn, (fearfully to the point of seeming desperate) and I was rejected 99% of the time. (always politely – well, they had good intentions) I understand that. It’s a matter of pride of independence, dealing with unspoken quid quo pro, and a generic, “This is my project,” among many other things. Being female, I also got a lot of, “hey, go cook me food,” “get me a drink,” “You’re so pretty,” or something like that. (On a side note, I feel like men don’t like help from women when they should have done something on their own, or something they did on their own is not working out. Or any sort of labor that requires more than carrying things. This feeling was made more concrete at the burn.)

Somewhere around Wednesday I learned I should let it go. As an apt leader, I could set up a project or a camp all my own! But what is actually useful? I need a cause!

[jkisha]

All of those are good ideas with the possible exception of MOOP collection stations. If you tried that, you'd have to empty them every hour or they would be overflowing and people would just keep piling stuff on and it would just blow away in the wind. Speaking of wind, I'd imagine the cans or containers would have to have covers. Or, you might just set them up temporarily and have them manned whenever they are in service and remove them when no one is available to man them.

[Bob]

If you don't know what to do you're not working hard enough.

[theCryptofishist]

MOOP collection stations would soon become "let's dump it here because someone else is going to clean up after us if we do" stations.
I like the sewing idea better of the other two. (Although, it was nice seeing the mvs with hooks for bikes. That was new to me this year and seems a real improvement.) I just have these visions of a group of people riding around on bikes asking, do you need any sewing done?, as they pass camps.

[AntiM]

I have a small bag to hold clips on my art project. It fills with trash now and then. One piece of MOOP in it, and then there's an avalanche.
I did a gifting rack before I did the Home, on Sat/Sun it became a trash station. The open food containers were really off putting.
Perhaps a MOOP collecting bag station? Gift out MOOP bags?

[MacGlenver]

I've had the thought to do a "we'll wash your dishes" camp. Since doing the dishes is my least favorite thing in the world to do, I thought it would be the most personally giving thing I could think to do . I think a mobile washing station would be better than a camp, so people dont worry about their dishes not being returned. You ride up with a trike, pulling a trailer with a big wash basin. Long as the camp provides the water, you wash their dishes.

Ideally they would have a grey water evap tarp also that you could use also...

[Runs; With Scissors]

Thanks on the thoughts!

So -
Trying to restrain the MOOP + Container = the container gets that much more complicated, costly and difficult to set up and evacuate (I did not think of that)
MOOP Collection = General trash dump (my concern too)

Means that: MOOP Collection = Unrestrainable Dump = No fun. Very well. Case Closed. Next idea!

More on Bike Cars and Sewing...

Mobile Dishwashing Station! Lovely Idea!

Along the ideas of that, I'd also thought of a camp to improve the standard of living at other camps. Let's call it the service sub camp. Basically, that's on the assumption that "some people" might just work their butts of preparing art projects for the playa, then eat dirt and sleep in it too. Such a camp would become sister camps with some cool art project camps and support them so they could allow them to stay in the dirt and such, as they desire, but have a welcoming neighbor camp with warm meals, dishwashing services, ice cream, electricity, predictable back up supplies for the art project, showers, a costume tent, etc etc etc...

[maladroit]

I doubt that a very utilitarian, bike-carrying car would get DMV registration. Not mutant enough. And the plan of just following a particular MV around seems like asking for headaches...what if you break down, or get distracted, or bored after looking at the ass-end of a mobile party for 5 hours? Some of the bigger vehicles have trailers behind them, for bikes...that seems the best way to keep the bikes with the owners.

[theCryptofishist]

Along the ideas of that, I'd also thought of a camp to improve the standard of living at other camps. Let's call it the service sub camp. Basically, that's on the assumption that "some people" might just work their butts of preparing art projects for the playa, then eat dirt and sleep in it too. Such a camp would become sister camps with some cool art project camps and support them so they could allow them to stay in the dirt and such, as they desire, but have a welcoming neighbor camp with warm meals, dishwashing services, ice cream, electricity, predictable back up supplies for the art project, showers, a costume tent, etc etc etc...

Just so long as it doesn't end up as some sort of "Plug and Play" thing...

There is "Feed the Artists", which I don't know exactly how it works, but people cook meals for artist putting up installations before the gates open.

[gaminwench]

Many camps & art projects have playa
'fluffers'... people dedicated to keeping the workers going strong.
Food, water, shade, spritzes, smiles, hugs...

I always adopt the neighbors and art projects close to my camp and include them in the fluff rounds;
this has resulted in a lovely, extended playa network...

more playa 'fluffers'!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(or pluffers, to differentiate from those default fluffers)

[maladroit]

Our camp of ~30 had one main artist with big art on playa, and about 8 associated workers. I got the impression that ratio was pretty common. I believe only a first-time artist would not have thought of getting someone else to help with infrastructure.

[nilasnake]

the 'porta-potty pigs' around 4:00 and c, set up a folding table with germ-x dispensers, toilet paper, lotion,sunblock, etc. and other people donate to them. they sit in the shade and wave when smiling people shout 'thank you! for this service'.

[Bob]

Runs; With Scissors -- I get the sense you're new to Burning Man. Might consider not reinventing the wheel, and try signing up to volunteer with already-organized groups that loosely fit your concept of participation, maybe Recycle Camp, Earth Guardians, or the Pottie Project.

Or just run around bagging stuff on your own, a lot of people do, along the trash fence or around the major art like the Man and the fucking Temple. Bike trailers might help.

Artists of the big-art variety mostly need help in the months prior to the event, and a lot of them work out of the east Bay Area. Up to you to find them; keep tabs via the Jackrabbit newsletter and the main website early in the calendar year.

But if you ask me, what this city really needs are more architectural critics and blue-ribbon committees.

[Bob]

Oh, and sexy cat burglars. Never enough of those.