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Adventure to ‘The Floating World’

An APA survival guide to Burning Man

By Gennifer M. Hirano, asianprincess
Special to AsianWeek

Time is running out. I have only 33 days to raise funds for the transportation and construction of my traveling burlesque show. The stage will be built on a trailer towed by a moped-art vehicle, which has been sculpted into a giant, golden, origami crane — to go along with this year’s theme, “The Floating World.”

There are loads of things to think about and so little time. This is my third year venturing out to Black Rock City, the name of the temporal city in the Nevada desert that is created by the participants and the organization known as Burning Man.

Burning Man Today

Burning Man has certainly grown from its humble beginnings. It began in 1986, when artist Larry Harvey brought together 20 friends on San Francisco’s Baker Beach, and has exploded into the 25,659 who attended the event in Black Rock City last year. My first “burn” was in 2000, where I unfortunately missed the climactic burning of the gigantic figure because I had landed in the medical tent from dehydration. I still, however, had the most memorable, inspiring and life-changing experience of my life.

Snapshots from Burning Man 2001. Photos by Gennifer M. Hirano.

During your week in the harsh Nevada desert you can expect to encounter severe dust storms, 60 mph winds, lots of port-o-potties, no running water, hot, hot, hot, days, cold, cold, cold nights, serious car washing and laundry loads to keep you busy for a week after your return. You may be thinking, “Why in the world would anyone want to voluntarily endure such conditions on their personal vacation time?” The answer is simple: Burning Man is a truly unique event that is out of this world, as we know it.

The Perfect Community

I believe Burning Man is a community that forms a new culture all its own. It is a culture that transcends our current ideas of race, gender and sexuality. The gender breakdown is about 60 percent male and 40 percent female, and — sadly — there is a noticeable underepresentation of ethnic minorities. Despite these statistics, I — a queer, Asian Pacific American activist — still felt completely safe, comfortable, welcomed and treasured there.

I interviewed a bunch of APA Burners who all seemed to agree that they traded their constructs of race behind them to adopt a new citizenship — a citizenship of Black Rock City.

“If you want to see tomorrow, go there to Black Rock, because it is all about tomorrow. The music and everyone, all the creativity, the people who are building tomorrow, they are out there, their dreams are exploding,” says Rod P., a four-time Burner and first-generation Filipino American.

Lindsey Lee, a Chinese American, two-time Burner, said, “I don’t notice [being a minority]. It doesn’t make a difference to me. I’m at home, definitely, but everybody’s different. I don’t give much thought to race while I’m there ...”

So why don’t we see more people of color at Burning Man? This is a question I asked Larry Harvey, the founder of the event, when I saw him at an art expo recently. Harvey said that the event’s success is created by word of mouth from the participants. He told me that if I wanted to see more APAs at Burning Man, then I needed to be the one to tell them about it.

Burning Man staff member Maid Marion offered, “The event is not like Lollapalooza where we put strategic ads in magazines like Rolling Stone. There is no affirmative action. Any outreach that is forced is not right to us.”

Gennifer Hirano (right) performing Patsy Cline songs on her makeshift stage in 2001. Photo by Matt Dunn.

Asianprincess Ranch

The event’s main ideals are about art, survival and community. Most of the folks who attend are very committed and talented artists who selflessly contribute their most often personally funded art projects to the desert (known as “the playa”) just for this event. But there are also those that are not self-identified artists. The ubiquitous creativity all over the city unlocks the artist within. Suddenly the Republican investment banker feels the power of the burn and finds herself hopping a ride on the octopus, sipping a margarita and singing at the top of her lungs, while covered in body paint.

It took me a couple of years of hearing about it before I was actually convinced to take the trip. It is a big commitment to go out there and most people have understandable reservations — but it is the largest art show on earth, with the most supportive and appreciative audience. How can you refuse?

I, personally, go there to exhibit my art and create new art. This year aims to be more ambitious than the last. I will again be a cowgirl riding a rocking horse, singing Patsy Cline covers, and will be shooting footage for a documentary I am working on. I will also be installing an eight-foot oil painting that I did of Pamela Anderson.

So is this enough to convince you to make your own adventure into The Floating World this year? I hope so.

Camp at the asianprincess ranch by contacting gmh@asianprincessartifacts.com. The Burning Man Festival runs Aug. 26-Sept. 2. All the vital information you need can be found at www.burningman.com. See you on the playa!