Royal College of Art
2017
MA Architecture / ADS5-DOT
Department of Ontological Theatre, strategic site
Academic research, world system
Student / Chi-Jen. Wang
Tutor / Jon Goodbun, Benedict Singleton, Dr. V.A. Watson
left / ‘Exodus’ from Black Rock City in 2016
right /The city appears in the middle of the desert, staying one week then disappear.
The man.
Burning Man’s Money
Consumerism, capitalism, decommodification and the digital world forced the people to re-think the fundamental value of a citizen. However, the burning man festival can be argued as a utopia of modern society. Oscar Wilde famously argued that “a map of the world that does not include utopia is not worth even glancing at”. In the 16th century, the dream of an ideal world coincided with a new age in European thought. The quest for Utopia and the urge to discover new horizons led to unprecedented levels of creativity. Utopia as an ideology of hope, a hope for an unsatisfied citizen, but, it often been criticized on unrealistic. Nevertheless, in contrast to the common recent view of utopian thinking as moribund and even dangerous, some commentators now proclaim that a revitalized utopian tradition can help us engage with ‘some of the fundamental issues facing humanity’ and fuel the imagination with new possibilities for the future. In other words, during the week of the festival, it is the time for unsatisfied urbaner to explore their true desires and try to establish their own rituals, and, therefore, free their mind. To a certain degree, they all simply try to pursue their own dream. Question remain, could utopian plans and manifestos give a similar boost to contemporary-temporary-utopia city?
The burner, they live in the rule of capitalism city for 51 weeks, this period as a preparation of escape, it often associates with burning man society which keeps the idea of “burning man spirit” spread. Then, escape from the city to the wilderness, to “participate” the festival, for a week-long therapy, an expensive therapy, through the action of radical self-expression, through creative self-reliance. The notions of a dialogue between stay and change, encapsulates the cognitive and physical experience, which awakens though ‘Escape’, escape from the unjust, unfair, high pressure and high taxing capitalism society, heading to the paradise society. (Capitalism is mainly manifested as private investment and private management, the endless pursuit of profit and capital accumulation for the purpose of production, while capitalism is also a social form.) Yet capitalists also unironically love Burning Man, and to anyone who has followed the recent history of Burning Man, the idea that it is at all anticapitalist seems absurd.
Black Rock City in west coast of Free Land, 500 kilometer from Silicon Valley(Black Rock Desert, Burning Man site)
The site of burning man has been moved several times, and it grows bigger than ever.
left / Burner spent 51 weeks, working and stay in office environment as a preparation period, then, escape from the city to the wilderness, to “participate” the festival, for a week-long therapy, an expensive therapy, through the action of radical self-expression, through creative self-reliance.
right / Anti-Burning Man festival. A celebration and fantasize of daily life. Stay in the realm of freedom in order to celebrate the office block.
In between escape and stay.
people always looking the things they don’t have
The week-long festival often to describe as a ritual to free their mind and a practice share econo- my. It a time for people to escape. However, the rest of 51 weeks as a preparation, which people live in the dominate of capitalism, in the dream of American Dream, the true American Dream?
The settlement of dreamland.
In 2014, the burning man society purchases a huge property call “fly ranch”, it an experimental site which allowed burner can practice the art and live in the burning man spirits forever.
A engineer, who originally work in the Silicon Vally, have a routinely vacation in black rock city, When they coming back from the vacation, coming back to the true American dream, many of them have depressed, and they often go to a supporting group called “Post Burning Man Crash Support Society”. in order to recover and go back work. Now, they can eventually free their mind forever, constantly free their mind, permanent practice art. It a paradox and contra- diction of dream.
The struggle between different force.
left / Conceptual drawing of escape. (target: Art and design practitioner.),
The closer to central, the more you feel escape, but, they all eventually go back to their daily life.
right / Conceptual drawing of escape. (target: engineer and IT employee.)
The closer to central, the more you feel escape, but, they all eventually go back to their daily life.
Dream on sale.
The festival initially was a spontaneous anti-capitalism event, now this mega-event has become more and more absurd. The meaning of escape has been lost between “the dream of American” and ” the dream of Burning Man”.
