Camp Nosefish's 2007 Burning Man adventure was absolutely wonderful! We had so much fun giving away thousands of delicious biscotti and enjoying morning espresso. Yum!
In addition to our the exhibits and activities we had planned (MEZ Screen, Biscotti, Biscotheque and Biscodeck) we also had several additional projects which were developed by camp members, including:
- Danger (by Greg Whitehead)
- Accordian Practice Area (by Tom Davis)
- 3:00 plaza tour (organized by Howard)
We also had several new camp members who were visiting Burning Man for the first time, including Andrea and Chris, and Impact Girl's mom, Mary. Everyone was super helpful and our camp had no drama this year. The shower worked well. Our kitchen worked well. The shade cover was set up in the best configuration yet, easily clearing even Greg's head. We didn't connect it to domes, so it could be the last thing we took down.
LNT
Ellyn did a fabulous job as our LNT guru and our camp was in good shape throughout the event. Greg took the lead for recycling as our Recycling Guru. We all kept our recyclable separate from non-recyclables. We took all our recyclables home.
We were on the LNT Tour again this year, and we applied for Camp of the Day again this year. The LNT folks liked our shower web page (
http://www.timefold.com/shower) and our commitment to LNT. I learned that there were more nosefish showers out among the theme camps, and also several dome decks.
Biscotheque Dome
We handed out biscotti in the mornings from our Biscotheque dome. We had planned for it to be a chill space, but espresso camp's dome was so close that it was difficult for people to get in and out. So, it was used primarily for biscotti distribution. We gave out over 2800 delicious biscotti in five days. We had so much fun! Tom and I discovered that we could subtly influence which flavor people would pick (e.g. by naming one flavor more lavishly than the others). We got a permit from the Nevada State Health Department and they actually came by and inspected us. We passed with the highest possibly recommendation any government agency can give under the circumstances: "No recommendations." We did the whole thing -- plastic gloves, tongs, hand washing station, and we even wore clothes! Franziska made these cute little biscotti serving hats and an apron. By friday we were offering people flavors like "tuna, motor oil, nuclear waste and dirty socks". Tuna seemed to be the most popular and dirty socks the least, but motor oil ran a close second.
The MEZ Video Screen
The MEZ Video Screen was back and as popular as ever. Many people tell us it is one of their favorite pieces, and they always search for it each year. Chris added some new pixels this year, but by far the most amazing improvements were some entirely new visual programs that used time as a mutable parameter. For example, images would be delayed proportional to their Y axis position, if someone spun around, they appeared to twist. Another great time effect would slow down and back up, and then race forward again. We'd get up in the middle of the night and see a dozen people dancing at 3am... The music was driven from an iPod and played through a 30 watt Nady powered speaker. It worked great.
Danger
Greg's Danger art installation was a pyramid made of triangles that were approximately 2 feet on each side. Each face had fearful symbol (biohazard, radiation, etc.) When someone approached, a klaxon would sound. It was an official installation, registered and placed by the Burning Man Artery.
Accordian Practice Area
Tom's Accordian Practice Area art installation was actually just a sign near the trash fence. The text read "Accordian Practice Area 5000 Feet" and it had an arrow pointing outside of Burning Man. Nice. Of course, Tom's wife Ellyn was not amused. She plays the Accordian.
3:00 Plaza Tour
Howard led the 3:00 plaza tour again this year. We met at 6pm Monday at Bad Idea Theatre and toured all the camps in the plaza. We had about 50 people on the tour this year. It was really excellent to meet everyone. It really helped form a community out of the diverse camps in the plaza. If Nose Fish is placed within the 3:00 plaza again next year, we'll definitely organize another plaza tour. |