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Playing Dress Up: The People of Black Rock City (Gallery 103)
"Burning Man is where children are treated like royalty and adults act like children."
– Sara, age 9
"When you see someone putting on his Big Boots, you can be pretty sure that an Adventure is going to happen."
– A. A. Milne
The people of Black Rock City are the soul of Burning Man, and although massive installation art dominates imagery of the event, equally important to the culture are the smaller individual expressions of creativity, manifest in elaborate costumes, gifts, performances, and random acts of kindness. The "No Spectators!" mantra calls for individuals to step out of their shells to become leading actors in their own lives. At Burning Man, like nowhere else, you are the entertainment.
Burners love to play dress up and the ceremonial shedding of "default world" clothing in favor of a freer attire, or none at all, is an important part of the experience. Clothing on playa reflects a break from the cultural limitations of the outside world, and especially for men from many Western cultures, a place to safely experiment with fashion --- often for the first time. Fashion choices must be functional as well as ornamental to meet the challenges of the environment: the intense sun in the desert can raise temperatures over 110 degrees, while nights may see dips below freezing. Lighting is a safety essential after dusk and survival equipment such as utility belts, back packs, goggles, and dust masks are standard uniform.
In a city of more than 70,000, not everyone makes their own costumes; store-bought "festival" wear such as light-up vests and bright faux-fur jackets proliferate to the point of becoming cliché. Still, many participants take their costumes as a point of pride, working year-round to create one-of-a-kind ensembles. Many a Burner has learned to sew for that sole purpose. Inspiration for Burning Man fashion comes from varied sources, including burlesque, Carnival, Day of the Dead, steampunk, and rave culture. Early theme camps also had a strong influence on the Burning Man aesthetic, from the theatrical costumes of El Circo's Tiffa Novoa, which featured exaggerated headdresses and a lush, layered aesthetic, to the darker vision of Death Guild, which parodied the early Mad Max films, using black leather to promote a hard-edged post-apocalyptic vision.
As worldwide awareness of Burning Man has risen, its influence can also be seen on runways in the work of designers like Manish Arora, a regular Burning Man attendee, who has created clothing lines inspired by the event. |