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Burning Man Primer
The Burning Man community has developed its own peculiar lexicon over the years. Below is a glossary of a few useful, irreverent, and colorful terms.
Black Rock City (BRC): The annual, temporary metropolis that is home to the Burning Man event.
Burner: One who pursues a way of life based on the values reflected in the Ten Principles of Burning Man.
Cacophony Society: An influential source of many of the concepts and principles of Burning Man, the Cacophony Society was "a randomly gathered network of individuals united in the pursuit of experiences beyond the mainstream." Many of Burning Man's founders were members of the San Francisco group.
Darkwad: Anyone who walks or rides on the playa at night without adequate lighting on the front and back of his/her person or vehicle.
DBS: Decorative Bullsh*t. A term coined by artist David Best to describe the layers of unorthodox ornamentation he and his crew apply to the temple.
Decommodification: One of the Ten Principles of Burning Man. "In order to preserve the spirit of gifting, our community seeks to create social environments that are unmediated by commercial sponsorships, transactions, or advertising. We stand ready to protect our culture from such exploitation. We resist the substitution of consumption for participatory experience."
Deep Playa: In Black Rock City, the area of open playa beyond the Man and past the Temple in all directions, particularly the outer realms near the perimeter fence.
Default World: The rest of the world that is not Black Rock City during the Burning Man event.
FOMO: Fear of Missing Out, a harmless mental disorder caused by the overwhelming scope of things to do and see in Black Rock City. May lead to sleep deprivation.
Java Cow: Community legend of a man-cow who appeared with hot coffee at sunrise on the morning of the Burn, asking the question: "Do you want cream or sugar?"
MOOP: Matter Out of Place. Litter, debris, rubbish.
Mutant Vehicle: A motorized conveyance that is radically, stunningly, (usually) permanently, and safely modified. Larry Harvey likens Mutant Vehicles to "sublimely beautiful works of art floating across the playa like a Miro painting."
No Spectators: A central tenet of the Burning Man philosophy. By blurring the line between audience and performer, everybody is a superstar at Burning Man.
Open Playa: The portion of the playa that is within the pentagonal event space, but is used for art installations and Mutant Vehicle cruising rather than camping space.
Playa: The Spanish word for beach, also used to describe dry lake beds in the American West such as the Black Rock Desert.
Playa Chicken: Community legend concerning a rare species of vicious, carnivorous poultry reputed to live in the Black Rock Desert. Any strange phenomenon that is not readily attributable to a known cause may be blamed on Playa Chickens.
Playa Dust: The dried silt of Lake Lahontan, the prehistoric lakebed that is now the Black Rock Desert. Its alkaline pH makes it corrosive and its extremely fine particles get into just about everything.
Playa Name: Originally spawned by the need for unique names on the staff's two-way radios, playa names have become almost ubiquitous and are sometimes used to provide an individual with an "alternate" personality or persona. Playa names are traditionally given to a person, rather than taken on.
Sparkle Pony: Derogatory term for a participant who fails to embrace the principle of radical self-reliance, and is overly reliant on the resources of friends, campmates, and the community at large to enable their Burning Man experience. Often fashionably attired, since they packed nothing but costumes.
TAZ: Temporary Autonomous Zone, a term coined by writer Hakim Bey. Burning Man isn't one.
Ten Principles: The ten core guiding concepts of the Burning Man project. These include: Radical Inclusion, Gifting, Decommodification, Radical Self-reliance, Radical Self-expression, Communal Effort, Civic Responsibility, Leaving No Trace, Participation, and Immediacy.
Theme Camp: A group camp designed to create an interactive experience for participants through art, architecture, and/or performance.
White-out: A violent dust storm producing near–zero visibility. |