Yesterday, I spoke with Kiwi and Irish -- head honchos of the International Arts Megacrew (tangent: I love that their acronym is "I AM"). Both Kiwi and Irish have created and burned art on the playa, but this year they'll be creating -- and destroying -- their biggest work by far: the Temple of Transition.
We talked about transitions and rites of passage (the Burning Man theme this year)... and how that ties into the creation and destruction of art. They both emphasized the idea of letting go and the impermanence of everything. I could have talked to them all day about collective art as well (another favorite topic of mine) -- but they had precious little time during their last few days in Reno, before heading out to the playa.
I think it was Kiwi who also made the comment about fire: "You light it on fire; you attract a crowd." "Like moths to a flame," added Irish. Which, if we had more time to talk, could have led to a whole discussion about the public nature of this creation/destruction. But that will be pondered another day.
