Burning Man, part 16

I want to make sure we get out to the Man before the craziness starts, so we decide to leave. JJ and B and Karen come with us. I’m hoping for an art car but they’re all full.

We tromp the distance to the Man and see the arms raise as we get closer. He’s been rebuilt in two days flat by the construction team, identical to the first version. In some ways that saddens me: it highlights exactly what it seems the “arsonist” was protesting, this cookie-cutter Man, this reproduction out-of-a-box.

It’s the usual chaos, finding a spot behind all the art cars, the chants of “sit down!” to all the people standing in front. We’ve got reasonably good line of sight. I can’t see Dave twirling somewhere in the Conclave but he’s there somewhere.

In front of us, the twirlers are transforming into a particular group: there’s a story being told. They line up one in front of the other, fire fans overlapped and then lights flame from front to back, a winged Shiva forming. There are three women and a man, with him at the very rear. Two of the women form a guard of sorts while the third dances with the man. It is intensely sexy, male and female energies swirling, she swaying and seducing, he undulating and fiery. Suddenly, other men appear armed with fire spears and shields and there is a fight, ducking and swerving. The women defend also. The play goes back and forth and of course our lovers triumph.

Fireworks begin. The twirlers disappear. The Man starts to burn, for the second time. And then there is an enormous fireball and he is engulfed in flame. He burns brightly and then eventually falls. We move in towards him. I want to circle the pyre as I did last year, but as we get closer, someone pushes a large spherical artwork into the flames and another fireball goes off and everyone is shouting “move back!” and I think, no, perhaps not now, perhaps not this year.

We walk away, towards Crude Awakening, which is due to burn in another hour or so. We have instructions to find a bus done up as a Silver Sphinx and to meet Kati, Priya, Yassi and

signifier

there.