The Web of Life =============== All living beings interconnect in the Web of Life; its form is composed of our choices and interactions. Throughout the week, Burning Man participants will weave themselves, with their memories and dreams, into a twenty foot high web. using shreds of fabric from their own clothing. Weavers will find shade and comfort nearby and will receive nurturing visits by goddesses from the Pantheon. On Sunday at dusk, a great procession of song, dance, and fire will emerge from the Pantheon, arriving eventually at the web, which will be ignited, releasing its essence to the universe. Visual Details ============== The web will be woven from natural fabrics over a spiral of airplane wire, attached to radial wires mounted across a hexagonal wooden frame. The frame will be at least twenty feet tall, and will be installed vertically in the desert. Solar and/or battery powered lights will illuminate the web gently in the dark. This installation will be frequently attended by stewards from our theme camp, and will have a tribal feel. Burning man participants will be invited to help create the web, contributing natural fabric from their own clothing or other sources, weaving it into strands, and winding the strands around the framework, perhaps in specific designs. A small nomadic tent (sacred space) will be erected near the web, allowing participants to rest in the shade, take refreshments, and share stories. Goddesses will occasionally be spirited from the Pantheon to the web on a palanquin powered by eight naked men. Leave No Trace ============== The Web will be burned on Sunday following a procession at dusk. During weaving, staff at the Web of Life will verify that all fabric woven into it is natural and burnable, such as cotton. We have already had a test burn to learn about properties of burning fabric (made flammable by coating it with simple cooking oil). The fabric does not burn hot, and all fabric be suspended at a minimum of a foot off the ground. A pan or sand base will be placed under the web before the burn. Camp members in the procession and other volunteers will be equipped with heat resistant trash bags and/or cans to gather debris as soon as it is cool enough. The remains of the structure will be disassembled and removed on Monday morning. Patheon for public ================== Gods, goddesses, minor deities, supernatural beings, saints, prophets, and other theistic riff-raff live and play at the Pantheon. Sit at, or on, the throne of God, seat of the One and Only Almighty, who may be working or chatting with passersby; participants may claim the throne on a first-come, first-served basis. Join an event at the Pantheon's Colliseum, including Deity Game Shows, Music of the Spheres Hosted Jam Sessions (from singing, drumming, and harmonic chanting, to fire dancing and good ol' fashioned blues -- we even have a piano!), and Mud Goddess Wrestling. (The collisuem is also available for booking by other groups.) Relax at the Oasis, equipped with shady palm trees, birds, hammocks, and refreshing mist. On Sunday at sunset, the Pantheon will host a Web of Life reception, culminating at dusk by a procession to the Web of Life, which will be ignited and released to the heavens. Patheon description =================== Two dramatic towers will mark the entrance to the Pantheon. Just beyond them, an oasis consisting of tall palm trees, hammocks, misters, and bird sounds. To one side of the oasis, the Colliseum, a cylindrical arena 30' in diameter consisting of six to eight scaffolds, walled with decorated fabric, covered by a web design open ceiling. To the other side, a beautiful dome shade structure covered with painted parachute fabric. The Pantheon has four interactive goals: (1) The Throne of God offers Burning Man participants an opportunity to become God, holding conversations from that perspective. Across the esplanade will be an unlisted Art Installation: a telephone booth with a direct line to God. God will have a speaker phone so conversations can be overheard by other guests at the Pantheon. (2) The Colliseum is a cylindrical arena 30' in diameter consisting of six to eight scaffolds, providing seating and shade for an audience within. It will be the home of various interactive events, especially accoustic music jam sessions of various flavors (drums, vocal, guitar, etc.) and "deity game shows" (such as the Deity Dating Game and Sacred Family Feud) where deities from Burning Man (we're all deities anyway) can compete with one another in a variety of ways. (3) The Pantheon serves as the source of nurture and care to the weavers of the Web of Life, a listed Art Installation. Goddesses will occasionally be spirited between the Pantheon and the web on a palanquin powered by eight naked men. A final procession to the Web will be held on Sunday night, incorporating music and dance developed in the week's jam sessions (4) The Oasis returns from last year's Pleasure Cove. It consists of tall palm trees (this year with a few hammocks), misters, bird sounds, and a beautiful dome shade structure. Phonebooth to God ================= This simple interactive installation allows participants to carry on a conversation with (someone's idea of) God. The phonebooth will be connected to a Throne located at the Pantheon, where Burning Man participants can sit and take calls. If no one is in, an answering machine will provide a recorded message. At God's side, the conversation will be on a speaker phone, so visitors to the Pantheon can listen in on conversations initiated by mortals.