The Ojai Bureau of Pleasure is a group of friends who have found mutual enjoyment in contributing to the annual Burning Man festival. OBOP is an Ojai tribe of Burning Man participants:
Bureau (n): an agency for the coordination of related activities
Pleasure (n): the condition of consciousness or sensation induced by the enjoyment or anticipation of what is felt or viewed as good or desirable. Enjoyment, delight, gratification.
Burning Man is a unique social phenomenon, a festival created by and for its
participants, where no one is just a spectator. Over the period of a week, we
gather in the Nevada desert to create a bustling tribal city ("Black Rock
City") where we explore and express a wide variety of ways of living and
being, real and fantastical, through art, music, costumes, lights, and in many
other ways, interacting with every other participant through a "gift economy".
When it's over, we burn what we can, pack the rest up, and Leave No Trace. You
can learn much more about it by visiting "www.burningman.com" -- though
you really won't understand it
until you've lived through it.
OBOP members cooperate to create a friendly, delightful, gratifying, and pleasurable "theme camp" at Burning Man. A part of our camp should be something interactive for everyone in the city. OBOP is rich with creative, artistic people. You can see some of our work by visiting "www.obop.org".
Last year almost 50 mostly Ojaians were part of our camp. We delight in the addition of wonderful, like-minded people. Of course, as in any community, there will be a diversity of personalities, skills, and points of view. Everyone finds their unique ways to contribute, and we want to work together (occasionally with surprising effect) to make the experience harmonious and pleasure-bearing for all -- maybe even life- changing for some.
We are enthusiastic enough about the experience to put a good deal of effort into our camp, and want the people we invite to join us to feel the same. If you become a part of us, we expect you to contribute time, resources, and money to help us develop and run our camp. There are many ways to contribute, as we will describe below.
To become part of our group, come to our gatherings! We generally get together monthly to commune and plan for the upcoming year. This is a time to learn about and contribute to our evolving vision, and to find out where you will have the most fun and the most fulfilling experience. At early gatherings we explore the camp theme, thinking about how to design interactive and aesthetic elements worthy of the festival. We need to have a clear idea by May or June, when we apply to Burning Man for a camp site: last year we were in an ideal location on the "Esplanade".
Through experience, we've learned to divide our work into a number of teams. Over the year we'll develop different projects, which may be realized by one or several teams. Each team requires a different kind of skill, interest, and activity, such as:
We will work together to develop projects. These projects may involve a number of teams and require coordination between them. For instance, a single art installation may involve construction, decoration, costumes, power, lighting, sound, and performances.
Our camp should also contribute to Black Rock City. There are many volunteer activities available, such as lamp-lighting, selling coffee and ice (the only things you can buy), and working in the bus station or the BRC post office. We honor such contributions and consider them contributions to our camp.
Last year each of our 50 members contributed $40 to our camp, which funded a number of things including misters, showers, lighting, and transportation. This year we are raising the minimum contribution to $50. We will add a little more structure to the process to ensure that we understand our expenses and allocate our funds fairly. We intend to finalize budgets several months before Burning Man. We can also offer fundraisers (as many other camps do) to help support the cost of implementing our vision -- whatever it turns out to be.
This year, each team will have a leader who is responsible for defining and
meeting budget, approving expense reports within the
budget, and coordination of the team's activities. So how do you know if you
are contributing enough? Join a team and talk with
your team leader. It's very informal. Of course, feel free to contribute to
several teams.
Detailed planning can significantly increase the pleasure experienced at camp.
Once we are at Black Rock City, we must make due with what we brought, subject
to the viscissitudes of nature and the imperfections of people. And, while we
have fun working together, our goal is to play! We would just as soon not have
an organization (let alone a bureaucracy) but some structure is necessary if
we are to work together efficiently and live together in harmony as a family.
On the other hand, not
everyone wants to or needs to be in on the planning; there will be plenty of
jobs left for those who would rather do than think.
through March: monthly meetings to brainstorm, dream, envision
April: projects take form, gain momentum and support
members decide what they want to be invovled in
May: vision is set, budgets are set, membership fees collected,
and early work begins. We apply to Burning Man for camp space
and art project funding
June: subgourps meet, needs for projets are determined, search
and acquisition of resources.
July-Aug: teams prepare what we are going to bring
Thu-Fri, Aug 21-22: first setup crew arrives at BRC
Mon, Aug 25: Burning Man officially opens
Sat, Aug 30: culmination, burning of the man
Sun, Aug 31: final full day, special rituals in evening
Mon, Sep 1: pack up, clean up, leave no trace
Sep-Oct: review and reminisce