PLAYA PROTECTION & BURN SCAR PREVENTION PLANS
So you have a beautiful piece of art that you wish to burn at Burning Man. How do you practice Leave No Trace (LNT) and protect the playa from heat damage?
To help facilitate your need with any Burn Protection you must be in communication with us before June 1st of any given year. Any request after this date will not be guaranteed a successful conversation for protection.
The Problem
Burning anything directly on the surface of the playa will create Burn Scars, which are patches of discolored, hardened playa sediment, caused by the heat and smoke of carelessly constructed bonfires. They are difficult to clean up and take years to recover.
Burn Scars, like the one to the left, are one of the issues that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) watches closely in their role as stewards of public land. Burning Man's ability to return to the Black Rock Desert year after year is directly dependent upon our ability to Leave No Trace. It is also your responsibility as a citizen of Black Rock City to Leave No Trace during your time here.
THE CHALLENGE
You as the artist have two choices in burning your art:
Move ItThe first is the simplest; you can either disassemble or carry your artwork and place it in one of the community burn platforms that are placed at the terminus of the radial streets. The artwork could also be burned on the Man's platform AFTER the Man has fallen.
Burn It In Place
If you wish to burn your art directly on the playa you have a number of options available to protect the playa from direct and radiant heat to prevent Burn Scars. With some clever thinking, preparation and intelligent use of materials, this can be made to fit in with the esthetics of the installation.
As you plan for the burning of your art on the playa and the prevention of Burn Scars there are some aspects that must be paid attention to in order to prevent worst case scenarios like the Burn Platform gone bad, to the right.
- What kind of damage can flaming art do to the playa?
Plenty. The playa hardens and discolors when exposed to fire. This difference in hardness from the surrounding playa when exposed to weathering creates raised areas, allowing dunes to form. Dunes are a hazard for vehicles and affect the landscape in undesired ways. - When designing the Burn Shield the following aspects must be taken into consideration: overall weight of the art, whether participants will be walking on the artwork, heavy falling portions of the artwork staying on the Burn Shield and not allowing it to penetrate or damage the platform. Sharp edges and tripping hazards are all factors to consider when choosing materials.
- Debris must be prevented from falling onto the playa surface such as ashes, wood chips, nails etc that can and will settle into cracks in the playa surface and be very difficult to clean, even smoke stains can be challenging to remove and are best dealt with by prevention.
- The Burn Shield should be designed in such a way as to extend beyond the width of the artwork and to catch any flaming debris that may fall or catch the artwork should it fall to one side. Additional Burn Shield materials can be added prior to the burning of your art to accommodate this.
- One of the key aspects of your Burn Scar Prevention plan should always be cleaning up as quickly as possible after the burn, disposing of all materials and debris from the playa before wind and other weather conditions spread ash and other debris. An aspect of the clean-up that is some times missed is clean-up of any MOOP (Matter Out Of Place) left from participants who have come to watch the burning of your piece. A sweep of the area for cigarette butts and other trash is a must post-burn.
BURN SHIELD DESIGN
A Burn Shield is defined as something that separates and insulates the playa from heat and smoke of a burn. The key to Burn Scar Prevention is making sure that your Burn Shield is designed to protect the playa. Over the last few years Burning Man has studied the successes and failures of numerous Burn Shield designs. After much trial and error we have identified some systems that have proved effective in preventing both baking and discoloration of the playa surface. There are two different approaches to this that we have found work best.
THE BURN PLATFORM
Burn Platform Designs, like the example to the left, work best for artworks that are lighter and will not be supporting the weight of participants climbing or walking. The idea with this design is to create a separation of at least 6 inches or more from the playa to the bottom of the burn shield and to support the weight of the artwork. This type of design is usually constructed of flat or corrugated steel sheeting supported by and securely fastened to either steel legs or cinder blocks. A key factor in a successful design of this type is not to have any wood or other materials below or hanging over the steel sheeting as these will be set ablaze from the radiant heat defeating the shielding effect of the steel. If the Burn Platform material is flimsy there is the potential of everything collapsing onto the playa, defeating the purpose of Burn Shield.
DECOMPOSED GRANITE (DG)
Building a Burn Shield that both protects the playa and supports the weight and movement of participants is a greater challenge. Burning Man has discovered that a layer of Decomposed Granite (DG) placed between the surface of the playa and pre-construction of the artwork, like the example to the right, will provide an insulating layer protecting the playa from heat as well as providing the needed support for larger artwork. Care must be taken not to leave any exposed areas and to protect the DG from being scattered by participants.
No matter what kind of protection you think you will use for burning your artwork, The Fire Art Safety team (FAST) is here to help discuss your Open Fire Burn Shield Designs. Arrangements for Decomposed Granite are made through Burning Man and a deposit will be required pre-event to insure its delivery and removal. Please contact us at fire-art (at) burningman (dot) com for any questions.
Notes
- When preparing to burn your piece remember not to use flammable liquids in such a way that they spill off of the platform and on to the playa surface.
- Silica or fiberglass glass cloth is not fireproof under sustained heat, and must be covered with sand.
- Avoid burning plastics and synthetics.
- Remove or burn paint off metal before bringing to the playa.
- No problem using nails, screws, or other steel fasteners, just clean them up. A magnet rake is one of the greatest cleanup tools and can be purchased cheaply.
- Aluminum exposed to moderately high heat will melt.
- Clean up as quickly as the fire cools before participants pile garbage onto your burn.
- Corrugated steel needs supports two feet apart to resist impact of walkers or heavy objects.
- Steel drums, garbage cans, or large buckets are safer than plastic for removing ashes and debris.
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IMPORTANT:
If you ARE using Open Flame, Flame Effects, or Pyrotechnics in your work of art, it is mandatory that you have a burn scar protection plan.
If you have any questions concerning: Art installations in general: email installations (at) burningman (dot) com Open Fire: email: fire-art (at) burningman (dot) com Flame Effects: email flame-effects (at) burningman (dot) com Pyrotechnics: email pyro (at) burningman (dot) com |
Theme Camp & Art Installation Questionnaire
Finally, visit our Project Registration Questionnaires page to fill out an art installation questionnaire to register your project.
