Incendia, Love Burn
There are times when some of the events that I do just blow my mind. People who aren't a part of this culture don't tend to have the same type of access to what it means for things like this to exist.
The thing that's different about Burner events from other festival culture is that it's completely participant driven. Although some art grants do exist to cover material costs, no one is paid for their time to make work in these types of spaces. It is all donated, every single bit. People do it for the love of art and alternative community, and it's pretty mind blowing.
When you walk around spaces like this you'll often see some of the biggest and best art the world has to offer. Add to that the fact that the artists all did it for free, and you have some of the most magical engaged spaces you could possibly imagine.
A team like
truly captures the essence of this type of art. Incendia is a team we've
and hope to do more with in the future. This massive all encompassing installation would be impressive to anyone. Add to that the fact that they all do it because they love it, and this gift is a truly stunning contribution to the world at large.
One of the team members told me the story of how it all began. How one day while flipping over a propane fire they noticed the incredible beauty of what happened when the propane got trapped underneath a ceiling that contained it. From this accident, an idea was born. Bigger experiments begot bigger ideas, and soon they started living together on a property so they could keep building.
Now with multiple massive domes, Dj cages, fire poofers, fire performers and hundreds and hundreds of pounds of propane, this team has built up to an installation that is absolutely breath taking. The team has grown into a family, and the commitment to their art does not seem to waiver.
One of the things that I also really appreciate about this team is their understanding of their broader environmental impact. They are all very aware that the type of art they do isn't overly environmentally friendly, and because of that they do what they can to raise awareness about environmental issues.
As stated on their website, "Given Incendia’s unique position in the entertainment and production industry, and the high regard which many of you graciously regard us, we believe our most effective path toward environmental harmony is one of activism and philanthropy towards policy changes and green energy initiatives both here in the United States, and across the world.
While it may be impossible for us to reduce our carbon emissions to zero and continue to bring wonder and joy to those across America and beyond, we have begun to assess where and how we may do the most good."
They go on to state that they commit a percentage of all profits to policy initiatives, research institutes, NGOs, and carbon-offsetting programs on the cutting edge of sustainable energy for the 21st century.
As an artist who is extremely aware of environmental issues, I have often asked the question as to wether or not the societal contributions of making art offset the environmental impact that creating objects has. I continue to choose that it is, and I am always so grateful for other teams out there that not only choose to keep contributing to society in this way, but actively work to offset the environmental impact their projects may have.
It was truly inspiring to be able to contribute is some small way to expanding the footprint of this project.
One of the things we really enjoyed contributing to this space was a little bit of extra shade during the daytime. Incendia is a nighttime stage, but we wanted to engage people during the space a little bit more during the day.
The domes we brought were small, but still offered a wonderful space for small yoga classes, fire toy lessons, and hangouts away from the heat of the day.
As well at night the fabric domes were nice little lampshades that added color to the bigger installation, and offered more intimate hangout space for people to gather and sit around small propane fires.
It was so nice to see our little domes in the presence of Incendia's wonderful project. This team rocked our socks off, personally and professionally, and we will sincerely be looking forward to working more with them in the future.