BLACK ROCK CITY, Nevada -- Burning Man 2005 came to a close Monday in a cloud of sadness as attendees slowly learned about the disaster in New Orleans.
Here in Black Rock City -- the temporary urban environment in the middle of a dried lake bed -- news is hard to come by. Cell phones don't work1 and internet access is rare. News of what happened in Louisiana and Mississippi filtered slowly through the crowd of approximately 35,000 who attended the annual alternative art festival and bacchanal.
On Sunday afternoon, hundreds took part in a New Orleans-style memorial for the flooded city at Mark Grieve's Temple of Dreams. The service, organized by the anti-consumerist Rev. Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping, mixed angry political rhetoric with heartfelt sadness. Singer Joan Baez led the audience in a sing-along of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "Amazing Grace."
Later, attendees ventured far out into the open playa for the burning of Grieve's temple. It's a somber event: Throughout the week, thousands of participants had left notes at the structure memorializing friends and loved ones who died in the past year.
On Saturday night, the event's namesake, The Man, burned as thousands circled around its base, a large structure called The Funhouse that included a maze filled with whimsical art. As in previous years, the huge fire spawned dozens of flame-filled dust devils that sped outward and toward the crowd watching the burn.
