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Playa Aesthetics
Kim Chihuly — Wed, 09/21/2011 - 14:01
Playa Aesthetics Explained
Second Life enables us to escape the bonds of our default reality. There is so much more possible here than exists in our real lives. We can fly, travel the world at a click of our mouse, or totally customize our surroundings to suit our given mood. Second Life also provides us with the ability to connect and interact with people all over our planet and experience things we may not otherwise have the opportunity to.
BURN2 promotes the bonds of community within the world of Second Life. At the same time, we attempt to bring the realism of Burning Man to those who may not have had a chance to attend, reunite those that may have met at Burning Man, or provide a place for those with similar interests to network.
The BURN2 event provides a sense of realism to the surroundings of the BURN2 estate. The ground textures were made from actual photographs of the real playa. Many infrastructure builds are very close replicas of what you will find in Gerlach, Nevada or in the Black Rock Desert where the annual Burning Man Festival is held.
The playa is a long since dried up lake bed located between the towns of Gerlach and Empire, Nevada, USA dating back several thousand years. Every effort is taken to maintain its care and conservation. When it rains, all vehicle traffic is halted so as not to disturb the familiar cracked desert ground. Extreme care is taken when holes must be dug, tent stakes driven in, or when heavy machinery must travel across it.
With this in mind, we encourage you to craft your builds with imagination. Think of what it may take to create something spectacular or interactive on a stretch of barren desert, yet able to be trucked in, assembled, visited by thousands, torn down, packed up and taken back out without disturbing the environment around you. Remember, it’s hot, very windy and choked with dust that can burn your skin. A massive steel and concrete structure would take large trucks, heavy construction equipment and months to build at an enormous cost to the wallet and the environment. Whereas a wooden, canvas, plastic, or even a painted styrofoam structure would provide the same look without the backbreaking work. And we’re here for fun, not work, right?
If at any time you have questions or require assistance, please do not hesitate to contact a member of the BURN2 Team or shout out in the BURN2 Access group chat.
Diana Renoir
BURN2 Department of Public Works
Reference http://burn2.org/aesthetics
