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We have an address! Dali & 3:45
This year we wanted to change things up and have a variety of events and interactivity throughout the week. We really focused on our teacher/school/education theme.
See our full schedule below or view the events on Playa Events.
CANCELED?!?!?! NOT AGAIN!!! After seeing the turnout for the Renegade Burn in 2020, we all decided we were going back in 2021 no matter what. For not planning any official interactivity, the week was quite eventful. We provided much-needed shade to passers-by that led to many great conversations and friendships.
Robot Disco and our new mutant vehicle, Hootie, made their maiden voyages to the playa.
Because there was no airport, we were also able to bring drones to give renegade burners FPV rides to see aerial views of the playa. We also connected with a drone camp to help set up an incredible drone show one night.
Overall, it was wonderful with a side of danger.
10-mile ride out to the edge of Playa. I was worried Robot Disco was going to run out of battery the whole time.
We handed out DMV inspection stickers to the mutant vehicles that showed up this year.
There was no airport, so we were able to fly drones. This was a panoramic image stitched together from five photos taken with a DJI Mavic Air 2. I also took out a few FPV drones so that we can fly and give burners and bird’s eyes view with FPV goggles.
Mutant vehicles have always been my favorite part of the Burn. They are what brought me to Burning Man, and the 10 Principles are what keep me coming back. I initially built Hootie just to build it. When I get an idea, I tend to throw myself neck-deep into it until it’s “complete”.
Once Hootie was somewhat complete and drivable, the reactions and smiles I would get driving it around Austin really drove me to continue expanding and building on the project. We brought Hootie to the Renegade Burn, and people really loved it.
One interaction, in particular, has really stuck with me… We were sitting at camp and something told me to go take a ride, so I headed off to the center of the city. As soon as I got to what would normally be Esplanade, a group of people stopped me. One of the Renegade Burners asked to take a photo with me and Hootie. She told me her mother had recently passed, and she was expecting to see an Owl soon. We talked for a bit, she cried, we hugged, and we took the picture. I really felt at that moment that she was able to accept and let go just a little bit. As someone that lost a parent at a young age, this interaction will remain one of my most cherished Burn memories.
Ultimately, Hootie is a test for a larger mutant vehicle build. Teacher Money has aspirations to start building a larger mutant vehicle this year to bring out in 2023. Hootie Version 0 (that we took to Renegade Burn), was the alpha test. Hootie Version 1 going to 2022, is really the beta test for the larger project. We learned so much by bringing the vehicle to Playa and will learn even more bringing Hootie to this year’s full burn. We already learned what breaks, what rusts, and what corrodes. Honestly, it’s just good to start small. We do plan to keep Hootie moving beyond 2022. The ultimate goal is for Teacher Money to bring out multiple mutant vehicles.
Why an owl? Owls have shown up as a good omen at a lot of the major events in our lives, so it only seemed fitting.
TLDR: Hootie makes people smile, it’s a great conversation starter, and it’s a beta test for a larger project.
See more here:
Bryan and Steph’s First Burn! 2019 was our camp’s inaugural year. We decided to go full send and start a theme camp. A fellow burner and VR developer created a VR experience called Cosmic Sugar. We loved sharing it with our friends and knew we wanted to bring it to playa as our camp’s main interactivity. Once we got placed, we knew we could not do it alone, so we reached out for help on Reddit. That is where we met the other founding members.
from left to right: Albert, Cindy, Nanako, Blake, Bryan, Stephanie, Jamie
At the time, Cindy and Jamie were virgins like us, Albert and Nanako had burned twice, and Blake had an impressive nine burns under his belt. We ran the interactivity each night for around 150 burners. People seemed to really enjoy it, and we even had people tell us it was the best gift they received.
Our name is really just an oxymoron that is meant to make people think about the state of public education and how much we compensate the people that are molding our future generations.
To create an environment that empowers everyone to realize their full potential as the artist of their own life, learning to shape themselves into a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.
Fail better next year.