CURRENT

ACT II: An Exercise in Democracy --

for Under 500 Bucks

THE PIG Burn was a delight. It was truly one of the most meaningful times

I have had out in the Black Rock. Setup on Friday went without a hitch;

shade, friendship and good conversation filled the desert, while an

occasional rocket shot into the sky from miles away. THE PIG, firmly

anchored to the playa, might have yearned to fly with the AreoPac crew

but Mark had thoughtfully placed it so the rockets were out of

its view. I don't know how much encouragement it takes to get a pig to

fly, but it would be hard to explain Saturday night if there was just a

pedestal and no pig.

Friday night said farewell to a Technicolor sun as a full moon, blazing

orange and at times obscured by clouds left-over from Halloween,

peered over the top of Trego. As the moon rose, a soft glow that only

the desert can take full advantage of, lit the playa from edge to edge.

Saturday was upon us and most, some returning to camp from the various

hot springs, others deep in conversation saving the world, found a

little time to sleep.

Afternoon called for the table to be set, the linens to be ironed and

the glasses to be polished. Ironing tablecloths in the desert only

bestowed a sense of wonder for what epicurean delight was to follow, a

sense of wonder for those who have yet to see what the PlayaQ was

capable of.

Dinner started out with little bites of various meats; it was a bit

mischievous to watch the unfamiliar wonder who would serve such a

meager little bite and call it a meal. By the fifth course of baby back

ribs, meat staying on the bones only by magic, and the seventh course

of rack of lamb so tender as to threaten to float off the plate, well,

dessert was not an option.

The table for 60 fell into a food coma. A gathering crowd of locals,

burners and vacationers who stumbled upon a pig bathed in pink wondered

what was in store. Placed high up on a pedestal surrounded by fireworks

and silk, THE PIG waited for the moon to signal that it was time. Stacks

of cedar were ignited and the fuses for the fireworks were touched off.

Volley upon volley of rockets, showers of sparks, whistles and pops

filled the air. Only a few made their way into the crowd causing some

exciting dance moves. The flames, precisely timed, began to consume the

porcine effigy. A slight breeze rose, holding the flames to the back of

THE PIG and creating a magnificent silhouette. Finally THE PIG, fully

engulfed in fire, rolled over on its side and disappeared into the pyre.

The burn was indeed a very special time. Most every one spoke in muted

tones and enjoyed the company of those who could be there and I am

sure, thought of those who for one reason or another could not make it.

All agreed how special this burn was, the way people interacted, the

vastness of the desert not choked by fences and El Monte Rental

machines or rules and routines.

I thank Mark and Ilana for a wonderful vision brought to life and look

forward to the next time when such an incredible group of people can

trek out to the middle of nowhere and pull so much from the blankest

of canvasses.

- Super Dave

A Hearty THANK YOU

to Soss & PlayaQ!

ACT I: “THE PIG”

ACT III: “Il Mazzolin Di Fiori”

Artist Email: markdgrieve@gmail.com

Summary of THE PIG by Super Dave:

“The Bouquet of Flowers”

A One-Night Culinary and

Visual Art Collaboration...

July 11, 2009

In an ironic twist to a counter-culture event claiming self-expression as a tenet, two artists picketed Burning Man for two days during the festival. Armed with 2000 fliers and holding three picket signs reading, “Art on Strike,” “B.R.C.L.L.C. Hard On Art,” and “Brush Your Teeth,” Petaluma artists Mark Grieve and Ilana Spector set out to question the event’s grant structure. By picketing Burning Man, they unexpectedly founded the Freedom of Speech Zone outside the festival.

The Bureau of Land Management didn’t know what to do with us; Burning Man didn’t know what to do with us, so the government, adhering to legal precedent, established the zone for us, said Spector.

The name of the performance is “An Exercise in Democracy -- for Under 500 Bucks.” It is a response to the event’s theme, “The American Dream,” as well as to the election year. “The piece started as an attempt to see if the democratic process could work in this ‘experimental’ society,” explained Grieve. “The lessons we learned, however, went way beyond the Black Rock desert. “The performance became an exercise in first amendment rights of speech, assembly, and petition, and our direct relationship to the democratic process. We learned how key the law enforcement and public officials were in protecting our civil liberties,” said the artists.

Grieve has a 12-year history building art in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada. He led a crew of over 70 people to build both the “Temple of Dreams” in 2005, and “The Temple of Hope” in 2006 at Burning Man. With Spector, a lawyer-turned artist, Grieve built “Bike Arch” as well as other public junk-bike-related art for the City of Ventura, CA and the City of San Rafael, CA. Most recently in July, they hosted “THE PIG,” a five-start seven-course dinner collaboration between Grieve/Spector and artist/chef Alex Steneck. (See www.MarkGrieve.com.)

“We have yet to see if our intentions worked. But we feel great about the unexpected successes we have already achieved,” remarked the artists.

(“Local Artists Strike Burning Man,” The Buzz, Argus-Courier, p. C1, Sept. 4, 2008)

Artists Strike Burning Man, Founding Freedom of Speech Zone Outside Event

Here are two concerns…

1. TRANSPARENCY in the Grant Process:
- What’s with all the secrecy? GRANT AMOUNTS SHOULD BE ANNOUNCED BEFORE ARTISTS APPLY FOR THEM.
Not doing so amounts to exploitation of the arts community.
- How can artists design if they don’t know the amount to which they’re designing? For years, artists have been screwing themselves by not knowing grant amounts beforehand. This tactic is designed to gain the upper hand on artists. The seeming philanthropy of

Il Mazzolin di Fiori

A one-night culinary and visual art collaboration…

Burning Man is actually being subsidized by the struggling arts community. It’s tough enough being an artist in America trying to make a living, but it is even tougher when you have to pay people to do it.

- The same people jury the Grants each year. Let’s get some new taste in there – new blood. Why not have a rotating jury or guest jurors?

2. FEED the Artists – in the Commissary – Before the Event – while they’re helping to build the city!
- Artists are as important as heavy equipment or the DPW – we’re all out there working our asses off under intense pressure to help build the city on time.

- From previous experience building large art on the playa, 40% of my time went to dealing with the kitchen and not the art. The grant can not cover food expenses, so one has to come out of pocket to feed one’s crew … or fundraise, charge, or beg. This eats up a great deal of energy and time.

- The commissary is an ideal location to convene at Burning Man. From experience, eating just one meal a day there streamlined my process building art. People can then talk directly with each other in a relaxed, productive manner. Artists should be able to concentrate on art, not be trying to juggle a kitchen crew and separate art crew. This would make for a better art process and benefit us all.

“Amusent ils s'ils ne peuvent pas supporter une baise.”
(Joke’m if they can’t take a f***.)
- Alexis de Tocqueville
Democracy in America, 1835
“I’m a 12-year participant in this event. I have created some art on the playa over the years (www.MarkGrieve.com) and seen some problems out here. I’ve voiced my concerns, only to fall on deaf ears…”
- Mark Grieve, 2008
“Good tactics can save even the worst strategy. Bad tactics will destroy even the best strategy.”
- General George S. Patton, Jr.

Programma:

Friday, June 5, 2009

Arrive, Set-up, Make yourself Comfortable,

Work on Flowers/Bouquet

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Finish up Art, Dinner set-up and Dine,

Burn the vase

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Clean-up and head out….

Sensi “Quick and easy” ala Pedroli “Eccellente” :

Use Google to find Gerlach, NV. From Gerlach, head out of town, west on 447. Just out of town, stay to the right, route 34. From the fork, go 11 miles, THEN take the second right turn onto the playa, (if you turn onto a nice gravel road, you turned too soon.) Once on the playa, go about 2 miles and look to your left.

We will have flashing lights up at night. You can call on CB channel 17 or 2 meters 146.520. The locals call this place Dead Dog Cove.

Concetto:

In 2008, after THE PIG, we learned that sunflower seeds have as much protein as steak, thus was borne “Il Mazzolin di Fiori.” Meaning “Bouquet of Flowers,” this is an invitation to join us for a visual and culinary artistic collaboration.

A “big-ass” wooden flower vase will be provided (12’-14’ tall); each artist is invited to create a burnable flower.

We will assemble the finished bouquet, load it with fireworks, enjoy a GREAT feast, and conclude with the burning of the bouquet.

Istruzioni:

This dinner happening is an attempt to make a collaborative artwork. The vase is merely a framework for what will become a large (20--25’) bouquet of individually-created flowers, filled with fireworks and then “fired up.”

We’re inviting you to make a flower - burnable and please,

environmentally-friendly (kids paint works great - cardboard, newspaper, papier mache - whatever). The vase will be 12’ fall; the round sic of a sunflower would be around 5’ in diameter, for scales-sake; all scales welcome. Make something and bring it out and we’ll find the perfect spot in the bouquet for it. We’ll also have some materials out in the desert.

We will cover dinner Saturday night and coffee Sunday morning. Please bring drinks to share for the festivities, and enough food and water for the rest of your stay, and remember, this is camping....

If you’d like, let us know what you’re thinking so we can help accommodate your needs.... RSVP: ilmazzolinRSVP@gmail.com

Finale of a 3-part p

Thank you to the Pollock-Krasner Foundation and the Puffin Foundation for contributing to this piece...

THE PIG Story

THE PIG started at Burning Man in 2007 when some artists met. The idea that sprung from this meeting was a one-time barbeque dinner, culminating in the burning of a wooden PIG sculpture – a pyro-BBQ-dinner of the absurd – a 4H fantasy!

This brilliant concept was rejected for the Burning Man event this year, The American Dream. Now I ask you – Who doesn’t want the Prize Hog?

So, true to the spirit of Thomas Jefferson and the Founding Fathers, we’re going to do it anyway – declare independence, just like the artists rejected from the Salon. The Salon des Refusés, French for “exhibition of rejects,” refers to an exhibition in 1863 when the French Academie told Monet his worked sucked. But he showed it anyway, along with Cezanne, Manet, Whistler, and many others. In America in 1908, a similar show happened, exhibiting the Ashcan School.

We’re going to burn THE PIG in the Black Rock Desert (of course), Nevada, the weekend of JULY 18, 19th, and 20th, 2008.

• July 18th (full moon), set-up.
• July 19th, Dinner with the infamous Playa Q and PIG BURN extravaganza.
• July 20th, 2008, Clean-up and departure
(& anniversary of the first moon landing.)

If you are able to make it, it should be fun … and tasty ... … …

THANK YOU to all who participated! What a wonderful time...

THANK YOU:

- David Best, for the Cactus and for coming out...

- ROSANNA FERRARA -- FOOD FOOD FOOD -- and CULTURAL ATTACHE -- WOMAN EXTRAORDINAIRE!
- Pedroli Excellente - for the place, the grill, the ride to town - and general support
- LadyK Purpose, General Purpose, Raina, and Portland crew... family members included, for the INCREDIBLE 600-pronged Dandelion, filled with aspirations
- Mario for ALL HIS HELP -- his incredibly-prepared famous Caesar, general GEM from set-up to clean-up, and wonderful photography
- Gregory Fleeman for the fantastic firework handling, placement and wind block...
- Ty Eckley for flying from Texas, flower arranging, the gorgeous flower necklaces and performing miracles of help (building pieces, kitchen cleaning (thank you)), all while impeccably dressed...
- Tim Englert for an incredibly realistic explosive Protea, whose fuse started the piece; also his support, playfulness, enthusiasm and skill (oh, and scaffolding) is much much appreciated...
- Katie and Pope - gorgeous multi-colored flower made out of palm leaves (and fill in the details, please...) ALSO the mood lighting for dinner right-away, and providing a place for mom to hang
- Spoon / #2, grilling machine, driver, scout, and good friend
- Noah and Miles Zaccaglini-Grieve, for coming out, making your dad's day, and not screwing up Ilana's car too badly, and oh, for bringing wonderful friends...
- Che and Owen -- for your presence, exuberance, help with David's piece, and drinking enough water
- Ilana's mom and Mark's dad, for taking the adventurous step into the unknown ...
- Judith Spector -- for making the first flower, the fabric beautiful poppy, and starting dinner out serving the caprese with Sue
- Sue Jackson, all around angel, participant, tablecloth master
- Alexander Grieve -- for the amazing lily -- beautiful petals falling so gracefully during the burn...
- Sue Grieve -- thank you for coming, again, and being big sis.
- Anne-Marie Grieve -- also made a beautiful sunflower with fabric and pine cone center...
- Maggie, for baby-sitting, general support, eggs, and heck -- doing it again, maybe one last time for good this time :).
- Anna -- for ironing tables, and Wil'm making the Roth part happen....
- Danny and company - for helping David, smiling, coming again... and for great energy and gifts from home
- Daniel and Mattias -- you too! Thank you for braving the trip!!! And thank you Molly for letting them!!
- Blu' - for making the most delicate but sturdy, GIGANTIC sunflower with petals that I fell asleep to the sound of Friday night, and
- KATHY for her assistance and light positive presence
- Brian Buckley for male fica (sp?) -- the gorgeious venus fly trap
- Eli and Matt Starchild for REPRESENTin' the bell-like flower continGENCY yo!
- Tim for potable water -- yay!
- Teresa Coleman and her wonderful toddler and Man of the Family for being the best all-around most helpful wonderful people
- Duncan and Pam for filling in, serving, bringing the fam
- Moma Lola, Tommy, Tanya, and ? for coming and enjoying - and enjoying and being there again.... wonderful to have served YOU
- Mike Finn for being such a wonderful [balls] guy... so helpful [balls], always providing [balls] humor...
- Kimmie and Jason for kitchen assistance and general energy...
- Blue Fire (Will) for taking the “transformative” step
- Elizabeth for making it and making camp feel like a bedroom Sunday morning (wink wink)
- Smooth for his surprise entrance
- Jen Forbes and Omar - wonderful folk, wonderful laughter -- and they took our recycling.... thank you...
- Kristina Simancik for making flowers so far in advance that were so friggin' beautiful, and forgetting them so I can have one at up at our place for a bit....
- Chelsea Peil and Kristen for making more people flowers that included Gustav and Portand crew
- Rusty and Julie, for coming to the desert on another adventure to meet up with friends...
- Sherri and Gerlach office crew for your presence and patience
- Patrick Daily for driving the car into the ground for the cause....
- Todd Kimball -- for riding in on his HOG, and putting on his gloves and helping literally four seconds after rollin' in
- Chris, for ALL his assistance and help, and constant smile
- Jamie Douglas -- for posting photos so quickly and jumping so high
- Scott Rogiers for coming out and assisting us with our general attitude

- Suzy Goldsmith, Meghan Reinhardt, Fani Geroff, & Judy Goodman for contributing flowers

- The Folks from the DPW who took a chance and came out...
- Willy, for the DG and clean-up
And a note to everyone who missed it, we thought about you, and hope we can all do it again....