Amega

Announce October 2016

Posted on October 1, 2015 by Amega

Burning Flipside 2016: No

That’s right, folks. No theme. At the Fall Town Hall this past Saturday, the community gathered at the NEW Warehouse to hear updates on community activities, and to select the theme for next year. After a series of fun presentations, votes were cast and the theme emerged. GoodbyeOldWarehouse Remember that themes are a loose suggestion that don’t have to be adhered to unless you want to. “No” can have a multitude of interpretations, so take some time to roll the idea around in your head. You may be surprised at what No can do for you!

The after party was a chance for us to say our last goodbyes to the old Warehouse. Music, lights, BOOSH, and an atmosphere full of bittersweet sorrow made the night special. It was a worthy send-off for a venue that has been our home away from Home for so many years.

Fare thee well, Old Warehouse. Now let’s get the New Warehouse up to speed!

Stay tuned to the Flipside Flame, the Announce email list, and the official Burning Flipside Facebook Page. Remember, if you have something you’d like to contribute to the Flame or Announce, use Flipside Flame/Announce Submission page to send it in. Announce tends to be at the beginning of the month, and Flames usually get published around the middle of the month. Get me the info at least a week before then, and I’ll do my best to get your contribution included.

~Editor

Final Old Warehouse Push

Welcome to the new warehouse! We need to do a final push at the old warehouse. Thursday afternoon, the bus should be moving! Thursday early evening, I could use 2-3 people to help remove everything remaining inside the building to the exterior of the building. I’ll be there at 5:30. A few things are too big for one person to do alone. Saturday, I need to lease one more dumpster. Everything that is left MUST GO. Please watch this space for time we will start on Saturday.
~Mer

Leads Nominations

Nominate yourself or others for Lead positions. Nominations are now open, and close on October 26th. From Dahling Sweetiepoo:

So, we’re having one of those Flipside thingies again in 2016. And as you all know, Flipside is an all-volunteer organization. This means that we need a ton of volunteers to make the whole thing go — our estimate is more than 600 volunteers working well more than 7000 hours.

In order to coordinate all of this, we’ve needed to add quite a bit of structure. For this reason, rather than just throwing out a few hundred volunteers and saying “go do stuff”, Flipside’s been divided up into a bunch of tasks that need to be done, and those tasks are then given to leads. And you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t want to be a lead, or want someone else to be a lead, now, would you?

Leads, generically, have accountability for some set of tasks, the authority to delegate parts of those tasks, and the responsibility to build a team capable of executing those tasks. Typically, they will interface with other leads, and with the relevant Area Facilitator (AF) in order to accomplish those tasks.

Area Facilitators (AFs)

AFs exist to operationally support and coordinate the various leads. In particular, the AFs are responsible for making sure that the leads have the tools necessary to get their jobs done. With this in mind, each Area Facilitator has a specific scope for which they are accountable for, and consequently, a specific subset of leads which they support. They will be excellent resources from which to inquire about the scope and responsibilities of the various Flipside leads. If you have any questions about any of the lead positions, you can consult http://wiki.burningflipside.com/wiki/Main_Page

Here are the areas with volunteer positions:

Art	Site Ops	Safety	Site Prep
City Planning	Site Sign Off	Communications	360/24/7
Volunteer Coordinator	Genesis	AAR LLC	Combustion Chamber

Note: AAR, LLC and Combustion Chamber positions are special roles filled in a different process.

The sign-up form has a lot of great detail. Go! Nominate away!

DaFT Proposals

The Design and Fabrication Team (DaFT) is the group that brings the effigy to the playa year after year. Got an idea of what you’d like the effigy to be? Check out the Effigy Page for more details, and we’ll post more info as it becomes available. Seriously, what do you think “No” means when it’s on fire? Give it some thought and show us what you’ve got! Send submissions to daft-proposal@flames.burningflipside.com any time before the end of November 22nd.

Combustion Chamber Meetings

Now that TTITD is over, and the Fall Town Hall has occurred, and the Warehouse has moved, Combustion Chamber meetings are getting back to their regular schedule.

The Combustion Chamber is an advisory committee to the Austin Artistic Reconstruction LLC to facilitate community input & transparency for the policy-making process and organization of burn community events. CC meetings each start at 7:42 pm at the Warehouse. Special topics are as follows:
October 19th topics:

LLC/Regionals/AF Updates – “Let’s Catch Up” on what’s happening with the LLC, Regionals, and Area Facilitators.
Meeting Room Booking Policies – Review the current warehouse use policies, suggest adaptations for the use of the specific climate-controlled space as it will have a potentially different group of interested users, with the goal of keeping a pleasant space for us to welcome the community to and for the community to use.
Warehouse Storage Policy – Review the current warehouse storage policies, suggest amendments as necessary, and carry the final message to the larger community, with the aim to reduce clutter and crap that accumulates at the warehouse. The recent warehouse search and move give new perspective to clutter’s impact on our volunteers and even the bottom line.

November 2nd topics:

LLC/Regionals/AF Updates – “Let’s Catch Up” on what’s happening with the LLC, Regionals, and Area Facilitators.
CC Handbook Draft Review – How to be a member of the CC, a review.
CC Retreat – Is it happening, and what are the details?

Have a topic you believe the community needs to discuss? Please send suggestions to cc@burningflipside.com. Please keep in mind that we discuss community and policy issues, not operational ones.

Flame for September 2015 (2015 Vol 6)

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Amega

That Thing in The Desert happened. The Warehouse is making the big move, and we’re getting ready for the Fall Town Hall. The CC is meeting as I polish this Flame edition. Our burning lives continue apace, and before you know it, we’ll be back Home again.

~Editor

NEWERER&IMPROVEDERER Fall-ish Town Hall is upon us!

The Facebook Event for those of you who schedule yourselves with it…

Join us Saturday, September 26th, at OUR BRAND NEW WAREHOUSE! 3106 Industrial Terrace, Austin 78758. Tailgating starts at noon, Town Hall starts at 2:34PM.

AFTERPARTY: Join us at 7PM, at the OLD WAREHOUSE, 1023 Springdale Rd, Austin 78721, for music, beverages, and reminiscing. We’re saying goodbye to our old home, so let’s send it off with a bang.

Both events are BYOWhatever You Need To Be Comfortable. Bring a chair, a beverage to share, and a way to carry it all home with you when you go. Both events are, as always, Leave No Trace.

We’ll be hearing updates from AAR, LLC, the Combustion Chamber, the DaFT team, and more. We’ll also be hearing theme nomination presentations, then voting on the Burning Flipside 2016 theme.

If you’ve got an amazingZOMGcool theme in mind…
Just click below to add that amazingZOMGcool event theme:
https://secure.burningflipside.com/themes/add.php (must have login to submit)

To view event themes that have been submitted click below:
https://secure.burningflipside.com/themes/view.php (must have login to submit)

To present a theme, please bring a sealed manila envelope containing 10oz of glitter (no color preference) a $200 bill in unmarked bills, three tacos marked “Property of the Combustion Chamber” (we like corn tortillas), a Toblerone, and a unicorn, preferably live. (No Pegasuses please, they know what they did.)

–OR– Just show up, and check in with the Emcee prior to Town Hall. If you have any audio/visual needs for your presentation, advanced notice is awesome, so that our sound person doesn’t give you condescending look of condescension. ALMOST anything goes, so don’t be afraid to get weird with it.

Best,
The Combustion Chamber

CALL FOR FALL TOWN HALL VOLUNTEERS

Howdy Flipizens!

Fall Town Hall is coming up on Saturday, September 26th at the NEW WAREHOUSE. We need volunteers to make it go!

If you or your theme camp are available to help out, please fill out this form so we can contact you about logistics:

https://docs.google.com/…/1VB7R9pyxhIunVDtLsgSnxe…/viewform…

~Sparkles

An Hour in the Shoes of the Off Season Event Coordinator…

Our continuing series on what it’s like to volunteer for Burning Flipside brings you a quick message from Sparkles, who is busy rounding up volunteers for the Fall Town Hall:
Eyes glued to spreadsheets, making calls, finding venues, sourcing beer, renting porta-potties, sending invitations, making events that bring our community together go!

Combustion Chamber Meetings

The Combustion Chamber is an advisory committee to the Austin Artistic Reconstruction LLC to facilitate community input & transparency for the policy-making process and organization of burn community events. Meetings are open to everyone, starting at 7:42 pm at the Warehouse. Special topics are as follows:

September 14:

Town Hall: Getting ready for the big show.
Calendaring: Where we put things on the calendar.
Exodus: Leaving Burning Flipside and You! An exercise in patience.

September 28:

TBD (many of us are still recovering from TTITD)

Who Can/Should Attend:
You! If you care about the event and especially if you care about any of these topics you should come to discuss them.

Why this matters:
The CC provides advice to the LLC. The LLC provides the overall direction and policy guidance that end up making the event happen. The topics discussed at this meeting may have a direct impact on you during the actual Flipside event and/or at the AAR, LLC warehouse.

You can’t stay involved if you are uninformed. Meeting minutes will be posted as they are received. Thanks for your patience. http://www.burningflipside.com/organization/cc/minutes

Have a topic you believe the community needs to discuss? Please send suggestions to cc@burningflipside.com. Please keep in mind that we discuss community and policy issues, not operational ones.

More Art Opportunities

Attention all Artists, Creators and Makers: I am working to create a new art experience in Austin in October 2015. Part of what makes it special is that it does not occur (much) on social media. So if you would like to talk to me about how you can pArticipate please email me at austinnightmarket@gmail.com.

~XTC

Announce September 2015

Posted on September 3, 2015 by Amega

Announcements are gaining momentum as we drive toward the big Warehouse Move, Fall Town Hall, and other regional events. Stay tuned in by subscribing to the Announce email list.

Remember, if you have something you’d like to contribute to the Flame or Announce, use the Flipside Flame / Announce Submission Form to send it in. Announce tends to be at the beginning of the month, and Flames usually get published around the middle of the month. Get me the info at least a week before then, and I’ll do my best to get your contribution included.

~Editor

Warehouse Move Updates

Warehouse2015 Do you like scrap metal? Gear triage? Sorting through a decade’s worth of art sediment? Organizing things? Do you stay up late during weeknights? Have a truck? Then, the warehouse move team is for you!

Starting now, we’re sorting through the stuff in the existing warehouse–every Church Night and weekend until the end of September. Over Labor Day, we’ll have a big push to stage for the move, and then over Sept 12-13th, we’ll rent big trucks and do the final push. In between then and now, if you’d like to be on the list of people who get first crack at the loot pile, or are a part of the spur of the moment midnight runs from one warehouse to the next, contact warehouse-move@burningflipside.com to get on the warehouse move email list.

The Warehouse is moving to a new location (that will be revealed early to volunteers), and we need your help! Fill out the Warehouse Move Signup to stay in the know about when/where/how you can help us get things done.

It’s a big job, but if a lot of us help, and we take it slow and steady, we can get this done with minimal effort. NEW WAREHOUSE! Let’s do this.

~Mer

WART Wants You!

The Warehouse is moving. There’s a lot of art. We’re going to move the art.

There is a team – the Warehouse Art Relocation Team.

There is a form.
If you have art at the Warehouse and want to have a say in what happens to it, or want it back, please fill out the form.
If you want to help us catalog, clean, pack, and move all this precious art, please fill out the form.
If you just want to tell us why a particular piece is super important to move to the new warehouse, please fill out the form.
Again, the form.
You can also send email to warehouseart15@burningflipside.com.

The WART thanks you for your participation!

Combustion Chamber Meetings

We are jumping our normal every other week CC scheduling because of Burning Man. See some of you out in the dust , the others when we get back . Travel safely, have adventures.

LLC/Regionals/AF Updates – “Let’s Catch Up” on what’s happening with the LLC, Regionals, and Area Facilitators.
Town Hall Planning/run through – Go over the agenda for Fall Town Hall, and get ready for the big show.
Calendaring – What topics will be covered at future CC meetings? When? Find out!
Exodus – Leaving Burning Flipside and You! An exercise in patience.

Have a topic you believe the community needs to discuss? Please send suggestions to cc@burningflipside.com. Please keep in mind that we discuss community and policy issues, not operational ones.

Fall Town Hall

September 26, 2015…AT THE NEW WAREHOUSE!

Get your theme presentations submitted and ready. We’re getting out the vote for Burning Flipside 2016!

Learn about volunteer opportunities
Find theme camps
Recruit members to your theme camp
Meet fellow Flipizens
See the new Warehouse
Say goodbye to the old Warehouse

Generally get in a festive mood as we look forward to finding out what the theme for Burning Flipside 2016 is.

We Want Art!

We want your photos for the Burning Flipside website. Considering that we’re a community of artists putting on a participatory art festival, our website is kind of lacking in, well, art.

If you’ve got any great photos from Flipside that you’d like to appear on our website, we’d love to have them. Please submit them via the form at our Media Contribution Page.

And please take a moment to read over the Media-Use Agreement at the top of the form.

Flame for August 2015 (2015 Vol 5)

Posted on August 13, 2015 by Amega

August is here, along with the hard-baked heat. A lot is going on during the lull between Burning Flipsides, so make sure you stay tuned to the Flipside Flame, the Announce email list, and the official Burning Flipside Facebook Page.

Remember, if you have something you’d like to contribute to the Flame or Announce, use Flipside Flame/Announce Submission page to send it in. Announce tends to be at the beginning of the month, and Flames usually get published around the middle of the month. Get me the info at least a week before then, and I’ll do my best to get your contribution included.

~Editor

Feedback on Combustion Chamber Nominations

Hey-o! The Combustion Chamber recently put out a call for new members, and we have six nominees! We’d love community feedback on each candidate. If you know them, or you’ve worked with them before, feel free to tell us what your experiences with them are, and whether or not you’d feel comfortable with them representing your community — Our Community. The CC Nomination Feedback page has a menu with each candidates name. You will need to submit a new form for each candidate.

The candidates are:

Amy Heidel
Christopher “Chin-Chim” Sabater
Cooper Crouse
Jillian Selcer
Kati Taylor
Katrina Decker

The Combustion Chamber advocates for the Burning Flipside community and its principles in creating policy recommendations & by fostering an open forum to exchange ideas and information between Austin Artistic Reconstruction, LLC and the community at large.

Thanks in advance for your time!

Best,
The Combustion Chamber

Warehouse Art Relocation Team

The Wherehouse is moving. There’s a lot of art. We’re going to move the art.

There is a team – the Warehouse Art Relocation Team.

There is a form – http://goo.gl/forms/KTuszwKx4w

If you have art at the wherehouse and want to have a say in what happens to it, or want it back, please fill out the form. If you want to help us catalog, clean, pack, and move all this precious art, please fill out the form. If you just want to tell us why a particular piece is super important to move to the new warehouse, please fill out the form.

Again, the form – http://goo.gl/forms/KTuszwKx4w

You can also send email to warehouseart15@burningflipside.com.
The WART thanks you for your participation!

Fall Town Hall

The Facebook Event for those of you who schedule yourselves with it…

Saturday, September 26, 2015! Tailgating will start at noon, meeting portion will start at 2:34PM. We’ll be picking the theme for Burning Flipside 2016, talking about the DaFT selection process, volunteering, and so much more!

Town Hall will be in the new warehouse, with an after party at the old/our current warehouse at 1023 Springdale Rd. We’ll keep you posted!

Invite your fellow Flipizens! Get your theme presentations ready!

More details to come.

Combustion Chamber Meetings

The Combustion Chamber is an advisory committee to the Austin Artistic Reconstruction LLC to facilitate community input & transparency for the policy-making process and organization of burn community events. Meetings are open to everyone, starting at 7:42 pm at the Warehouse. Special topics are as follows:

August 17:

Fall Town Hall: Town Hall – Who is running this show?
Early Dropoff/Vendor Interaction at the event: Some of the large-scale art projects and theme camps that come to Flipside have sought to drop off their infrastructure pre-event and/or pick it up post-event, and some have had material/infrastructure drop-offs by outside vendors. We’ll discuss how we can make this work for those projects, our volunteers, and the event as a whole.

September 14:

Town Hall: Getting ready for the big show.
Calendaring: Where we put things on the calendar.
Exodus: Leaving Burning Flipside and You! An exercise in patience.

Who Can/Should Attend:
You! If you care about the event and especially if you care about any of these topics you should come to discuss them.

You can’t stay involved if you are uninformed. Meeting minutes will be posted as they are received. Thanks for your patience. http://www.burningflipside.com/organization/cc/minutes

Have a topic you believe the community needs to discuss? Please send suggestions to cc@burningflipside.com. Please keep in mind that we discuss community and policy issues, not operational ones.

An Hour In The Life Of…Volunteering!

We love volunteers. A lot. And we want more of them! To help our community better understand what volunteer opportunities exist, we’re posting a series of descriptions detailing what it’s like to be a volunteer in various capacities for an hour. As your Content Lead, I’m setting the stage:

Content Lead is a year-round position that has peaks and valleys of activity. In the busiest times, I’ll spend an hour in front of my computer, sifting through emailed articles that have been submitted through the Flipside Flame/Announce Submission form (hint, hint!), and grazing through the Burning Flipizens Facebook page to capture as much as I can. I then log into the burningflipside.com site and make a publication just like the one you’re reading now.

Where I need help: Gimme content! Take photos (with consent)! Make Art!

Use the submission form to let me know what you’re trying to get out to the community. What you submit doesn’t have to be “publication ready.” I’m happy to edit things as they come in, and will gladly share drafts with you if it helps you.

I have to make judgement calls about which articles go into the Flipside Flame, and which go to Announce messages, but I have lots of support from the LLC and the CC to make those decisions. I’d love to make the posts more visually appealing, but I need your help with that. If you draw, if you take photos, if you’re interested in graphics, let me know!

Announce of August 2015

Posted on July 30, 2015 by Amega

Announce has been a little active lately, but there’s a lot going on. Hang in there with us, because big changes are right around the corner.

Remember, if you have something you’d like to contribute to the Flame or Announce, use http://www.burningflipside.com/contact/ff-submission to send it in. Announce tends to be at the beginning of the month, and Flames usually get published around the middle of the month. Get me the info at least a week before then, and I’ll do my best to get your contribution included.

~Editor

The Burning Flipside Combustion Chambers Seeks New Members

DEADLINE EXTENDED!!
Do enjoy listening to/discussing/debating the finer points of Community with your friends/campmates/fellow burners? Would you enjoy communicating about crucial matters in this community all year long? Do you know someone else who fits this description?
The Combustion Chamber currently seeks new members to renew and diversify its ranks. Submit your application or nomination here.

The Burning Flipside Combustion Chamber (CC) is the Communication conduit between the Community and the event organizers (aka AAR, LLC), and acts as the Burning Flipside organization’s advisory body. The CC meets typically every other Monday evening for approximately two hours, at the Austin warehouse.
Learn more about the Burning Flipside Combustion Chamber.
As always, we’d like to remind folks that Combustion Chamber membership is not limited specifically to those that live in the Austin area, so if you’re in another city, but could make regular meetings, feel free to apply.
The deadline for submissions is Monday, August 10th, at 11:59PM
After that, we will ask for community feedback on all potential CC candidates. The deadline for feedback is Monday, August 17th, at 11:59PM.
Interested in seeing the CC in action? Regular CC meetings are open to participation of all Community members. Our next meeting is Monday, July 20th, 7:42pm, at The Burning Flipsde Warehouse, 1023 Springdale Road, Austin, Texas.
Best,
The Combustion Chamber

Combustion Chamber Meetings

The Combustion Chamber is an advisory committee to the Austin Artistic Reconstruction LLC to facilitate community input & transparency for the policy-making process and organization of burn community events. Meetings are open to everyone, starting at 7:42 pm at the Warehouse. Special topics are as follows:

August 3:

Safety Comm
A recap discussion on how communication worked at the event this year under the challenging conditions, what worked well, what didn’t, and a discussion of ideas of how to improve safety communication at future events.
How Big Should Our Effigy Be?
bonobo is a CC member who was member of DaFT (Design and Fabrication Team) this year and has been involved with DaFT many times over the last 14 years. The effigy is the vessel for the largest ceremonial burn of the event, and the largest single construction project funded by the Burning Flipside community.To understate the situation, this Floodside was the most difficult logistical year for DaFT and required an inordinate effort by all who made it through the week long slog. To Quote the DaFT Lead “FU Trench Camp!” Even for a fringe cult as brainwashed as DaFTees are, the circumstances were horrendous, and for many of us, the experience was “our Flipside” (no regrets, for being on such a Rockstar, dedicated team!).If you would like to discuss the long term view of DaFT, it’s relationship to the Community and ARR/LLC or just praise DaFT bearing Homages / Gifts, please attend.

August 17:

Fall Town Hall
Early Dropoff/Vendor Interaction

Flipside Flood Relief

Did you hear about the weather at Burning Flipside this year? Flipside Flood Relief was established to help. From their “About Us” page:

Flipside Flood Relief is a temporary organization to help raise and distribute funds to those affected by the storms. We will spend the next few months collecting donations through our website and through fundraising events. Once all funds are distributed, this organization will be dissolved.
Initial fundraising will be spent supporting Flipside participants in financial need due to property loss at the event. All additional funds will support Milam County residents directly affected by the storm.

They’re hosting a fundraiser on August 15, 2015 at Trinity Hall: Sam Houston’s Drag Show & Rococo Rodeo. Donations can also be made to Flipside Flood Relief directly through the website. Please note: Flipside Flood Relief is not affiliated with either Austin Artistic Reconstruction, LLC or Burners Without Borders.

Where, O Where is Our Warehouse Going?

You may have heard the scuttlebutt about moving to a new warehouse. If not, well, some day soon we’re moving to a new warehouse! Nothing is signed just yet, but it’s getting close. All the more reason to come out to Church Night, Combustion Chamber Meetings, and start your goodbyes to the “home away from Home” we’ve enjoyed for so many years.

This is also a clarion call to get your poop in a group, inventory what you have stored at the Warehouse, and get it ready for removal or relocation. More details are coming as things are finalized, so stay tuned!

Which reminds me…

Fall Town Hall

Mark your calendars! September 26, 2015 is the Fall Town Hall. There’s a good chance this will be at the new warehouse.

We’ll be watching theme presentations, picking out the theme for Burning Flipside 2016, and soliciting volunteers for just about everything you can imagine. As we get closer to the event, we’ll post things like location, program schedules and volunteer needs, but go ahead and block out the time now.

Flame for July (2015 Vol 5)

Posted on July 20, 2015 by Amega

We hope you had a happy burn with The Wizards of Odd!

Did the Wicked Witch of the Wet get you? She certainly got your Content Lead! We’ll be back to our regularly scheduled content for the Flame and Announce. Remember, if you have something you’d like to contribute to the Flame or Announce, use http://www.burningflipside.com/contact/ff-submission to send it in. Announce tends to be at the beginning of the month, and Flames usually get published around the middle of the month. Get me the info at least a week before then, and I’ll do my best to get your contribution included.

~Editor

Combustion Chamber Seeks New Members

Do enjoy listening to/discussing/debating the finer points of Community with your friends/campmates/fellow burners? Would you enjoy communicating about crucial matters in this community all year long? Do you know someone else who fits this description?

To learn more about the Burning Flipside Combustion Chamber, click here: http://www.burningflipside.com/organization/cc

As always, we’d like to remind folks that Combustion Chamber membership is not limited specifically to those that live in the Austin area, so if you’re in another city, but could make regular meetings, feel free to apply.
The Combustion Chamber currently seeks new members to renew and diversify its ranks. Submit your application or nomination at:

http://www.burningflipside.com/contact/cc-nomination-form

The deadline for submissions is Monday, July 27th, at 11:59PM.
After that, we will ask for community feedback on all potential CC candidates. The deadline for that will be Monday, August 3rd, at 11:59PM.

Interested in seeing the CC in action? Regular CC meetings are open to participation of all Community members. Our next meeting is Monday, July 20th, 7:42pm, at The Burning Flipside Warehouse, 1023 Springdale Road, Austin, Texas. Best,
The Combustion Chamber

Combustion Chamber Meetings

Just because the event is over, doesn’t mean the year-round work stops. The Combustion Chamber is an advisory committee to the Austin Artistic Reconstruction LLC to facilitate community input & transparency for the policy-making process and organization of burn community events. June meetings each start at 7:42 pm at the Warehouse. Special topics are as follows:
June 20th topics:

Photography – Revisiting the topic of photography at Burning Flipside, for edjumication purposes.
Edjumicate – Safety, Enculturation, Community S’mores & Mores
CC Scribes– A brief discussion of the process for choosing CC Scribes

August 3rd topics:

Safety Comm – A recap discussion on how communication worked at the event this year under the challenging conditions, what worked well, what didn’t, and a discussion of ideas of how to improve safety communication at future events.
Effigy – what was, what is, and what will be.

Have a topic you believe the community needs to discuss? Please send suggestions to cc@burningflipside.com. Please keep in mind that we discuss community and policy issues, not operational ones.

Volunteering: What it means for you

The greatest indicator of whether someone will volunteer is if they have volunteered before. This is why you see a lot of the same people volunteering for multiple roles, in multiple events. It’s natural to ask someone who has served well to serve again. It sometimes means that we forget to look for NEW volunteers among the throngs of people who have only recently discovered Burning Flipside.

Sometimes, the consequences for low volunteerism aren’t immediately obvious. In that light, here are a few things that happen if we don’t fill all our volunteer positions:

Gate Closes. If Greeters aren’t there, Gate can’t do its thing. If no one shows up for Friday’s early shift to greet, then people who arrive early on Friday will have to wait until Greeter volunteers arrive to get in and set up. If Greeters aren’t staffed late, then Gate has to close early.

Ice Closes. We can’t run Ice distribution without volunteers. No people, no ice. All your food spoils and your drinks are tragically warm. No one wants that!

Parking: You want to be able to park your car, right?

We’re going to have a series of posts about what volunteer positions are out there, what they entail, and how you can give the gift of your volunteerism. Stay tuned!

Lost and Found Threads

There are random places on Facebook where people have posted lost and found items, but the best place to go (that won’t get buried in the mud of Facebook) is the Burning Flipside Lost and Found Page. You’ll need an account to edit the page, but there’s a helpful link right at the top to help you get there.

If I Only Had A Flame (2015 Vol 4)

Posted on May 12, 2015 by Amega

The time is drawing near where we cast off the Default World and become Wizards of Odd. This Flame is long, but important. Please read it all, and pitch in to help where you can. We’ve got a lot of work to do to make this burn all it can be!

Wrap Up of Recent Events
CC Meetings (post burn, & call for topics)
Last Minute Checklist
Fundraisers
Get Involved
Events at Burning Flipside

Wrap Up of Recent Events

Work Weekend

Uncle Mulch says: Kill All Poison Ivy!

The Final Work Weekend of the season was a rousing success! Downed branches were burned, a multitude of ant mounds were taken out, and more poison ivy than you can shake an itchy stick at was removed. Thanks to everyone who participated in our condensed work weekend schedule!

Theme Camp Mixer

Sticky Ideas

A recap of discussion points from the event:

Fundraising
Sharing resources among theme camps
Edjumicating your noobs
All the Safetyside topics—The rundown, not the reacharound
Communication with theme camp leads
Theme camp registration process
Theme camp events
Volunteering! “The zombie horse that just won’t die!”
Alcohol restrictions – Age limits, etc.
Theme camps across events—Interregional theme camps
Polycamporous
LNT—both intra and extra (No dumping at the ISD!)

Interested in learning more from Theme Camp Leads? Join theBurning Flipizens Theme Camp Leads Facebook Group!

Combustion Chamber (Post-event)

Just because the event is over, doesn’t mean the year-round work stops. The Combustion Chamber is an advisory committee to the Austin Artistic Reconstruction LLC to facilitate community input & transparency for the policy-making process and organization of burn community events. There will is one more meeting in April, and only one in May before Burning Flipside 2015, each starting at 7:42 pm at the Warehouse. Special topics are as follows:
June 8th topics:

Flipside Wrapup – The community is welcome to join the CC in discussing Flipside 2015: The Wizards of Odd
Warehouse Update – There will be a brief update on the State of the Warehouse
Calendaring – The CC will calendar topics for their meeting through early fall. Have a topic you believe the community needs to discuss? Please send suggestions to cc@burningflipside.com. Please keep in mind that we discuss community and policy issues, not operational ones.
Followup on CC Retreat – A quick update on what’s up with the CC Retreat.

Last Minute Checklist

Survival Guide

Read it. There will be a quiz. Seriously.
A PDF is available online at http://www.burningflipside.com/sg

A text-only version (good for smartphones) is available at
http://www.burningflipside.com/event/survival-guide

Ticketing & Gate

Ticketing is all will-call this year. There are a few things you can do to ensure that you zip through formalities at Gate.
Make sure your ticket is in your legal name. Log in here:
http://secure.burningflipside.com/tickets/index.php
If it isn’t, click the edit button (looks like a pencil) and fix it.

If you don’t already have your will-call receipt, download it from the same web address. Click the download button (looks like a cloud with a down-arrow). Print it out and bring it with you to Gate. The gate scanners cannot read phone screens.

If you’re having trouble logging in, try a password reset here:
https://profiles.burningflipside.com/reset.php

Never had an account on our website? Create one here:
https://profiles.burningflipside.com/register.php
And then go through the above process to check your info and download your will-call receipt.

Maps

The theme-camp map is not available as of this writing, but when it is, it will be here:
http://www.burningflipside.com/event/map

Directions to the event site are here:
http://www.burningflipside.com/event/directions

The map may show that you should take FM 908. Don’t! Take FM 486 up to San Gabriel, turn right, and continue for 3.1 miles to County Road 428. If you’ve been going the past couple of years and got held up at the bridge that was down to one lane while it was being repaired, you’ll be happy to learn that construction is finished.
Back to Top

Fundraisers

Fire & Ice

Help bring us bring ice and pizza to Flipside. This year we will teach a class on how to sculpt and we are bringing more pizzas then we have ever done in the past. Helping fund our art will help teach our community a little more about bringing the whimsy to Flipside. 🙂 <3 Fire and Ice Camp

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/flamethrower-pizza-and-ice-sculptures-at-flipside/x/2532713

Boombox Cartel

We plan to bring our boombox fueled, grass roots, neon Party Safari to Flipside this year! The catch? Batteries are expensive. Very expensive. We have enough batteries on hand to cover most of the Flipside event, up until Burn Night, but it would be very nice to put a fresh set of batteries into all the boomboxes for our planned flashmob dance party after the burn.
Why do we need boomboxes after the Effigy burn? Well, just imagine everyone on the burn field dancing to the same beat, and wandering all over the Flipside site in one massive boombox fueled mob while we’re doing it. Donate today!
http://www.gofundme.com/boomboxcartel2015
Back to Top

Get Involved

If you have ever volunteered, you know how much fun it can be, and how nice the warm-fuzzies are. There is still plenty of need, and plenty of ways you can participate. See what suits you, and sign up. This list is just the beginning… Help make the event GO!

Parkle Motion

Hello Pyropolisians,
Parking is back and more fabulous than ever, with more cars, more sparkle and more parkle motion! We could use a few folks to help us however. Please sign up on the Parking Wiki Page.
Come parkle with us!
– veryscary of Flipside parking

Zone Czars

Thursday’s 7 to Midnight shift is starved for volunteers. Help get people to the right place! Volunteer to be a Zone Czar! Please sign up here: http://goo.gl/forms/jD5iOPXmv5 Thank you!!!!

Reese
Your Friendly InterZone Coordinator!

Recycling

Hours:
Saturday 10 am-6 pm
Sunday 10 am-6 pm
Monday 9 am- 5 pm
Earlier this year, people said they loved recycling and wanted it to be present at Burning Flipside. Now is the time to put those words to the test.

Recycling is looking for extra help Monday and/or Tuesday, even if only for a short time. Monday shifts, to load the truck Monday and Tuesday, and then unload the truck Tuesday. Please stop in and show how important this is you so we know recycling should be present in 2016. Anyone who volunteers for a Monday shift can stay on the land until Tuesday morning; volunteers helping to load the truck and unload the truck will need to stay over night, If there not enough volunteers for the Monday shift, and we get swamped, we will have to shutdown early! So please, plan ahead for your recycling needs.

Leave No Trace

Our Leave No Trace team is looking for a few good Flipizens to participate and help return our Pecan Playa to its natural state of bucolic beauty! Join the Clean-Up Crew on Tuesday, May 26th and/or Saturday May 30th to be a part of one of the most glorious demonstrations of our communal culture: We collaborate to build a kaleidoscopic mandala and then ensure that it’s as if nothing happened! It’s my job to make sure y’all are as comfortable as possible during our workdays, so trust that all y’all need to bring is hydration and your awesome self! the sign-up list and more details can be found on the Clean-Up Volunteering page: http://wiki.burningflipside.com/wiki/Clean_up
Or just email me, The Clean-Up Lead, and we can discuss our passion for LNT: cleanup15@burningflipside.com
Back to Top

So you want to be a Ranger?

Yay!! Come volunteer with us! Gizmo, your friendly neighborhood Flipside Ranger here and we need all the help we can get folks. Ranger shifts are a mere six hours! Helpful qualities include a sense of humor, flexibility, integrity, patience, empathy, focus, and an unwavering commitment to the event and the participants who make it happen. If you have a willingness to be a responsible adult for brief periods in our fair city of Pyropolis and want to look fabulous in khaki while doing so, you’re in the right place!

You might say, “Gizmo, there aren’t any more trainings, ZOMG what are we going to do!?” Never fear! We will have our very last training ON SITE Thursday evening. Shift Lead training 6-7PM and Dirt Rangers 7-9PM. Report to Safety HQ 15 minutes early and we’ll get you trained!

Some key gaps in our schedule include BURN PERIMETER. Best seat in the house folks and one of the most fun shifts worked every year! We are also in need on Sunday Swing shift (during the burn) Sunday from 8p-2a and Grave from 2a-8a. We are nearly empty on Monday. Any shift worked on Monday will earn you our eternal gratitude and possibly some extra schwag.

Guardians

Wanna be even more badass? Come be a Guardian and help protect the people of Flipside!

Looking to volunteer somewhere low-key and fun? Wanna learn how to use night vision and infrared lights? Need a little quiet space away from the city for a bit? Well the Guardians Department is the place for you. We are still in need of some badass volunteers. Spook shifts are only 4 hours, and you’re welcome to bring a friend with as long as they’re sober and won’t interfere with your shift. Digital and Guardian of the Day shifts are a bit longer, but still just as fun. All volunteers will receive super cool stickers, and if ya work a burn night shift or at least two shifts you get a Guardians t-shirt. Come help keep Flipside safe! Contact me at guardians15@burningflipside.com for more information.
Froggy
Back to Top

Clean Up/Post Ops Needs Help Saturday, May 30th

At the end of Burning Flipside there is a whole bunch of stuff that needs to go back to the warehouse so it can be used next year. Also the beautiful pecan orchard we currently are residing at needs to be swept for any last minute MOOP. These two actions help keep Burning Flipside sustainable (and able to have a 2016).
This can’t happen without you. Please come back out to Pyropolis Saturday May 30th at 10am to do a quick couple hours sweep of the lands. Lunch will be provided. IF you can’t come out then please make yourself available to help unload some items at the warehouse Saturday afternoon.

Exodus

Want to get your inner badger on? The Exodus Badgers would love for you to help out Monday in helping our participants head back to the default world.
There are both Morning and Afternoon shifts (times dependent on weather, but generally 9 and noon) for your convenience and all Badgers have the added benefit of not having to rush out Monday after undoubtedly enjoying themselves too much on Burn Night. Ride a cart and watch the city deconstruct itself!
If interested, contact wrinn1@gmail.com or on-site (typically he can be found lingering around RedCamp.

Disinformation!

Hello, Pyropolis Participants! Are you wondering what awesome things are happening at Flipside this year that you want to attend? Such as the Big Belgian Beer Breakfast? Or the Burning Glam Fashion Show? When is it? Where is it at? Well…your answer is here: https://secure.burningflipside.com/register/view.php. This page gives you a short preview of the event, and there will be a more detailed descriptions displayed on one of the red and white kiosks posted around the city. Also, if you have an event you would like to register so it’s both on the website and on the kiosks, do so here: https://secure.burningflipside.com/register/event_reg.php. (Keep in mind you need to log in to the secure site to be able to do either of these things.)
Hey! Do you want to make your own poster to put up on the kiosks? YES! Do-ocracy! There are 11 kiosks that will be spattered, each with two sides, so do what you want with those numbers. 🙂
Oh! The deadline is May 15th!!! That’s Friday, y’all!
Questions? Email Disinformation15@burningflipside.com
See you there!!!
Tamerika
Your Friendly Disinfo Lead 2015
Which leads us nicely to…

Events at Burning Flipside

Sweet wizards, you guys submitted a lot of stuff this time around! I’m going to do my best to get these in some kind of order, but, well…there’s a lot. Like most things at Burning Flipside, roll with it. You’ll probably miss some things, and likely find other things you never expected!

Bacon Delivery

Lick n Suck is providing prime BACON delivery Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning (burner time)! Come by the camp and sign up before 6 the day before and receive your bacon tag. To insure we aren’t shot when entering your space, there will be the option of “in tent” or outside delivery.
NAKED bacon Cookoff- Saturday 10 a.m. Bring your bacon, limited number of grills and utensils, but sharing is how it works! Prizes will be awarded.
Back to Top

Bunny Brunch: Theme Camp Leads Appreciation Mixer!

When? Flipside Sunday, 2-4PM
Where? Team Awesome Pants / TAP FLOPHOUSE

Attention all Theme Camp Leads: Come be pampered by luscious bunnies, nibble on brunchtastic munchies, and sip on mimosas all while schmoozing with your fellow theme camp leaders.
Not a theme camp lead? Camp members are encouraged to bring their leads to this event. If you are not affiliated with a theme camp, go theme camp leadnap! (we will give you an extra mimosa for baiting if you come by at the flophouse at 1:30PM) hosted by Serious Camp on Team Awesome Pants’ turf

Burning Glam (Donations & Fashion Shows)

Burner Kids Fashion Show
7:00pm Saturday May 23
At the Hive!

Calling all Lions, Tigers, Bears and Fairies. Come strut your stuff and win fabulous trophies!

Burning Glam Fashion Show
8:00 pm Saturday May 23
At the Hive, right after the Kids Fashion Show

Brently & Cydney’s Somewhere Over the Rainbow Wedding

Come out and celebrate two joyous burners as they unite as one. Saturday May 24th at 3:45PM we will start a processional from Fire and Ice Camp (dress up in your best Rainbow attire with your parasols) and accompany us as we make our way to the Island. After the ceremony we will return to Fire and Ice to prepare for our Rainbow over the yellow brick road party. In the event of rain the wedding will move to the Hive. Reception at the party. The Guild will be serving up somethings you can trust, as well.
Back to Top

Mohawks only, fools!

So you’ve got your wizard powers, and your ruby slippers, and your magic spells, but do you have a Mohawk??

YOU SHOULD. Mohawks are the ultimate hairstyle for all Flipizens, but most especially when you realize that all that hot hair is just making you sweat harder. Come to Lava Lounge and ask for Madalene on Friday, May 22nd from 2-4pm to be shorn and born again as a Mohawkee or Mohawkette for the rest of your fabulous weekend!

Sunrise Bloody Mary Bar

Come by Fire and Ice on Sunday May 24th and enjoy a chill dj set with a full do it yourself bloody mary bar. We plan to bring all sorts of fun things to zing up your Bloody Mary. Cups not included. Starts at 10AM

Lava Lounge GOLD Party

Bring your GOLD for the ultimate in Lava Lounge DJs erupting big boom boom sounds and earth shaking tremors we have been missing in the default!
(Lava Lounge GOLD Party = formerly white party)
Friday, May 22 @ 9pm

Red Dresses & Camp Curly Chills

Zion Community Kitchen & Hookah Lounge Has Plans

Mentalcase’s Mudd-Daddy Crawfish Boil hosted at Zion Communal Kitchen and Hookah Lounge – Thursday Afternoon
MentalCase will be making a big batch of crawfish for Flipside 2015 at Zion Communal Kitchen & Hookah Lounge. Come join us, bring additional supplies if you would like to contribute to the event, just coordinate with MentalCase on anything that you would like to help out with or to donate towards the boil.

Donate to MentalCase’s Paypal Account:
1) Go to Paypal.com
2) Select “Send” at the top of the page
3) Type the email address: Johngoebel@ymail.com
4) Enter the amount that you desire to donate and USD for currency.
5) Select Continue
6) Select “Friends or Family” option
7) Continue with your information to complete the donation process through Paypal.

Looking forward to having all of you lovely Flipizens join us at Zion. The boil will last until we run out of Crawfish and hope to have some lovely help with cleaning up the dishes.

We will catch you on the Flipside!!!
Zion Public Facebook Page
Event Page

Cards Against Humanity – Nightly at Zion Communal Kitchen and Hookah Lounge
Come join us in playing Cards Again Humanity nightly at Zion Communal Kitchen and Hookah Lounge. Never played, well come and join us, watch a few rounds and then jump into the camp and laugh your butt off, listen to some odd and random answers, and enjoy the social setting of this horribly addictive and fun card game.

Open Mic/ Jam Session – Nightly at Zion Communal Kitchen and Hookah Lounge
Come join us on the stage with nightly open mic and jam sessions starting at 3 AM until 6 am at the Zion Communal Kitchen and Hookah Lounge Stage. This will be hosted by Amy and Michael Body, the stage is set and the atmosphere is relax, live music, open mic, join in on the jam session. Or if you would like to come and watch, you are welcome to come enjoy our hookah lounge or the open area to sit and encourage the performers.

Fire Manipulation – Nightly at Zion Communal Kitchen and Hookah Lounge

zionsflame-zck_event Come join us at Zion Communal Kitchen and Hookah Lounge in watching, encouraging and even performing with the Fire Manipulators in our open performance area. Site in the Lounge or even in the messhall. Encourage the performers with their talent and skills while they put on a show for all to witness. This will be hosted at Zion by our various fire manipulators starting at dusk and running until our Safety and Fire Hazard LEAD decides that the performance has concluded.

Note: If you plan on coming to perform, you will be required to have your own fuel, your own safety equipment, your own safety person, and your tools will be inspected by our LEAD to ensure that you and your tools are in working order. Under no circumstance will you be allowed to perform, without your own everything (fuel, tools, safety equipment, safety person) and we will not allow anyone that is intoxicated or in an altered state to perform in our area or at our camp. Be respectful and mindful.

SNOWBALL FIGHT!

Don’t forget to bring an empty, cleanish, labelled ice chest by ICE on Sunday, and have it filled with snowballs for the snowball fight! Held around 4ish on the main field, the snowball fight is one of Flipside’s best traditions. Cool down before the burn!

You are also welcome to stop by ICE around noonish and help shave ice for the snowball fight!
Back to Top

I go searching through Flipizens, and wading through the bitchin
Looking all in vain
And my eyes are a’ bleedin while
I really should be readin
If I only had a Flame.

I’d locate every party, for all the good and naughty
In dry times and in rain
With the Grog I’ll be drinkin’
If the efffigy’s not sinkin’
Think I’ll go and read a Flame

Oh, I could tell you why there’s leeches near the shore
I could drink some things I never drunk before
And then I’d sit, and drink some more.

I would not be just a nuffin’ my head all full of stuffin’
My heart all full of pain.
I would dance and be merry, life would be a ding-a-derry,
If I only had a Flame.

Congratulations, you made it to the end!

WE’RE GOING ON AN ADVENTURE!

Love,

Your Friendly Neighborhood Content Lead

Announce for May

Posted on April 29, 2015 by Amega

Important Information

This is the last scheduled Announce before Burning Flipside 2015: The Wizards of Odd! Remember, if you have things you’d like to contribute to the last Flame before the burn, please check out the Flipside Flame/Announce Submission form. You can find it under “Contact” on the home page of burningflipside.com.

Ticket Status

Ticket lead here!
Ticket holders should have received an email notification and/or a Survival Guide by now.
You can easily verify if your ticket info by logging into your account at burningflipside.com to verify your ticket status.

There is an icon on the right-hand side of your ticket information that looks like a cloud with an arrow coming down from it — clicking this will download your PDF which you can print if you’d like to take to Will Call to pick up your ticket.

Get Involved

Final Work Weekend

The last scheduled work weekend will take place May 1-3 on the Pyropolis Playa grounds. The work will include poison ivy pulling, fire ant eradication and general grass trimming and other tidying efforts. If you have yard tools like rakes and especially weed trimmers, those would be helpful to bring. Please sign up on the wiki at burningflipside.com or email Shugabear at wwcomm15@burningflipside.com so we know to expect you.

DaFT Requests

Howdy from your friends at DAFT 2015! Want to participate in creating the community effigy? We want your art… and Arduinos and Raspberries!

Part 1: We need your old Arduinos and Raspberries to animate the effigy! Yep, that’s right, animate. Bring’m to the warehouse or email onemarva@yahoo.com if you got ‘m and need someone to pick up.

Part 2: ADD your ODD to the Wizard by creating 2 1/2′ x 2 1/2’ fabric patches to be attached to the Wizard’s hat. Camp logos, whatever, etc., due back to DAFT by May Day 10th! Drop it off at the wherehouse on any Church Nite or email onemarva@yahoo.com. We can’t wait to see your special, magic touch! YAY US!”

Burner Charm School 2015

Burning Flipside Edjumication presents: Burner Charm School 2015

We’re all hanging out at the Burning Flipside Wherehouse on Sunday, May 9th from 11 am to 5 pm. This event features workshops and constructive discussions on burning brighter. For newbies and oldbies alike, Burner Charm School can help give you the skills that you need to survive and thrive on the grassy playa.

Booths – We’ll be presenting workshops on Burner Sex Ed and Boundaries, PETs (Pyropolis Emergency Team), Rangers, Sanctuary, Art, Theme Camps, Kidsville, LNT, Recycling, Greeters and more!

The address of The Wherehouse is 1023 Springdale Rd. Austin, TX 78721.

BYOEverything, shade is limited, joy is endless. (Facebook Event Link)

Combustion Chamber

The Combustion Chamber is an advisory committee to the Austin Artistic Reconstruction LLC to facilitate community input & transparency for the policy-making process and organization of burn community events. There will is one more in May before Burning Flipside 2015, starting at 7:42 pm at the Warehouse. Special topics are as follows:

May 4:

Volunteering – General State of the Volunteers address. Are there volunteer needs in any departments? How can we sufficiently support those gaps? How can the organization as a whole encourage more volunteering?
Burner Arts Fest similar to EAST – Does the community want this? Who is willing to work on the team to make it happen? Is there a budget or is the a contribution-only festival? If there is a budget, from whom or where do those monies come?

Event Details

Recycling

Rose, recycling lead, here to informing you about the recycling hours and what recycling will be accepting this year.

We will be open Saturday-Monday

Saturday 10 am-6 pm
Sunday 10 am-6 pm
Monday 9 am- 5 pm

Please, pretty pretty please with sugar, sprinkles, cherries, and kitties on top, do not leave recycling at recycling camp after hours. Thank You!

We will be accepting:

Plastic numbers 1-7
Glass
Tin
Steel
Aluminum
Paper
Card board (corrugated and non)
Batteries….yes this is new
NO TRASH!

A quick note for everyone: Monday can be a crazy for everyone because we are all trying to pack up and GTFO, and recycling will be crazy busy too. I would suggest bring your recycling Saturday or Sunday, so Monday all you have is the last bit of your recycling left to bring recycling. Recycling is next to ice so you can bring your recycling and head back to camp with ice!!!! One trip for two errands, couldn’t get much better than that! We try to make your experience out here as stress free because you are all awesome and deserve it!!!

One last thing, we all know that flipside happens because of volunteerism, and so does recycling. I still have some recycling shifts open for Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. If you are interested I would love to have you on the team and signing up it really easy too; sign up at: Recycling Wiki if you have any problems with the page or have any questions email me at recycling15@burningflipside.com and I will be happy to help you!!!!

If I don’t see you before Flipside; I will see you when we return home. Love and hugs everyone

Rose

Leave No Trace/ Earth Guardians

Travel Tips from Uncle Mulch

It’s that time of year when we flee the dismal city for green spaces, shirt cocking, and flaming art. As you make final preparations for the joy jump that is Burning Flipside, here’s a few tips to ease your travel, make camping easier, and help Leave No Trace.

Do What You Can Do
Nobody expects you to be Captain Planet. Just figure out what you can do. Make one small improvement, then brag about it to your friends. It’s a great ego booster. The effort to Leave No Trace does not have to be torture. It can even save you money if you’re clever about it.

Bigger is Better
Whatever substances you bring, bring it in bigger containers. Most stuff is cheaper by volume when bought in bulk. The fewer bottles, bags, and cans you have, the less you have to carry out. Gallon jugs are far less to deal with than a flat of bottles with cardboard and wrapping.

Try packing your meals in bulk rather than single serving sizes. A pot of chili will freeze in a gallon ziplock lying flat. Then your tasty meal will stack nicely in your cooler and act as an ice block until you use it.

For water, the best option is five gallon jugs. Your local grocery has reusable bottles with convenient handles. If you choose gallon bottles, look for some with good handles and screw on tops that you can reuse.

Use Your Shopping Bags
If you live in Austin then you have reusable shopping bags. These make great containers for expendables on the way in and MOOP bags on the way out. If you’re worried about the branding, duct tape and washi come in a wide variety of colors and patterns.

Plan to Haul It Out
Every “disposable” item we have can be reused for something. Take it home, make art, and bring it back next year.

Despite the greenery, grey water disturbs the food cycle. Filter your grey water before dumping and put the lumpy bits in your wet trash. Better yet, use your empty water bottles to haul that crap back home and feed it to your plants.

You’ll need separate containers for wet and dry waste. Any greasy food waste will draw the hellish evil that is fire ants. Coordinate with your neighbors to place that kind of thing in a shared area to keep the bugs away from everyone. Extra points if you can arrange safe, artful, and horrific death for the little bastards.

Speaking of which:

Bring Insect Repellent
This is not so much a Leave No Trace issue as a sanity issue. There will be mosquitoes and biting flies. You’ll want to protect yourself. Spray kitchen counters with a light mix of soap. Flies dislike it.

Fire ants are an invasive species and do not require protection, quite the contrary. We brought these bastards here and it is our responsibility to control them. Fire ants can even kill those sensitive enough. But poison has a tendency to linger in the environment and affect much more than the target. Mint, cinnamon, garlic, vinegar, and black pepper all have a reputation for repelling ants. Try it out and see what works best for you. Uncle Mulch has never found any scientific evidence for efficacy, but it’s worth a try.

Leave the Glitter and Feathers at Home
The feathers on that boa and the glitter in that body paint just won’t stay put. They will inevitably get away from you and become impossible to clean up afterward.

For our volunteers sake simply DO NOT BRING IT!!! Small items that get separated are the antithesis of LNT, plan accordingly.

Consider Rechargeables
If you can do the electric thing with a rechargeable battery then that’s less load on a generator. Charge them up before you come out and make sure to take them home. Anything to reduce the carbon footprint and noise level of generators is a good thing.

Uncle Mulch has been slowly building a collection of solar chargers and rechargeable batteries. It’s a little expensive to do all at once. The cost of gas for a generator will add up fast over the life of a rechargeable. A little careful planning and patience can add up to savings in the long run.

If It Flies or Floats, Tie It Down
If the thing is in the air it will fly away from you. Make sure your kites and balloons are securely anchored. If it is on the water it will float away from you. Put a lanyard on it so you don’t lose it.

This also applies to your drink container. If you can hang it from your belt with a carabiner, you’re less likely to leave it behind you.

Plan to Recycle
After you’ve made the effort to reduce and reuse, you can recycle. There will be a recycling station on the effigy field. See the Recycling article above for more details.

SIGN UP FOR A MOOP PARADE!!!!
Uncle Mulch isn’t biased or anything, but MOOP Parade the best way to see the site, shake down folks for their gifties, and remind our burner siblings that we need to pick up after ourselves. This isn’t news to anybody. Any MOOP you see is going to be accidental. Be nice, meet new people, and blow their minds with your art.

Check out the MOOP Parade sign up page!

Uncle Mulch hopes to see you all at the Pecan Playa.

April Showers Bring May Flames (2015 Vol 3)

Posted on April 16, 2015 by Amega

April has brought its fair share of content to present, so strap yourself in and forge ahead! I’ve added a Table of Contents, because this is a rather large Flame… Feel free to jump around, but please take the time to read the whole thing.

Remember, if you have things you’d like to contribute to the Flame, please check out the Flipside Flame/Announce Submission form. You can find it under “Contact” on the home page of burningflipside.com. There is only one more planned Flipside Flame before Burning Flipside 2015: The Wizards of Odd. Let’s get to it!

Get Involved
Call For Volunteers
Culture
Fundraisers
Events/Happenings
Community Contributions

Get Involved

DaFT participation invite to community: make art!

Howdy from your friends in DaFT 2015! This is a call/invitation to all interested parties (individuals, theme camps, volunteer groups, families, etc.) wishing to CONTRIBUTE ART to the community effigy. CHEERS FOR ART!!!

The Wizard FEG is zooming right along! Please ADD your ODD to the wizard by creating 2 1/2′ x 2 1/2′ fabric patches to be attached to the Wizard’s hat. Camp logos, whatever, etc., due back to DAFT by May Day (that’s May 1.) Drop it off at the wherehouse on any Church Nite or ping onemarva@yahoo.com. We can’t wait to see your special, magic touch!

Zone Czars

Zone “Greeter” was too confusing so we asked the community what a suitable replacement was, and after wading through the submissions there was a clear winner. Welcome to our new name!! It has a nice ring to it huh? Zone Czars. Yeah…

On to the real news of the day. You spoke, and we listened. Wednesday and Friday (when very few cars are coming in) can be exceptionally boring either hanging out by yourself waiting for a car to come, or insane running around trying to catch everyone by yourself, so we are trying something new: BIKES! Yes, if you sign up for a Wednesday (there are only a couple left, so I may close this one down quickly) or Late Friday shift there will be bikes and we will be a mobile crew. If this is not something you are up for, you can still sign up for a Thursday or Friday morning shift and we will run status quo (a group of 3-4 folks per zone ready for cars to come in.)

Combustion Chamber

The Combustion Chamber is an advisory committee to the Austin Artistic Reconstruction LLC to facilitate community input & transparency for the policy-making process and organization of burn community events. There will is one more meeting in April, and only one in May before Burning Flipside 2015, each starting at 7:42 pm at the Warehouse. Special topics are as follows:

April 20:

Warehouse – AAR will give a State of the Warehouse update.
Theme Camp Leads Mixer topics – The fabulous Emily Sparkles has asked if there are any topics that the CC feels it might be beneficial for theme camp leads to discuss at their upcoming mixer.
CC retreat – Does the CC feel that a retreat would be beneficial?If so, when & where should this event occur?

May 4:

Volunteering – General State of the Volunteers address. Are there volunteer needs in any departments? How can we sufficiently support those gaps? How can the organization as a whole encourage more volunteering?
Burner Arts Fest similar to EAST – Does the community want this? Who is willing to work on the team to make it happen? Is there a budget or is the a contribution-only festival? If there is a budget, from whom or where do those monies come?

Work Weekends

Neither Hell nor High Water happened, and the Third (yet First) Work Weekend went on as planned! Poison Ivy was pulled (but there’s always more, so don’t get complacent), broken limbs were downed, downed limbs were burned, brisket was cooked and consumed, and while a lot got done, there’s plenty more to do!

The final Work Weekend of this season is May 1-3. If you’re coming, please email wwcomm15@burningflipside.com, or sign up on the Work Weekend wiki.
Back to Top

Call For Volunteers

Choose Your Own Volunteer Adventure

Do you want to get involved, but maybe don’t know where to start? Would it help to have a kind of tour guide to ask you the right questions about what you want to do? Did you know you can Choose Your Own Volunteer Adventure? Check it out, even if you think you know what you want to do. You might be surprised and find out another way you can contribute!

Help / Store / Accept THE HIVE

You know it and love it: The Hive.

This beautifully designed, expansive structure has been at Flipside for the last 3 years, and now The Hive needs an ongoing, committed group of people to bring it back to Flipside this year. It also needs a new storage location. So………

If we can get a critical mass to join the Hive crew, we can keep it going.
If anyone can provide a storage location, please get in touch.
If a theme camp wants to take it over and make it their own, we are open to gifting The Hive to a major theme camp. You provide a dedicated team to assist with load-out of the structure from its current location in Driftwood and on site at Flipside for build and break-down, so you can manage it in the future on your own. In return, your camp would receive all the infrastructure (valued at $12,000) and the expertise to bring your camp to a new level. We’ll provide a small team on-site to help put it up and tear it down, and pass on our knowledge to you.

After Flipside 2015, transport, storage and maintenance is your responsibility. Interested? Email a proposal to runsarisk@gmail.com.

Culture

Why You Shouldn’t Wear A Headdress At Flipside

by Kit O’Connell

TLDR: You shouldn’t wear an Indian headdress at Burning Flipside because it’s not your right to wear one. The headdress is a special ritual garment only worn by Plains Indian tribes members who have earned their headdress and were ritually awarded the right to wear it by the leaders of their nation.

You may have seen people wearing these headdresses at other events, like music festivals. Members of the tribes that make the real thing have asked us very nicely to stop. So we should.

If you’d like more information, please continue reading. Also, if you plan to argue with me, please read on so at least you know what you’re talking about.

What is a headdress?

The wearing of feathers and warbonnets in Native communities is not a fashion choice. Eagle feathers are presented as symbols of honor and respect and have to be earned. Some communities give them to children when they become adults through special ceremonies, others present the feathers as a way of commemorating an act or event of deep significance. —Adrienne K, “But Why Can’t I Wear A Hipster Headdress?“

The idea of a soldier earning medals for acts of valor is similar to the meaning of the feathers on a headdress, but with an added spiritual and religious significance. Further, headdresses are never given to non-natives — in fact, they aren’t given to men who aren’t members of specific Plains Indian tribes where the headdress is traditional, or even to every member of that tribe.

You may have visited a Native American gift store or art vendor who sells specially made artifacts, designed to be bought by tourists and other non-natives. Just like souvenirs you bought in other places, these are specifically made for you to buy and display or enjoy later. A true Plains Indian headdress is never sold in this way.

Why shouldn’t you wear one?

“As wearing a headdress reinforces stereotypes about Native people and appropriates our culture with little or no regard for our traditions, I think it is egregious and contributes to the dehumanization of our people.” — Jacqueline Keeler, founder of EONM (Eradicating Offensive Native Mascotry)

“The headdress is reserved for our revered elders who, through their selflessness and leadership, have earned the right to wear one. It’s a spiritual garb, not just cultural; it’s not merely an addition to one’s attire. Wearing one, even an imitation headdress, belittles what our elders have spent a lifetime to earn.” — Simon Moya-Smith, citizen of the Oglala Lakota Nation and journalist

Quoted from Brenna Ehrlich, “Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Wear A Native American Headdress“

Because of the stereotypes associated with the headdress (remember the Indians in Disney’s “Peter Pan”?), non-natives wearing headdresses is a similar racist practice to wearing black face. Whatever your intentions are in wearing that headdress, other people will perceive it as an offensive roleplaying of another race.

Some people argue that they wear the headdress out of respect, not as a fashion prop. Lighting In A Bottle is a Burning Man-inspired event that happens over Memorial Day Weekend in California, and they’ve added a special section to their survival guide asking participants not to wear headdresses. They point out that there are better ways to show respect:

Sporting that headdress or other imitation accessories that were not received through cultural rights or permission and the understanding that comes with it, means being a walking representative of 500+ years of colonialism and racism.

We embrace raw, creative, and authentic self-expression. But by embracing the current tribal trends you aren’t asserting yourself as an individual, you are situating yourself comfortably amongst a culture of power that continues to oppress Native peoples.

TAKING OFF THE HEADDRESS IS ABOUT RESPECTING THE REALITIES FACED BY NATIVE PEOPLES TODAY.

Although the land where we celebrate Burning Flipside is private property today, Apache Pass and its waterway were used by people indigenous to the region for thousands of years before we arrived. Show some respect to their legacy — and the struggles their descendants face today — and find another way to decorate your head.

Besides, the headdress sheds and creates piles of MOOP (matter out of place, garbage). A lover and I once spent hours following a trail of feathers left behind by a headdress through Pyropolis, until we’d filled an entire HEB plastic grocery bag (remember those?).

What if you decide to wear one anyway?
Yes, some people will mock these symbols. However in order to do this, they have to understand what the symbols represent, and then purposefully desecrate or alter them in order to make a statement. They cannot then claim to be honouring the symbol. –âpihtawikosisân, “An Open Letter to Non-Natives in Headdresses“

I’ve been attending Flipside for 15 years now, and I know that at its heart, it’s impossible to tell people what to do — anywhere, really, but especially in our community.

Some people will choose to wear headdresses anyway — because they have their reasons for disagreeing with me and the Native peoples I’ve quoted above. Or even out of deliberate flaunting of taboo.

That’s your right. Our community prides itself on radical self-expression. No one’s going to kick you out of the event for doing so.

But, “we welcome the stranger” — we also pride ourselves on being an open and accepting community. Wearing a headdress might be interpreted as insensitive, and some people will certainly consider it racist. Do you want to be the Burner who makes a Plains Indian feel unwelcome at our event because of your insensitivity?

Maybe you don’t care. Your headdress is MOOPy and leaves bits of feathers everywhere, but maybe Leave No Trace doesn’t matter to you, or (hopefully) you’re planning to spend extra hours picking up after yourself.

But at least, having read this article, you’ll know what that headdress actually means.

Fundraisers

If your camp is having a fundraiser, we want to let people know about it. We’re not talking about vending, just good old fashioned fundraising for camp needs. Yes, you can make that event on the book of faces, but we’d love to hear about what you’re doing and help you get the word out! Use the Flipside Flame/Announce Submission form to send me details.

TinderBox Update

The art jury has made their selections, and TinderBox art grants have been selected. This year, thanks to community love and support, we are able to give out well over $4,000 to help fund a total of 15 projects. We appreciate everyone’s help in making ART!go! Stay tuned to our Facebook page, and further editions of The Flame for a complete list of winners.

Thanks,

Kate, Susan, Turtle, Casey:

Your TinderBox team.

And now, the fundraisers that your friendly neighborhood Content Lead could find:

Serious Camp has a garage sale:
Come out on this beautiful Spring day to buy the odd and ends that you didn’t know you needed. Updates later with specific items, but there will be clothes, electronics, small furniture and various home decor. Proceeds will support Serious Camp’s Flipside 2015 endeavors, including an Apothecary addition to The Sweet Shop and the Theme Camp Leads Appreciation Mixer. Help the Serious Bunnies make your Flipside AMAZING!
Saturday April 18 from 7AM to Noon at 4915 Avenue G Austin, Texas 78751
Tortuga is having a fundraiser garage sale:
Saturday April 25 and Sunday April 26th at 13008 Hunters Chase, Austin, Texas 78729
Mecha-Gator Storms Pyropolis!
Help Mecha-Gator come back to the pecan playa. It’s already built, so it just needs a little love for transportation and fuel.
Spindra, Momma Spider
Spindra, Momma Spider is a 10 foot tall steel spider, created by SoS and Fireball and friends to play with. Her sparkly bouncing eggs are stuffed into her belly and need your help to be turned. Yup that’s right – she’s interactive!!! Step right up and give that big old belly a turn to light up your eyes and heat up the night. She’s going to be near the Fire and Ice Camp so come visit her there.

Events/Happenings

Theme Camp Leads Mixer

All Theme Camp Leads are invited to participate at the Theme Camp Leads Spring Mixer at the Warehouse at 7pm on Wednesday, April 22 (Church Night). Come meet other Theme Camp Leads and share experiences.

There may be homemade chocolate chip cookies.

Hot Dog King Returns

Flipside Franks will once again be serving all the doggies you can eat. We will be in the bad lands as always located behind the greeters station. Come join us, and regroup your thoughts with a full belly.
Back to Top

Community Contributions

Sometimes, we get contributions from the community, and this is a way to showcase the art of language. This kind of gift is perhaps best given before the event, where we can take time to savor the words. This is just another form of art, so please accept it as such!

Angel of Nudity

I saw her at FreezOrBurn, a few years ago, when it was still at Rec Plant. I had just woken up on the last day, so I was contemplating the tasks ahead of me to depart. I had slept well, in a heated trailer, and I was still in the sweatsuit that I had slept in. I decided that I would keep these clothes on for now, then shower when I got home.

I saw her as I came out of the bathroom. She was nude, crouching over a campfire, frying bacon in a skillet on the open flame. She was a vision of loveliness. She had a nice body, a little skinny perhaps, but young and beautiful. I thought she looked vulnerable, unprotected against the spattering and popping of the bacon fat. I approached, remembering that it is always good luck to smile and say hi to a pretty woman, and more so when she is so obviously comfortable in her skin.

“I guess you beat me to it,” I said, “I’m usually the first one nude around here.”
“Oh no,” she replied, “I’m always the first person nude among my friends.”
I could not refute her. I realized I was not really qualified to talk about how often I am nude, while I am clothed and she is nude.

“I’m a little lazy to get cleaned up,” I said, making some attempt to excuse my clothiness.
“Yeah, I’m lazy too,” she said, “but it’s worth it because it feels so good to have the sun and the breeze on my skin.”

Of course she was right, I knew she was right. I have said most of those words myself! Instantly I knew I must shower and go sky clad. I don’t know if it was my pride that demanded it, but I felt a little shown up, when this little wisp of a girl, who has barely been alive as long as I have been nudist, is telling me why to go nude.

After I was showered and shaved, and wearing my usual protective gear of socks, shoes, and visor, I went back to that campfire. She was not there. Apparently it wasn’t her camp, she was just using the fire for cooking. My impulse was to go seek her out, to thank her for what she did for me. And also it’s still a good idea to chat up a pretty nude woman. But I stopped.

I came to see that this was one of those burner type encounters, unforgettable, transformative, but over. She had given me the gift of nudity. Not just her nudity, which was a significant gift by itself, but my nudity, even better.
Even though I don’t know her, I will always remember my angel of nudity.

Tune in next time for more Flipside Flame action!

Announce for April

Posted on March 31, 2015 by Amega

April is the cruelest month, but it is also beautiful. Winter has mostly let go of our fair land, so now we must rally our forces and make the most of what time we have left before packing ourselves off to Pyropolis!

Remember, if you have things you’d like to contribute to Announce and/or the Flame, please check out the Flipside Flame/Announce Submission form. You can find it under “Contact” on the home page of burningflipside.com.

Deadlines!

Theme Camp Registration

Theme camp registration closes Wednesday, April 1st at midnight. Please get all of your camp’s info (contact info, infrastructure, placement preferences, special needs, etc.) loaded up onto a registration form by then. http://www.burningflipside.com/event/theme-camps
If you’re reading this after the deadline and you have additional info to add (+/- # of campers, structures, fire, etc.), please send it to me at themecampinfo15@burningflipside.com. But please, please, please try to get your info in on time. The sooner we get everyone’s info, the sooner we can get everyone placed and get a map out.
If you have any problems with or questions about filling out the form, shoot me an email to the above address.
Thanks everyone!
Mercedes, Theme Camp Liaison

Art and DMV Registration

The Art and DMV registration forms (for your fabulous mutant vehicles) will remain open until 12:59pm, April 8th. Art pieces to be included on the map must be registered before the deadline. If you need to update any information on the form or miss the deadline, please contact art15@burningflipside.com. Please note that pyro art MUST be registered.

City Signage

It’s time to name the streets and footpaths of Pyropolis! The City Signage Department wants YOUR suggestions for street and footpath names.
Things to keep in mind: street names don’t need to be theme-related to be chosen. There are no rules for naming streets – just remember that our street signs are only 20” x 5”. In other words, really long street names like SKIPPIDY DOO DAH DAY Rd. might be too darn long to fit on the signs and still be legible. Short and sweet just works much better than long and convoluted.
To submit a street or path name suggestion, go to http://www.burningflipside.com/contact and submit a message to City Signage (Area: City Planning).
I’ll be taking submissions through April 10th.
Thanks for participating,
Stephanie Taylor, City Signage Lead

Event Registration

Events at the event registration will remain open until 11:59pm May 15th. If you have any questions, please email disinfo15@burningflipside.com.

Work Weekend III (Hell or High Water Edition)

Barring a plague of locusts or volcanic eruption, the initial work weekend for Flipside will happen April 10-12 at the future home of Pyropolis. Since the first two scheduled work weekends were canceled by weather, it’s going to be important that there is a good turnout of volunteers. The work weekend will start at 5 p.m. Friday the 10th and end at 5 p.m. Sunday the 12th.
Work weekends are a way to help improve everyone’s Flipside experience by creating the space to foster creativity during those sweaty days in May. Work weekend tasks typically include cleaning up of debris, clearing trails, burning deadfall and helping tame poison ivy and fire ants. They are also a fun way to meet fellow Flipizens, make some new friends and renew old acquaintances.
Sign up on http://wiki.burningflipside.com/wiki/WorkWeekends. Questions? Email me at wwcomm15@burningflipside.com.
Shugabear, Work Weekend Communications Lead

WW 3:) Specifics

From our Site Prep Lead, specifics about what we’ll be looking at that weekend if all goes according to plan:

Clearing out the Corral. We have a good sized new space that needs some love an attention. One of the things that needs some love and attention is the giant concrete circle/fire pit that we’ll want to try out on Saturday night.
Ant mound patrol. The mounds are everywhere, and they’re gigantic. We’ll need people to treat them.
Leaf/branch piles: The pecan harvest generated a lot of debris that has been piled up and needs to be burned out.
More fence posts: Some of the posts are misaligned, and we’d like to straighten them up for the land owner.
Poison ivy: Yup. It’s time. Don the protective suits and let’s get it dealt with.
Beach and Island cleanup: Time for a little trimming and pruning.
Finding other stuff to do: There’s always some help needed looking for other issues on the site that need work. Those branches need to be trimmed. There’s a giant pit where Wonderlounge was that might need to be filled in. Help us find these things and fix them before the event.

Volunteering

Burning Flipside is an entirely volunteer endeavor. There are no spectators, only participants! An important part of participation is volunteering for various departments before/during/after the event. Check out http://www.burningflipside.com/volunteer for an overview, and dig around in http://wiki.burningflipside.com/wiki/Volunteers for more specifics.

Recycling has made an appeal for volunteers in particular. Would you like to help keep more Flipside recyclables out of the landfills
with us? We need volunteers to help participants sort their recycling into glorious mountains of material to be made anew once more!
Rangers have a signup sheet prepared. What is a Ranger? Rangers are members of the community who actively participate in Flipside through gifting their time, providing for the safety of all participants, and ensure that we are in a state of mind/preparedness to manage our duties. We assist in creating a space where everyone can have the intensely individual/communal experience that is a burn. This is our art. Interested? Click the link to sign up for training! Do it for love, adventure, for science, for Flipizens everywhere, for keeping our event sustainable, for reasons! We’d love to have you. See you in training!
…and I’m certain that every department could use another set of hands.

Remember, Burning Flipside is a Do-ocracy. Go do ALL the things!

CC Meetings

The Combustion Chamber is an advisory committee to the Austin Artistic Reconstruction LLC to facilitate community input & transparency for the policy-making process and organization of burn community events. There will be two meetings in April, each starting at 7:42 pm at the Flipside Warehouse. Special topics are as follows:

April 6th – Cultural Appropriation
April 20th – Warehouse and CC Retreat (do we want this, and when/where)

Check the Flipside Flame for topic details!

The CC will inform the community of any location changes or topic changes as quickly as possible. Please join us at the Warehouse or send us your input at cc@burningflipside.com.