Author: pboyd

Burning Flipside and Texas Politics

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All Citizens of Texas who attend Burning Flipside or similar events,

The Texas Legislature is considering many bills this session that would be damaging to members of our community and thus to the event. They are also considering several bills that could make it difficult, if not impossible to hold any burn event in Texas.

Among these bills are HB 643, HB 708, HB 1266, and SB 476. Each of these bills would require any business where someone performed “exhibiting a gender identity different from the performer’s birth (including by makeup or clothing) as sexually oriented businesses in the eyes of the law.”

This law is so onerous and so ill-conceived that it could impact not only burn events, but bars, dance clubs, and even community theatre.

For our participants who live in Texas and want to see burn events continue, we hope you’ll reach out to your state Representatives/Senators and attend committee hearings if you are able to register your opposition to these bills. Not only are they a danger to the event they are harmful to the community the event represents.

We are grateful for organizations like Equality Texas for their work in tracking legislation. You can visit Equality Texas‘ Legislative Bill Tracker to find out which bills to watch, and go to the Texas Legislature Online Bill Lookup page to look up the bills by number to read the text for yourself.

Note that Equality Texas also lists bills that support the LGBTQ+ community. Supportive bills don’t get as much love as they should. Please keep them in mind as you’re registering your opinions that you can also register in support of good bills.

Warehouse Reopening

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Many of you have no doubt noticed that the Austin area has once again hit Stage 2 of COVID restrictions which means that the warehouse is open once again. That means Church Night should happen this week along with things like DaFT build nights starting up soon. 
While we will do our best to announce any future closure and reopenings due to COVID restrictions we may not always be able to get an announcement out as quickly as we would like or there may be things that we don’t actually know much about like department trainings or other such events taking place at the warehouse. 
So we would encourage everyone interested in attending events at the warehouse to look at this City of Austin Page: https://www.austintexas.gov/covid19. The top of the page contains a banner displaying what stage the Austin area is currently in. That is the deciding factor for when the warehouse is open or closed. So if, for example, an announcement about the warehouse opening goes out on a Monday but that website changes to Stage 3 on a Wednesday afternoon then the warehouse would be closed for church night that evening.
-AAR

Ticket window is closing! / Art news / Land Prep

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Hello, Pyropolis! 

It’s your friendly comms folks with some new news of the utmost importance. We’ve got a lot to cover so strap in. Here. We. Goooooo… 

Ticket Requests must be postmarked by Monday, Feb. 28th

The ticket window for Burning Flipside 2022 is nearly closed. Complete your online requests, get your money order or cashier’s check (no personal checks), and have that envelope postmarked by Monday, February 28 (5 p.m. at most post offices!). You can save yourself some time by getting a money order at the post office itself. Decorating your envelope isn’t required but always entertains our ticket volunteers as well as the postal workers. So if you do please make sure addresses are legible and postage is attached. 

Get the complete ticket instructions here!
www.burningflipside.com/event/tickets

Art while you’re at it

While creating your ticket request consider digging a tiny bit deeper into those pockets and kicking a buck or ten to Ignition Philter, Burning Flipside’s sister organization that helps fund the art that goes to Flipside. If you want to crate a piece of art to bring out consider applying for a grant. If you like being judgy (and who doesn’t?) you can also apply to be on Ignition Philter’s jury and help decide just who gets a piece of that sweet, sweet art grant pie. Mmmmm…pie. 

Jury applications due February 28th (so, hurry!)

Grant applications due March 6th. 

Info, applications, and more ways to donate right cheer:

Home

sTicket designs wanted

Just how official is your art? Well, it always could be more official-er and ain’t nothing more official than having your art on the Burning Flipside 2022 stickers or tickets! Head to the link below for all the design guidelines. There you’ll also find a link to submit your work through the interwebs. Ah, technology. The submission deadline is March 30th so get to artin’.

www.burningflipside.com/event/tickets/sticket-contest-submission-guidelines

Prep dat land

Have a propensity to get dirt under your fingernails? Want to develop one? Join our crew of dirty workers March 18-20 to help get the land ready for Flipside. All work weekends start at 6 pm on Friday and everyone must depart by 3 pm on Sunday. Work Weekends are Leave No Trace, BYO Everything, Socially Distanced events. Have questions? Need more info? Stay in the loop here https://www.facebook.com/groups/flipside.work.weekends

But if you’re going you’ll still have to sign up all official-like with your Flipside profile here: https://secure.burningflipside.com/fvs/

One last thing

Stay closely tuned to this bat-channel for more details as Theme Camp and Art Registration will be open March 18 – April 18, 2022. 

Whew, you made it! That’s all for now, campers. Get those ticket requests in and start your art engines. We’ll be back with more soon.

Hugs and kisses,

The Burning Flipside Team

Burning Flipside 2022 – Volunteering, Tickets, and COVID

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It’s been a long, dark two years and we’ve missed you all something fierce. The good news is, we believe Burning Flipside 2022 will triumphantly return to Apache Passtures, our very own Pecan Playa, this May 26th – 30th! 

That’s why Austin Artistic Reconstruction, area facilitators, leads, and other members of our community have already spent many, many hours discussing tickets, population size, COVID-19 protocols, and a billion other things to ensure we are throwing the safest event we can for all Flipizens. 

We love you, thanks for your patience, and now, the news…

Volunteer! Do a thing! Make it go! 

We’re mentioning this first because it’s just so freakin’ important. This thing you love, this thing you want to go to, the thing you’ve missed for two years…well, it cannot and will not happen if we don’t have the volunteers to make it happen. Historically, we are always wanting for medical volunteers (PETs) and also require specific numbers of safety volunteers such as rangers, guardians, sanctuary, and fire as all these people make sure…well, that nobody has a really bad day.

So, if you or a friend or an enemy or someone you pass on the street even thinks they can help out, do not hesitate to sign up now! The number of these volunteers we can count on directly affects both the number of tickets we can give out and, ultimately, if the event can happen at all. See? Important.

Do it here: https://secure.burningflipside.com/fvs/

OMG! Tickets are a thing, OMG!

It’s really happening! So, update or make a new profile on BurningFlipside.com and create those ticket requests. While you’re there, maybe donate to the nice folks at Ignition Philter who help get great art to Flipside, art dat envelope if you wanna entertain our volunteers, and mail that sucker in.

Ticket requests must be postmarked between February 14 (aww, Valentine’s Day) and February 28th (meh, somewhat less special day). 

This year, Adult tickets will cost $151, Teenagers 14-17 will cost $151, Kids 7-13 will cost $40, and Children 0-6 will still be free but must register for a ticket.

Never done this before? Forgotten how? No shame, it’s been a couple of years. Study up on the ticket process here:

Tickets

COVID-19 and Flipside-2022

We’re gonna get serious for a second. Here’s the thing. It has become apparent to all involved we simply cannot maintain the minimum level of safety we require for such a significant gathering of our community without requiring all those involved to have received COVID-19 vaccinations. 

This decision was made out of logistical necessity and in no way is meant to take a political stance, judge, or exclude any in the Burning Flipside community. It was made in what we feel is the best interests of our Flipizen community as well as the larger Travis, Williamson, and Milam county community members. We love you and we want you to have a great time. So let’s just jump through these hoops together so we can art our hearts out, dance until our feet hurt, and fuck your burn like only Texas burners know how. 

For a complete explanation of our COVID-19 Vaccine Verification Policy (aka – everything you gotta do to get in) please, please, please, read all about it here:

Burning Flipside 2022 COVID-19 Policy

Well, cats, kittens, and those who identify as both or neither, that’s all for now. Stay tuned for more info on work weekends, department training events, and other opportunities to get plugged back in. We love you all so hard and can’t wait to see your faces!


Let’s do this!

Your Flipside team

The Cautious return of Church Night (Part 2)

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Church Night Returns This Wednesday, December 22nd for one last time this year.

The hospital admissions have behaved themselves despite the Omicron variant. So we are doing one last church night before the holidays.  With any luck, next year we’ll be able to jump right back into our weekly regimen and everyone will be sick of each other again before you know it.

Covid Protocols will be in place:

  • Masks are to be worn when inside the warehouse
  • Social distancing encouraged
  • Get consent before crossing into anyone’s personal space

We can’t wait to see your faces!

AAR, LLC

Closing for Stage 3

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Flipside Participants,

We are sad to report the Flipside Warehouse will be closed due to covid again as the Austin/Travis county area has reentered Stage 3 restrictions.

All events, including church night, will be cancelled until we hit Stage 2 again.

While we understand that many of you are vaccinated and feel the risks of attending events at the warehouse are justified, AAR does not want our community to contribute to the larger community’s difficulties at this time. Hopefully, this closure will be much shorter than the last and we can see you all at the warehouse again soon.


– AAR, LLC

Reopening Plans

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Flipside Participants,

We are starting to see light at the end of this long tunnel and while we can’t completely return to business as usual, we are happy to announce that the warehouse will be reopening with some additional understanding and cooperation on your part.

This decision relies on Travis County’s continued recognition that we are in Stage 2 or below of COVID-19 restrictions (more info on what that means here: austintexas.gov/page/covid-19-risk-based-guidelines). If Travis County exceeds Stage 2 or we experience an outbreak of cases from the warehouse we will need to close once again.

Assuming Stage 2 is maintained, the warehouse will resume normal (abnormal?) operations beginning with Church Night on Wednesday, May 26th. Other events such as art night, Combustion Chamber meetings, and the like will be announced via their regular channels.

There are a few new rules everyone must follow for the time being: 

  • Attendees should attempt to hold all activities outside the building as much as possible. 
  • Masks are required for anyone entering the warehouse. This includes the meeting areas, restrooms, and main warehouse space. If there is a roof over your head, there is a mask on your face. Masks are optional outside the warehouse. 
  • Please maintain a social distance of 6’ from others unless all parties within that bubble have given their explicit consent. Be aware. Be respectful.
  • New year, new waiver. Make sure you sign one. Yes, you.
  • Please pack out all your trash. While we may provide some basics such as disinfecting wipes or masks, we will not be providing trash cans.

If you or someone in your household is feeling sick please do not attend any events at the warehouse. Additionally, if you or someone in your household gets sick after attending an event at the warehouse please notify AAR at llc@burningflipside.com so that we can take appropriate action. Notifications will be kept confidential, though for contact tracing/testing purposes we may notify the community of possible exposure dates and times.

We’ve missed you and we can’t wait to see you but we take your health and safety very seriously. So, come out to see all your friends, just please stick to the rules. We want everyone to stay as healthy and happy as possible. 


AAR

Virtual Townhall about Flipside Cancelation

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Tomorrow was supposed to be a virtual townhall about the cancelation of Burning Flipside 2021. However, due to all the unprecedented events of the past week and due to the fact that many people are still recovering, AAR is postponing this event until March 1st at 7 PM. Find the details for joining the meeting below:

Topic: Virtual Townhall
Time: Mar 1, 2021 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89846439214?pwd=SGcrRW9iakloRVQrYXhUcyt6Y2VnZz09

Meeting ID: 898 4643 9214
Passcode: 974214
One tap mobile
+13462487799,,89846439214#,,,,974214# US (Houston) +12532158782,,89846439214#,,,,974214# US (Tacoma)

Dial by your location
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Meeting ID: 898 4643 9214
Passcode: 974214
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kzTBbZiCY

Flipside 2021 Canceled

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Flipside Participants,

It is with heavy hearts that AAR must announce the cancelation of Burning Flipside 2021. While this was a difficult and emotional decision, we believe it was the only responsible choice.

We plan to reopen the warehouse when guidance from our local government and prevailing medical wisdom allows, and we look forward to seeing all of you at Flipside 2022. Thanks to the generosity of the community last year AAR is able to weather this storm.

We’d like to thank the community for its continued support, love, and understanding. We want nothing more than to safely celebrate the end of this difficult time with our chosen family but we love you all too much to risk the health of a single one of you. Stay tuned to our “announce” list available at www.burningflipside.com/contact/e-mail-lists for more ways we can all share, connect, snark, smile, art, and conspire together and remember we can all still be there for each other even if we can’t be with each other.

Here are a few questions we know many of you might be asking:

Q: What about postponing the event?

A: The only safe and logistically possible time frame of September – October interferes with both Burning Man and Myschievia putting additional strain on volunteers and participants. This combined with the uncertainty of vaccine distribution makes it a no-go.

Q: What about a burner safari-type event like happened last year?

A: Amazing community members are already working on such an event! Stay tuned.

Q: What about a socially distanced Flipside?

A: It is our belief that an event where you could not hug your friends, masks are enforced, and every tent is flagged for social-distancing purposes is no longer the Flipside we all know and love. Additionally, we are not confident that all preparatory events (work weekends, DaFT build days, volunteer training, load out, etc.) could be performed in a safe, socially-distanced manner.

Q: What about testing to create a safe “bubble” for Flipside?

A: Testing is still a significant expense that many participants lacking quality insurance could not afford to cover. Additionally, as various other attempts at this have demonstrated, it still allows for the spread of infection and false positives, the latter resulting in the turning away of healthy participants.

Please send additional questions and comments to llc@burningflipside.com. Answers to these questions and more will be discussed at a virtual town hall to be held on Monday, February 22nd at 7 PM.

Austin Artistic Reconstruction

Fall Townhall and Burning Flipside 2021

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Summary:

  • There is no fall town hall this year
  • We hope to hold Flipside 2021
  • We will have a decision on Flipside 2021 published to the community on February 8, 2021

Normally we would be having a town hall this time of year to decide on a theme for 2021. However, due to the current Austin stay-at-home order and the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, that isn’t occurring.

The board is still hopeful that we can find a way to have Flipside 2021 safely. There’s a small chance that a vaccine will be available in enough quantity and with enough time to hold Flipside. If not, we’re investigating how we might use testing to create a Flipside-sized pod of people who have all tested negative for COVID-19. Finally, we have even discussed postponing Flipside 2021 later into the year. In other words, all options are on the table for 2021.

We’ve also worked with our key volunteers to construct the tightest possible schedule so that we can make decisions in a timely manner but with the most up to date data. Following this schedule, we have pushed back the ticket window to early February. On February 8, 2021, we feel we will be able to make a much more informed decision about holding Flipside 2021 over Memorial Day weekend.

We are publishing this date to give everyone a target to pay attention to. You might think it’s too early or too late, but we feel that more than 3 months ahead of time–and before anyone has purchased tickets–is both responsible and reasonable.

We want to hold the event, but will only do so if we feel it is safe and is in line with the latest scientific, governmental, and legal guidance at the time.

Austin Artistic Reconstruction