# COMBUSTION CHAMBER MEETING
# MONDAY, MAY 4, 2015
# Facilitator: Beth
# Stack: Pixie
# Scribe: Chim-Chim
# Attendees (27): Charlcye, Beth, Breezy, Pixie, Dick, Doug, Kate, Prost, Problem, Gyesika, Princess, Dahling, Mayhem, Chim-Chim, Decibel, Adam, Thomas, Izzi, Bonobo, Henry, Monkey, Clovis, Fractallia, Michael, Sassy, Mr. Huggles, Yertle
# 7:56pm MEETING BEGINS
# 7:57pm LLC UPDATE (Adam)
– Gate dry run will be later this week
– Will be working on more roads
– Work weekend occurred this past weekend
– CC members interested in early entry need to send Adam info to be put on the list for Flipside
– Gyesika is stepping down as AF; Questions that are volunteer-related will be directed to Dahling and Charlcye; Volunteer contact will go to the correct address
– Early entry includes: Infrastructure pre-event, DAFT, LLC, Gate staff; Certain art projects
– Early entry Gate Hours: Tuesday and Wednesday, 9:00am-10:00pm
– Insurance for Flipside is still difficult to acquire
– More tickets were sold in the aftermarket—Event is SOLD OUT with a 3,211 cap
# 8:05pm AF UPDATE (Wrinn)
– Work weekend had a good turnout; Included new people; Land is looking good; Lots of ivy—BE PREPARED!
– Last push for volunteers
– City Planning: Theme camp placement went out to the Theme Camp Leads; NOT FINAL, but preliminary, to be evaluated
– Saturday, May 16: Load in at the warehouse—If you are a Department Lead and anything here that you’d want out there, be at the warehouse at 10:00am
# 8:08pm TOPIC: Volunteering (Dahling, Charlcye, Gyesika)
– Volunteering has been going well
– Safetyside was good
– Greeters are full
– Needs: Zone Greeters, Shaven Apes, late shifts, Guardians, Post-event (including the Saturday after Flipside)
– There will be an onsite volunteering kiosk by the Greeters station; This will consist of non-safety volunteer wikis; A pagoda will be built in a week (or two)
– T-shirts: Currently making an effort to make operational—If you are wearing a Flipside t-shirt, you are ACTIVELY wearing that shirt for volunteering
– Parking is half-staffed
– “Joe ‘sparkle’ schmo”: Anyone wanting to volunteer—Joe can be sparkly and volunteer
– There is a need to evangelize LATE SHIFTS
# 8:18pm TOPIC: Art Events similar to EAST (Kate)
– QUESTIONS TO ASK: 1) Do we want one? 2) Do we want to fund it?
– Discussion begins with the need to identify a small team to liaison, including a producer, and providing support for anyone presenting the team with an idea for a theme; This includes having (3) people on the Combustion Chamber willing to lend hands; There will be two weekends, and the community would have to do both, although the opening can be one weekend only (presuming that we have the warehouse)
– (The community) would like to do something, if not on the East side with the warehouse, then planning a one-time event with the property; This would be a great place for the community to have a safe interaction with the Austin community; We would build into the structure to have once a year an Open House event that acts as a shallow entry point for the community
– The lease is up on September 30; EAST is in November; Application deadline is in late June; THEREFORE, we (the CC/LLC) would need to know if we are on the east side; Knowing this makes things logistically difficult
– In the past, we have taken up a collection to cover the cost which went to the city last time; We had the Fire Marshall come out; The more official things are, the more we want to be in front of it; This requires cash; Is it worth spending ticket money? If not, then where would the funds come from? Porto-potties? Permitting falls under the purposes of the AAR/LLC; Putting the event together would be a community effort
– The same people who organize EAST also organize WEST which occurs a week before Flipside; We are unlikely moving off the east side; If we do, logistics would be pointed to WEST; What should AAR’s proper focus be? Organized on Flipside? The Central Burner community? The broader community? We are closely engaged with the area we find ourselves in, but not closely engaged with the rest of Austin; We should keep that in mind when we dive into something like EAST; Does this fit with what we want this organization to be? There needs to be a little change in focus
– As a Burner, there is a bit of shame; We are the “authority” on art; We should use talents and skills as a community; If this isn’t an opportunity for us to show to the rest of the world, then it just shows an us-versus-them mentality; There is no shame in what we do; If we have a group of people working with an EAST artist, then we can find an alternate venue
– In the past, we were right to be focused on the singular; This had sustainability; A relationship with the larger city is something we have to take seriously; Nurturing art in the community is the wise thing to do; EAST is one of the places where you can be poor and have something
– Hosting outside somewhere in the eastside would cost thousands of dollars, including expensive permits
– We can self-define; The microcosm can be handled the same way the larger Burn is handled; This is who we are and this is why we are
– What we should be voting on: Allowing $10K to be spent to pull off a kick-ass EAST (since we probably won’t be there); We should set aside an amount and define/discuss; There needs to be a shift in focus; Worry about the negative space; We should not put the worst foot forward in putting together EAST right when we know we are shopping for a new warehouse; We should establish clout we wish to exercise, or find another place to rent and make it work for us; Can we afford to do it now? We should already have a concept in how to best represent Burners; We don’t have time; We are going through existential concerns (insurance, event, pyro, volunteering); We are working hard to support that; If we cannot agree that setting aside money to secure space for the east side so we won’t be flaky; SOLUTION: Instead, let’s decide if we will set aside money to have a spot to cover EAST; Is this the right way to apply the community’s money? Right now, it’s goofy getting on the culture map in Austin; We want to do more stuff and not have a bad perception of us; It would be bad for us to be flaky, not bring it, not do it right which is the worst thing to do; Unless we can go big, keep in mind with the bigger pic with AAR
– We should have something EAST-esque
– An annual hospitality event for the community makes sense in the long-run; Next year, it would behoove us to commit to the event
– DECOMP: The volunteer base is too small which is why we haven’t had a Decomp; Unless the volunteer base grows, it’s a bad time
– LAST PARTY AT THE WAREHOUSE: Consider one last hurrah to be scheduled between June and September; Logistically, we are dealing with volunteering; Scheduling also conflicts with Burning Man and Burnt Soup; Possibly mid-September
– WAREHOUSE: Discussion over housewarming at new location versus houseclosing at current location
# 8:55pm MOTION WAS MADE TO CLOSE STACK; MOTION PASSES; MOTION MADE AND SECONDED TO APPOINT A COMMITTEE TO EXPLORE OPTIONS FOR SAYING GOODBYE/SAYING HELLO; NO BLOCKS; MOTION PASSES
– Committee: Kate, Prost, Beth, Bonobo, Henry, Pixie
# 8:59pm REGIONAL UPDATE (Clovis)
– Big project going to Midway Burn
– Danger Ranger will be visiting Austin the first/second week (founded Rangers in Burning Man; Original member of the Cacophony Society); Will be giving symposium
# 9:01pm CLOSING REMARKS
– Burner Charm School this weekend, May 9; Currently seeking instructors; Contact Reina
– UPDATE on CC RETREAT: No availability on tentative location; Currently looking for a location; Time frame is still going to happen; Tentatively scheduled for September/October
– Think about people interested in inviting to the Combustion Chamber; Be aware during Flipside, and revisit after Flipside
– Theme camp mixer at Flipside?
– Soliciting calendar events: Events to be calendared prior to Flipside
– Suggestion box at Greeters or Ice; Motion to have a suggestion box for where to put a suggestion box; Motion BLOCKED
– Calendared TOPICS due by JUNE 7, 11:42pm
– HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GYESIKA!!!
# Next Meeting: June 8
# Facilitator: Decibel
# Stackinator: Breezy
# Scribinator: Chim-Chim
# 9:08pm MEETING ADJOURNED
—