Phoenix Temple Clean-up Plan

There are approximately 25 people that will be attending Burning Man that are involved in this project.  They all expect to be actively involved in the maintenance of the installation.  Most have attended since 2000 and some have since 1996.  In 2000 the technical art project consisted of two geodesic domes and a set of flamethrowers controlled by computer via a radio link across the playa.  2000 was a year of very bad dust storms—storms that caused some camps and art structures to collapse.  Our living quarters and art survived.  Our group learned a tremendous amount about building desert-hardened structures during that time and now feel confident in our expertise in that regard.

 

Potential clean-up issues

1 Construction debris

2 Items left by visitors

3 Wind blown trash caught against structure

4 Paint flaked off of Temple

5 Burn scars from sculpture

 

Clean-up plans

 

1. Construction debris/Deconstruction debris

The construction of our sculpture and dome will create minimal debris, as each will be prefabricated.  During final assembly on the playa any trash will be gathered as created and placed in trash receptacles.  The gathered trash will be stored and later removed in a fifteen-foot horse trailer that we are bringing our supplies in.  During construction, loose items that may become windblown will be weighted down or kept in a container, so that they cannot blow away.  When construction is complete, a sweep of the area will be conducted to ensure that no moop has been left on the playa.  All of the components of the sculpture and dome will be removed when the festival is over.  When everything has been removed, a thorough sweep of the area will be conducted to ensure that no moop is left behind.

 

2/3.  Items left by visitors/Wind blown trash caught against the structure

A three person clean-up crew will sweep the area of the sculpture and the dome each morning, and each evening before sunset, to pick up any trash or moop accumulated.  Trash will be removed and stored at our campsite in the horse trailer for disposal with camp trash.  Items that seem valuable will be taken to the lost and found at Playa Information on a daily basis.

 

4.  Paint flaked off of dome or dome panels

We do not anticipate any paint flakes, because the paint used is being carefully selected to prevent flaking.  If, however, flaking does occur they will fall into the dome because the painted side of the plastic panels faces inward.  The floor will be carpeted which will also help catch any debris before it becomes moop.  Any stray flakes will be removed from the playa with a dustpan and brush, and disposed of with the camp trash.  There will be no opportunity for liquid paint to get on the playa, as all of the painting will be done prior to arrival at Burning Man.

 

5.  Burn scars from sculpture

The Phoenix sculpture will be based on its own burn platform, so we do not anticipate any scarring of the playa.  If any burn scars are found in the immediate area the Phoenix Temple team will break up the hardened playa and remove any foreign material.

 

Last revised: March 29, 2003