I am returning from a great adventure in the Nevada desert. Black Rock City, to be exact.
Our Texas Souk project went swimmingly. There were 29 stalls built around the base of The Man, most of them containing open-air "markets" or performance arenas representing different regions from around the globe. Each souk had a unique theme that encouraged interactivity.
Texas Souk's theme was "The Senses". We created an atmosphere meant to appeal to the five (or six, depending on your beliefs) senses. We had a drum circle space and a slew of gifts, some made from found materials acquired during our park clean ups.
The photos below are courtesy of my friend, Snuggles:
When someone meandered into our souk space, we invited them to tell a story or ride one of our stick horses in exchange for a gift. Throughout the week, we heard heartwarming stories -- some incredibly happy and others that were quite serious and moving-- and laughed as people raced stick horses around the Man.
The most incredible souk moment I had was while we were tearing it down in preparation for The Man to burn. There was a huge dust storm that day -- I could barely see five feet in front of me! Everyone was frantically taking down decor while a drum circle lingered in the middle of our souk stall. The drumming seemed to get more intense as our space was deconstructed. It got to the point where all that was left were the rugs on which the drummers were sitting, their instruments, and our team standing in awe. You just can't take Texas down easily, ya'll.
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Up next: More Burning Man adventures.
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