Is Burning Man an alternative or an urban event?
Burning Man is best known as a theatre of the strange, but as an observer of cities, I am struck repeatedly by the familiarity of the urban phenomena I encounter there. The nudity, the outlandish costumes and behaviour, the wild cars and colliding sound systems -all are expressed in and through the essential elements of the city: the street, the buildings, the monumental and ceremonial spaces, the urban edge, parade, procession, and ritual, the passegiata, and of course, nightlife. The great majority of activity, both day and night, takes place on the Esplanade, the curving, one-sided street that functions like a quay, on which major clubs, performance venues, and structures present a public face. It is forever abuzz with display -crowds of people, elaborately costumed of nude, wild vehicles, performers, and always some place to duck into and investigate-, dance a bit, or relax. Step off the Esplanade onto the Playa, and the texture of experience widens immensely. The stretch of Playa
