BM 2.0
October 6, 2015 9:05 AM Subscribe
Two short videos from last year's RISE Lantern Festival outside Las Vegas. This year's evnt is scheduled for this weekend in the Mojave desert.
This yuppified BurningMan clone had some problems during last year's launch.
This yuppified BurningMan clone had some problems during last year's launch.
Yeah, it looks cool and all but I always wondered what happened to the lanterns after launch. I guess I thought the idea was that the lanterns (and whatever wish/thought/idea you sent with it) were supposed to burn up and that was how the wish/thought/idea got sent out into the spirits/universe/ether or whatever but those looked awfully substantial. I mean even if the paper burned up, the wire framework would still fall back to the ground. (They should have spent some time tidying up while they were waiting for their rides home....)
And after the fire season this year, thousands of burning pieces of paper launched in the desert are making me cringe.
posted by Beti at 9:31 AM on October 6, 2015
And after the fire season this year, thousands of burning pieces of paper launched in the desert are making me cringe.
posted by Beti at 9:31 AM on October 6, 2015
Are you allowed to attend if you are not young attractive and female, as I am none of these things?
posted by boilermonster at 10:07 AM on October 6, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by boilermonster at 10:07 AM on October 6, 2015 [3 favorites]
The Japanese tried that in WWII.
Funny you should mention that, my grandfather who was a geology professor in New Mexico back then was brought some of the ballast sand from one of those balloons and was able to trace it to a small area in Japan by the minerals in it.
The military used this info to find and bomb the launch facilities.
posted by boilermonster at 10:12 AM on October 6, 2015 [1 favorite]
Funny you should mention that, my grandfather who was a geology professor in New Mexico back then was brought some of the ballast sand from one of those balloons and was able to trace it to a small area in Japan by the minerals in it.
The military used this info to find and bomb the launch facilities.
posted by boilermonster at 10:12 AM on October 6, 2015 [1 favorite]
This seems like a bad idea with the drought and fire hazards, doubly so if it leaves a mess.
posted by mermayd at 10:13 AM on October 6, 2015
posted by mermayd at 10:13 AM on October 6, 2015
BM 2.0
See, this is why, when you're naming something big like a festival, or a child, or a restaurant chain, you want to shop that name around with a lot of people, and you always, always want to pay attention to the initials.
posted by gurple at 10:42 AM on October 6, 2015 [3 favorites]
See, this is why, when you're naming something big like a festival, or a child, or a restaurant chain, you want to shop that name around with a lot of people, and you always, always want to pay attention to the initials.
posted by gurple at 10:42 AM on October 6, 2015 [3 favorites]
There needs to be a word, (if there isn't one already,) that describes things like this, or at least the media of things like this. I don't really know how describe it, it enfolds things like Kinfolk and has been satirized by Socality Barbie and similar. Its sort of benzodiazepinized hyper-aggressive positivity coupled with a youth/beauty/fashion filter that is both halucinatory and significantly irritating at the same time. I don't know why it is more irksome than say, ordinary fashion memes, but it is. Maybe it is because it seems to lay a claim to authenticity and sincerity that you'd either have to be a cynic or a dead trout to make. I dunno. Some people must really like it.
posted by Pembquist at 10:52 AM on October 6, 2015 [6 favorites]
posted by Pembquist at 10:52 AM on October 6, 2015 [6 favorites]
Yeah, why is this being compared to burning man? The only similarity is that they are both events held in a desert. Beyond that, pretty much nothing at all like burning man.
posted by newpotato at 10:57 AM on October 6, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by newpotato at 10:57 AM on October 6, 2015 [2 favorites]
I hear they used to do this at BM itself, but stopped because it's an awful lot of moop.
posted by jeffburdges at 11:07 AM on October 6, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by jeffburdges at 11:07 AM on October 6, 2015 [2 favorites]
what happens if it's windy?
Their site says:
Well they also both involve fire. I haven't been to RiSE but I think the way they relate to fire is pretty much opposite: At RiSE fire seems to be parceled out into tidy identical packages, and which are lifted up by it. At Burning Man, there's a bunch of different weird shit that fire consumes and destroys. It looks like the differences in structure and tone between the two events run parallel to that.
posted by aubilenon at 11:14 AM on October 6, 2015
Their site says:
What happens in the case of inclement weather?Yeah, why is this being compared to burning man? The only similarity is that they are both events held in a desert. Beyond that, pretty much nothing at all like burning man.
In the event of rain or strong sustained winds, we will have a rain-check event the following night. In the unlikely even that inclement weather continues, we will cancel the event. Unfortunately we cannot issue refunds if the event is cancelled.
Well they also both involve fire. I haven't been to RiSE but I think the way they relate to fire is pretty much opposite: At RiSE fire seems to be parceled out into tidy identical packages, and which are lifted up by it. At Burning Man, there's a bunch of different weird shit that fire consumes and destroys. It looks like the differences in structure and tone between the two events run parallel to that.
posted by aubilenon at 11:14 AM on October 6, 2015
"But now there is another issue. The desert is littered with paper lanterns."
Oh fuck! How did that happen?
posted by crazylegs at 3:37 PM on October 6, 2015
Oh fuck! How did that happen?
posted by crazylegs at 3:37 PM on October 6, 2015
RiSE Festival has a “Leave No Trace” policy. We’re able to retrieve 100% of the lanterns, and because each lantern is 100% biodegradable, sustainability is something we achieve with every event.Sounds good enough. I'm guessing that the fuel only lasts for so long, they only make it so high, and the wind can take them only so far, and they're far enough out in the desert that there's not really anything to burn down.
I've always wondered how the Japanese festivals that do the same manage not to burn the country to the ground...
posted by zengargoyle at 5:16 PM on October 6, 2015
zengargoyle, I saw that on their site, but the headline from the third link is "Residents upset with mess left behind from RiSE Lantern Festival", and says "the desert [was] littered with paper lanterns", so it sounds like they forgot to Leave No Trace last year.
posted by aubilenon at 5:53 PM on October 6, 2015
posted by aubilenon at 5:53 PM on October 6, 2015
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posted by philip-random at 9:25 AM on October 6, 2015