Make Art

So you’ve clinched a precious Nest ticket for 2023, or you’re anticipating one of our delicious future ticket releases… and now you’re wondering how to get involved next!

Well, lucky for you, you’ve found our four part series on How To Maximise Your Burning Nest Experience (Or Any Burn, For That Matter!)

We’re firm believers that you get out what you put in. Here are four excellent ways that even first time burners can get involved:

1. Bring a Theme Camp

2. Make Art

3. Offer An Event

4. Volunteer

 

WHAT EVEN IS ART?

Without getting too existential about it, Art at Nest is stuff you create. This could be an installation, music, a workshop, a sculpture, a strange happening, a colourful mural, a comedy show, an extraordinary light-up LED glowscape, or a performance of stilt-wearing dancers dressed as bumblebees. If you can make it, most likely the Nest art circle will deem it art. 

For practical purposes we have two categories of art:

1. Things – this is physical art. It’s the installations, sculptures, murals and extraordinary light-up LED glowscapes of this world.

2. Events – art bound by time, ie the time written on the programme. Events include your music, workshops, strange happenings, comedy shows, and dancing stilt-wearing bumblebees.

The rest of part 2 talks about art Things, go to part 4 for more on Events. (Still to come)

 

WHAT KIND OF ART THINGS CAN I MAKE?

Whatever you’d like to, Burner festivals exist to provide a space for radical self-expression, so think about what this means for your art. As long as it’s not going to endanger other Nestlings or go against any of our principals, we want you to make it. This is a space for creatives to experiment and see what happens when we are allowed to just…see what happens. 

We also have two BIG art projects each year  – the Effigy and the Temple – that during the event go up in flames, apply if you want to build some big burning art. 

 

HOW DO I BRING ART TO NEST

Submit an art application to tell us what you want to do and get access to grant money to buy the things you need to make it happen. If your project doesn’t need funding send an application anyway so we can make sure it passes health and safety and that we find a beautiful space for you to put it.

 

WHY SHOULD I BRING ART TO NEST 

Nest is an incredible opportunity to realise the art you’ve had swimming around your head. This is your chance to share what’s inside your brain. If you have an arty itch you just need to scratch, Nest is the place. 

WHY DON’T YOU PAY FOR ARTISTS’ TIME

We know that artists are often expected to work for free, it sucks and we don’t support this. One of the principals of a Burn is to operate outside of normal economic systems. It is part of the experiment that explores a society without commerce where everyone participates freely. Art is one way of participating, so if we pay artists, we’d also pay everyone else, and then we become a business instead of a bunch of humans co-creating something. Think of Nest as a giant camping trip co-created by 1000 mates, rather than a traditional festival. 

 

WHAT ARE ART GRANTS ALL ABOUT?

Think of art grants like a giant kitty that you and your 1000 mates pooled together to help each other pull off some amazing stuff. Art grants are paid for from your ticket price, which also pays for other helpful things like toilets because at least some of your 1000 mates are responsible adults. 

 

HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHO GETS ART GRANTS? 

We want to fund everything you want to make, and there have been years where everyone applying received a grant. When there are more applications than grant money available we prioritise based on the criteria. We also look at the feasibility of proposals, as we don’t want to use the collective funds on projects that aren’t possible. Health and safety is also a factor, as we don’t want any art injuries. 

The art team doesn’t run the show, we simply run the process so that you can run the show. Anyone is welcome to get involved with the grant decision committee, tell us their thoughts on the grant process, or join the art team to help. 

 

HOW CAN I FIND PEOPLE TO COLLABORATE WITH?

If you’ve got an idea but don’t know quite how to make it happen our Signal group is open for business, see what’s brewing, get advice, ask for help, or offer your support to others.

 

CAN I IGNORE THE THEME AND MOOD BOARD?

Sure. They are jumping off points, take them in whatever direction you need, or ignore them entirely.