PolyParadise Burning Man Community 2021
December 4, 2021
What a YEAR 2021 has been - kind of a
continuation
of 2020 as a globe we continue to be affected on
a daily basis by the Black Swan Event aka The Pandemic aka Covid-19.
The year started off with the potential return to
BRC as BMORG put things in motion in
Mid-February (Potential Ticket Sales info,
Placement, Art, DMV) submissions. At the time
of that writing the state of Covid-19 vaccine
distribution in the U.S. and around the globe was in
its infancy as governments, states and local
municipalities attempted to figure it all out.
As Benevolent Dictator I put out a same-day
statement about
A
Potential Return to BRC 2021 where I stated that
there were way to many unknowns about returning as a
camp to return to BRC in 2022; but
would wait for a final decision to be made as more
details are released and where the GLOBAL Pandemic
situation is as the days/months/variants rear their
individual issues to us all.
In Mid-March BMORG forced the hand of all registered
Theme Camps to decide if they wanted to be part of
the DGS (Directed Group Sale) ticket allocation.
Not much had changed in the past 30-days with
vaccination rates; all the while the debate raged on
within our PolyParadise Community as well as other
groups world-wide about Mask Mandates, Mandatory
Vaccinations and what & how these potential
restrictions would play out in the Burner Community;
how that requirement/mandate is pitted against Radical
Inclusion the 1st Burning Man Principle. As
Benevolent Dictator I put out a same-day statement
that
PolyParadise will be taking a Hiatus to a Potential
BRC 2021.
With that said we decided that we
would plan smallish gatherings here @ Casa De
Scotto/Wildchild in Phoenix, AZ for Memorial Wkd - 4th of July &
Burn Week to PARTY and create Community.
In addition we have the work that needs to be done
on transforming the
purchased People Mover to become a BRC Worthy Art Car.
In March we moved the burgeoning
PolyParadise Art
Car from Maricopa to my backyard to make it
easier to work on and remove the 110 mile round trip
to its original location. We THANK Dr. Dirt
for
giving us a place to store the vehicle over the past
4 months; now that height issues with our home electrical wires
are no longer a consideration it makes
sense to move the vehicle closer to all of us here
in town - THANKS to Rich for the use of his trailer
to make this move happen.
With the Art Car now available on a daily basis; I
started to get things moving in making purchases of
UV-Reactive Fabric and all the other things
necessary to transform the original vehicle into a
DMV approved Mutant Vehicle BRC 2022. I have
created a
Photo/Video diary of the Art Car Progress.
Memorial WKD the PolyParadise
Community had a gathering @ Casa De Scotto/WildChild
(20 attendees). Work on the Art Car - Work on Camp
Art Projects - PARTY - BBQ - POOL and a good time
was had by all.
Work continued on the
Art Car in
June as we planned for a July 4th WKD gathering.
This turned out to be a much smaller (5
attendees) event. Work on the Art Car - Work on Camp Art
Projects - PARTY - BBQ - POOL and a good time was
had by all.
Work continued on the
Art Car in
July as we planned for a BURN WEEK gathering.
I did quite a bit of purchasing of materials for the
Art Car so that as we gathered for Burn Week
collectively we would be able to get done many of
the items/projects that I am unable to accomplish on
my own.
The BURN WEEK gathering was
AMAZING & INCREDIBLE with (30 attendees).
Work
on the Art Car - Work on Camp Art Projects -
PARTY - BBQ - POOL and a good time was had by all.
We took the Art Car out for a drive around the
Phoenix streets with the onboard generator -
SUCCESS!!!
MAJOR KUDOS to all that assisted
with the Art Car work during Burn Week - Not only
did we have Community around the Art Car build but
the excitement of traveling the Playa in style.
We were able to complete the construction of the
Back Bar - Back Flooring Extension to house the
generator - Build the Top Level Deck that would
support speakers - Lighting - Wiring | All
projects that would have been impossible by myself.
There is still a lot of work to be
done with more Fabric, Lights and SOUND that will
need to be completed over the next
few months.
The Art Car Project has been an amazing distraction
for me as an individual as there are some family
dynamics swirling around me (Things I Cannot
Control). I am not looking to escape but the Art
Car provides me an awesome diversion. Know
that everyday I may be working on the vehicle by
myself; YOU are all here with me; right by my side. In order to get the Art Car
Project ready for BRC 2022 and ready for the Art Car
Registration with the DMV in Feb/March I would need
to put in time each weekend - Make a List - Cross
OFF List - Add to List.
I did not start out with the intent to do most of
all of the work myself but SHIT the Car is in my
backyard it is right in front of me everyday right
next to the Metal Man. Wildchild and I have
been having an awesome time in the late afternoon
enjoying cocktails as I do some work here or there
on the vehicle.
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I have appreciated EVEYONE that has contributed
finds to make the Art Car Purchase and the
purchasing of materials. The thing that amazes me is
how much of any one part I have needed. Take
for instance VELCRO - I have used
~300ft; with
lessons learned that you cannot sew with sticky back
Velcro so there is Fabric Velcro and Sticky
Velcro. The total costs that have been spent $$$$
far exceeds what has been collected.
During 2021 I have had the good fortune to be able to take some unrealized
gains and turn that into Art Car materials or as
it is affectionately known here @ Case De Scotto/WildChild
- The POLYPARADISE MONEY PIT! He says with a smile,
smirk and LOVE of EVERYTHING POLYPARADISE!!!
I
would appreciate ANYONE that can make a donation via PayPal
to
scott@azcompuguy.com
(If you send to a FRIEND then PayPal does not take a
cut of the money).
You can also send a check to:
Scott Platsky
3832 W Cactus Wren Dr.
Phoenix, AZ 85051
October is about to turn to November
We have
received a
package from the
PolyParadise French Crew with
Flowers/Vines/Lights for the Art Car.
Each weekend I spend some time working an Art Car
Project - Make a List - Cross OFF List - Add to
List. I continue to
add images
so you can follow along with me. I am hoping
that as 2021 ends most of if not all of the Art Car
Projects have been completed and we will be ready
with a finished Art Car aka The end result looks
NOTHING like the original 10-seat People Mover we
purchased.
As November turns to December the list of things
that need to be done are dwindling and I SEE THE
FINISH LINE!!!
There ARE NO SURFACES that do not have UV-Fabric /
UV-Paint. We have a Flowers/Vines created
in France, Fire Extinguisher - First
Aid Kit - Air Pump - Ladder - Spare Gas -
Undercarriage Lighting - Bar Garbage Can - Air Horn
- PA Microphone - KICK ASS SOUND - Lights LOTS of
LIGHTS - WE HAVE A BAR!!!
The Bar features (2) easily accessible Coolers
for ICE - The Bar will feature a variety of spirits
dispensed via Labeled Plastic Pour Bottles.
We have a tribute to Ray Shady without whom we would
not have had this vehicle - we HONOR you Ray and all
you meant to the camp for 5+ yrs.
Thank you to all that participated in the FB Poll to
Name Our Art Car!
The Name that received the most votes was JoyRide -
That was one of my initial name suggestions. The
voters may have spoken; although the ruler of all
things Casa De Scotto/WildChild which of course is
WildChild was vehemently against the name JoyRide.
In order to maintain the civility within our
household JoyRide is OUT and will NOT be
chosen...
We have a VEHICLE NAME - Polly Wally
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| EL-Wire - Poly Wally | ||
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| Vanity License Plate (Not Official Arizona Plate) | ||
What is left to do as we look to 2022...
As December arrives...
Working on the vehicle
each week we can just about call this thing DONE.
We will be ready to submit the Art Car Registration Form
when it goes Live in Mid/Late February. Submitting the
form does not guarantee it being accepted but I have
HIGH HOPES as the vehicle I feel is sufficiently
Mutated to NOT look like the Original Vehicle.
You let me know from the images below.
Rear Lights - One
of the last of the hurdles for being able to drive
the vehicle 'Legally' is to get the rear lights
hooked up. As we bought this vehicle as-is; the Right & Left original vehicle's
rear lights were smashed and were non- functional and
not hooked up from the smashed lights to the wire harness.
Finding
OEM Parts for this vehicle have proved quite
difficult so we purchased the best option rear
lights replacement. Thanks to Cactusman for taking
on the task of figuring out the electrical hookup of
the vehicles rear lights this not as STR8 forward as
one might first believe. He will be coming
over again for sure for round two of getting the
rear lights to work as expected for Braking, Turn
Signals & Rear movement.
Transportation from Phoenix to BRC
- BRC to Phoenix. I personally have had
very bad experiences with borrowing or renting a
used trailer; with that in mind using camp fees we
will purchase a New 20' Trailer and figure
out the logistics of travel - What vehicle will we
use to tow the trailer and who will be the driver(s)
- How will the vehicle be secured to the trailer -
What options are there for wrapping for transport so
that the Fur and or vehicle in general is not
damaged during transport on said newly purchased
trailer.
Securing The Gear -
The generator will be secured to the back frame but
the Stereo is not - The entire dashboard area is
plastic and not sure there is a way to secure the
stereo - I will continue to investigate but the best
solution just may be that when the vehicle is out -
someone will always need to stay with the vehicle to
make sure that the worst of humanity does not walk
off with our gear.
The Sound System - is hooked up to a MP3 Player with
THOUSANDS of tunes across multiple genres; of course
there is the FM Radio to hook into the Live
Broadcasts across BRC. There is the option for
DJ's with their own equipment to hook into the
system. The camp will not be responsible for
broken/stolen personal DJ equipment.
Dashboard (Speedometer) Lighting -
It appears the lights within the Speedometer area is
not lighting as much as I would like. I do not
know if there was enough light before or if some
wiring is loose - will need to investigate that and
fix or figure some other light option.
Limiting Maximum Speed - The Max
speed for Mutant Vehicles On-Playa is 5 MPH - The
current Maximum speed of the vehicle @ the moment is
upwards of 25MPH. Two options come to mind -
determine if the Max speed can be manipulated
electronically or mechanically within the existing
system. It may be easier to secure a wood
block under the gas pedal so it can only be pushed
down so far and thus only reach a desired maximum
speed.
Stress Testing - The (12) 6-Volt
Batteries have been replaced. We will need to
do a stress test of the vehicle in general and get
to know how long will the vehicle will run on a full
battery charge? What is the time for charging the
batteries to Full Charge? This will give us an idea
of some kind of schedule for the use of the vehicles
use and how long it will need to be 'Dormant' during
charging cycles.
On-board Generator - The generator
is 3800W and is certainly enough power to run the
sound & lights. With all lights & sound on -
what is the running time of a full tank of gas?
Street Legal in Arizona - Inquire
with Arizona DMV to see what needs to be done
to get the vehicle Street Licensed so once we have a
trailer and can transport to be able to participate
in State/City parades with other Phoenix-Metro area
Burning Man Art Cars.
Trailer Purchase -
To move the vehicle to any location outside our own
neighborhood we will of course need to procure a 20'
trailer. In the beginning we can certainly look to
'Rent' or 'Borrow' a trailer but ultimately for
transport to BRC 2022 we will need to purchase a New
Trailer ~$5,000
Air Horn - One of the last Sound
options for the vehicle is the Air Horn. I have all
the parts just need to figure out the wiring and
place the On/Off switch in a place accessible to the
driver.
Spare Parts - We will need to have
some spare parts of all the types of fasteners and
such we have used in construction so that quick &
easy repairs can be made On-Playa. Purchase a few spare tires/rims; You know
just to have cause it is BRC after all
PolyParadise SWAG -
Purchase PolyParadise designed Cups
for all Village residents; The Twisted Swan as well as gift them via
the Art Car BAR! We also have UV-Reactive
Shot Cups to of course serve SHOTS!! - Oh Yeah -Will
need to purchase Alcohol & Mixers of all types for
our Art Car Bar!!
| Original Vehicle Fall 2021 | |
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| Original Front View | Original Back View |
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| Original Art Car Purchase - November 2020 | |
| Ready For BRC 2022 | |
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| Playa Ready Front View | Playa Ready Front View Night |
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| Playa Ready Rear to Front | Playa Ready Rear to Front |
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| Playa Ready Driver Side | Playa Ready Passenger Side |
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| Playa Ready Driver Side | Playa Ready Passenger Side |
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| Playa Ready Rear Bar | Playa Ready Dashboard |
| Click Here to View Video of the Construction of Our Art Car | |
| So - Lets' Talk Burning Man 2022... | |
I have been part of several staff BM meetings and
BRC 2022 IS A GO!!! There was mention they have already
submitted the permit with the BLM so things are
starting to happen.
There is NO information yet about ticket sales and
or prices but I would guarantee ticket prices will
not go down from what was 2020 pricing @ ~$425/Ticket
& $100 Vehicle Pass + Fees. Yet to be
announced is any Covid-19 protocols; will there be
a Vaccine Mandate (Show Vaccine status or Neg Test) or
whatever other restrictions rules they may impose.
This is not the place to debate this issue and
weather implementing such a mandate is in contention
with the principles Radical Inclusion or Radical
Self-Expression; it is my hope that BMORG implements
a Vaccine Mandate/Proof of Status. This is a Burning
Man decision not a Theme Camp Organizer decision. As
of this writing collectively we know as a Globe we are not done with Covid-19 -
Covid-19 is not done with us. Who knows where
we will be @ come Burning Man 2022 timeframe.
Tickets...
Our Village does get to participate in the DGS
(Directed Group Sale); we get an allocation of
tickets (~50% of total stated Village population) Out of this total allocation
a portion
are earmarked to The Twisted Swan & Temple of Bacchus.
Starting with the DGS list we had from the cancelled BRC
2020; I
have contacted all that were on that list and
inquired
are you in for 2022? Most of those folks are
in-fact IN - some are not. I have filled the slots
with other persons that were on the bubble from
2020. So at this moment all of our available
slots have been accounted for. Additional slots in
the sale may become available; but of course there
are additional campers on the bubble.
There may be the ability to grab a slot or two in
the DGS Sale via our Art Car submission; will know
more about that as the sale information is
distributed and the Mutant Vehicle Registration form
is live. As I mentioned above we still need to
figure out who will be the driver of a vehicle &
Trailer transporting the vehicle from Phoenix to BRC
& back to Phoenix; with that said any tickets we
might be allocated for our Art Car should go to the
person(s) who will be involved in transporting the
vehicle.
I will post all relevant
BRC 2022 Ticket
Sale information once it has been made available.
As in the past I am sure there will be several sales available
for you to secure a BRC 2022 ticket. There
will of course be a Scholarship (Low Income) Sale -
if you feel you are in the category of a lower
tier cost ticket make sure to apply when the
registration period goes LIVE!
Registration/Camp Fees...
Registration for Camping with PolyParadise for BRC
2022 will commence on March 1, 2022
via the web site. Camp Fess will be
$250/person to be paid via Check or Money
Order (Information will be part of the registration
process).
When BRC 2020 was cancelled due to the Global
Pandemic there were many campers that had already
paid camp fees - at that time I said that the camp
fees paid would carry over to 2021. Of course BRC 2021 was also cancelled due to the
continuing Global Pandemic. Over the past 18
months we have hosted (5) camp events
@ Case de Scotto/WildChild and of course the Art
Car.
With that said I hope you can understand
that I have put out lots of $$$$$$ over the past
two-years to host these events and make the Art Car
happen. The paid camp fees from 2020 have been
spent many times over and all campers
registering for BRC 2022
will need to pay the current Camp Fee of
$250/person.
Here is what we provide as a Village for that
$250/person.
Early Entry...
It does take a Village to ERECT all of the
structures that make up our camps infrastructure. We do
get an allocation of Early Entry passes (This list
is separate from the Directed Ticket Sale list).
As of this writing taking into account the
allocation to The Twisted Swan/Temple of Bacchus; there are still a few slots to
our camps allocation available for entry into BRC on
Friday August 26 aka post-midnight Thursday -If you
are interested please let me know @
scotto(at)burningman(dot)org
There are other ways you can gain Early Entry into
BRC (Volunteer
with a BRC Department | Take the
Burner Express Bus into BRC).
Work-Party 2022...
We are of course in need to have a Spring Work-Party
as the Playa Gear/Kitchen Materials have not been
cleaned and or resorted from our last BRC adventure
in 2019.
There is Lots & Lots of Art Work to do - Camp Signs
- The 4'x3' Color by Square Cactus/Llama picture
with UV-Paint - Paint some additional Wood Mats with
UV-Paint - Then of course there is THE PARTY
PART of our gathering -So...
SAVE THE DATE...
THE 2022 POLYPARADISE WORK-PARTY
IS SCHEDULED FOR:
WEDNESDAY 4/20- MONDAY 4/25
@ Casa De Scotto/WildChild in Phx. AZ
The Actual Work-Party part will be Saturday
APRIL 23
(Garage Door Goes UP @ 10:00a)
Should take us a few hours and then we can GET ONTO
THE PARTY PART or the continuation from 4/20...
FB Event to be posted Soon...
What is NEW for 2022...
For BRC 2022 we will premier the transformation of
our 40'x40' event space (That never really had a
purpose @ night) into a UV-Light EXTRAVAGANZA
(Tapestries, Paintings & other oddities) with 3D Glasses , Prism &
Heart glasses - it will be INCREDIBLE!!
Also NEW for BRC 2022 is our
VERY OWN
ART CAR!!! I am still
working out/thinking about who will drive it To/From
Phoenix - how the sign-up for driving the vehicle
will work - what restrictions/limitations there will
be as a driver. The Art Car will feature Kick ASS SOUND integrated with
an MP3 Player with thousands of tunes across many
genres. We also have Random Public Service
Announcements, Air Raid, Tsunami & Nuclear Attack
Siren soundtracks. The vehicle also features an AIR HORN &
Megaphone - LIGHTS
Lots of LIGHTS - The Flower/Vines from our French
Connection and of course the back of the Vehicle is
a BAR.
PolyParadise Events 2022...
We have a full slate of
Playa Events
(Poly High Tea - Human Carcass Wash - Non-Monogamy
101, Poly Friendly Mixer/Social, Ethical Slut Me3et
& Greet, Best Sex living with Herpes & STI's -
Therapeutic Photography, 3D UV-Light Experience) +
ALL of the events held @ the Twisted Swan & Temple
of Bacchus
There are slots available for
Events or Workshops in the Event Space:
Monday - 11:00a-1:00p |
6:00p-8:00p
Tuesday - 6:00p-8:00p
Wednesday -
6:00p-8:00p
Thursday - 11:00a-1:00p | 3:30p-5:30p | 6:00p-8:00p
Friday - 11:00a-1:00p | 3:30p-5:30p
| 6:00p-8:00p
Saturday - 11:00a-1:00p | 3:30p-5:30p
If you have an event you would like to facilitate -
please let me know @
scotto(at)burningman(dot)org
Village of PolyParadise Survival Guide...
Sometime in the spring I will publish Volume 12 of
the PolyParadise Survival Guide.
Upon publication it will be sent to all currently
registered campers and all registrants going forward
as well as
posted to the web site & FB Group. Here is a
link to the
PolyParadise Survival Guide - 2019
RV Servicing...
As in the past we will Pre-Purchase a block of RV
servicing - these will be available on a
First Come - First Serve basis - PRE-PAID -
You will of course be a able to secure your own RV
servicing by flagging down the RV Service trucks
that roam the streets of BRC. Once I secure
the passes I will let you all know.
Power (Electron) Generation...
With the transformation of the 40'x40' event space
into the UV-Light Extravaganza we are in need of
having more available electrons (Available Wattage)
than we have had in previous years. For 2022
we will be renting an Aggreko Generator to be
delivered On-Playa and gassed via BRC Hell Station.
This will add costs to our Power budget line item
but will provide the wattage - especially @ night we
will require.
My first thought is to place the generator on our
Frontage on the 8:00 side butting up against the
existing RV Service road. That would allow the
sound to be mitigated within camp and give easy
access to refueling. This placement option
would mean we will have a power cord (which
can be buried) running across the camp layout to
still have all the Community Space Power connections
and our Dusk To Dawn Battery Cart situated in
roughly the same location.
With that said and our need for additional
electrons; we are also inquiring with BMORG about
rentable portable solar vehicles they are premiering
in 2022 called Baby Wookies; a self-contained
solar power generation unit. At this time
I do not know what the max wattage available from
these units are but certainly worth investigation
with BMORG.
Even with this increase of available Electrons and
this larger generator rental we will not be
providing electrons or power hookups to our campers
RV's or camping space. There will be of course
a place within the Community Space for Camera/Laptop
and or other Battery Charging.
That's a
Wrap...
The state of the Global PolyParadise
Community is
STRONG & continually GROWING. I am proud of
what we have become as a Camp and as a Village and
am honored to serve as Benevolent Dictator -
FUCK I AM EXCITED TO GET BACK TO BRC IN 2022!!!
There will be many other questions answered about
BRC 2022 in Volume 12 of the PolyParadise Survival
Guide that will be out in the spring but if you have
a BURNING Question - please post to the FB Group or
send me an message
scotto(at)burningman(dot)org
Stay SAFE - Wear Masks -
Get Vaccinated - Get Boosted - Keep local gatherings small - Love
each other from afar until we can be together again
in BRC 2022.
Scotto
- Benevolent Dictator Village of PolyParadise
- CELEBRATING 24 YRS IN BRC IN 2022