Burning Man: Beyond Belief.
My Burning Man project that year: Frisbeetarian Disc Golf. Inspired by the year’s theme, “Beyond Belief,” and George Carlin’s observation that “Frisbeetarianism is the belief that when you die your soul goes up on the roof.” And of course the fact that people who play disc golf regularly tend to consider it a religion.
I hand-built two not-quite-regulation disc golf nets — Hole 1 and Hole 19 — and two tees. Decorated Hole 1 with electroluminescent wire (that never really worked right) and Hole 19 with propane flames (that the wind was too strong to run). Then I had Innova print up 100 golf discs with the Frisbeetarian logo — a Burning Man figure with a disc golf net for a head — and the motto: “What goes around comes around.”
Expensive. And they were snotty about it. “We’re not sure we want to sell these to you if you’re going to give them away.” But they looked awesome and people liked them.
I got placement way out on the playa for Hole 1, which was fine with me. I managed to give away almost all the discs. Never did get the tees set up. The EL wire driver underperformed, the propane was killed by wind, and some of the people who received discs had never thrown one before — a few threw them across the playa and didn’t come back.
I kept a few. The rest are out there somewhere.
Maybe next year.