As a manifestation of the I, Robot theme, the 2018 Man base experience will offer an exploration of humankind’s decidedly mixed feelings about algorithmic intelligence, cybernetic augmentation, and the mystery of what it means to be human in an increasingly automated world.
The 2018 Man will be positioned atop an enormous gear, a nod to the passing machine age wherein were forged many of our hopes and fears about artificial life. Inside the structure, murals and bas-relief panels, ancient and modern in aspect, will trace the progression of our enduring fascination with robots, from the primordial golem to the post-work future.
By night, a phantasmagoria of AI-themed imagery will be projection-mapped onto the Pavilion’s interior walls. Australian artist Joe Crossley and his AstralProjekt & Heckler team will be producing and curating a collection of media art exploring emerging ideas of coexistence between man and machine: IAMAI.
IAMAI is legal declaration of coexistence between man and machine, formed as a living AI media art installation that will show you visions of the AI future, featuring artists from around the world each night after sunset. The ethos is to create audio visual ceremonial space where we can acknowledge and celebrate the declaration of coexistence between man and machine implanting metadata of the declaration in everything you see and hear. Join us and make peace with your robot brothers and sisters.
Digital media artists are encouraged to submit files to the IAMAI project team for consideration and possible inclusion. More information is available at the IAMAI web portal. The submission deadline for contributing artists is Midnight Pacific Time on August 15, 2018.
As a crowning touch to this year’s Pavilion experience, high atop the gear’s upper viewing platform, a dozen fanciful robots, cyborgs, androids and mandroids will stand vigil around the Man. These “BurnBots” are destined to go up in flames on Burn Night, perhaps to achieve a fleeting singularity with the Burning Man.
Thanks and grateful appreciation to the artists whose work was selected for this year’s Man Pavilion:
Annabel Lee Allen (Ashland, OR): Robotopod Inclusions
Nicole Balestrere (Las Vegas, NV): Xochipilli
Gogo Bernhard (Vienna, Austria): Soundscape
Kelly Smith Cassidy (South Lake Tahoe, CA): Creu Hudol (“Magical Being”)
Aileen Cormack (Santa Rosa, CA): AndroBot: Making Garbage Great Again
Joseph Crossley & AstralProjekt/Heckler (Australia): IAMAI
John Cruz & Sebastopol Catbot Collective (Sebastopol, CA): Catbot
Tyler Garrett & Synchronous Artists (Wichita, KS): Prognostication Protocol
Alexander Griffin (Portland, OR): Squidartha
Leland Johnson & Black Rock Robotics (Casper, WY): Mel’s Makerbot
Andrew Johnstone (Oakland, CA): Murals, Craic
Tricia Kelly (Oakhurst, CA): I, Musician
Leonid Kim (Moscow, Russia): Cyber Fossils
Chelsi Linderman (Lehi, UT): Robot Gothic
Anna-Gaelle Marshall & Dusty Visions (Portland, OR): Robot Family
Dana Mosiman (Sedgwick, KS): Wendigo Electrafryed
David Normal (Stinson Beach, CA): Succubus
Kate Raudenbush (New York, NY): Future’s Past Circuitry Patterns
Marco Turrubiartes (San Diego, CA): Killbot No More
Trevor Twist (Oakland, CA): Bare Heart
Top image by Andrew Johnstone
Haven’t seen a post from Darryl Van Rhey in a while.
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I’m very excited about the theme this year. I just watched the movie on Primewire and it was HD. Will Ferrell was amazing. I heard he goes to Burning Man sometimes. Is he going to be there this year? Can’t wait!
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Sounds like an awesome man base this year!
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♡~~♡
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As one of your nearest neighbors, Elon Musk was a strong voice about the dangers of AI and would be a good represetitive for this years Burning Man. Has there been any conversation?
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Man Pavilion: 2018 is highly intriguing. With time, it seems technology is becoming limitless.
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The real fun this year will be when the suspended 30 ton Orb breaks its anchors in high winds and rolls through BRC.
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Ain’t that the truth
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Ahh the fear of people that don’t understand the roject lol.⚡️ Haters is what y’all are called. You don’t think that the people I charge of this project didn’t factor that it. You don’t think because it doesn’t have made in China stamped on it is going to fall over? Come on guys . Just because this festival is temprorary I’d doesn’t mean the skills involved to build this city are inattiquit. If you hthino its gonna go dolphins around the playa then maybe you should Volunteer your time to the project to make sure that doesn’t happen instead of talking shit. … just saying
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Domo Arigato!
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Welcome back skeleton man!
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Remember when Burning Man had an online community?
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Sadly my Burnbot design wasn’t accepted…So you guys making these 12 bad boys better make me envious of your talent :)
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I really hope that a certain Aztec named burnbot is not going to look like the store bought DIY bot that the art was lifted from. How did that get past the the folks in charge?
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The “Xochipilli” robot is actually a design that has been for sale for years https://www.robotimeonline.com/products/steampunk-music-box-am601s
Is this really being produced by the original artist? If so, cool. Otherwise, it’s been plagiarized.
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This is something we’re looking into, and we’ll share any developments when we know more about the situation.
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Hi Jon Mitchell, Do you have any info on this issue yet? I’m a burning man artist & have worked for art support services, so when I came across these comments and viewed the link, I looked a bit further and found some images from the supposed “artist”s instagram. This is such blatant plagiarism that I really feel Burning Man has an obligation to look into it further. I’m going to do everything on my end to make sure this person knows that plagiarism in the name of art is a pretty low form of self expression….and she doesn’t deserve the free tickets to the event or the grant money for this project either!
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Thank you for noticing this! I’d like an update from the org about this- WTF. The name is also plagiarism – stolen from a 2017 project that accurately captured the spirit of Xochipilli, not a mass-produced trinket bought online. Barf!
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This year’s pavilion reminds me of a Dutch town called Bourtange Star Fort in Groeningen. Impenetrable… Seems to have been conceived by the army’s corp of engineers. No to little shade. IMO
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“Burnbots”
LOL! Awesome.. I wanted to bring out our battlebot but she takes up the entire back of our van, and she’s dangerous around people. Her whole underside is torched from battling flamethrower bots in London.
Now she’s sad. There can be no rematch.
Great theme and design, everybody. I love this and can’t wait to see it on the playa.
-Gatt / TheGreenHour 9:D
(Rosie the Riveter, RobotWars)
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Wondering if it’s possible to watch the video that was shown inside the Manbase 2018 in its entirety? is it available somewhere? Thank you…
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