New Universes Discovered in the Burning Man Multiverse!

What is a Multiverse made of? Universes. A potentially infinite number of them, each opening up possibilities for infinite unique experiences. Just as in Black Rock City, where you can choose what kind of Burn you want, in the Multiverse you will have many choices.

As our Philosophical Center Director Stuart Mangrum wrote in the Multiverse theme announcement: “What will you be in the Multiverse of Burning Man 2020? Will your reality be augmented, bifurcated, or omnidimensional? What dream-worlds will you step sideways into, and who will you be when you get there? Only time will tell. Or has told. Or is telling.”

It is in that spirit that we are thrilled to announce eight virtual Universes and the standalone Temple experience in the 2020 Burning Man Multiverse — each independently produced by members of the Burning Man community who have demonstrated their commitment to the 10 Principles. 

Presenting… The Universes of the Burning Man Multiverse

You’ll be able to dive into the Universes via Kindling, Burning Man Project’s virtual events portal. All will feature rich interactivity leading up to and culminating during Burn Week 2020. Many will be free to participants, while others will ask for a financial contribution that will be shared with Burning Man Project.

Just as in Black Rock City, we know that building an experience is just as much fun as living it, and that communal effort is its own reward. The creators of each of these Universes are seeking participants, creators, and collaborators. Visit Kindling to explore the Universes in more depth, and to learn how you can participate and co-create. Together we can make this more grand, more wild, and more authentically Burning Man than anything the Multiverse has ever seen.

Ethereal Empyrean Experience: Temple 2020

The team behind Black Rock City’s Empyrean Temple has embraced the virtual pivot, creating an inclusive, healing Temple space where participants can share, express, grieve, heal, and leave digital offerings during this transformative time. The creators are developing a single-visitor, stand-alone experience meant to facilitate a meaningful solo Temple journey. Participants can create and leave offerings by visiting Empyrean’s upcoming “Offerings Workshop” website in early August, prior to the Temple opening. The Ethereal Empyrean Experience will be officially open to Multiverse participants via mobile, desktop or VR headset August 30 to September 6, 2020. On Sept 6, 2020 at 8pm PDT all are invited to a ceremonial “Temple Burn” of Ethereal Empyrean, during which all offerings and all custom code will be erased.

The Infinite Playa

Welcome to The Infinite Playa, a virtual Burn that will provide participants with the simulated experience of going “Home.” This Universe features a photoreal landscape — from the cracked desert floor to the surrounding mountains and the occasional dust storm. Accessible via VR headset or any browser on a desktop computer or mobile device, the Infinite Playa will feature a robust character creator, enabling participants to generate custom avatars that represent how they would like to appear. Artists, camps and inspired individuals will all have the opportunity to bring their unique offerings — anything from art pieces rendered with full 3D detail, to live-streamed performances. Learn more about the Infinite Playa.

Build-A-Burn

Build-A-Burn is an interactive digital space that has already hosted events, including fantastical remote Burns, all by empowering the community to celebrate their creativity. Using just a browser and webcam on any device, participants will be able to wander an art-filled playa with friends old and new. Prepare to bend the reality of time and space, authentically connect with others in facilitated workshops, stand too close to some of your favorite DJs, and more. Dive in and explore the Build-A-Burn Universe.

BRCvr

Inspired by the Multiverse theme, a crew of veteran Burners has created BRCvr — Black Rock City in full VR, complete with current and past art installations, structures, theme camps, live talks, classes, and performances. Multiverse participants will be able to freely explore a full, at-scale version of Black Rock City. You’ll be able to access the event through Windows and Mac computers and most virtual reality headsets. Lose your friends on the Esplanade; dance at an art car; hunt for Daft Punk at the trash fence… maybe even get lost in a porta-potty. You can visit the Temple, look for your yearbook photo, or even fly to the top of the Man and set off fireworks. Read all about it on the BRCvr website.

SparkleVerse

The SparkleVerse will feature tools for artists, theme camp organizers, and mutant vehicle mechanics to create immersive clickable spaces through which to deliver whatever imagination calls forth — whether it be music, camp accommodation, a theme bar, an RV, a kitchen, an art piece, or a trash fence party. Accessible via any mobile or desktop web browser, experiences people create will sit on a 2-D explorable playa map, with its uniquely located video avatars and ambient audio; these experiences can also be linked directly from any other playa map. Learn all about the SparkleVerse.

Multiverse

Multiverse is a full-scale, virtual interactive Black Rock City that includes the deep playa. The creators are working with theme camps who are designing virtual communities and sound stages that will broadcast live events, workshops, and live music. And they’re collaborating with artists to translate art installations into 3D form to be experienced on the playa. Participants will appear as 3D avatars who can communicate via live voice in one unified experience, whether on a mobile phone or VR headset. Learn more about Multiverse here.

The Bridge Experience

Created by the team behind the Love Burn, The Bridge Experience is an interactive, fully immersive, 3D web-based virtual reality (XR) Burn accessible via any device. It is a passion project built by new and old Burners who are committed to simplifying the barriers to entry by adjoining Extended Reality (XR) technology with the altruistic principles of ​immediacy, inclusion, accessibility, self reliance, civic responsibility, communal effort, decommodification, gifting, leaving a positive trace, and, of course, self expression and consent. The Bridge Experience team welcomes participation by artists, volunteers, greeters, organizers, creatives, techies, and camps.

BURN2

BURN2 is the virtual extension of Burning Man and its community, one Regional among more than 100 in the world. Our volunteers spread Burning man culture and the 10 Principles year-round through several seasonal events, culminating with the annual “Big Burn” event in October and “echoing” the look and feel of Black Rock City. BURN2 is accessible via any device with a web browser and a Second Life viewer. In the August VRC event, BURN2 will participate with past Man builds, art installations, an authorized 3D replication and burn of the Empyrean Temple, and “how to” workshops on our own Deep Hole playa. Find out more about BURN2.

MysticVerse

MysticVerse is a fully immersive, interactive 3D Universe, a full expression of a virtual Black Rock City complete with theme camps, art installations, live events, deep playa, and more. Its  VR platform is designed to empower anyone to harness their inner artist. Accessible via mobile, desktop, VR and any operating system, participants can build their virtual contributions guided by the MysticVerse team, or co-create art scenes in collaboration with other artists. All are welcome to join the digital village of artists, 2D & 3D modelers, programmers, project managers, UX/UI designers, technologists, visionaries and volunteers. Fill in the MysticVerse participation form to get involved.

Want to get involved? Wander over to Kindling to go deeper into each Universe and learn how you can participate.

Top image: An aerial of BRCvr (Created by the BRCvr team, 2020)