Alchemy (event)
| Alchemy | |
|---|---|
| Location(s) | La Fayette, Georgia, United States |
| Inaugurated | 2007 |
| Most recent | October 1-5, 2015 |
| Participants | 3,400 (2014 ticket cap) |
| Website | |
|
www | |
Alchemy is a burn event operated according to the 10 Principles of Burning Man held annually in the early fall. Alchemy was first held in 2007 and grew quickly to become the largest regional burn in the United States and second largest in the world in 2012. In 2013, the event cap was lowered by approximately 1,000. However the 2014 cap is set at 3,200 participants. Those who have tickets for the 2014 are suggested to volunteer for this event since the entire event is run by volunteers.
Alchemy is held at Cherokee Farms, a private campground in La Fayette, Georgia, approximately 100 miles northwest of Atlanta.
Alchemy and its sister event Euphoria are now managed by the Georgia non-profit Flashpoint Artists Initiative.[1]
| Year | Theme | Participants |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | none | 374 |
| 2008 | none | 656 |
| 2009 | Shock and Awe | 992 |
| 2010 | Skeleton Key | 1727 |
| 2011 | Mutagenesis | 2791[2] |
| 2012 | Choose Your Own Adventure | 3499 (max. tickets).[3] |
| 2013 | Catalyst | 2501 (max. tickets)[4] |
| 2014 | Tabula Rasa | 3200 |
| 2015 | Amalgamation | 3200 |
Event Management
Each year's event is managed by a team of 3-5 individuals, designated as the Event Lead Team (ELT), chosen by the Flashpoint Artists Initiative (FAI) Board of Directors. A public call out is made by the Board and is distributed via FAI's newsletter, The Alchemist, along with all of their social media outlets. Soon after their selection, the ELT submits an event budget proposal to the Board for approval.[5] This proposal typically contains an overall operations budget for the event, ticket price, ticket cap, event dates, and event location.
The ELT, utilizing the same communications outlets, then makes public call outs for the individual teams that manage the day-to-day operations of the event teams. The team leads are chosen by the ELT, and there are typically 2-5 people chosen to lead each team.[6]
None of Alchemy's ELT and Team Leads are paid for their services and operate on a 100% volunteer basis. From time to time, they may be compensated with food, gas money, or other similar expenses.
Alchemy Public Works (APW)
APW is responsible for deploying and maintaining event infrastructure such as generators, tools, and shade structures. In conjunction with Fire Safety and EMS, they are also responsible for preparing the effigy to be burned on the Saturday night of the event. They also work with the ELT and the Board on acquiring new equipment and infrastructure.[7]
Art
The Art Team works with the Alchemy Art Fundraiser Event Leads to facilitate artists being able to bring and place their art installations at the event. They are the point-of-contact between Alchemy funded artists and the Placement Team, the Fire Safety Team (for art that is to be burned or utilizes open flames), and documenting art at the event.[8]
Center Camp
Center Camp is housed under a large circus tent and is intended to be a stage for any and all participants at the event to showcase their art and expression. The Center Camp Leads are responsible for facilitating participants scheduling their own performances, coordinating with artists on showcasing their art, procuring furniture for participants to use throughout the event, as well as setting up and maintaining the camp's sound system.[9]
Connexus
Connexus is the main information clearinghouse at the event itself. Connexus is the place to go if you want information about the land, locations of various camps and activities, teams and volunteer opportunities, theme camp locations and registration, and lost and found.[10]
Department of Mutant Vehicles (DMV)
The DMV is responsible for ensuring the registration and safe operation of mobile works of creative expression otherwise known as mutant vehicles, as well as ensuring only mutant vehicles are operating on Alchemy streets. Additionally, the DMV is responsible for ensuring all cars are parked in the designated parking areas only.[11]
Effigy Team
The Effigy Team is responsible for designing and building the event's effigy, a large wooden art piece that is burned on the Saturday night of the event.[12]
Emergency Management Services (EMS)
EMS coordinates with First Aid, Rangers, and Fire Safety to create, update, and implement standard operating procedures for different possible emergency scenarios. EMS is also a point-of-contact between law enforcement and the Event Leads.
Fire Safety
The Fire Safety team is responsible for maintaining safety at large scale burns and fire-related installations. This team coordinates with artists and emergency service personnel to determine appropriate safety parameters for anything regarding fire. The team is responsible for developing emergency response procedures in conjunction with the Event Lead Team. This team develops a fire safety plan and communicates that plan to local authorities and ensures compliance with all local, state and federal laws.[13]
First Aid
First Aid is responsible for procuring and maintaining basic first aid materials. Participants may request the use of these materials should they decide they require them. The First Aid team also works with the paid, licensed, and insured Emergency Medical Technicians.[14]
Principles Education Team (PET)
PET organizes the volunteers who provide a greeting function to new arrivals at the event. PET is usually the second set of individuals encountered by new arrivals after the Gate workers. As such, Greeters can be helpful in building the burn "bubble" for newly arriving participants. Greeters are also responsible for the education and acculturation of all participants as they enter the event.[15]
Lamplighters
The Lamplighters Team lights the city’s streets, and maintains the lamps. Each night before sunrise, the Lamplighters place lamps on lampp poles, which were set into the ground prior to the event. Lamplighters are a prestigious group with deep and mysterious rituals.[16]
Leave No Trace (LNT)
The LNT team is responsible for continuing education about the Leave No Trace philosophy and techniques. The Team helps Alchemy participants identify ways to keep their own camps clean and is also the lead organizer for post-festival site recovery.[17]
Placement
The Placement and Theme Camp team plans and maps out the city. Participants apply, and the team places theme camps, villages, and hamlets in requested areas whenever possible and feasible.[18]
Rangers
Rangers are primarily concerned with safety issues, maintaining the community’s standards, and helping people resolve conflicts. They help participants solve their own problems using non-confrontational mediation. Rangers do not have any special authority; what they do have is specific training and resources that enable them to deal with situations and scenarios beyond the scope of a non-Ranger participant. They are Rangers because they’re who volunteered to take the training, wear the t-shirt and be available to help their community. Rangers know it is not about them, it’s about their fellow participant and community.[19]
Tear Down
The Tear Down Team is responsible for ensuring that all FAI-owned tools, equipment, and infrastructure are taken down and properly stored in the Alchemy storage container.[20] Alchemy Public Works used to perform this function, but a separate team was created when the job became too much for just one team.
Temple
The Temple team is responsible for designing and constructing the Alchemy temple.[21] The temples tend to be smaller than the effigies. The Temple team strives to create a structure and atmosphere that facilitates reflection and contemplation. Participants will often leave written messages, trinkets, or other items important to their past on the temple for them to be burned. Unlike the Burning Man and other regional burn event temples, Alchemy's temple is burned at sunrise on Sunday morning.
Volunteers
The Volunteer Team helps organize all the team volunteers that help Alchemy operate on a day-to-day basis. The team helps find people to fill teams, as well as assists in finding volunteer opportunities for people who want to help but aren't exactly sure how. All volunteers are funneled through the Volunteer Team. The Volunteer Team also manages the Alchemy website's volunteer signup and management system.[22]
Paid Services
While Event Leads, Team Leads, and team volunteers are not paid, the ELT does contract out specific services:[23]
- Portable Potties
- Radios
- Golf Carts
- Wood Delivery
- Gate Staff
- Security Team
- Heavy equipment rental
- Pyrotechnics
- Emergency Medical Technicians
These services require licensed, insured professionals or have significant equipment and infrastructure requirements that would otherwise be over-burdensome for FAI or the ELT to procure. For example, the pyrotechnics utilized for the effigy burn require licensed professionals to set up both for safety purposes and to ensure compliance with local and state laws.
Art Funding and the Alchemy Art Fundraiser
Funding for art installations by Alchemy does not follow the traditional art grant model. Instead, a separate fundraising event is held, and the event is managed by an Event Lead Team chosen by the FAI Board. Artists desiring funding bring proposals and displays for their ideas to the event. Once attendees pay the door fee, they are given a ballot with a list of all projects at the event. Attendees allocate the entirety of the door fee, in whole dollar amounts, to each project as they see fit. At the end of the night, the ballots are counted and the total amount of money for each project is allocated for their respective artist.[24]
Other sources of funding include refreshment sales and a silent auction of community-donated art. The funds collected from these sources are allocated on a percentage basis according to the ballot distribution. In 2012, the Alchemy ELT decided to allocate $10,000 for fund matching.[25] This pool of $10,000 was also distributed on a percentage basis like refreshment and silent auction sales. In 2013, that amount was increased to $15,000.[26]
References
- ↑ "Announcing Flashpoint Artists Initiative (the new Org)". alchemyburn.com. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ↑ "Alchemy history". alchemyfestival.com. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
- ↑ "Alchemy 2012 Event Report" (PDF). alchemyburn.com. p. 3. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ↑ "Alchemy 2013 Event Report" (PDF). alchemyburn.com. p. 4. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ↑ "Alchemy 2013 Event Lead Callout". alchemyburn.com. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ↑ "Team Lead Signups". Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ↑ "Public Works". Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ↑ "Art Team". Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ↑ "Center Camp". Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ↑ "Connexus". Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ↑ "Department of Mutant Vehicles (DMV)". Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ↑ "Effigy Team". Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ↑ "Fire Safety Team". Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ↑ "First Aid". Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ↑ "Principles Education Team". Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ↑ "Lamplighters". Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ↑ "LNT". Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ↑ "Placement". Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ↑ "Rangers". Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ↑ "Tear Down". Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ↑ "Temple". Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ↑ "Volunteer Coordinator". Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ↑ "Alchemy 2013 Event Report" (PDF). p. 9. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ↑ "Alchemy Art Fundraiser 2012 Event Report" (PDF). pp. 8–10. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ↑ "Alchemy Art Fundraiser 2012 Event Report" (PDF). p. 4. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
- ↑ "Alchemy Art Fundraiser 2013 Event Report" (PDF). p. 2. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
External links
- Official website
- Euphoria - Alchemy's sister project
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