Light Your Build Site at Night!
There are many people already on playa during build week. Make your build site visible at night to prevent damage to your art or injury to participants from accidental collisions. Be particularly sure to light cables, rebar, equipment, lumber, and anything that could trip someone up in the dark.
Secure Your Build Site
High wind gusts are not uncommon on the playa. Be sure to secure all items that could turn into dangerous projectiles – like sheets of plywood – especially at night when you are not there to batten down the hatches.
Baffle Your Box
If you’re using a generator to power your artwork, please bring a “baffle box” to house it in. It doesn’t need to be fancy, but at a minimum make it secure and well-lit to protect it from being run over. You should also lock it to prevent tampering. Many artists make theirs aesthetically pleasing by matching the theme of their artwork.
Cover Trenches
If you do any trenching for power lines, be ready to drop in the cables and cover it right away, so there are no open trenches overnight. If you can’t fill the trench before dark, please have a plan to cover or rope it off and light it for safety.
Express Your Stance on Graffiti and Climbing
Graffiti and climbing can both be complicated when it comes to art in Black Rock City. For certain art projects, writing on the piece is encouraged, and many are built specifically to be climbed. But for others, neither is welcome. How will people know your intention? Take time to consider your stance about graffiti and climbing on your piece, and measures you can take to either encourage or discourage them. Design your project as best you can to deter the types of interaction you want to prevent. Consider placing well-secured signs on your artwork that are easily visible to participants.
Report Vandalism
Sadly, some artists have experienced outright vandalism of their artworks in BRC, including “biological MOOP” – the artwork being used as a porta-potty. As noted above, try to design your project in ways that could deter this behavior. And please report any vandalism incident immediately to the ARTery so we know the scope of the issue and can take steps to address it.