This is why I love SL. Sometimes, things just come out of left-field at you, as with this notice from Sedi at Commune Utopia.

The Commune has been given a quarter sim with 3515 prims to build something fantastic in the style of the Burning Man festival. We have a whole month to build, and then the general public will vote on which out of the four plots is the best – and then the winner gets a whole sim for a month! Obviously I do not want to be building alone, so let’s get a team together and discuss and collaborate! You do not need to be an expert builder, the enthusiasm is what I want!

I love the idea of Burning Man, despite never having attended it or anything like it. In a world of increasing standardisation, it’s just lovely to know there’s a counter-culture out there and that people are buying into the idea.

SL will often throw up ‘prizes’, such as being the centrefold for Playmates magazine, or cash for photographic competitions. What’s exciting and possibly unique is that someone’s largesse has determined that they’re stumping up the ‘prize money’ of a sim free for a month. And because of the way in which the competition is framed, it means we’re going to get a Burning Man styled sim to enjoy later in the year.

Casual nudity is often part of the Burning Man vibe, often among people who wouldn’t describe themselves as ‘naturist’. It’s all part of the normalisation of social nudity, and getting wrapped up in the whole Burning Man atmosphere. I’m rather hoping that the winner, whoever they may be, embraces that casual nudity element into their finished sim.

 

I’m still undecided whether or not my SL continues once I step out of the editor’s chair in a month’s time. Needless to say if I’d been fully committed to remaining I would have loved to have thrown my energies into helping with this project.

 

 

Ella