MODIFYRE
WESTERN DOWNS REGION
AT MODIFYRE, WE BELIEVE THAT PARTICIPATION HELPS INDIVIDUALS
REALISE THEIR OWN POWER, AND IT’S KEY TO OUR EVENT.
IT IS THE FOCUS AROUND WHICH ALL FUNCTIONS
IN OUR COMMUNITY REVOLVE.
Image: Spygel
WE VALUE PROCESS OVER PRODUCT, AND BELIEVE THAT CREATION FOR ITS OWN SAKE CAN PROVIDE A POWERFUL MEANS OF FOSTERING HEALTHY MINDS AND HEALTHY COMMUNITIES.
We believe that everyone has the potential to create art. Indeed, Modifyre itself may be understood as a large-scale immersive artwork manifested through the collective imagination of its citizens.
Every unplanned interaction, every theatrical display, every spontaneous act
of gifting, forms a part of this artwork and sets the stage upon which the next part might be performed.
It is an expression of our shared desire to indulge the creative and collaborative impulses that define us as humans.
So don’t spectate, participate!
AS YOU INTERACT WITH YOUR FELLOW PARTICIPANTS AT MODIFYRE, YOU MAY NOTICE SOMETHING PECULIAR – EVERYONE YOU MEET SEEMS TO BE PART OF A CREW…
Even that dude you saw dancing wildly last night in alien costume– now he’s wearing a high-vis, asking if you're doing okay. Participation is key at Modifyre. We are all participants and co-creators; we are all crew!
As an entirely participant-driven event, the success of Modifyre relies on you to get stuck in. There are loads of important roles to fill, so have a look around and find the crew that’s right for you.
We primarily recruit for crews working during the event. However, we also need help throughout the year to make Modifyre thrive. If you can only commit to a part of the process, we understand and still encourage you to muck in with us. We look for both skilled volunteers and those willing to learn- skill sharing is part of our ethos, so don’t be put off if you can’t do it all from the beginning.
If you have skills or experience in any of the areas outlined below, or you're just interested in getting more involved behind the scenes, please get in touch; email volunteer@modifyre.org or come along to one of our Event Production Team meetings or workshops .
Image: Megan Keene
ON-SITE
CREW
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EFFIGY // BUG + TEMPLE
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PADDOCK INFRASTRUCTURE
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EARTH GUARDIANS
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GATE + GREETERS
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THE HEART
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CREW KITCHEN
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MEDICS
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RANGERS
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FLAME
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TRAFFIC
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AMENITIES
Email jointhecrew@modifyre.org to get involved.
YEAR-ROUND CREW
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ADMINISTRATION
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COMMUNICATIONS
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VOLUNTEERS & FACILITATION
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FINANCE
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LEGAL
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COMMUNITY OUTREACH
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BURN ARTS INC. COMMITTEE
Email modifyre.comms@gmail.com
to get involved.
THEME CAMPS
A THEME CAMP IS AN INTERACTIVE, INCLUSIVE AND PARTICIPATORY SPACE CREATED BY THE COMBINED EFFORTS OF PARTICIPANTS FOR THE BENEFIT OF OTHER PARTICIPANTS.
THEY ARE THE SOCIAL CORE OF ANY BURN, BRINGING VIBRANCY AND VARIETY.
Creating a Theme Camp requires commitment from a group of individuals willing to devote their time, energy, and resources to creating immersive worlds and interactive experiences for their fellow burners.
They are a direct expression of the principles of communal effort, participation and gifting.
Anyone is welcome to create or join a Theme Camp. There is no idea too big, too small, or too far-fetched.
The ideal Theme Camp creates a visually stimulating presence, providing communal space and opportunities for unexpected interaction.
Examples might include theatrical venues, kids camps, play spaces, bars, chill-out spaces, cafes, discussion/workshop spaces, and sound camps.
REGISTERING YOUR THEME CAMP IS RECOMMENDED - IT HELPS US HELP YOU.
As a crowd-funded event without commercial sponsorship, Modifyre is not in a position to provide complimentary tickets or artists' fees to Theme Camps. However, in order to recognise the central role our Theme Camps play in promoting and perpetuating Burner culture both at the event and throughout the year, small grants are available to facilitate your efforts.
If you are interested in receiving a grant, please complete and submit an Art Grant Registration form when filling out your Theme Camp Registration Form.
ART
ALL PARTICIPANTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CREATE, FACILITATE AND PROPAGATE WORKS OF ART IN OUR COMMUNITY.
Everyone is invited to partake in the creation of these experiences.
Your challenge is to create interactive experiences that will inspire and engage your fellow citizens.
This type of work blurs the distinction between artist and spectator, manufacturer and consumer.
Event Guide
We encourage all art on The Paddock, whether giant & spectacular or intimate to be sought-out.
You can bring art without telling us, but check the guidelines on our website to be sure.
If you want it printed in the Event Guide be sure to register your art with the the link below.
Note: This is not a grant application! Scroll down for the grant application details. However, you still need to register here before applying.
ART INSTALLATIONS
Consider The Paddock a blank canvas.
Installations can be giant and spectacular or intimate experiences to be sought-out.
You’re welcome to bring an installation without letting us know. However, registration is essential if:
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Your work has sound
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Your work has flame effects (see below)
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You’d like to burn your work
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Your work has a large amount of engineering involved
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You’d like to apply for a Grant
If you’d like tips, tricks, assessment criteria and event requirements, get in touch at info@modifyre.org for more information.
LIVE ART
Whether it be pop-up theatre or an exotic dance, live music or a bangin’ DJ set, dance class, parade, spoken word, fire twirling, or a multi-media extravaganza, we love all kinds of live art and performance at Modifyre.
When planning your workshop or performance, consider how you might turn your fellow participants into active contributors to the creative process.
You’re welcome to bring a renegade performance, however registration is essential for performances if:
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You’d like to apply for a Grant
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You’re planning to use fire in your performance
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You’d like to perform your work in The Heart (see below)
Register your live artwork in the button above or email info@modifyre.org for more information.
MUTANT VEHICLES
Mutant Vehicles (also known as Art Cars) are unique, motorised creations that can show little or no resemblance to their original form. Mutant vehicles can be made from scratch, or stunningly and safely modified from their base vehicle.
Registration is essential for Mutant Vehicles. If you want more information around our Art Car Policy or to register your Art Car email info@modifyre.org for more information.
FLAME EFFECTS
If you are incorporating flame effects (liquid or gas) into your Theme Camp, artwork or performance, you MUST register to ensure you comply with the relevant requirements. As a minimum, the following applies to flame effects:
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All flame effects must be inspected on site and approved by the Fire Safety Team. You must obtain approval from the Fire Safety Team prior to lighting any flame effect.
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All flame effects should be safe and secure - fittings and other relevant parts should undergo daily safety checks.
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Once lit, flame effects must be monitored at all times by a (sober) camp member.
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The area around any flame effect must be clear of flammable or combustible materials, including but not limited to: wood, paper, stored fuel, tents, dry vegetation or other camps, to a distance of 7m
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All liquid and flammable materials must be stored and used as per the Fuel & Hazardous Materials Storage Guidelines we’ll provide you.
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Flame effects must be extinguished at the request of any Ranger and/or Emergency Services personnel.
If you have any questions, contact us at info@modifyre.org.
FIRE PERFORMANCE
We really like fire at Modifyre. While we have plenty of room for fire performance at the event, we must also be mindful of the pristine bushland surrounding the site.
If you’d like to spin at Modifyre, please register and let us know you’re coming so that we can put you in touch at info@modifyre.org
This way, you'll get all the lowdown on burning safely at the event, and they’ll get you involved with the official fire celebrations – the opening ceremony, the Bug burn, and the Temple burn.
THE HEART
The Heart is the civic centre of Modifyre, the Town Hall. It provides a space for participants to meet, share ideas, and to find information about what is going on throughout the event.
If you would like to perform or run a workshop at The Heart, register beforehand, or simply sign up on the Information Board when you arrive.
Email heart@modifyre.org for more information.
ART GRANTS
AS A CROWD-FUNDED EVENT WITHOUT COMMERCIAL SPONSORSHIP, MODIFYRE CANNOT PROVIDE FEES FOR ARTISTS' WORK.
HOWEVER, A NUMBER OF SMALL GRANTS ARE AVAILABLE TO FACILITATE THE CREATION & TRANSPORTATION OF ART AT OUR EVENT.
GRANT APPLICATIONS FOR 2023 ARE OPEN SOON.
Modifyre is still growing so funding is limited, however we endeavour to support as many projects as possible.
Priority is given to work that is interactive, thought-provoking and participatory.
This may include, but is certainly not limited to: art installations, live art, workshops and performances. If you have an idea or project that needs a little financial assistance to realise, submit a grant application and someone will be in touch.
All grant applications are assessed by a cross-section of the Event Production Team.
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5 x Art Grant of $200 each
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5 x Theme Camp Grant of $200 each
Our Art Grants budget is generated from Minifyre profits. We encourage artists and Theme Camps to contribute to Minifyre to help fundraise for the big event!
IN 2024 WE WILL HAVE ONE GRANT SCHEME:
Image: Megan Keene
MEDIA
STORYTELLERS AND DOCUMENTARIANS ARE AN INTEGRAL PART OF BURNING MAN CULTURE, AND MODIFYRE IS NO EXCEPTION. TOGETHER, WE SHARE THE STORY OF OUR COMMUNITY, AND AS WE GROW, WE WILL COMPILE A CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL ARCHIVE.
While we welcome image-makers, as storytellers and artists, we can only do so in a limited capacity due to the unique nature of the event.
If you're planning to publish or disseminate media you generate beyond your own family and friends, we ask you to register your project with us.
THERE ARE NO MEDIA PASSES.
IN A PARTICIPATORY EVENT, THERE ARE NO SPECTATORS.
DON'T FORGET TO BUY YOUR TICKET.
MORE INFORMATION
MEDIA FOR PERSONAL USE
If, like most folks, you love taking photos, you'll find it hard not to happy snap all week long at Modifyre. And who could blame you? There's so much awesome stuff to see.
But we have three words for you: consent, consent, consent.
So, before you click that button, ask! — especially if the person is naked, intoxicated or in the middle of an intimate, vulnerable or private moment, or if they are children. And if asking first is not possible (but it almost always is), make sure to check in with the person once the photo has been taken.
Whether you're a newcomer or not, you might not know what is acceptable until you ask. By asking, you'll eliminate confusion and foster a tighter, safer community where people know their boundaries are protected and respected.
Remember: photographs might seem like a good idea at the time but radical self-expression can look quite different out of its natural habitat and splashed all round Facebook for employers, family members and others to see. Burners often lead many different lives outside these events.
If you are just sharing your photos with friends and families, then that's all you need to know. But if you're taking images for wider public distribution, read on.
MEDIA FOR WIDER DISTRIBUTION
If you are planning to take photographs or film for anything beyond sharing with friends and family – and that includes websites, gallery showings, traditional and digital media – then you need to seek and be granted written permission.
Yes, that includes public posts on Facebook.
You will also be required to wear an official media identification number. This is both so that participants can track down images of themselves to remember the burn by, but also so that they can track down images they decide they do not want posted after the fact.
This also means that if participants see photographers not practising consent, we can contact you. If you are planning to write and publish an article, you will also need to register with us.
Photographers and videographers will also need to sign usage agreements, which will be emailed upon approval of your project and which you will need to either scan and send back or give to the media contact person on site.
A ticket does not automatically give you the right to film, take pictures or write for publication or broadcast, regardless of commercial intent.
At Modifyre, we are seeking to create a radically self-expressive space where people can openly be or do anything. There is therefore a greater need at our burn to maintain the integrity and safety of the space and its people – and for participants to know and trust that this is happening.
That means we like to keep an eye on media, photographers and filmmakers – professional, semi-professional and amateur.
ONE LAST THING
AFTER THE EVENT WE REQUIRE YOU TO NOTIFY US IF YOU PUBLICLY POST MEDIA FROM THE EVENT. OUR REASONS ARE TWO-FOLD...
CONSENT
Participants in our community have the right to revoke consent at any time, for any reason. You may be contacted directly by a participant for removal of an image, or Modifyre may do so on their behalf.
If you are contacted regarding deletion of an image, you are required to do so, no questions asked, regardless of whether prior consent was previously given.
CREDITS
We would love to share your work with our participants! Artistically speaking, the Modifyre community collectively creates the creative environment.
In this way, we believe that the images belong to the artists, performers and community that created the content that is photographed, as well as the photographer.
In this vein, artists who see their work photographed are entitled to ask for their work to be credited. We hope this will go both ways, with artists sharing and crediting photographers too!