The Night of March 10: Memories of Altspace.
The night of March 10, 2023 was strangely cathartic. Although I’ve lived through previous sunsets of many beloved services and…
We are a community of blind, partially sighted and sighted artists and volunteers making Burning Man more accessible for blind people.
This year Burning Man is happening online which creates a unique set of challenges to artists. We experience the internet differently from sighted people. If you want to make sure we can access your offering there are a few things you need to know.
We can give you a free 30 minute consultation to teach you all about online accessibility and connect you to the resources you need to help you upgrade your events, experiences, and sign up processes.
… where the assumption that human culture is primarily visual is challenged until it dissolves, along with the entwined racism, patriarchy, misogyny, homophobic bullshit, other limiting beliefs and destructive economic systems
…where the assumption that VR is a predominantly visual medium, not “for” or “by” visually impaired participants, is kicked to the kerb. Help us course correct the development of this critical mode in which our future selves will live, work, love, play.
…where accessibility techniques such as audio description extend deep into the richer reaches of art forms and cultural identities
…. where audio describers are not afraid to describe the weird and the wonderful, and who have the cultural insight to respectfully describe any human being
…where creation tools, arts education and access are provided to ensure equal access for all those who are otherwise excluded or disadvantaged by a disability
…where Burning Man art, culture, and event information is accessible to visually impaired participants.
… where visually impaired participants can navigate physical and digital Burning Man experiences independently or with easy, on-demand assistance.
… where visually impaired participants and other excluded Burners are able to make the same independent choices as sighted participants.
…where those who are blind and deaf are not forgotten, and are embraced as creators too
… where all this is considered foundational to Burning Man culture.
In short, a world built for all of us.
It is something we see, and with your help will make real.
Your generosity makes it possible for us to continue making Burning Man accessible to blind people.
Blind Burners is a group of blind, partially sighted and sighted artists and performers.
At our core we are group of friends around the world, focused on shared joy, vulnerability, and nudging ourselves and each other gently out of our comfort zones.
We play with art forms, dancing art into sound, celebrating touch, sensuality, poetry, instinct, alternative means of perception.
We host wildly creative and connective parties online throughout the Burning Man multiverse, as part of the magnificent Co-Reality Collective and the unstoppable BRCVR.
We have three rules. One: if you’ve met one blind person, you’ve met one blind person. We are all different. Anything you wanna know, please ask. Two: Subject to the experiential and aesthetic preferences of those Visually Impaired Participants present, anything of importance that is purely visual, gets described or sonified, to the best of your abilities. Three, we will look after you. That’s a promise!
Our group was conceived in the run up to Burning Man 2019 and born in the Multiverse burns of 2020.
In 2021 the group is back in Co-Reality Collective’s Sparkleverse, and also with a pioneering camp in BRCVR.
The BRCVR camp is a visually stunning oasis, and a playground for innovative sound design aimed at challenging the silent assumption that VR is a visual medium and therefore not “for” or “by” blind participants and creators.
As an art-driven project, Blind Burners’ camp will showcase DJ’s, talks, and galleries of art, photography and cabaret performances by visually impaired artists and sighted friends. Expect dancing, descriptions, sonic play, vulnerability and joy.
Our Strategy
We focus our Art, our Playfulness and the Creativity of our Community to engage people in transforming accessibility in all areas of life.
We burn through the dead wood of inaccessible information, lazy assumptions about what blind people can do, and experiences that were built without Blind Burners in mind.
The night of March 10, 2023 was strangely cathartic. Although I’ve lived through previous sunsets of many beloved services and…
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