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Brit Camp Glossary
This glossary is a combination of both British and Burning Man terms used within britcamp.com, and an exploration of their similarities and differences. The list is always growing and was last updated on
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Ancestors: spiralling, tornado-like dust plumes that traverse the playa, either produced by wind or by heat from large fires, such as the Man burning.
Art: Britain has art both old and new and Burning Man has art too, both old and new.
Art Bike: a decorated or "mutated" bicycle, the preferred and safe method of transporting oneself around the playa. Decorate yours now.
Art Car: A highly decorated golf cart, car, truck, or bus, usually with lots of decorative objects attached to it. I'm sure Brit Camp will have it's own by 2008.
Afternoon Tea: A small meal, traditionally consisting of tea served with jammed and creamed scones, cucumber sandwiches and assorted pastries.
Black Rock: A large dark rock formation at the north end of the playa.
Black Rock City (BRC): The annual, temporary city built by the Burning Man community.
Black Rock International Burners Hostel (BRIBH): Home from home for international burners. Run by Hagey and friends. A helping hand for virgins and a family for sluts.
BLM: Bureau of Land Management, government agency which administers public lands, including the Black Rock Desert.
Brit: A British person
Bunting: rows of brightly-coloured little flags that are hung across roads or above a stage as decoration for special occasions.
Brit Camp Core: The founding members of Brit Camp, Alan, Claire, Jessica and Jo.
Brit Camp Members: The happy family of blighters that makes Brit Camp what it is. Brit Camp is only as good as it's members.
British Isles: The collection of islands we call home. The British Isles is not a political entity. It is a geographical unit.
Burn, the: Reference to the actual event, and activity, of burning the Burning Man statue.
Burner: One who has attended Burning Man, and takes the spirit of the event back with them to the default world.
Burning Man (BM): Indescribable
Climate: British weather is a complicated affair and is something of a national pastime to talk about it, because it is so changeable. Current conditions on the Playa.
Costume: Traditional English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish costumes. Costumes at Burning Man are a different matter.
Community: YOU are the community. Each and every person at BM adds to the community and the giving of yourself is the greatest gift you can give to YOUR community. This community also continues to exist and develop in the default world because burners crave the unique company of fellow burners throughout the year, resulting in a growing international BM community.
Decompression: An opportunity to re-connect with playa friends and family a few months after Burning Man is over, and share memories from the playa and plan future projects. It is so much more than a simple reunion, it's an opportunity to bring the spirit of BM to many cities around the world, including London.
Default World: The rest of the world and its social interactions that sadly do not follow the tenets of BM... yet.
DPW: Department of Public Works is the group that is responsible for the infrastructure of BM and the City Plan.
Dust: Synonymous with Burning Man. The dust gets absolutely everywhere, but we love it. Also see Playafication.
Dust Devils: Dust devils or whirlwinds are small atmospheric vortexes not associated with a thunderstorms, which are made visible by rotating clouds of dust or debris. Dust devils form in response to surface heating during fair, hot weather. They look similar in structure to tornados, but they are formed by a completely different process. Small dust devils are a frequent visitor to the playa. Also see Ancestors.
EL Wire: Electroluminescent Wire. Cool, glowing stuff used to make moving objects and sculptures out of light.
Exodus: the process and organisation of the mass participant departure from the playa at the end of the event.
Gifting: There is nothing you can buy at Burnin Man except from ice, tea and coffee. Everything else operates on a gift economy. Gifting is not bartering. Gifting is simply giving. Give without any expectations. A gift can be given in return but is not required. Gifting is not all about BM souvenirs. A gift can be something intangible too. A few words from Larry on the subject, here.
Hagey: A Burning Man legend and founder of The Black Rock International Burners Hostel.
Honorary Brit: A non-Brit who is a member of Brit Camp is awarded Honorary Brit status. While any burner who has contributed significantly to Brit Camp is dubbed a Brit Camp Knight. Both awards and dubbings are carried out with much pomp and ceremony at an Investiture Ceremony. Orders of Merit are special awards also occasionally awarded to burners of great achievement in the fields of art, gifting and participation.
Investiture Ceremony: The awarding of an Honorary Brit or the dubbing of a Brit Camp Knight. Apparently the Queen also does this too.
Lamplighters: the volunteer group that carries out the daily, evening ritual of lighting the lanterns of BRC.
Leave No Trace: One of the central tenets of Burning Man.
Man, the: Term used for the Burning Man statue, the centrepiece of the event and our culture.
Meals: British cuisine is very varied, both traditional and modern, and is heavily influenced by our long history of a multicultural society. Us Brits love our food and are often passionate about it. Modern British food is particularly influenced from the cuisines of the Mediterranean, India and Southeast Asia. The communal meals at Brit Camp reflect this.
MOOP: Matter Out of Place, rubbish. To be prevented and avoided at all costs.
Myths: Burning Man has its myths as-well as Britain.
Nationalism: Bad and often dangerous
Newspaper: Online versions of British newspapers. BRC has two daily newspapers, The Black Rock Beacon and Piss Clear.
Obtainium: any useful and valued item, found or obtained for free.
Participation: Participation is ALL at Burning Man. Take this philosophy with you to the default world.
Patriotism: Good but sometimes trying, but should be inclusive.
Pimms: Pimm's No1 is a gin-based beverage that can be served both on ice or in cocktails. There is also No3, based on brandy and No6, based on vodka. Essential to the traditional British Summer.
Piss Clear: much used playa term derived from the survival axiom "Drink so much water that you piss clear."
Playa: Spanish word for beach and our home for a week or so every year. Americans like to pronounce it as 'plier'.
Playafication (adj. playafied): The ability of the playa to coat everything you own with a fine layer of dust. Also see Dust.
Playa Foot: a common malady where one's feet become dry and cracked due to prolonged exposure to the highly alkaline desert floor.
Playa Name: The name you use for whatever persona you create for yourself at the burning man (the real you). Traditionally given to you by another person.
Pub: A public house, an establishment which serves alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises, and sometimes hot meals as-well. Also found in Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. A close approximation can also be found in the USA, but a brewpub or microbrewery is not the same as a traditional pub.
Pub Quiz: A quiz held in a pub, largely a British phenomenon, at its peak in the early 1990s. Teams compete to win prizes, usually but not always exclusively, alcohol related.
Rebar: Steel reinforcing bar. Used extensively on the playa to hold structures down, the most popular size being #4 (4/8" diameter). Rebar comes with a health warning.
Self-expression: Make a work of art, create a theme camp, wear a costume, decorate your camp site, make and give gifts to your neighbours, or assume a role in the community that helps our city function.
Self-reliance: You are expected to look after yourself and those around you. This involves a degree of planning and preparation. If you find you've forgotten something or have not brought enough water, you cannot simply go to the nearest store and stock up.
Sensory Overload: Just attending Burning Man. This is generally a blissful state, however, there is some sadness in the realisation that a human can only witness a tiny fraction of the vast, non-stop, brilliant activities occurring during the week-long festival.
Slut: A non-virgin burner.
Sub-camp: A new phenomenon at BRIBH. At BM 2006 several groups felt the need to express themselves more and also alleviate the numbers using the main kitchen facilities.
Sunday Roast: Traditional British meal served on Sunday afternoons, consisting of a roast meat served with Yorkshire puddings, vegetables and gravy. This year Alan will be cooking a Sunday Roast on the Playa.
Survival: To enjoy Burning Man it's a good idea to stay alive. The annually published Survival Guide is required reading.
Tea: The preferred and national drink of Britain. Expect many a good cuppa at Brit Camp.
Tea Party: An afternoon social gathering at which tea and light refreshments are served. Traditionally, Americans have never quite grasped the concept.
Temperature: Temperatures in Britain vary considerably. Check out the current temperature on the playa, here.
Temple, the: The emotional centre of Burning Man, created by Mark Grieve and the Temple Crew.
Ten Commandments: The ten principles of Burning Man.
Theme Camp: A campsite which artistically presents an idea or concept and is designed to be interactive with participants.
Time: Britain is based on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and Burning Man in Nevada is on Pacific Standard Time (PST). The current time in Britain and Black Rock City are seven hours apart. Britain also observes British Summer Time (BST) and the USA observes Daylight Saving Time (DST).
Union Jack: The flag of the United Kingdom, the Union Jack, is a superposition of the flags of Saint George (for England), Saint Andrew (for Scotland) and Saint Patrick (for Ireland). Expect to see a few of these at Brit Camp.
Unusual Customs: Britain is renowned for it's eccentric people and customs and we're proud of them too. Some unusual customs can be found at Burning Man too.
Village: Affinity group of theme camps. BRIBH is verging on village status.
Virgin: An individual attending Burning Man for the first time.
Water: An absolute necessity at Burning Man and don't forget to dispose of your grey water correctly. We have an abundance of water in the UK but often at the wrong time of year, resulting in frequent summer drouts.
Welcome Home: The words we can't wait to hear each year.
White-out: Near zero viability conditions experienced on the playa during a dust storm. Run, take cover and hide when the wind picks up or take a sand blasting and enjoy it. This is why we bring goggles and dust-masks.