The OTIC OASIS: A Wilderness Outpost and Civic Sanctuary Burning Man 2011

There is one constant at Burning Man and that is the ubiquitous thump/thump of the deep bass beat of the electronic/trance/Burning Man branded music. Unbelievably, in such a vast arena, air space has become a premium. As the event's population has grown to 55,000 and higher, the sounds pumping from massive DJ speakers have filled all the remote crevasses of Black Rock City, and it has been virtually impossible to find a quiet space to escape these sound blasts and commune with our internal and external environments. But we bring you hope! Larry Harvey had the insight years ago to preserve the walk-in area as a zone free of motorized vehicles and loud amplified music, lights, and energy, so there still remains within our City a tableau where the aural options are in keeping with the indigenous stillness and aesthetics of the Black Rock desert. This year, we are building the FIRST civic refuge, the OTIC OASIS – an incredible wilderness outpost in the deep part of the walk-in area.
The OTIC OASIS is comprised of a 35-foot geometric cluster structure that provides shade, shelter, comfort and individualized spaces for quiet and contemplation of our natural surroundings. The OTIC OASIS is made completely of interlocking wood, with no nails, glue or metal fasteners, with the struts fastened together with patented "connectors" that fit together in an ingenious manner, and provide a great deal of strength and support. It will be a crystalline structure of interwoven modules for individual, as well as group use. Sound familiar to our Burning Man ethos? The "burningmimicry" and biomimicry of the design will complement the Black Rock Desert backdrop and offer a manmade structure that takes inspiration from the rocks, mountains, caves, and plateaus found in nature.
The OTIC OASIS can be reached only by foot or bike, enhancing the desert calm. And in keeping with the walk-in regulations of the region, all materials will be hand-carted in to the Oasis' wilderness location, and it will be erected without use of any motorized vehicles.
This destination is hoped to be the Golden Gate Park of Black Rock City, a refuge available to all where, in just a short walk, you can escape from the cacophony of the City, and benefit from the therapeutic value of the surrounding landscape. We hope that the OTIC OASIS evolves into a perennial structure: to return each year to continue to provide shade and shelter to weary travelers who might require a bit of tranquility in order to recharge. In future years, we hope other artistic pioneers will provide art in keeping with the area’s design, as "slow art" naturally populates this terrain.

The Connection Crew, composed of artists, builders and dreamers in both Los Angeles and the Bay Area, plans to enhance the OTIC OASIS in subsequent years, adding seating and other amenities to assist citizens to find even more diversity from our city's ever evolving options.
With your help, the Connection Crew can create the OTIC OASIS and inaugurate this area. All donations are tax-deductible, since the OTIC OASIS is fiscally sponsored by the non-profit The Immediate Life, Inc., due to the Oasis' civic, spiritual, environmental and educational nature. This initial funding is necessary to procure all tools and materials for the Oasis structure, and to set up our construction base. We will continue to fundraise until our departure for Playa, but making a donation now is essential to provide lift off to this civic project.