| Gifting It | 2003-03-07 16:51 1 comment |
 by Flemming FunchTimothy Wilken mentions "GIFTING IT: A Burning Embrace of Gift Economy", a documentary by Renea Roberts about the gift economy at work in the annual Burning Man festival. I haven't never made it to Burning Man so far. Usually I remember about it too late to make plans. But I've been well aware how it in many ways presents a model for a new and better way of organizing society. You know, creative people think of what they feel ought to be added to the soup. What is needed, or what would be cool. They collaborate on making it happen. It is usually a gift to the whole. And it is wild and exciting, and it blows your mind. Or it is a little thing that is there when you need it. An elaborate infrastructure emerges in the middle of a barren desert. It is peaceful. It is an experience. It has the most marvelous diversity, woven into a common fabric. It all gets cleaned up when it is done, and it doesn't leave a trace. Many documentaries have been made about Burning Man, but this is apparently the first that focuses on the gift economy. On how the openness and the connection with others is what makes it work. |