As a department it has changed and evolved drastically over the years, being forced to grow as the city it supports also transformed, the pressure of the tasks in front of it not unlike the undeniable pressure of the earth forming a diamond. And sure maybe that is a bit poetic but also, Burning Man began in such a raw state, unbeknownst to its founders that it would offer such a profound platform for humanity’s yearning for connection, for permission to explore its spiritual and creative self as a community movement, for the bonds it would forge and temper and break and build anew in the fires that we set in the dark nights of our brothers and sisters. I will say building Black Rock City is comparable to pressing diamonds because it is more than just a party in the desert- it is a breeding ground for dreams and new ideas, for ways to live among each other and connect to wisdom and resources and learning. It is the permission to live outside of the box society has built even for just a short time, a reminder to look at the stars and seek joy and delight. We have the opportunity to create brilliant, faceted experiences that are indispensable to the conversation and unfolding of humanity that don’t happen the same way anywhere else. Let us forge gems and use them to see the world from perspectives previously unreachable, together.

And we, DPW, we build the bones for that every year and lovingly lay the skeleton out and push ourselves through the crucible of this mad, logistical dance in ways that have made militaries take note of how the hell we’re pulling this off. We’re a crew made of fierce heart and a community founded in diversity and yearning to be part of something bigger than ourselves. And we have grown as Burning Man has grown and while we have always been a proud group, we get to be a different kind of proud now, too. We are learning to ask for the support we need, and take time for self-care, and communicate about the moments that wound us instead of just rubbing some playa into it. I have seen this community realize that strength also comes from being genuine and vulnerable and treating others with grace, taking ownership of our mistakes and evolution means we get to make better choices next time and I think we’re getting to that point where… “next time” is actually this time.

Let us remember we are agents of wonder and return to the playa as stewards of this city, as a group of people that belong together not just because of the sweat and blood we spill alongside each other but because our unique personalities, skillsets and perspectives support each other to create a balance, a surface tension, that holds it all together. We are some of the most diversely talented, passionate people I have ever met. Let us take this once in a life time opportunity, every year, to allow ourselves to shed old, limiting ways of being and redefine ourselves every step of the way. Together.

Let us build ourselves up as we do these lovely city bones. Let our future be not about who we were, but who we choose to be in these moments, and what aspects of ourselves we allow to shine brightly wherever we go.

Thank you for joining us and bringing your energy to this wild venture; to heed the call of something unnameable that stirs in us all; to build a city out of imagination and dust.

We'll see you out there, in between the waking and the dream.
elea "duchess" wolf

2022