Mudslide

The exceedingly wet spring I described in my last post continued, intensified, and caused flooding and destruction through central Texas. A month later, the rain is letting up but this year continues to feel tropical…more like Costa Rica than Texas.

In the middle of these storms, Austin held its regional Burn event, Flipside. The wet conditions made it unlike any Flipside yet – less art, no art cars, sticky mud covering everything, wind and rain, flooding, and it even got dangerous at the end when the water kept rising until people were forced to abandon their belongings and seek higher ground.

Despite all the hardships, this was my favorite Flipside yet. Every problem brought the community closer together – we struggled together, we helped each other selflessly, and we laughed and smiled our way through it all. I left feeling filled up with gratitude, with a more open and trusting heart, and with friendships made deeper.

So, what is Flipside? Here’s an excerpt from the survival guide:

Burning Flipside is an experiment in collaborative community featuring art and music created by those who attend. Attendees are known as participants (there are no spectators at Flipside; everyone collaborates in some way to create the event). Inspired by the Burning Man festival, it is a place for radical self-expression and an experiment in community building. It is a place of acceptance, inclusivity, and respect. It is organized entirely by volunteers. The art and entertainment is created solely by participants. There are no concession stands. No cash transactions are permitted at Flipside – even bartering is discouraged. This is a sincere experiment in creating a gift economy. If you need something, ask for it. If you have it, gift it.

Our events foster an environment of creative self-expression, where participants feel supported to honestly express their inner selves, through artistic creation, performance, and in their social interactions.

My easy-going camp offered self-serve iced tea 24 hours a day.
Red camp offers a (completely red) bar and lounge.
Red camp offered a (completely red) bar and lounge.
Self-expression via costuming!
Self-expression via costuming!
Take a gift, leave a gift. This box was the source of much amusement.
Take a gift, leave a gift. This box was the source of much amusement.
The gift of giant bubbles!
The gift of giant bubbles!
Running into friends and making new ones.
Running into friends and making new ones.
Mystical portal.
Mystical portal.
Neon-string jungle!
Neon-string jungle!
The view from on top of the effigy.
I feel blessed to have been able to introduce my mother to the fun and freedom of Flipside. This was her second year and she brought along a friend of her own! There’s nothing like watching someone have this experience for the first time…there really is no place like Flipside.
The burning effigy.
The burning effigy.

 

One thought on “Mudslide”

  1. Yes, it was great to see the Flipside spirit in action during environmental stressors. I’ll never forget the two sweet guys who helped me drag our cooler all the way to our car up the hill, through the mud, late at night. They started out as total strangers and ended up as Flipside friends.This was just one example of the spirit of Flipside.

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