Why We'll Never Burn at Burning Man
Decryption Money box, ecological catastrophe, fake Daft Punk, monopoly on cool, overrated modern art... The list of reasons not to participate in the most overrated of festivals, whose 39th edition has just ended in the most tragic way, is long.
A woman in a costume with an animal mask squats in the mud in front of the Temple of the Heart, created by Ola Madej and Reed FinL, after the rain at Burning Man 2023, September 2, 2023. ISABELLE SOURIMENT / HANS LUCAS VIA AFP
The desert never forgets. It retains the memory of the illusions imposed upon it. Burning Man is the ultimate proof of this. Since its creation in the Nevada desert in 1986, this alternative gathering has transformed into a monopoly on cool. Over the years, under a sky thick with dust and lies, this great artistic theater has drawn inspiration from capitalist excesses and contemporary vanity. The 2025 edition, which closed last Monday, will go down in history as the one for all impostures.
Fake Daft PunkIt all started with a rumor that had been carefully cultivated for months—and what better material for a vanity festival than deception? Daft Punk, robotic legends who retired in 2021, reportedly chose Black Rock City—the event's temporary venue—for their refo…
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