Collaborative Concept Photo Project at Burning Man 2004

Do you want to help question societies views on the US flag, body image, Race, War, and the issues that you feel most deeply about?

Some rules are important to question. Can your brain come up with either silly yummy-fun or serious ideas that will help with this cause? Is there some issue that's deeply personal to you? Would you like to be the subject of a photograph like this?

The photographs are for a book project, so there are release forms. All the photographs are to be taken at Burning Man against a white (or in some rare cases black) background.

The photographs should have some story behind them. They should engage the brain. They should be more then just fashion.

This is a Supersnail cooperative project.
www.supersnail.com

• Photo ideas
• Body paint
• Political photo ideas
• Past Supersnail Photographs
• Other thoughts
• How can you participate?

• You and your large artwork
  • A person with their big artwork creation. I'm mostly interested in artwork that's human sized or bigger. Either we'll be bringing it into a studio (which is 10' by 10' by 7.5' tall) or we'll shoot it in front of a 25' tall white wall.
• Paper Doll set.
  • Photograph a man and woman nude. Then photograph the same couple in a variety of off the wall Burning Man outfits. In the book, each of the outfits can be cut out and put onto the people (complete with little tabs that fold over to hold the clothes on). This is probably the only idea in this list where I'd like to see some sample photos before we start shooting together at Burning Man. These would be of a few different Burning Man outfits that you have.
• Documenting a scientific or technical project.
  • For example, documenting a person who sends a kite up in the air which then takes photographs. All documentation will be done in the white background studio.
• You and your fire project
  • The book will have black background photographs as well as white background shots. Can you think of any way to use fire or fire spinning/blowing/eating in a way that's political or that touches a more conceptual idea or that use fire in new ways? This Burning Man I plan to take more night time photographs shots then day photographs. If you have fire projects that beg to be photographed, let me know. I'd love to photograph you with your fire project.
• Show the function of a camp.
  • It should shows both the function of the specific camp being photographed and also the point of camps in general. It should be a social thing. There should be an activity being performed (which is in some way beneficial). The activity should be an odd or interesting one that works visually. A simple camp group shot doesn't qualify unless it still fits all the other requirements listed. An example of a shot that might work: There are three folks from "bike repair" camp that are all fixing bicycles.
• A person welding.
  • This would be taken at night (black background).
• A Burning Man kid
  • A kid who is decked out in Burning Man fashion. A costume and/or body/face paint.

If there's anybody out there who's going to be doing air brush body painting (and has the air brush and all), I'd love to plan out some shots together.

• Body painted pretend clothing
  • Wear an outfit that's tight to the skin all over (no loose sleeves or pants cuffs). We'll take a photo of you in the outfit. Then you take off the outfit and use body paint to try and simulate the same outfit you were wearing. The book will have a page of several people in cloths. the page accross in the book will be a mirror image, but with the cloths painted on. Any gender or body type is great. I'd love solo shots of lots of people doing this. Bring your friends if you want. Also, then you can paint eachother.
• Two in one suit.
  • One person is wearing a suit top and is nude from the waist down (and painted white). The other person is wearing a suit bottom and is nude from the waist up (and painted white). The two people overlap. Against a white background, it should be a dramatic effect.
• Black and white stripes.
  • One or more people entirely painted with black and white stripes. Against the white background, this could be wonderful!
• Reverse your race
  • A group of black (african american) and white (caucasian) people.
    • We photograph the group in their natural state.
    • We cover everybody with playa dust and photograph the group again. Everybody will be basically the same color for this photograph.
    • For the last photograph in the triptic, the white people are painted completely with black tempera paint. The black people are painted completely with white paint.
• The flag
  • A couple fully body painted as the american flag. One person is the first half. The second person is just red and white stripes.
• Breast print women.
  • Two women. One has blue body paint on her breasts. The other has red body paint on her breasts. The one with blue painted breasts puts blue breast prints all over the other woman. The one with red breasts makes red breast prints all over the other woman.
• Yoni/Lingam paint prints.
  • A man and a woman. Both put body paint on thier butt and yoni/lingam. Then each sits on the others abdomen and makes a print on the other person. Maybe other body parts are used to make prints in other places.
• White people on white background.
  • A person or group of people that's painted completely white or completely black.
  
• Upside-down faces
  • Person draws eyes on thier chin. Then draws a nose in between those eyes and their mouth. They wear a hat or doll that covers their eyes and top of head. This hat/doll may have arms and legs. The photo is taken upside down.
• Group with matching body paint

• Transformation
  • Bring your high school or prom picture to Burning Man this year. The more posed and awkward (or prim and proper) the picture feels, the better. Then we'll photograph you in your most over the top Burning Man style holding the old photo of yourself. I believe this can make a statement about transformation and choice. Who were you then? Who are you now?
  • I love transformations. Costumes that look like one thing during the day and another at night. The same person doing super macho one time and super fem the next. How about a caterpillar costume one day. Then a butterfly costume the next. Optional cocoon stage in the middle.
• TV
  • Woman with a hollowed out TV over her bare chest. Rabbit ear antenna hat on her head. A strap on harness with a remote control (rather then a penis). On her breasts are written advertising phrases. "Buy now!". "Watch tonight at 8". "Lose weight fast".
• Societal roles or Job/Career/Work
  • Does what you do at Burning Man go against what most people would expect given your usual role in society? Are you willing to take a photo that emphasizes and plays with this?
• Eating meat
• Body Image / Fat / Lookism
• Mastectomy photograph
  • Do you know any burners that have had a mastectomy? If so, might they be willing to be part of this photo project?
• Police / Authority
  • Dress up as a police officer. Gosh, there are so many possibilities once you start with a cop outfit.
• Race
  • A group of black (african american) and white (caucasian) people.
    • We photograph the group in their natural state.
    • We cover everybody with playa dust and photograph the group again. Everybody will be basically the same color for this photograph.
    • For the last photograph in the triptic, the white people are painted completely with black tempera paint. The black people are painted completely with white paint.
    
  • Help me here. What shots can you think of that question how race/ethnicity is treated in our society?
• Tattoos
  • I take a photograph of your tattoo. I also photograph your face. I put a grid of each on pages accross from eachother in the book. People get to play "match up".
• Genitals
  • A person dressed as a giant vagina/yoni or a giant penis/lingam. I've seen people with such costumes before, but never managed to get a studio photo shoot. Maybe just make a huge cartoon painted penis and/or yoni which you wear.
  • Yoni/Lingam/breast paint prints. Two people put body paint on parts of their body. Then using that body part (a breast for example) they make body paint breast prints all over the other person. Two people who are covered by such body paint prints (made by the other persons body) could look great.
  • Photograph the stages of a person putting their entire body inside of a condom. Yup, it's possible.
• Nuclear
  • Build a round metal hat with a nuclear symbol on it. From the hat are metal wires with little nuclear bombs hanging from them. Your face is painted like the earth. Blood is flowing from under the hat.
• God, Religion, and/or spirituality (maybe related to this years theme)
  • We should take photos that show the wonderful side of your spirituality and religion. Pagan, Jewish, Christian, Muslim, or any other religion or spirituality.
• Age and Ageism
  • Some people think Burning Man is only for twenty-something folks. If you have a very small child or you're over 75 years old, I would love to photograph them/you.
• Physically challenged body
  • Help show that Burning Man is not limited to people with four limbs that all function the normal way.
• Credit cards and debt
• Money - Anti-materialism
• Gender issues
• HIV+
• The American flag (or other flags).
• Corporate America
• Suit and tie
• Injuries (Burning Man is more rugged than Disneyland)
• Getting Married
• War
• Homelessness
• Abortion
• Work and Jobs
• Anarchy
• Death
• Land or home ownership
• The nuclear family
• Violence or blood
• BDSM
• Alternative sexuality
• Community
• Clowns
• The US Patriot act
• Jail - Crime and punishment.
• Civil liberties
• George Bush or Politics
• Tradition

Here are some past supersnail portraits...
2001 Portraits
2000 Portraits
1999 Portraits
1998 Portraits
www.supersnail.com

plans from 2003
The 2002 and 2003 photos are still in progress. The time that was supposed to go to making sure everybody got their photos went to creating the book. It'll happen in time though. In time all who were photographed will get their pictures. Almost all the folks who made it into the book were sent email or physical pictures. Sorry I'm slow with the others. The book is about done and scouting for an agent/publisher will happen soon.

Help us create a book!

• All of the photographs for the book need to be taken against a while background (or in rare cases black background). I set up a studio with white seemless paper where almost all the photographs are taken.
• Shots should be arranged and discussed way before Burning Man.
• None of the photographs can requires manipulating the photograph (no tricky photoshoping)
• If the point of the concept isn't clear, that can still be great. So long as it feels like there's some meaning or story behind the photos (even if the idea behind it is unknown) it's good.
• Many of the example photographs shown here were not taken at Burning Man. Click on the photograph and you should find out. If the photograph wasn't taken at Burning Man, then I can't use it for the book. If you wanna do your own version one of a similar idea, that would be rad.
• The closer it gets to burning the man, the busier things get. It's much better if shoots are done early in the week.
• Nothing crude. The photos should never feel anything like porn.