The 2020 Multiverse
THE 2020 MULTIVERSE
“Being able to bring our camp into the Multiverse not only kept our campmates close together and engaged during a very difficult year, but also enabled us to bring our signature friendliness and creativity to an even wider Burner and global community.
“Personally, leading our camp into this virtual world changed the course of my life. After 13 consecutive Burns, it was the 14th virtual Burn when I had a playa revelation.”
– Andrew BarrettCelestial Bodies Virtual Lead/Executive Producer of Accelerant
An Epic Journey into the 2020 Burning Man Multiverse
The 2020 Burning Man Multiverse was an endlessly expanding, fully virtual celebration of our global culture. From August 30 through September 6, 2020, tens of thousands of people explored the outer (and inner) possibilities of what it means to transpose our vibrant community, and all the things we do so well, into the digital realm.
We acknowledge the impossibility of documenting the nature of so many truly Multiversal experiences. All we can do is begin by describing the spaces co-created by the community as stepping stones into our own, collective virtual playa adventures.
“In our own virtual project, the Ethereal Empyrean Experience, we focused on the Decommodification and Radical Inclusion principles to share the Temple with the community. By using independent, Burner-built software, we created an immersive, interactive Temple experience that was focused on nurturing and channelling the Temple energy. We created a nexus point through the technology to connect Burners all across the world to express, share and reflect on what was meaningful to them.”
– Sylvia Lisse, Artist/Co-lead for the Ethereal Empyrean Experience Virtual Temple
2020 Burning Man Multiverse By the Numbers:
- 1 out of every 4 Multiverse participants was a new Burner
- Virtual Burners explored 10 community-created immersive experiences
- Burners from 148 countries visited the Multiverse
- Participants visited the Universes close to half a million times during Burn Week
- Virtual creators gifted more than 800 experiences in the Multiverse
The Eight Recognized Universes of the Burning Man Multiverse
Overcoming distance, technical hurdles, and cat-herding challenges, Burners from all corners of the earth co-created theme camps, events, and interactive art across the Eight Recognized Universes of the Burning Man Multiverse.
During Burn Week, all were invited — wide-eyed new Burners, crusty veterans, and everyone in between — to connect, create, dance, and marvel at the connective potential of digital creativity.
In the end, we found each other. Many, many Black Rock City veterans, some initially reluctant to visit the Multiverse, proclaimed: “It was just like being on playa!” Meanwhile, other multiversal participants discovered virtually what it was like to burn for the very first time.
BRCvr
BRCvr is a Burning Man experience in full VR, built by veteran Burners on the AltSpace platform. During Burn Week, multiversal explorers explored exceptional works of VR playa art, participated in interactive events, and shared all the usual (and some unusual) playa experiences.
Build-A-Burn
Build-A-Burn was an adorable, explorable 2D Universe that offered up a playful collection of known and new theme camp experiences. All were invited to wander an art-filled playa with friends old and new, and bend the reality of time and space.
BURN2
Hosted in the Second Life platform, the BURN2 community has been cultivating a vibrant virtual Burning Man experience since 2003. Multiverse participants were invited to dive in and get to know the BURN2 community during Burn Week.
Multiverse
Multiverse was a full-scale, virtual interactive Black Rock City that included the deep playa. The creators collaborated with theme camps and artists to render 3D art installations and to design virtual communities and event spaces.
MysticVerse
MysticVerse was designed to be a fully immersive, interactive virtual playa where participants could explore art, tune into workshops and performances, and connect with Burners from all over the world.
SparkleVerse
SparkleVerse, created by the Co-reality Collective, was a giant interactive world of concentrated creativity — kind of like a cross between Google Maps and a video game — that welcomed one and all to join participant-led experiences.
The Bridge Experience
Created by inspired technologists from the Love Burn community, The Bridge Experience intended to be a fully immersive, 3D web-based Burn that simplified the barriers to entry by adjoining XR technology with the 10 Principles.
The Infinite Playa
The Infinite Playa featured a fully interactive, playable experience set to a photoreal rendition of the playa. All were welcome to roam the deep playa, ride on mutant vehicles, and participate in live events.
The Ethereal Empyrean Experience Virtual Temple
The Ethereal Empyrean Experience was a multi-phased virtual Temple journey that enabled participants to create and leave digital offerings, visit a sublime digital Temple to view offerings, and tune in for an emotional Temple Burn on the final night.
Burn Night: Live From Home
Burners all over the world came together on September 5, 2020 to share their effigy burns and celebrations via the 24-hour live stream, while thousands connected around the virtual fire for a full day and night of Burns around the globe.
