Evolving with Element 11
Art
Planning for an event of this capacity is nonstop, and there is a 14-member board of directors that meet every month to plan, promote and raise awareness. A panel determines what artists are awarded the art grants to build the Temple and effigy structures, as well as the other art that will be on-site. Individuals submit their plans and budgets, and when a particular project is chosen, it is monitored to ensure that the structure will be created in time for the event.“Most of the people who do this are very good at what they do, and they will get the Temple and the effigy built,” Clawson says. For some, it might be hard to understand why someone would spend hours upon hours organizing, designing, creating and building a structure just to watch it burn—this is another one of the principles. Says Clawson, “It’s the idea of Immediacy—living in the moment because it is going to be gone.”
The effigy and Temple burnings have opposite meanings. The effigies are for celebration—having fun and coming together as a community—but the Temple is for healing and letting go. During the effigy burns, there will be music and drumming, but the Temple burn is done in silence. “The Temple is an effigy that allows people to find release, whatever that release is,” Clawson says. “It is a spiritual piece of art that is created to allow people to go to find peace, to let go of anger, to let go of the bad things in their life.” The burn is done with much respect, Clawson says. “When you go into the Temple, the walls of the Temple are covered with people’s messages they have written—they are covered with people’s photographs of those they have lost.” The Temple is the last to burn, and it signifies the end of the event.
About three months before Element 11, things really kick into high gear. That is when the board starts getting people excited, selling tickets and working to prep the landscape of the city. This is when the roads are prepared and the grants are awarded to the artists. Physically, the city is mostly erected throughout the couple of weekends prior to the event with two construction sessions called We Built This City. This is when volunteers build the two main structures and place them in their final locations. The Temple and the main effigy are the culminations of the event. The city itself most comes together just a few days before Element 11 starts. “It is a really quick city,” says Clawson. “When you show up on Wednesday, there are a few people doing some things, but by Friday, there are about 1,400 people there with their installations.”
The burner community comprises a diverse group of creative individuals who want to free themselves from the daily struggles of normal life, or as they call it, the “default world.” They want to let their hair down and be in a place where it is safe to express themselves without judgment. It is not a community where you have to look a certain way or dress a certain way to be a part of things. The community seeks those who want to better themselves, be more human and make the world a better place. Clawson says, “A world that has more color, a world that has more creative brush strokes—I think that’s a beautiful thing.”
Those who are interested in participating in Element 11 beyond simply attending the event can start by going to community volunteer meet-ups. Element 11 is 100-percent volunteer-based, so there is always plenty of work to be done. There is a signup sheet on element11.org, and folks can also contact the organizers through the Element 11 Facebook page. “Once you find out about what we are doing and tapped into the event, show up!” says Clawson. “Participation in the event is really what makes it special.”
There is a sense that once someone experiences Element 11 for the first time, they may view the world with new eyes, communicate with others, be more expressive of their individuality and be inspired to do new things. They may feel a little freer from the everyday stress that can hold us down. “We can be wild and be safe and appreciate the quirks that we all have,” says Clawson. “We shouldn’t feel like we are prisoners in our own worlds. … We can do the things, within reason, that make us happy.” So, take a few days out of your life and unplug. Untie the knots that bind your creative side and learn how to appreciate what you have around you in this life. Element 11 tickets are available at iconoCLAD (414 E. 300 S.), but they are going fast. Remember: This is not a party or a festival—it is a celebration of life, art and creativity.