Peter Goin Lecture

       Peter Goin had a video presentation named In Search of Ritual: The Burning Man in the Knowledge Center, Wells Fargo Auditorium on October 3. Peter Goin was born in Madison, Wisconsin in 1951. He received his MA and MFA from the University of Iowa. He is not only a Foundation Professor of Art in photography and videography at the University of Nevada, Reno, but also the founder of the Black Rock Institute. Professor Goin is an author and he has written many books such as Nuclear Landscapes, Nevada Rock Art, and South Lake Tahoe. His documentary film In Search of Ritual: The Burning Man was nominated for an Emmy award in 1994. The Burning Man Festival held in the Black Rock Desert in the north of Reno, Nevada that often last up to a week. The Festival’s characteristics include various kinds of happening, art performances, and spontaneous celebrations. It was founded by San Francisco artist Larry Harvey four years ago. He said people in Nevada believe that The Burning Man Festival is an important event for them. He did not realize that the Festival attract thousands of people to participate in the event. The one of the Burning Man originators Danger Rangers plays an important role in the festival. He helps people have enough food and water and makes the festival runs smoothly. Goin compared the two Burning Man Festivals in 1993 and in 2013. More and more people join the festival. The number of people increases from 800 to 50000. They have more decoration and more community driven. In search of ritual: The Burning Man video from the perspective of a different explanation the ‘neo-pagan’ art festival. Goin overcomes all kinds of difficulties in order to finish shoot the film