Last year I ventured onto the noonday playa with an oversized, but light, umbrella. Noticing that many people seemed to be suffering from the hot sun during their artwalks, I began to offer to follow folks around and provide shade for them for as long as they needed, to a reasonable extent. People were grateful and appreciative of that act, and I decided then and there to make that my ongoing offering to Burning Man.
When someone posted a picture on e-playa of me doing that, I figured I'd invite others to join me in this endeavor, and to call this new faction The Shadebearers. Any prospective volunteers can participate by bringing a light, but large, umbrella to the event this year and meeting at The Temporate Zone to be assigned certain areas of the playa to provide mobile shade in. I have yet to register the theme camp, so I don't know where exactly we'll be located, but will follow up as soon as I know. I've been working on the pavilion that will serve as base/recruitment center, and it's coming along nicely so far. All lighting has been procured or created, the pavilion materials are onhand waiting for some clear weather for final assembly, and the structure will be erected sometime in May for its trial. It's not the usual dome or party tent. Here's the sketch of the completed pavilion: it will be about 20 feet tall at the center, and about 35 feet in diameter, with 8 entrances 7 feet tall when the structure is resting on the playa; it will actually float about 4 feet over the playa in calmer weather, and will settle onto the ground when the wind and dust comes up, and there are door flaps to close it all in in those conditions. This is a tensile structure without a ridgid frame. It has one centerpole, and eight entrance poles. It will be very flexible, with all tension lines reinforced to carry stress, and shock-corded at all fastening points. For information on The Shadebearers, or if you want to camp with us, contact Journeyman at 916-486-0562.