We will be cruising over to the East Coast to see how they Burn over there. The Freeform Festival in Woodstown, New Jersey runs for 4 days. It sounds like Burning Man, with trash cans. It’s got rangers, Moop patrol, art grants, art cars, art with fire, leave no trace, no vending except ice, gifting, and radical self-reliance. Tickets are only $45.

FreeForm Music and Art Festival is a gathering of a collective community of artists, largely based out of the Philadelphia, New York, Washington D.C and Richmond Regions. It is built and run by its participants and volunteers. Everything there is to See, Hear, Touch, and Taste is brought there by the attendees of the event, underground art collectives independent artists, and anyone who has a drive to express themselves. The intention of this event is not to merely entertain, but rather to engage and inspire. Anyone can get involved, and you are encouraged to! The event depends entirely on the contributions of every single attendee. No matter your level of contribution, big or small, you are actively making the event what it is. What that means is, its not just a festival you go to, Its yours. Literally.

Preparing for FreeForm

FreeForm is an event based on the principle of Radical Self Reliance. This means you as a participant are responsible for yourself and your available resources during the event. You will be expected to bring everything you will need for the weekend including food, water, sleeping arrangements, etc. This will be a rain or shine event and participants should prepare accordingly. You are encouraged to contribute to the event, so it’s a good idea to start considering how you would like to positively engage/interact/ participate with your fellow participants.

Participation

This event relies on its creative attendees to make the event what it is. The more we all throw down together the more awesome the event gets. opportunity to make your dreams a reality. Whatever you can come up with, you can share it with the world. You can approach it in a variety of ways based on your own level of motivation.

Gifting

If you’re interested in doing something on your own, its always fun to bring gifts to give out to people. Since there are no vendors at FreeForm, the event runs on the principle of a Gifting Economy. What that means is, when you come to Freeform there will be no one there trying to sell you anything. Your interactions are genuine and not based on trying to make a sale. Taking money out of the game makes a big difference in how you experience the world around you. If you meet someone you really like, have a great conversation, or want to thank someone in a big way, bring some things to give out to show your appreciation. Gifts can be anything you think someone would like, they don’t have to be much (even though it is great when it is something really special) but some thought goes a long way  .

Theme Camps

If you and your friends or community want to team up and do something on a bigger scale, sign up to start a Theme Camp. Anyone can start a Theme Camp, and in 2012 you will see collectives from from up and down the east coast staking their claim and rocking out in a multitude of ways. A Theme Camp gets a reserved space on the festival grounds. There are camps of all different varieties. Some camps bring a sound system, lighting, build an all out nightclub and have DJ’s playing 24 hours a day. Some build luxurious lounge area for people to hang out and socialize, and some bring Tea Houses where you can come and relax over exotic brews. Some camps provide quiet spaces to relax and meditative environments. We have seen camps with amazing features with the likes of fire heated hot tubs, interactive theatrical performances, costume camps, and groups who run performance art workshops all weekend. There seems to very little limit to what people come up with. No matter how big or small, theme camps are a huge interactive part of the event and a great way to participate. All theme camps are required to be interactive and created to share with the community, and anyone can start one, yes even you. Let your dreams run wild. 

Art

The art theme for Freeform Festival 2012 is “Being Reborn”.

“What is a beginning? All things in this world change, evolve and mutate. Every idea has an inspiration. As we move through life, we push forward into places we haven’t been before, but there is always the chain of events that brought us to that place. How we adapt to those changes dictates how our lives unfold. When we embrace change, we live in the present, and make the now our own.” As FreeForm participants, you are encouraged to express yourself as creatively and radically as you choose. FreeForm provides a safe and comfortable environment for all forms of expression. Whether it be sculptures, interactive art, teeny tiny or massive installations, performance arts, galleries, costumes, projections, we encourage you to share it with the event. We also strongly encourage mobile art! Bringing an art form is another wonderful way to interact with other participants and showing others how you radically and beautifully express yourself! There are few guidelines to follow when bringing art to FreeForm. We want all artists to have as much control as possible of their art placement and how it contributes to FreeForm. We ask that all art works “Leave No Trace”(see below). Art with fire or flame effects must be approved by our Fire Safety Team and all Art Vehicles must pass an inspection by our Safety Crew

What is an Art Vehicle?

An Art Vehicle is a vehicle that has been altered to make it a moving form of self expression. An art vehicle must be significantly altered from its stock form so that it bears little resemblance to the vehicle it was before. This can be done in a permanent or temporary fashion, but it must be elaborate to be considered for a Pass to operate on the property.

FreeForm Music and Arts Festival is offering an art grant program to cover cost of materials for community projects. We strongly encourage you to apply for a grant by emailing us at grants@freeform-festival.com

 

Volunteering

FreeForm runs largely with the help of volunteers. Volunteering is an awesome way to contribute to the event, meet new people and take on a greater role. Volunteers will be needed before, during and after the event in certain areas. These areas will include Parking, Rangers, Infrastructure, Gate, Info station, MOOP patrol. So you’re asking… “Well, what’s in it for me?”. I’ll tell you whats in it it for you, beyond the satisfaction of helping run the event, and being a badass with a badge… Shwag  …… thats right, free stuff. We’re giving out T-shirts and patches to say thank you to those people who take on a bigger role in the event. Also, we will feed your ass. Brunch and Dinner Buffet on the day of your shift! If you are interested in volunteering at FreeForm or have any questions about volunteering, please email us atvolunteering@freeform-festival.com. We will send you a volunteer form to get you all set up.

Leave No Trace

Leave No Trace is means that when you occupy a space, it should be vacated appearing better than when you found it. This means whatever you pack in, you pack it out. There will be trash cans and a large dumpster provided by the event. Make sure your camp runs a MOOP sweep before you leave the event. Actually, you should be running MOOP sweeps all the time. Yes, this even applies to your cigarette butts. If it isn’t dirt or grass, it should not be littering the ground. The event will have an established MOOP patrol. They will all have bullhorns and they will call you out!

(MOOP) = Matter Out Of Place
origin: latin

An object considered litter, trash, stuff that is ugly and should not be on the ground.

Trash Drop Off

There is a huge dumpster located on the property. There are also multiple trash receptacles around the event. No excuses people!

Amenities

There will be no food vending at FreeForm. The only thing that will be sold is ice. Firewood will be provided by the event. Unfortunately, there are no public showers at this event. There will also be designated RV parking. If you intend on bringing an RV, you will need to purchase an RV pass which will provide you with electricity for duration of the event. There’s a lake and little creek that runs next to the property. (Not swimmable but great for MadHatterTea Parties!) There will be quiet camping area, although we can’t guarantee how quiet it’ll be. There are public bathrooms and Port A Potties on site. Electricity is provided in the pavilions and it is to the discretion of the Theme Camps located in those pavilions as to if they will let you use their outlets.

Security

While attending FreeForm it is important to keep in mind that despite being on private property, we are all still subject to all Federal, State and Local laws. There will be no established law enforcement at the event, however, it is not a “go ahead” to ignore the law. There will be a small private security staff provided by the organizers to minimize the need for law enforcement to enter our space. This is in addition to the volunteer Rangers who are on hand to assist in handling safety issues should they arise. It’s very important to understand that the Rangers are volunteer participants just like you – they aren’t here to enforce rules or be an arm of Authority; they are here to help prevent the need for any authority to be involved, and to be helpful in anyway they can.

The festival features these artists collectives:

Temple By Animus Arts Collective

Mischief

PLF

Camp 42.00

District Burners

Hug Booth Camp

Trumpet Mouse

White Raven Society

BC/DC

Porn & Eggs

Echo Collective

Delawhat

Disorient Lite

Strawberry Jam

Go Camp Go

Whet Collective

Bad Girls Club

Cute Girls Camp

Ideadome

BangArang

Deadly Muppets

Booze and Tattoos

Rizumu

Camp RedBottom

Familiarise

Art from Frank’s Kitchens

I like the sound of this camp: