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This video made me think of AirBnB listings at Burning Man.
It’s sort of like what Mass Mosaic, Burners with a world-changing idea to create abundance, are doing in real life: Gifting to Create a World of Plenty.
There’s more SF humor in the Broke-Ass Stuart story Things That Only Happen in San Francisco.
If this is a troll, it’s the most elaborate one I’ve ever seen. It’s either real, or an ironic “seeding of the market” like the AirBnB listings. They can put the brochures in the Souk and test the appetite and interest level, measure how many outraged reactions there are (if any)…all the while pretending it’s not really happening in the name of irony. Except this IS really happening. Playa hotels are really happening, commodification camps are really happening, so is Burning Man ephemeral real estate leasing really happening too? Or is it just a mirage? A big farce?
From occidentaloasis.com:
Occidental Oasis is the preeminent Experience™ ownership and Experience Club™ membership program in Black Rock City. Ownership of a deeded real estate interest provides Members with a lifetime of unsurpassed experiences via the most innovative and flexible club in the industry. Experience Club™ members choose when and where to travel, enjoying the comfort and convenience of residential-style resort accommodations in select, renowned festivals throughout the United States and world. Each Experience Club™ property provides a distinctive setting, while signature elements remain consistent, such as high-quality guest service, spacious residences and extensive on-property amenities. From exciting Black Rock City, Nevada and dynamic Forgotten City, Las Vegas, to the laid-back lifestyles of Saguaro Man, Arizona and Soul Fire, California, or the frozen landscape of Frost Burn, we take pride in offering our guests a superior Experience™ ownership program in the world’s most celebrated locations. For those aspiring to the good life, Occidental Oasis offers a passport to endless opportunities for radical self-expression.
Since its formation in 2010, Occidental Oasis has worked closely with the Burning Man Organization (BMORG) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to finally bring this exciting opportunity to Burning Man participants in 2014. In a market where large, publicly held theme camps have recently begun to dominate the landscape, Occidental Oasis has carved out a niche deep in the playa.
Our Black Rock City sales offices are located in the 6:00 Souk Tent Suite D2 at The Man. We are open daily from 10am to 2pm.
Occidental Oasis is an inclusive resort property located deep in the playa of Black Rock City, Nevada. The resort caters to Burning Man participants that want a unique experience tailored to their individual desires. Occidental Oasis provides participants with a choice of accommodations and services ranging from opulent luxury for the refined individual to comfort and convenience for the seasoned adventurer.
The Oasis is located just beyond the temple and extends deep into the playa. Our fleet of private art cars and bike pool allow guests to quickly get from the oasis to all the action in Black Rock City.
Enjoy Black Rock City from the luxury, beauty, and warmth of our private villas surrounded by miles of pristine playa and mountain views. Indulge in all the luxuries of home and enjoy a haven of rejuvenation where friends can revitalize and enjoy unforgettable moments in paradise. Renew your spirit and inner child with spa treatments and five-star hotel services.
Black Rock Acres is a private oasis offering its own unique experience within the Burning Man event. Relax in your private accommodations, take a break in our dust free clubhouse with live HD coverage of the event, or express yourself in our exclusive theme camps and works of art.
Our basic accommodations in Black Rock Park provide an accessible entry point for those adventurers seeking a solid foundation to launch their daily excursions into Black Rock City. Enjoy access to our private fleet of art cars as well as many other services that will make your burn an experience to remember.
Whether you choose the luxury of Black Rock Estates, the comfort of Black Rock Acres, or the conveniences of Black Rock Park just remember that our home is your home in Black Rock City.
Occidental Oasis creates unique and unforgettable experiences for the discerning Burning Man participant. Each participant works with one of our highly trained Experience Associates™ to develop an Experience Profile™ that determines their desires for self-expression and appraises their self-reliance needs. After completing an Experience Profile™ a participant will work with an Experience Agent™ to tailor a package of services and amenities that will deliver an unforgettable Burning Man experience. The Experience Agent™ will work with the participant to finalize the necessary documents and secure a reservation at Occidental Oasis
They were recruiting paid employees for their venture:
An in-house Occidental Oasis Experience Team™ member is responsible for presenting the Occidental Oasis Experience™ ownership products and services to our guests and owners to generate maximum net sales volume while maintaining a professional and ethical representation of the company.
As an Occidental Oasis representative, you would be responsible for presenting the Occidental Oasis Experience™ ownership products and programs to Owners, Exchangers, Owner Referrals, Courtesy Tours and our guests in order to generate maximum net sales volume while maintaining a professional and ethical representation of the company. You will take guests and owners on resort tours, present our products, and follow finance guidelines. You will also commit to the company’s operating policies, principles, sales and customer service philosophies.
Every Burning Man participant is a very important person at Occidental Oasis, and it’s our promise to potential owners that they will enjoy the best of everything with us. That’s why the Experience Team™ is responsible for converting each participant into club members by providing them with information about our club point packages. Team members also provide additional knowledge and details regarding our ownership programs in order to help generate optimal sales volume from every participant.
Your benefits will include a competitive starting salary and, depending upon eligibility, a vacation or Paid Time Off (PTO) benefit. You will instantly have access to our unique benefits such as the Team Member and Family Travel Program, which provides reduced rates at many of our properties for you and your family, plus discounts on products and services offered by Occidental Oasis and its partners. After 90 days you may enroll in the Occidental Oasis Health & Welfare benefit plans, depending on eligibility. Occidental Oasis also offers eligible team members a 401K Savings Plan, as well as Employee Assistance and Educational Assistance Programs. We look forward to reviewing with you the specific benefits you would receive as an Occidental Oasis Experience Team™. The above information is provided as a highlight of the major benefits offered to most full-time team members in the United States. All benefits listed may not be offered at all locations. This is not a summary plan description or official plan document.
Their Facebook page only has 43 likes.
It has reviews, which suggest the (ironic) experience being sold now will be available next year. If enough Burners were fooled and signed up, then perhaps it will:
On August 15 2014 – before the Gentrification and Sherpagate scandals broke out – they posted:
Have you ever wanted to make a little piece of the Burning Man Experience™ your own? Now is your chance to own 1/70,000 of your home away from home. The Occidental Oasis is the preeminent vacation ownership and timeshare program in Black Rock City.
Stop by The Man and visit us in the 6:00 Souk tent. One of our Experience™ Agents will work with you to find the perfect property and activities package.
The Occidental Oasis sales office will be open Monday through Friday 11am – 3pm. If you are interested in becoming an Experience™ Agent we are holding a job fair on Monday August 25th from 12:30pm – 3pm.
Do not miss this opportunity to secure you own Burning Man Experience™ for years to come!
Visit Occidental Oasis online at http://www.occidentaloasis.com/
Own your own piece of the Burning Man Experience™ at the Occidental Oasis. Whether you choose the luxury of Black Rock Estates, the comfort of Black Rock Acres, or the convenience of Black Rock Park, the Occidental Oasis Resort will provide when the playa does not. Units are selling fast. Stop our sales office at The Souk M-F 11-3 to speak with an Experience™ agent. Visit us online at http://www.occidentaloasis.com/
Our units provide an accessible entry point for those adventurers seeking a solid foundation to launch their daily excursions into Black Rock City. Enjoy access to our private fleet of art cars as well as many other services that will make your burn an experience to remember.
Black Rock Acres is a private oasis offering its own unique experience within the Burning Man event. Relax in your private accommodations, take a break in our dust free clubhouse with live HD coverage of the event, or express yourself in our exclusive theme camps and works of art. — at Black Rock City
Adherence to the Principles is done for you, as well as Principle # 11, Sherpa Reliance:
Occidental Oasis employs many creative and generous people that provide services and artwork to the greater community. You can rest easy knowing that your membership in Occidental Oasis is a valuable contribution to the greater experience of those in Black Rock City.
Public Art Installations
Unique Theme Camps
Volunteer Sponsorship
Occidental Oasis provides trained Experience Guides™ knowledgeable of
all local, state, and federal laws.
Our guides will monitor your behavior in a non-intrusive manner providing
timely feedback and intervention with the community that will allow you fully
express yourself without consequence.
Occidental Oasis also provides professional legal services on-site and
after the event.
Knowledgeable Experience Guides™
On-site Legal Support
Occidental Oasis provides full trash service as well as single stream
recycling allow you to consume what you need
when you need it without worrying about the bits you leave behind.
Trash Service
Single Stream Recycling
Post Event Cleanup
Everyone is welcome at the Occidental Oasis. Stop by our sales office at The Souk to speak with one of our Experience™ Agents.
Occidental Oasis Gift Scouts™ will scour the playa in search of only the very best gifts for our guests. When possible scouts will collect and return to the resort with the gifts that best match our guests’ requests. Scouts will arrange transportation in our fleet of private art cars to experience those gifts which the scouts cannot hand deliver.
Our resorts ofter gifting packages and professional gift coordinators that will help provide our clients with gifts for giving. Gifting packages can also include gift distributions which can be schedule to provide maximum impact to the greater burning man community and relieve our clients of the burden of gifting.
Gift Scouts
Gifting Coordinators
Gift Distribution Services
Custom Gift Packages
Occidental Oasis is a cashless facility. Your initial investment along with your annual maintenance fee provides you unlimited access to all the resort has to offer. All inclusive packages for meals, drinks, and entertainment are available and can be arranged when you reserve your stay. Just contact your Experience Agent™ or the on duty Experience Concierge™ to make your selections.
Al a carte and premium services chosen while at the event will be billed directly to your account. Just sit back and relax knowing that it is all being taken care of for you.
Cashless Facility
Direct Billing
24 hour Experience Concierge™
Occidental Oasis makes your journey to the playa as easy as a first class flight to the Riviera.
We provide around the clock access to beverages, meals, consumables, transportation, entertainment, and support services. Our facilities include onsite medical care and emergency transportation on/off playa should you encounter pressing needs to come and go from the event.
24 Hour Dining
Private Showers
Art Car Fleet
Wardrobe Services
Onsite Medical Care
Emergency Transportation
Occidental Oasis provides professional self-expression consultants that will help you choose from a variety of packages that express your unique self. Choose from an assortment of costume, makeup, and bike options. OurSelf-Expression Packages™ have been rated as some of the best on the playa.
Our professional photographers will be sure to catch your most expressive moments. We have a range of photo packages to choose from that will allow you to impress your friends.
Our consultants can also help you manage your online presence after the show to ensure your experience will be remembered by others for years to come.
Wardrobe Consultants
Makeup Artists
Professional Photographers
Self-Expression Packages
Memories Packages
Post-event Support
Occidental Oasis pampers our guests with VIP access to the big burns and events on playa.
Party with similar minded people in our exclusive theme camps, art cars, and outings.
VIP Access to The Burn
Exclusive Theme Camps
Private Art Car Fleet
Special Events
Occidental Oasis has its fingers on the pulse of Burning Man. We know exactly what is going on when and where and how well it matches your Experience Profile™.
We provide a daily briefing and a schedule of suggested experiences that may be of interest.
Simply contact the on-duty Experience Concierge™ to select the activities that interest you most and our fleet of private art cars will be dispatched to pick you up and shuttle you to the event.
Each guest is provided with a high precision GPS transponder and communicator that will allow us to locate you, confirm your desires, and get you to the next event.
Personalized Event Schedules
24 Hour pick-up/drop-off
Radio Dispatched Art Cars
GPS Tracking Services
Occidental Oasis provides trained Experience Guides™knowledgeable of all local, state, and federal laws. Our guides will monitor your behavior in a non-intrusive manner providing timely feedback and intervention with the community that will allow you fully express yourself without consequence. Occidental Oasis also provides professional legal services on-site and after the event.
Knowledgable Experience Guides™
On-site Legal Support
Their web site hosts some glowing testimonials from satisfied Occidentists:
“We had an outstanding trip. Our Experience™ could not have been better. Frank was technically an exceptional Experience™ guide and we always felt safe. Prior to our visit he was very accessible which made us feel more comfortable. As the burn continued I think we got to know him personally and had some very meaningful evening discussions.”
“Frank was a very accommodating guide. I felt like everything happened very smoothly and with precision. I would highly recommend this Experience Team™ and a stay at the Roca Negro Villas. The private art cars were always very clean, overall a great experience. Would go again. ”
“Jess, our self-expression consultant, was creative and delicious. She had obviously reviewed our Experience Profile™ and her costuming was great.
The villa itself met our expectations and was very clean and comfortable. We are already thinking about next year.”
“Wow!”
“To have enjoyed this extraordinary experience any other way is unthinkable. My stay in The Sultan was truly opulent. The private access road make entrance and exodus a breeze. Occidental Oasis transformed my trip into the experience of a lifetime. ”
“It is what I would call a solid 4.5 star experience. In other words, I give it a 9 out of 10.”
They started the week with an officially promoted on burningman.com Playa event, a job fair recruiting PAID workers to sell the real estate.
| Date/Time(s): | Monday, August 25th, 2014 12:30 p.m. – 3 p.m. |
| Hosted by Camp: | SizzleVille |
| Location: | Occidental Oasis – Souk @ The Man Base |
| URL: | http://www.southbayburners.org/ |
Get in on the ground floor as a first-round employee of Occidental Oasis Holdings, an exclusive timeshare resort offering 1/70,000 ownership in BRC! Opportunities at BRC, with future expansions across the US and at international burns too! Highest commissions in the industry! Short hours, you can even learn to work from home! Learn about the BRC Properties: Hex Village, Yurt Villas, and Black Rock Estates. These gated communities provide free Wi-Fi and HDTV broadcast of the burns, two-bike garages, and plumbing in the BRC-Municipal Utility District (MUD). Package levels available: Sparkle Pony, Shirt Cocker, Veteran, Wanderlust (at regional events), and Ambassador (at international events). Optional package add-ons include sky diving arrivals, helicopter exodus, personal art car, plus more! If sales isn’t your thing, become an Occidental Oasis concierge! OO Resorts’ concierge service has its fingers on the pulse of Burning Man. We know exactly what is going on when and where and how well it matches our guests’ personal profile. We will provide a daily briefing and a schedule of suggested experiences that may be of interest to our honored sales prospects.
The South Bay Burners give us a hint that it might be a prank.
From burningman.com
In classic cacophony style, we’d like to invite you to join us as the “staff” of the Occidental Oasis! Come for a job interview, and stay to help be a part of the most interactive Man Base in history! The South Bay’s Souk will be located in the south-east quadrant of the Man pavilion. For more information, visit http://www.occidentaloasis.com/events/2014/8/25/job-fair
The South Bay’s Occidental Oasis will offer a 1/70,000th share in the playa, offering ownership of a part of the future of an expanded Black Rock City. Come in, relax, and sit through our time share presentation to hear about the opportunity to own a permanent location in 2015′s 360-degree BRC township. Get brochures for special activities and freebies, plus a CERTIFICATE OF OWNERSHIP!
Selling out the Playa. Could it get more commodified? I guess the answer is yes, unfortunately.
In light of Sherpagate, Signgate, and general gentrification, the irony now seems a lot less funny. What they’re promoting as a joke in the middle of the city, they’re pretty much doing at its fringes. Or maybe this is real, and yet another Safari Camp earning millions monetizing our spectacle.
BMOrg have now publicly established, via the New York Times and others, that people will pay $13,000-$25,000 per head for luxury Commodification Camps. What would they pay for ownership of Real Estate, and access to luxury villas with pools and private access roads? The number of units is not even close to 1% of the population, so plenty could afford it. This semi-professional looking sales effort is placed in the most prime real estate of all for marketing, in their marketplace, the bizarre bazaar in the middle of their event at the base of The Man, the main attraction of the whole shebang. Is Burning Man really putting these sales brochures there because this is a hilarious joke? Because some of their Directors are selling exactly this on K Street, is that the joke?
Or are they, with the help of their AirBnB luxury boutique hotel Commodification Camping Millionaire and Billionaire Directors, testing the market to see if this idea could really fly for next year? Preparing the pitch for the Home Shopping Network?
What are Burners supposed to respond with, when receiving a real estate pitch at Burning Man, being handed these brochures? Some would be fooled into going along with the prank and responding positively to the sales pitch, just like in classic Cacophony style they were fooled into selling their souls to Satan via Helco, in BMOrg’s 1996 affairs. Others might think it’s now fine to hand out brochures for whatever cause or company you want to promote at Burning Man, in the big mall they have at the middle of it.
A prank can be ironic if you’re not actually doing it, you’re just joking; but if you’re actually doing it then which bit of it is the irony again?
First, sow confusion. It plants a seed, mixing possibility with plausible deniability. Next, sprinkle chaos. Finally, when the seedling grows, start harvesting. Sell that annual crop for cash.
Burning Man timeshares...not coming soon, already here.
No surprises here. And Aoki is by no means the only DJ these days who “phones it in” from a USB stick or their laptop. However, his “let them eat cake” thing is very Marie Antoinette – more LA than SF or Reno.
The source, “wunderground.ie“, might not be the most reputable on the Internet. Recently they reported on the discovery of evidence of EDM at a Stone Age archaeological dig. As always Burners, make up your own minds…
Fans of US “DJ” Steve Aoki are in a state of shock after it emerged that Mr. Aoki is in fact a performance artist who has been engaged in a finely orchestrated and prolonged performance art piece that has encapsulated every aspect of his life.
The news emerged after it was revealed that Mr. Aoki has been awarded with a Special Achievement Award from the American Council of Performing Arts (A.C.P.A.) for the project which has taken up almost the entirety of Mr. Aoki’s adult life.
Speaking for the first time about the revelations, Mr. Aoki, pictured receiving his award from professional egoist, Kanye West, sought to explain the motivation behind the project.
“I wanted to explore the fickle nature of popular music fads by devising a public and onstage persona that could push the bounds of ridiculous behaviour to an extreme and still manage to get away with it.”
“For me it’s about trying to be as absurd and laughable as possible without any of the audience being aware of, or being willfully ignorant of, the sheer absurdity of what they’re witnessing. The EDM explosion for me was the perfect vehicle to explore that idea because it seemed like that audience were capable of mindlessly accepting the most crass gimmicks and personalities,” explained Aoki.
“The show and my life as “DJ” Steve Aoki has evolved over the years, ” he explained. “I’ve had to live every waking moment as this guy without ever breaking character. That’s always been the toughest part, seeing myself become this clown and never being able to say ‘Hey guys, it’s not real’.”
“I kept adding more and more unnecessary vulgarity to the show, bright flashing lights, topless performances, silly hair, Indian headdresses, trampolines. I kept thinking that at any moment people would realise that this was no longer dance music but that it was an absurdist pantomine and the game would be up. But no-one has ever even suspected.”
“Even when I started throwing cake into the audience, which I intended as a not-so-subtle reference to the circus that my show had become, the audience just lapped it up. No-one thought to themselves ‘Oh look, he’s started throwing cakes into people’s faces like a fucking clown, surely this can’t be legitimate dance music?’.”
Spokesman for the A.C.P.A., Arnold Trumball, described his admiration for Aoki’s project, “It’s a tour-de-force in method acting. He’s been living as this consciously asinine DJ for the last 15 years without ever breaking character. Can you imagine living every waking moment as the DJ character Steve Aoki? Churning out shit track after shit track. Attending shit gig after shit gig?” questioned Trumball. “Not being able to hold your hands up to even your closest friends and admit ‘my career as a DJ is an absurd joke’. That’s real dedication to your art.”
For real Burning Man dance music, see our links to 161+ sets here.
[Update]: for Burners that can’t figure out their funny bone from their asshole, USA Today breaks it down with an in-depth scoop.
And DJ A-O-K himself hits back at the haters with a radically inclusive response :
LOL!! Did you got fooled by this fake “story” on Wunderground.ie?
My crew and I had a good laugh about it when it was first posted (more at how bad the joke was than it actually being funny), but unfortunately some of my fans thought it was real.
I want to make sure my fans understand that this piece is in fact a parody. And I’m stressing the word parody here: any humorous, satirical, or burlesque imitation, as of a person, event.
Wundeground.ie. said it best in their response to the cease & desist letter from David Guetta’s laywers: “Wunderground is a satirical dance music website that never deals in actual factual statements or events, but instead pokes fun at the dance music community through the medium of comedy.”
So to set the record straight for my fans.
· I never said any of this and these quotes are completely untrue. Dance music is my love, is my passion, is my life. I live for my fans and I take my art very seriously.
· I’d hate for any up-and-coming artists to see this post, take it to heart and believe it has any shred of truth or legitimacy. Dance music is a serious art form and we’ve been working very hard as an international community to push our voice and message to the masses.
· This story does the opposite and in no way should my fans believe it to be true at all. I love you all very much and you’re the reason why I do this for a living. You’re the reason why I push myself to become a better artist and performer and continue to take my show to a higher level.So Wunderground, nice try, but you’re no Onion. Take a note from the masters and step up your game: http://popwatch.ew.com/2013/08/29/the-onion-greatest-headlines/.