Art Setup Guide

Pre-paddock preparation
If you’re keen to make art for Kiwiburn (wahoo!) then there are a few things you need to consider before you’re ready to take it to the Paddock. Got a question relating to your art piece and not sure who to ask? Email artsupport@kiwiburn.com and they’ll answer it for you or put you in touch with someone who can.

Purchase a ticket
Follow the Electric Fence Post and official Kiwiburn Facebook page to find out when these go on sale. Everyone at Kiwiburn purchases a ticket to come along, including artists. Art Grants may be eligible for ticket allocation, learn more here.

Register your art
Check out the Art installation register and fill in the form to start the process. Provide lots of detail about your project, including photos, drawings or models if you are able. Registering will ensure your Art gets placed on site,  appears in the event guide and on the map so that people can find it! It also provides the Art Support Services (ASS) team with important information about your needs.

Please be sure to mention if you think that you require early entry to set up and how long it will take you to pack down as site numbers pre and post event are capped, you will have to explain why this is necessary. 

Safety
Once you have registered your Art, someone from the team will get hold of you to make sure that you have completed a Health and Safety plan. This is a reasonably simple task and a template will be provided. It will involve you coming up with a list of possible safety issues and ways that you will mitigate them. Hazards to include could be, but are not limited to, tripping, falling, sharp edges, electricity, fire and night time illumination.

Placement
Our site is big and busy and bustling! The fantastic Town Planners use the information that you provided to Art Support Services (ASS) to decide where your piece will go. If you have a specific location you want your Art, then please be sure to mention this in the registration process and they will do their best to accommodate you, this includes if you want it placed near a particular theme camp or you have “vibe” in mind. Your registered Artwork will be listed on the map in the Event Guide that each participant receives.  Moving the piece once the map has been published can make it hard for people to find your work so it’s best to stick with original placements where possible. 

You’re on the Paddock…
You’ve spent weeks and months getting your art project ready for Kiwiburn, you’ve registered your art and now you have arrived on the Paddock rearing to get your project set up, awesome! These next steps should show you through the process to get everything going.

Before you start installing your artwork
…and before you even set up camp….get your booty over the awesome folks at Site Office and “sign in”. This is especially important if you have arrived pre-event as the site is considered a worksite and as such has further Health and Safety obligations. The lovely folks at Gate can direct you to the Site Office. It’s here you will need to speak to the Site Office Manager. They will sign you in and run through any Health and Safety items with you. They will also direct you to Art Support Services (ASS) where you will be onboarded and shown to your installation site. If you have any issues during your installation, head over to the Site Office as they can radio the right person to help. 

Set up and install your artwork
During this process please be mindful of the Health and Safety rules of the site. If it’s sunny, put on sunblock! Make sure to drink lots of water and take breaks. Stand back and give yourself a pat on the back! 

Artery
Find and familiarise yourself with the location of the Artery and ASS – We live in the Hub on the middle paddock! The ARTery run tours for participants to discover all the registered artworks on site. They also provide information about all the Art on site historically and for the current year. As a Kiwiburn artist you’re invited to come have a wine and nibble of cheese (non-alcoholic and vegan offerings too) with all your other Paddock artists and crew members. This is held on Thursday afternoon, you’ll get an invite via email.  It’s a good chance to connect, celebrate and be celebrated! No need to bring anything – just yourself and a friend – our shout! 

Light it up!
Unlit Art makes for all sorts of safety hazards so even as you are building your Project, please ensure it can be seen! It can be as simple as solar lights or bicycle lights, just ensure that people can see that something is there. If you use batteries as a source of power, then please test them before the event to know how often you will need to change them. If you want to make a lot of light so that people can see and interact with your Art, then you might need a generator. You can check out information about generators in the survival guide.

Need help with lighting and power? Contact ASS artsupport@kiwiburn.com.

The wind does blow!
The wind at Kiwiburn has the ability to pick up objects and make them fly away at a mighty pace, even if they are pegged to the ground! So as you could imagine, it is vital to secure your Art properly. Rebar makes a perfect long & strong stake and is also cheap and easily available. Get it at a local hardware store where they may also be able to cut it to length for you. Be sure to cover any rebar stakes to prevent the risk of anyone impaling themselves – we recommend using a tennis ball!

To burn or not to burn?
Burning art is a bit of a Kiwiburn tradition. If you wish to burn your artwork in its place, you will need permission and approval from Health and Safety to do so. There are several requirements that this will involve and it will significantly increase the amount of preparation required. Please note that in the event of a total fire ban, artwork that may have been planned to be burned will need to be taken away by participants, so please make provisions for this possibility. The sooner you contact us the better, so send us an email at burnablearts@kiwiburn.com.

During the event
Be sure to check your Art and the area around it daily for MOOP (matter out of place) and replace batteries for the evening. Take photos of your Art for your own record, you can also send them in to us for inclusion on the website album. Make sure to visit your installation and see if it needs any love during the event – or to show it off! 

Leaving the Paddock
Clean up before you leave! You are responsible to Leave No Trace in the spot where your project was and the area around it. If you fail to do so, then it could affect your chances of getting a Kiwiburn Art Grant in the future. Also if you have received a grant for your project, then you might have some funds withheld. It’s also just a really uncool thing to do! 

Once your installation has been removed leaving no trace – return to ASS for offboarding! We sign you out and hand over the swag!

After the event
Have a rest – you’ve earned it! Slowly unpack the car….Stay connected with your burner friends by attending local burner events. Share photographs of your art on the Facebook group, so you can hear all the stories of people stumbling along your piece and engaging with it. Fill out the yearly census. Complete a survey about your experience of being a Kiwiburn artist (to be emailed to you post-event) .Then do it alllll over again, the next year!