Welcome To "Evolution," Otherwise Known As Burning Man 2009

Each year, tens of thousands of people gather in Nevada's Black Rock City desert for Burning Man, a week of "community, art, self-expression and self-reliance," or in other words, ab-so-lute insanity. Between the festival's ten principles and its mission of burning the Man, it's easy to see how mixing in a sandstorm or two, plenty of alcohol and what could be the most elaborate prop stages makes for this unforgettable experience, which long ago cemented a true cult following. This year, the art theme of the event was "evolution," contemplating both the power and meaning of the process as it is currently understood. This food for thought could probably keep the wheels turning for hours and hours, and seems an especially appropriate source of perspective as Fashion Week is upon us. Should the stress of safety pins, front row seating and avoiding the calories get you ready to rip out your carefully styled coif, maybe take a minute to look at these astounding beautiful photos, and think about evolution, and how or whether we've evolved (devolved? let's hope not...).

[All photos by Neil Girling, TheBlight].