The organisers of Dublin’s forthcoming Convergence festival knew they were on to a winner when they managed to coax the legendary Larry Harvey to make his first ever trip to Ireland attend their gala. Larry Harvey is perhaps best known as founder of the ultimate counter-culture event, Nevada’s Burning Man festival. Organisers are confident that Harvey is the perfect choice for the festival’s guest of honour, and are hoping to capture a slice of Burning Man magic with a weekend packed to the brim with dance, music, art and cultural activities.

In true Burning Man spirit, the motto of the Convergence weekend festival, according to John Harrington, is, “Slow down you motherfuckers!”. If you need to take a step back from modern living to appreciate the somewhat more organic, unaffected things in life, the Convergence Sustainable Living festival is certainly a great place to start. From April 22 to May 2, organisers will be raising awareness on what they term ‘a culture of sustainability’ through workshops, films, theatre and exhibits. Events that are sure to entice crowds include the eco-tour of Ballymun, Medical Marijuana, plus guidance on how to relax in the city, and how to make your home healthy.
The festival culminates in a weekend of films about subversive contemporary culture.
On Saturday April 24th (7.30pm), the Convergence Vital Viewing line-up kicks off at the Sugar Club with a documentary directed by award-winning film-maker Ron Mann. In ‘Go Further’, Mann shadows A-list Hollywood actor Woody Harrelson as he uncovers less red carpet-friendly, more eco warrior-ish aspects to his persona. Accompanied by a hemp activist, raw food chef and yoga teacher among others, Harrelson makes a yellow-brick-road type journey across California in a bid to educate the people of America about a more earth-friendly way of life. The documentary also features star turns by a host of musicians, among them Natalie Merchant, Dave Matthews and Anthony Kiedis. Mann will be on hand to introduce his film, which has already won him various awards at major film festivals in the last year. Providing the after-party sounds will be the suitably laid-back drumming/dance outfit The Sticks.
On May 1 (7.30pm), the world premiere of Burning Man: Beyond Black Rock will be shown within the suitably opulent and intimate confines of the Sugar Club in Dublin. The documentary lays bare the philosophies, events and people that have made the Burning Man festival a true cultural force to be reckoned with. Every year, the barren area of the Nevada desert is transformed into a hotbed of hippies, tattoo artists, acrobats, performance artists, musicians and wide-eyed onlookers. On his first visit to Ireland, Larry Harvey, founder of Burning Man and neo-American icon will give a short talk before the film.
As a response to the crass commercialisation and soulless technological advancements that have taken place in post-industrial culture, Larry Harvey and his cohorts set about creating a hamlet, for one week of the year at least, that was free of the restrictions, values and expectations of modern materialist society. Needless to say, this ethos hit a raw nerve with many disenfranchised Americans, and since its inception, Burning Man has epitomized a brotherhood of people who profess a predilection towards art, decadence and creative self-expression.
Director Damon Brown exposes the magic of the festival in all its technicolour glory, and will give a small talk about his journey to the frontlines of the Burning Man experience. Over 18 months, Brown filmed organisers, artists and dedicated fans as they plotted, planned, conceived and prepared the event. Harvey will also chronicle his own personal experiences of the Burning Man festival, from its rather unassuming beginnings in San Francisco to its eventual journey into the affections and imaginations of artisans the world over. As if that wasn’t enough revelry for one night, the evening will close with a late club, featuring the sounds of Latin outfit Mangeira.
Irish film-makers Dearbhla Glynn and Aprile Blake also travelled to and filmed at the Burning Man festival for three years, and forged friendships with some of the main movers and shakers in Black Rock, where the event is staged. As it goes, quite a few of their subjects turned out to be Irish. As a result, their Dust Devils documentary, which will be introduced by Larry Harvey on May 2nd in Meeting House Square (9pm), provides a uniquely Irish perspective on the world-famous festival. The documentary features an interestingly fitting Irish soundtrack, and the action is driven by the likes of Kila, Neosupervital, The Sticks and Rollers/Sparkers… all of whom would no doubt be in their element on the Burning Man festival’s weird and wonderful terrains.

We’ve got 2 double passes to give away for the screening of Burning Man: Beyond Black Rock on May 1st in The Sugar Club, Larry Harvey – founder of the Burning Man festival will be opening this screening.

To enter, simply tell us how many years the Burning Man festival has been running?
send answers to [email protected]