HISTORY
The official term “Mudskipper Cafe” has only been in use since 2009, but our camp has been around much longer but with other names and was more like a camp that developed over time rather from one single plan or idea.
The Mudskipper Cafe grew out of a group of burners that used to be a part of the huge collective village know as “Avalon Village” in a camp known as UT or “Uncharted Territories”. Since Avalon disbanded as a village it was decided to change the name during the 2009 “Evolution” since this would be the first year in several that “Avalon” would not register together but rather as different camps. So like the Mudskipper taking it’s first step onto land from water, the Mudskipper cafe took it’s first step to being an entity in itself.
Prior to “Avalon Village” was a collective of burners camping together usually under a common theme.
The history below is a compilation of stories and time lines from several members of different camps of Avalon, any old timers know where any of this is wrong, please let me know!!!!!
It all started on a playa, a long long time ago…….
1993: There was no Burning Man Theme
3 nomadic burners make their way into the desert with no camp theme and no camp name:
Bart
Gabriel
Graham
CLICK HERE to take a trip down “MEMORY LANE” and see some pics of the 1993 Burn
1994: There was no Burning Man Theme
3 becomes 4 with the addition of Nathan (aka Puck)
There was still no camp theme and no official camp, but there was a Giant Day-Glo tree Project, apparently they used up all their water making the paper mache tree. The guys also hosted a Rave out on the Playa called “Day-glo-asis”.
1995-1997: Burning Man Themes “GOOD AND EVIL”, “THE INFERNO/HellCo”, “FERTILITY”
During these years the group of fellas start to increase. But there were no official camps, primarily Projects, and somewhere in here was the theme camp “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” and a giant sheet of cloth on a Station Wagon. There is also a video of Bart running around naked doing Ballet (I guess that could be considered an Art Project). At some point there was also a structure made out of 2x4s with built in stairs and spray bottles hanging on strings for a makeshift self powered misting system.
1998: Burning Man Theme “NEBULOUS ENTITY”
This year the camp had somewhere between 12-20 members and the Official Theme Camp name was “Dead Princess Camp”
1999: Burning Man Theme “WHEEL OF TIME”
Theme Camp Name: “Studio-54”
2000: Burning Man Theme “THE BODY”
This year there marked the beginning of multiple themes:
“Black Rock Gym and Beauty Bar”
“Electric Tumbleweed”
2001: Burning Man Theme “SEVEN AGES”
“Avalon Village” had not officially been formed, these Camps were next to one another:
Vietnamese Iced Coffee Camp (VICC)
Black Rock Gym
(somewhere on the Playa were 4 lonely Astropups)
2002: Burning Man Theme “FLOATING WORLD”
“Avalon Village” officially started as “Isle of Avalon” and included the theme camps:
Black Rock Gym
ThinAir
FairyLand
VICC
(AstroPups were not officially with “Isle of Avalon”, they built the “Happy Dolphin Lounge” as an unregistered theme camp and were camping right behind “Isle of Avalon”)
2003: Burning Man Theme “BEYOND BELIEF”
“Isle of Avalon” grew to six camps:
Black Rock Gym
ThinAir became Sacrafactory
Fairyland
VICC
AstroPups
Altered Shrine Shack
2004: Burning Man Theme “THE VAULT OF HEAVEN”
“Isle of Avalon tweaks” its name to “Avalon Space Station” (ASS)
Theme Camps:
Uncharted Territories (UT)
VICC
Interplanetary Dance Commandos (IDC)
Astropups
Fairystar Artists Guild (FAG)
2005: Burning Man Theme “PSYCHE- THE CONSCIOUS, SUBCONSCIOUS, & UNCONSCIOUS”
“Isle of Avalon tweaks” its name to “Avalon Synapse Station” (ASS)
Theme Camps:
FairyLand
AstroPups
Quixotes Cabaret
UT
VICC
Temple of Poi
Camp Stella
Click Here to take a trip down “MEMORY LANE” and see some pics from the 2005 Burn
2006: Burning Man Theme “HOPE & FEAR: THE FUTURE”
The name “Avalon Village” is used:
Theme Camps:
AstroPups
FairyLand
UT
Quixotes Cabaret
VICC
Camp Stella
Camp Montage
2007: Burning Man Theme “THE GREEN MAN”
“Avalon Village” Theme Camps
AstroPups
FairyLand
UT
Quixotes Cabaret
VICC
Camp Montage
Camp Stella
2008: Burning Man Theme “AMERICAN DREAM”
“Avalon Village” Theme Camps:
AstroPups
FairyLand
UT
Quixotes Cabaret
VICC
Camp Stella
Camp Montage
Celestial Bodies
2009: Burning Man Theme “EVOLUTION”
“Avalon Village” Disbands and “UT” becomes “Mudskipper Cafe”
2010: Burning Man Theme “METROPOLIS”