"Sumerian legend honored Eridu as the earliest city, the dwelling place of Enki, God of the Abyss, the fountain of human wisdom. "All lands were the sea, then Eridu was made," proclaims a much later creation legend. Enki dwelt in his shrine on the shores of the primordial sea, which preceded creation. Sumerians considered Enki's word to have created order from chaos, the chaos of the primeval waters, and the mosaic landscape of desert and marshland around his temple." - Excerpt from Searching For Eden
Taking its name from the very first human city on Earth (built seventy one centuries ago), Eridu is the physical manifestation of Electric Theatre at the Burning Man Arts Festival. All our cities, cultures, forms of religion, and forms of decadence (woohoo decadence!) have its roots in Eridu, and it seems perfectly appropriate to bring a city from the cradle of civilization in the heart of Mesopotamia to the cutting edge of civilization in the heart of Black Rock City.
We are planning to bring Eridu back to Burning Man in 2009. Trilo and Pani are taking 2008 off, but have already started making plans for art projects and camp elements to bring out to the Black Rock desert.
Check out some pictures from Pani and Trilo’s trip to Burning Man 2007 (click for slideshow), or check out The Great Abyss.