Freeside is an on-Mars community within the larger Mars ecosystem that offers off-grid housing and other amenities but has no specific academic or programmatic focus. As a community (and assemblage of pallet-rack structures), our aim is to make Freeside a comfy and supportive home base so that Freesiders can interact with and explore the many Mars programs and/or develop their own independent projects.
Freeside may be for you if...
1. You don’t already have a plan for what you want to work on while you’re at Mars.
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There will be numerous programs offering classes at Mars that you will be encouraged to try. You can decide on a concentrated track after you arrive.
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2. You have an independent project that doesn’t fit within the scope of the other Mars camps.
Maybe you do know what you want to work on while you’re at Mars, but it doesn’t align with AI, off grid technology, bodyworks, or the physical environment around Bombay beach. Freeside could be a good fit for you especially if you’re self-motivated and used to working according to your own structure and schedule.
3. You’re interested in living in an off-grid community but find yourself low on gear.
Maybe this is your first time attending Mars (or anything like Mars). Maybe you’ll be arriving from Europe with nothing but a duffle bag. We will be building Freeside together and as a group making sure everyone’s basic needs are met.
4. You just want to co-build a cool community and hang out in the desert for three months.
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Doing nothing is an important part of the artistic process. And also, there’s no need to justify your existence through productivity. We’re going to trust that you’re the expert on what you need to be doing at Mars, whether that’s a lot of a lot of things, a lot of one thing, or a lot of nothing.
Housing
We will be located on Mars, in the desert about a mile from the nearest town. Past versions of Freeside have had a dorm structure made out of pallet racks, with fully or partially enclosed areas, and residents staying in tents or building their own cabin-like enclosures.
Each year we build something different, depending on needs and inspiration. At minimum, we’ll have some kind of barrier to blunt the wind, some kind of roof cover to mitigate dust, rain, and sun, and places to insert water, power, and hanging out.
The rest is up to us – if we want a cozy hangout space or toothbrushing station, we build it; if you want snazzy storage space or a moon-viewing window in your tent/tiny-dwelling, you build it. Some basic materials (e.g. pallet racks and plywood) will be provided, and there are a few tents and mattresses available from past years - if you/we want more, you/we have to make it happen yourself/ourselves.
As a baseline, you can think of living in Freeside as camping in the desert for three months. But the experience can be whatever we want to make it. By our powers combined, we can aspire to glamping.
At least some of us are returning Freesiders, and we promise it’s doable and even… kind of nice.
Amenities
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We will also have a kitchen (another pallet rack structure) with camp stoves, fridge, freezer, and pantry space. We will be organizing a regular weekly grocery run. (The nearest grocery store is a 40-minute drive away. You are, of course, free to go whenever you want if you have a car.) We will be fully solar-powered and have access to the internet and to running water in town. We will also figure out some sort of solution to showers, laundry, and toilets.
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If you have your own housing already (RV, car, tent, etc.) and just need access to the rest of the amenities, you are still welcome to join Freeside. If you are fully self-sufficient but would still like to be part of the Freeside community, you are also welcome to apply.
Communal Living
While Freeside won’t provide or require any artistic/academic participation, we will expect a certain amount of community buy-in. This contributing to camp services like Mars build weeks (if at all possible), power, water, trash, grocery runs, kitchen deep cleans etc.
Freesiders were an active part of Mars’s communal kitchen last year, and we’d like to make a chill social eating space a part of our ongoing tradition. What this will look like in the upcoming year is up to us, but a relaxed working, chatting, eating, card games environment is something it would be great to see Freesiders contribute to the larger Mars community.
In addition, as part of the larger Mars community, we will be benefiting hugely from the offerings of other programs and camps. As such, be prepared to pitch in on wider-Mars needs and activities, as well.
Schedule:
Build weeks - Monday, December 30th, 2024 through Sunday, January 12th, 2025. Some construction prep may happen in advance of these dates.
Note: The biggest lift we have to do as a community will be constructing the dorms and kitchen/dining area. It would be really really helpful if you’re able to participate in build weeks.
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New years groundbreaking party Tuesday, December 31st, 2024.
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Official semester start date is Monday, Jan 13th, 2025 (full moon.)
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Official semester end date is Sunday, April 13th, 2025
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A one-day midterm like event tentatively on Wednesday, February 12th, 2025 (full moon).
Exhibition of work tentatively on Thursday, March 13th, 2025 (full moon) as "finals."