By Gwen Davis
Special to The Times/News

It's no secret that shared values can unite us into an adhesive community.

Which is why Ignition Northwest - an organization that promotes the popular Burning Man philosophy - will host the annual SeaCompression event, drawing hundreds to Burien who champion sets of common ethos and an appreciation for quality entertainment.

"Burning Man attracts people who are interested in alternative arts, large-scale sculpture and adhere to common principles," said Andrew Birklid, aka Tumbleweed, vice president of Ignition Northwest. "These principles, shared by a lot of people, include being responsible and not having to commodify everything."

SeaCompression, an annual fundraiser for Ignition Northwest, will be held on Oct. 15 in downtown Burien. The event will be held in the vacant lots north of the Burien Town Square. Now in its 10th year, SeaCompression features an array of participatory and interactive arts, including kinetic sculptures, live musicians and fire shows.

Ignition Northwest anticipates roughly 1,500 people will attend SeaCompression. While profit ideally will be generated, Birklid said that just breaking even would be satisfactory for the organization.

Event-goers can expect a range of large-scale arts and displays. According to the SeaCompression website, attendees might experience a 30-foot neon rainbow, a remote-controlled blimp, a 12-foot tall bundle of grapes or a hydrodynamic science project that mixes fire and water in a 6-foot whirlpool. There will also be live performances, including those of aerialists, people spinning fire, interpretive dancers, contortionists, live musicians and an electric marching band. SeaCompression additionally will have a dance floor with electronic music and well-known Seattle DJs.

The event is for people 21 and older.

Ignition Northwest, a volunteer-run organization, was created by grassroots efforts to build a community around the 10 Principles of Burning Man, which include radical inclusion, radical self-reliance and civic responsibility. The organization provides event planning, outreach, advocacy, engagement services and education for Burning Man -minded individuals throughout the Northwest. The organization currently has 500 to 600 members.

The original Burning Man festival is a weeklong annual event held in the Block Rock Desert of northern Nevada. The event attracts thousands of participants each year. The 2011 festival was capped at 50,000 tickets, which were sold out by the end of July.

An enormous Burning Man-related sculpture used to grace Burien's Town Square. Recruited by Ignition Northwest and displayed by the Burien/Interim Art Space (B/ IAS) in 2009, the sculpture - named "The Passage" - was that of two figures, a mother and a child, standing at 30 and 20 feet tall, respectively. The artists, Dan Das Mann and Karen Cusolito originally made the piece for the 2005 Burning Man festival in Nevada.

The B/ AIS project closed in November of 2010.

"Whatever we make contributes back to programs such as art school scholarships or funding for artists."

Birklid also said that the organization is currently "on the cusp" of broader expansion into the greater community. "We are looking to reduce the barrier of entry, and make it easier to get involved," he said.

"We want to be able to share the ethos with people outside of who would be considered our normal constituency."

Birklid noted the attraction Ignition Northwest possesses: "People come to get involved in fun volunteer opportunities," he said "A wondrous environment is created that is unlike anything that you can find around here."

Ignition Northwest is currently one of the few Burning Man -related organizations in the area, but there are similar groups rapidly popping up all over the country, as Burning Man gains increasing popularity.

"It's something that's natural evolution," he said. "Having an event that brings 50,000 people... many of us in Seattle thought, 'Why can't we get together to create our own thing?' This gives people a taste of Burning Man without having to pack everything into your car and drive 700 miles."

SeaCompression has been running annually since 2002. Ignition Northwest works closely with city of Seattle fire marshals, parks department staff, private property owners and a professional security team to ensure responsible management of the event, with minimal impact to surrounding communities.

Additional information on SeaCompression (including a great photo) can be found in prior Times/News coverage here.