Burning Man - Painting on Location with Roger Bansemer from Roger Bansemer on Vimeo.
Check out this video my stepmom sent me that her friends made about painting Center Camp at burning man! Joel walks through at 11:45 from the right. Here is my stoked correspondance to my fam about it:I'm really enjoying this video. I can not get enough of Bman memorobilia. I can't tell you how important this event, this culture, is to me in my life. And do you believe it, the camera man caught Joel walking by at the end of dude's painting! at about 11:45 in the movie, right after the guy says he's done with his painting of center camp! Joel comes in from the right. He's a bit chubby with kaki shorts a dark t-shirt, kaki bandana on his head, his back pack. This sort of magical serendipity is sooo common at Bman, I can't tell you. I mean there are over 50,000 people in Black Rock City. It is the largest city in Nevada, bigger than Reno or Carson, while it exists for that week. So for Joel to walk by in this little video that my step mom sends me, that their friends made in NC, is kinda crazy. It just shows the incredible serendipitous connection we all have with one another, or something weird like that.
There are only 2 items you can purchase with real world money at Bman, coffee and ice. Everything else you need to bring with you, or your neighbors share it with you. Center camp is where you get the coffee. Its open 24/7. Its also a major place to meet up with friends because its easy to find, centrally located, and easy to hang out waiting for a long time; its impossible to be prompt at burning man. There are couches, events, little art projects to get involved with, its shady and protected some what from the wind and dust storms. Its a place you can feel very safe any hour of the day or night. There are performances on a stage 24/7, open mike, poetry, lectures, rock bands, etc.
In the very center of the center camp tent, which you can see in the background of his art demo, is a space for yoga, contact yoga, dance, any kind of movement really. There is a "ball of poo," (not shown) a bunch of winney the poo stuffed animals sewn into a big ball a bit bigger than a pilates ball, which is fun to tackle and roll around with, there are cushions and pillows against a short wall all surrounding the yoga/dance pit where I and everyone, like to enjoy my coffee watching people play in the yoga pit, or cat nap in the heat of the day (its hard to sleep or do anything at your own camp in the middle of the day, so hot;) its so constantly busy that the hub bub makes a soothing white noise and maybe all the pillows and couches absorb sound, so its really pleasant to nap here when you haven't been able to sleep anywhere else for awhile. Its really hard to sleep at bman, because there is just so much exciting stuff going on 24/7, especially at night while the weather is cold and all the lights go up. There is such an electric vibe everywhere like NYC.
I had to share this with you even before finishing the movie because it was so cool to see joel walking by. I'll finish watching and probably add more commentary.
happy b-day Mark, by the way.
You're welcome to join us at B-man anytime. I got your water, food, bike, and shelter covered, you just gotta get your ticket and fly to Reno. I think its the best way to get a job at Google, because I heard the event is as important to the guy who runs google as it is to me. They have a big camp and trapeze teaching set up.
Date: Sun, 11 Jul 2010 19:43:50 -0700
From: XXXXXX
Subject: Fw: (you guys've got to see this)
To: XXXXXX
All I've got to say is, "hey, this is crazy, man!"
Roger and Sarah Bansemer are artists who live near H'ville part of the year. They went to Burning Man and made this video. If you need to skip the "art part," do so, but YA GOTTA SEE THE "CARS"!! (including the very last one!)
I will add here; not without emense enthusiasm, a choked up sentimental tear in my eye, no hint of stuck up "been there done that" feeling whatsoever; I have in fact seen all of these art cars already, in person, some of them spitting fire, I've jumped on a lot of them including your friends' "never been" train car. All art cars at Bman are required to let people on and take them along to where ever they are headed within the limits of their carrying capacity. This is a major part of the whole thing. This is a major activity you do daily at bman. You check out the cool art cars, you jump on them while parked and look around, praise the artist, chat with them about their vision and inspiration, you can wait till they leave or you can try to flag one down that is already moving across the playa, like a taxi, or just appreciate them as sculpture while they are parked.
