Wow. I am proud. I am humbled. I am filled with gratitude.
Peter Weston and me, the proud parents, with the central banner of Playastan.
It’s hard to put into words the experiences of the last few weeks. Playastan Crossroads was a huge success, not only for how it looked, but for how it created a sense of place, an intimate space within the huge spectacle that is Burning Man.
Sunrise at Playastan Crossroads
visitors watching the sun rise
Many things happened at Playastan Crossroads: art tours, weddings, deep conversations, weary sleep, shelter during whiteouts, and at least one late night dance party. Books were read and added to, love was proclaimed, and apparently there was a blow job, or least one was recorded in the Journal. The stories and images are still filtering in through a haze of dust.
A dusty day in Playastan
the Journal, made by Anna McKee
young yoginis
a father and daughter take shelter
For now we are cleaning, washing, and putting away. The future of the project is unclear. Peter is making repairs, touching up paint, and making ready to put the structure away until it is used again. The banners are clean, though faded, now. The corners are tattered after the beating they got from the wind and sun. The colors are not as brilliant, there is residual dust beaten into the seams, but they are beautiful still.
Today I’m going back to the studio for the first time since the long hours I was putting in before I left. I’ll be ironing the banners, and all the ties and socks that covered the attachments. Ironing is therapeutic for me, there’s something about pressing out the creases, reexaming the marks, the colors, and the imperfections that is calming. It is a kind of meditation to put things right, to carefully put them away.
And it’s a good thing I enjoy it, because there’s a whole lot of it to do.
There are more photos of the build and the event on the Playastan Crossroads page on Facebook. I also have a Cameron Anne Mason art page on Facebook that I update more often than the blog. And I love to hear from you, my audience, either here on the blog or on Facebook.
One of the many things I loved about the various postings was hearing the wind in the flags … it added an element of “being there” for those of us who couldn’t be there. Unquestionably amazing experiences and artwork. Congratulations to the ” parents” and those of you who raised up the wonder in the desert and thanks for sharing all the images.
One concern which is not yours or the teams issue but I did find myself very uncomfortable with the burning images of “Embrace” … all that black smoke means dreadful pollutants in the air … almost burning tires kind of smoke. Was there any response to that from the attendees I wondered?
Cameron have a Happy ironing day!!! … I have a couple of other friends who find that meditative too! I didn’t get that gene!
Loved the story and the pictures, what a beautiful installation!
Ann, there were many questions asked about Embrace during the event. I’m not “in the know” enough to respond to your question regarding pollutants. One big difference about the Embrace burn was that it happened during the daytime rather than night. That may be the biggest difference in the appearance of that burn as compared to others.