Gone Off Deep Presents
BEYOND BLACK ROCK’s Director of Photography, Rob VanAlkemade, has been tracking down great interviews in his stomping grounds of New York City.
Rob recently conducted a series of interviews with artist Rafeal Santiago, whose impressive sculpture ‘Beginning’ graced the playa in 2002, and who’s now in the final stages of his project for this year. Here’s Rob’s dispatch on the latest with Rafael:
Rafael left me a message today saying he's almost done with one piece which he'll be giving some friends to drive there I think, and he's not done with the body that I've been shooting him making so he's going to mail it there in pieces and finish it on site maybe.
He's working out of the Lower East Side on a new version of his woman cast of last year, but different, and cast from a new woman.
His work has been delayed by our insane rainy season, which prevents his plaster from drying.
We've discussed how he loves the Burn regardless of inevitable changes over the years. Some of his friends hate it now, but he always sees it as the most valuable experience of the year. His favorite time is after everyone leaves and just some artists and other weirdos remain and a dark anarchistic cacophony (my words, actually) prevails.
Rob also recently spoke to journalist Bill Werde, who penned ‘Burning Man’s Dotcom Hangover’ for The Village Voice in 2001 and recently chronicled Burning Man’s ongoing legal battles with Washoe County, Nevada.