Title : AfrikaBurn 2018 and the Teahouse at the end of the Universe
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AfrikaBurn 2018 and the Teahouse at the end of the Universe
[Guest post by Anthony Koeslag, Tankwa Karoo, South Africa] AfrikaBurn is a regional Burning Man festival. Thousands of people travel into the Tankwa to build amazing sculptures, perform, set up theme camps, drive mutant vehicles, dress up and let their hair down. The crescendo of activity reaches its peak on the last weekend of the event when everyone gathers to watch the various builds burn. Each burn is different but the silent burn is by far the most impressive. Needless to say with all this creativity going on it is a perfect place to do some sketching.
One of the few permanent structures is the Temple - apparently when this was built it made such an impression that it was decided not to burn it. It's become a place where you might find a musician playing to an appreciative crowd or even get invited to a wedding. On the day I drew this it was so windy I had to take shelter and so the tent I was in became part of the frame.
I saw some of the early construction on this sculpture, entitled 'Skop' (Kick) a few weeks ago when I was in Sutherland. I had no idea how big it was going to be and it was impressive. In the distance you can see another sculpture called The Nest.
There were many workshops and regular activities to join, like yoga, morning runs, and talks on various subjects. I was very lucky to find a figure drawing group as I wasn't looking for one and only heard about this from a camp mate. This was really awesome, there was a little formal instruction from a talented artist too. The festival is an ideal place for people to step out of their comfort zones and experience new things. The figure drawing was a great example of this, as some of the models and most of the artists had never done figure drawing before.
Our neighbours catching some morning sun - the tented village around the festival can be as much fun to explore as the main area. The reward for exploring could be a cup of coffee, breakfast, or some other treat. There is no exchange of money here, everything is gifted and many camps are set up specially to offer food, drinks, hot showers, and just about anything a person could want.
This was the scene at our camp once everyone had settled into camping life. We pitched our tents under a large stretch tent, forming a small cave shelter from the heat of the sun and the unpredictable wind. At night this made for a very comfortable place to hang out and work on various projects. We had a giant puppet, lots of origami butterflies, songs being composed and practiced, and an LED art installation called The Earth Star, being worked on in our camp.
The view from our camp... of the toilets, and the Karoo desert. We were camping out on the very edge of the venue and the view was spectacular, especially at sunrise. Our theme camp, The Teahouse at the edge of the Universe, offered hot tea and a quiet space to relax.
I don't think my sketches or description of the event do justice to this amazing and well run festival. There were many volunteer rangers making sure that people needing directions, the occasional plaster or other medical attention were taken care of, making this festival of creativity and self-expression free-flowing and carefree.
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