Project “Bunker Time”

(1st March – 1 May 2013)

I love my brain. I love the cool brain-wave patterns, images and funny ideas it creates. What I love the most about it is that it does not stop there; it makes me manifest ideas into reality.

…everybody has ideas but only few acts upon them.

I have stated implementing my little art project with just one black marker, flash light and few volunteers that contributed their own shadow. That is all I had. You see, there is no art supply store in the middle of freaking war zone, so you have to be extra creative in managing with just what you have.  

The first victim, as I call him, was Terrence, my funny colleague from Atlanta. He is leaving The Mission so I thought it would be appropriate to have a part of him still here.  This is why I wanted to use real people’s silhouette, because they were here, they sat down on those benches during the rocket attack and they experienced “The bunker time”.

When that alarm goes on something happens to you. It really does. Your entire body chemistry changes in a millisecond and you instinctively (as trained) hit the ground. Call it adrenalin or just bare survival instinct but it is there...alerting your entire senses and miraculously makes you come alive and on guard. (Note to reader:  It is individual experience, so I could be just over-dramatizing to make this blog more interesting to public auditorium, LOL) 

The protocol states that once the alarm goes on you have to be on the ground within 3 seconds and for at least 2 minutes before you seek refuge of the nearest bunker. For those caught in the open, the procedure is standard “duck and dive”. Hit the floor, face down. Cover the eyes. Hope the rocket doesn't land too close for injury or worse. In the bunker, everyone is fully aware of the fact where they are, once again, intact.There is a feeling of gratitude mixed with annoyance that they can sit and talk about inconsequential things and there is reinsurance of being surrounded by colleagues or soldiers - sharing this moment. Then the alarm goes on again and the big voice says the best words you can hear: "All Clear, All Clear", so what do you do? You go back to work. 

Don’t worry kids, I have only had two alarms while being here and they both turned out to be nothing at all so it was more precaution rather than real threat. I have to hand it to the security here; they really are doing the best to keep everybody safe.

~ * ~

Anyhow, I explained Terrence the general concept:” You just sit here, we point a flashlight at you while I mark your shadow on the bunker”.  He laughed out loud and said: “O.K. let’s go”!!!…and that is how it started.

Naturally, Chris contributed with his “Impressively Humongous” camera, hehehe… documenting the process so he also ended up on the wall.  The rest of the “shadows” just followed. As soon as I shown people what I had in mind, it was easy.  I talked to The Site Manager who is a very cool Bosnian guy but bit skeptical about the idea. He wanted to help me with providing all the material that I could use so it felt good I had support. The colors will be very basic (Black and white) because I want to see if this is successful project and then I will go crazy and order some more paint in various colors for other bunkers.

Most of the people I convinced to participate are those who are the usual suspects from the “behind the building – smoking area”. I see them every day, several times so it was easy to spread my idea while having a smoke or two.

Shadows kept filling the walls of bunker and it was time to order the paint. Chris helped me a lot, he ordered the canisters from US and the day they arrived I was jumping of joy. Few black and white paint cans do that to the deprived artist…what did you expect?!! 

Ohh boy-o-boy… it raised some attention, as the first creative initiative in this camp I got interview by the public relation guy who decided to write an article about it. (I protested…hehehe….yeah right?!!!).

I didn’t mind really, because I was not doing this for anybody but myself and people who shared “Bunker time” in the war zone.  So, yes giving the interview was not a problem. J

The news traveled fast so I would get stopped by some people and they would express their opinion about the entire thing. It is always nice to hear people thoughts especially when they ask me questions like … “…so how come you are doing this?!”, “This is cool, what made you start this??!”, or simply “You are crazy, I like it!!”.

I laughed and thought… “If I had a penny for every time somebody asked me these same questions
…man…I think I would go to my early retirement and not think about money for a long time.



Special thanks to Chris, my partner in crime, photographer and cool Master Artist Assistant.