Evolution: Combat Clothing to Paper: The Combat Paper Projec

[phoenix from the playa]

How would you like to participate in an historic effort in Black Rock City next summer? Are you a veteran? Do you have a soft spot for vets? Wanna have your mind blown?

We are thinking of bringing Combat Paper Project http://www.combatpaper.org/ to Black Rock City. 2009 theme is Evolution? How's this: Begun by U.S. veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, paper is milled from their combat clothing, then the paper is used as a medium for poetry and art. Books will be created. Some will be burned.

For Burners who are military veterans, of ANY armed forces: Have you clothing you wish to turn into art? For fuller participation and interaction, we may open up the process to ANY clothing worn during abuse or violence.

We will have a press and milling equipment necessary for this process. We've a 30' dome reserved and hope to secure a variety of funding sources. We expect to bring eighteen Iraq and Afghan veterans to The Playa to participate and lead this project. There are also conversations about several "drama pieces" that may be performed throughout Black Rock City all week.

We are forming a "core group" in the SF Bay Area to help consolidate, crew, fund and supply this effort. To that end, we wish the participation of mental health professionals, cooks, comfort workers, crazed artists, and veterans who wish to see this installation in Black Rock City 2009.

We are open to all ideas. Thanks for listening. See you in Black Rock City 2009.

Pictures from a class & demonstration at Mills College:
http://www.rainbowpuddle.com/Albums2/Sp ... oject.html

[Ugly Dougly]

I used my old uniforms as rags long ago.

[jkisha]

Now if I read that all of the proceeds from this effort went to a Veteran's Hospital or some other needy veteran's organization, I would be 100% behind it.


JK

[Toolmaker]

Now if I read that all of the proceeds from this effort went to a Veteran's Hospital or some other needy veteran's organization, I would be 100% behind it.


JK

Doesn't look like they are planning on proceeds from what I read on the webpage and post.

I think this would be best in the themecamp section since the request is in the post for participants in during the event. The no-commerce thing is supposed to prohibit proceeds/profit during the event and with most themecamps there is no profit rather a loss by many of the themecamps "founders/core members". I know there are a few exceptions that violate our communities principles but thankfully they are in the minority.

Best of luck with your project and be sure to give us an update as to your address when you get your playa address so we know where to stop by.

[Arantele]

I think this is an awesome idea personally. A great way to "release" everything.

[Bob]

I have absolutely no opinion to share on this project, other than it seems like the opposite of the Pants Cannon.

[Toolmaker]

I have absolutely no opinion to share on this project, other than it seems like the opposite of the Pants Cannon.

This is considered to be a POSITIVE reply.

I don't think they are gonna be shooting anything Bob.. they are makin paper out of old clothes. Too bad they couldn't have been at BM for the Green theme but better late than never.

[ZuberiWamukota]

Hey im currently in Iraq as i speak, Ive been thinking of just Burning my Uniforms at the Burn for purposes of passing on this phase of my life. This is my last Tour Of Duty in Iraq and the military in general. I will be out and back in the States by July. In time for BM. I would really appreciatle at least turning 1 or 2 of my uniforms into works of art. You should most definately bring The Combat Paper Project down to BRC.

[oleg8888]

Hey im currently in Iraq as i speak....

Hey, you take care of yourself, you hear?!?! There are at least 50,000 people waiting for you, so stay safe

[ZuberiWamukota]

Thank you Oleg, i appreciate that very much. Dont worry, i wont let anything stand between me and this years burn. Bless

[professorzed]

I think this is an interesting project, as the first books were made from cloth held together with sticks on one end. In fact the word 'TEXT' comes from 'TEXTILE'.

I wouldn't bother trying to ask war veterans for their old army 'fatigues' (clothes for combat). They would have usually disposed of them long ago. Instead, I would go to the Army bases and quartermasters and find out what they do with all the worn out fatigues that they throw out. Do they get recycled into rags, or turned back into new military uniforms? Chances are, the Army bases outsources the disposal of these clothes to a private rag-collecting company that bales them up and sells them by the pound.

The army fatigues that you ideally want to use of course are the desert fatigues, WITHOUT the camouflage if you can get it. The camouflage pattern would just make it too hard to read anything that was printed on it. Something like Olive drab or khaki would be best. I suppose you can use white ink as well.

Do you already have a press to print these with? I would suggest using something like a silkscreen or a block of wood (or lino) to print on these cloth squares and doing it before the playa.

If you actually wanted people to write on the cloth squares themselves, I would suggest getting either bleach pens or a bottle of bleach with something like Q-tips. This way, it would be more like a journal. (I suppose it would cause a big mess of Q-tips later though.)

Another option is to use something like wax crayons to write with. Write something on the cloth with wax, then dip the cloth in some sort of bright colored (vegetable based) clothing dye like Easter eggs. When the cloth is removed, the wax will have repelled the dye and will show up as writing in the 'non-dyed' color.

When you get a big enough stack of cloths that have other people have written on (like a guest book), use a few pieces of wood to bind them as a book. You could even bind all the cloths together as a book before hand, just to keep them together and stop them from getting blown away by the wind. This book can be later read by everyone on and off the playa.

I would also suggest that you use most of the cloth squares as [u]Tibetan style prayer cloths[/u] instead. These would have a much greater visual impact over a greater range of space. These might be a cool thing to give out as swag, and useful to flag guy wires with as well.

Think of an appropriate prayer in every one of the world's religions, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Pagan, etc. Think of an appropriate humanist/ atheist 'prayer' to use as well.

Have some blank square cloths handy, so that other people can write their own prayers and thoughts if they wish.

The proper way to dispose of prayer flags is to burn them. So, only give out the prayer cloths that you make to those people who will treat them respectfully/ properly, and burn them in a public burn pit (or ceremony) at the end of the week.

Something like this would make an [b][i]excellent [/i][/b]decoration for the Temple.

[djnormanj]

Interesting... I will definatly check out this project. I'm curently in Iraq myself and will also be back in time for the burn. There are more of us burners here as well! Try planning a theme camp from the opposite side of the planet and tell me it's not a logistical challenge! Looking forward to see you out on the playa!


~Norm

-The BUSH- Back for 2009 with with a friggin' volcano!

"I used to have a handle on life, then it broke!"

[theCryptofishist]

I'm curently in Iraq myself and will also be back in time for the burn.

Well, if you're with the armed forces I wouldn't count on it.


Just sayin'.

[ThePaperLeaf]

I'm a crazed artist specializing in paper, exhusband is a Vietnam Vet, but do not live in in SF. I'd like to help, perhaps onsite?

How were you going to display the completed art onsite? I was toying with the idea of a huge prayer flag make & display. If you're going to use them like prayer flags, perhaps we could camp next to each other?

an idea for containing paper in wind - hold stacks of the paper in those wooden/plastic pants hangers.

[bx1]

I'm curently in Iraq myself and will also be back in time for the burn.

Well, if you're with the armed forces I wouldn't count on it.


Just sayin'.

That's messed up.

<--- Also currently in Iraq on Second Tour

[theCryptofishist]

I'm curently in Iraq myself and will also be back in time for the burn.

Well, if you're with the armed forces I wouldn't count on it.


Just sayin'.

That's messed up.

<--- Also currently in Iraq on Second Tour

Yes it is. I'm one of those Berkeley types that probably disses the armed forces by accident several times a day, but that "stop loss" shit, whatever they call it when they say "Hey, we still own you, here's a gun and a ticket to Baghdad" is just disgraceful. I think it's taking advantage of young people who do want to help their country and who often don't have a lot of other options. And you're not even getting an education on potato peeling.

Break my fucking heart.

[djnormanj]

I'm one of those Berkeley types that probably disses the armed forces by accident several times a day, but that "stop loss" shit, whatever they call it when they say "Hey, we still own you, here's a gun and a ticket to Baghdad" is just disgraceful. I think it's taking advantage of young people who do want to help their country and who often don't have a lot of other options. And you're not even getting an education on potato peeling.

Break my fucking heart.

Just to clarify...

Not sure what one of those Berkeley types classifies you as, but I myself have several friends living in that area who went to UC Berkeley and served with me overseas. Most of that stuff that you have heard about stop-loss is movie and media BS. Of course, you know we have an all volunteer military and everyone in it signed up for their commitment willingly. But, just because I am comming back from overseas before burning man, does not mean that I could get stop-lossed, as my contract with the military does not actually end until March of 2012, when of course, I will happily renew it when that time comes. Also, I have always known exactly when and where I am going in the military with adequate notice and the only time I have ever seen stop-loss in effect is within about a three month window prior to a units mobilization, which is very rare for most soldiers to even fall into that window. All units have set deployment to non-deployment ratios, my unit can be deployed one year out of every three years. However this has not happened, as statistically it has been a one out of five years ratio for my unit deploying overseas. Every soldier that joins the service signs up for a minimum of an eight year contract whether or not it is all active or partially active, and the remaining years will be inactive years until a total of eight has been reached. If a soldier is called back to service after serving their active enlistment time, but without completing their initial eight year contract, it is called being recalled, not stop-lossed. However, this is very rare and the majority of the time people who only serve two years active are never called up to serve again during their six year inactive period. Once your initial contract is over you cannot be stop-lossed because you are no longer in the service or even in the military system. As I have more than twelve years of service in the United States armed forces, I have served my initial contract, and upon returning from this deployment, prior to burning man 2009, I will be on a minimum of a two year non-deployable stabilization period.

As for that potato peeling education, most of us here either already have our degrees or are completing degrees through online universities while deployed.

So with that in mind... I'll see you on the playa!

Just sayin'.

[yipiia]

We are thinking of bringing Combat Paper Project http://www.combatpaper.org/ to Black Rock City. 2009

Wanted to give an update on the outcome of this post. I consider the Savannah visit something born from the burn community, as I would have never learned about these guys had it not been from eplaya.

I am a 5x burner...but won't be attending this year($$). I saw this post last fall, and loved the idea.

The result is the 'workshop tour' came to Savannah two weeks ago. We had 11 vets doing the project. (look for CP coming through your neighborhood)

I certainly hope that Combat Paper considers a 2010 visit to Black Rock!

Here is links to the Savannah Workshops Press Coverage:
Savannah Morning News
http://savannahnow.com/node/740945
http://savannahnow.com/node/757368

Connect Savannah
http://www.connectsavannah.com/news/article/100978/

Associated Press
http://www.military.com/news/article/August-2009/vets-shred-uniforms-to-heal-themselves.html