From 1993-1995, Harold Blank was a very busy man as he worked on the Camera Van – a regular van that is now covered in hundreds of real cameras and lenses.
The idea to create the Camera Van came to Blank in a dream where he was able to drive around in a camera-covered van and capture peoples’ responses and facial reactions to the unusual vehicle. Blank realized that his dream could easily become a reality, and with the help and advice of several friends, he set to work.
Fellow car artist Ron Dolce gave Blank a valuable piece of advice when he remarked that one cannot simple “cover the van in cameras”, but that Blank should use the camera and lenses to create imagery – in other words, Blank should paint with the cameras. This advice resulted in a blown-up replica of Kodak instamatics on the van’s driver’s side.
The passenger side of the Camera Van features a gallery of antique collectible cameras and four interactive fully-functional 32″ colour TV monitors that are arranged in a way to suggest a film strip. The monitors are used to broadcast anything that Blank would like to show, including one of his several films or live footage of what the closed circuit cameras attached to the van are capturing.
The rear of the Camera Van features a colourful collection of children’s cameras that frame two Samsung 20″ wide screen TV monitors (upgraded in 2009) that share images the Camera Van has captured during its travels.
Blank considers his photo-snapping museum on wheels to be one of the most intriguing pieces of performance art ever, and we can’t necessarily disagree. While we’re sad for all the antique cameras, polaroid cameras and modern-day lenses that have lost their ability to photograph in exchange for a mobile life, we are happy to hear that Blank takes great pride in his Camera Lens and passionately cares for all his photography relics.
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