A-stone-ishing: The artist who balances heavy rocks on top of each other
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Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 2:05 PM on 24th September 2008
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Add to My Stories You probably wouldn't want to challenge Bill Dan to a game of
Jenga if your life depended on it, as he claims to be a master of
balancing things.
The performance artists insists his skill is genuine but some people believe his work could be fake.
Dan
has been wowing the crowds in San Francisco Bay since 1994 with his
stunning sculptures of different-sized rocks resting on top of each
other.
Ore inspiring: Bill Dan insists he did not use any trickery to create these sculptures
He
has since picked up a legion of fans on the internet - his work on
YouTube has clocked plenty of hits - and has been asked to create
sculptures for galleries and private events.
In fact his
gravity-defying work is so amazing that people sometimes refuse to
believe he doesn't use glue or some other trickery.
Rock steady: Bill Dan wows crowds with his stunning rock sculptures
Fine art: Bill Dan has been balancing rocks and other objects since 1994
'I
had so many negative e-mails from curious sceptics saying that it is
computerised art that I got tired of explaining over and over again,'
Dan said.
'Please no more questions about glue!'
The artist, who is in his mid-50s, claims he can also balance shoes, glassware and cans.
Explaining
how he does it, Dan said: 'I don't picture what the sculpture looks
like beforehand, it just forms as I work. It is not difficult to stack
two or three rocks upwards.
Wow: Dan's gravity-defying work seems so unbelievable, doubters wonder if he is using glue
'Don't worry if you start with large contact points, you can get smaller and smaller as you build your skills.'
Dan said he enjoyed the art because it was 'uniquely beautiful'.
'Based on curiosity alone I could create a piece of beautiful art, unlike any other.'
Andrew Burton, one of Britain's most respected sculptors, said: 'I
would just say that this is possible – after all, he would be found out
pretty quickly if it were not.'
Watch Bill Dan create his gravity-defying rock sculptures...