Pass The Banana

The game "Pass The Banana" was taught to me by my good friend Bozmo. In this game each player has a piece of paper and a pen or pencil (your choice, this will effect the outcome, and some people are better off with no eraser - trust me on this).

Ok, so yeah, you can have as many players as you want, the more the merrier for sure on this one.

Each person writes a sentence on the top of the paper - this can be absolutely anything subject-wise (should be legible for reading purposes), then you pass the message (the banana) to the person to your left.

When this person receives the paper they read the sentence and then fold the paper back so the sentence is not visible. This player will draw a picture of what they have just read.

Next, the papers are passed once again to the left - now the picture is seen, folded back, and interpreted into a sentence.

This continues on around the circle until the papers are full, it's a simple game but yields hilarious, evocative, and thrilling results. You end up with as many sheets of paper as people playing and you have communicated with each person in the room individually as well as the group as a whole.

ArtSpam is different from the Pass The Banana game however, in that we needn't interpret one another's message but instead we can respond to it, if we so desire.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I also find it to be a poignant little sliver of light, shining as a game, as play... that lends deep insight into the nature of our information intake, intellectual, and developmental/learning processes.

Often a small anecdote, game, or trivial event can spark a proliferation of enlightening thoughts - and therefore these occurrences hold great value in our lives. I think art (and possibly the ArtSpam project - as a game and as a network) has this same possibility for a more direct path toward a peaceful existence, not only for ourselves individually but eventually, for all.