At only a little more than three & a half minutes length, the micro-documentary Rock On (2006) packs in a great deal of profundity about the transience of all things.

San Francisco "balance artist" Bill Dan arrives on a beach by Crissy Field a couple times a week to stack rocks in a seemingly impossible manner, attracting mesmerized audiences for what amounts to performance art.

He interacts with his audience in such a sweet manner, between moments of intense concentration stacking beach rocks. When he's finished, he takes apart his construction, then rides away on his bicycle.

Bill Dan makes a few observations about his temporary art constructions which are as humble as they are profound. The documentary can be accessed on youtube Here. Take the small amount of time to check it out.

From this small film it's easy to link to other youtube-posted footage of Bill at work. One of the best, without narration, just raw footage of Bill Dan Balancing Rocks in San Francisco (2008), is a fine example, directed by Bill himself.

Watch one or another of these films of balance whenever you're feeling personally low or unbalanced; just watching him has meditative healing value.

You may also want to check out Bill Dan's own website, to learn more of Bill's art, life, see some photos of some of his more gravity-defying works, & where you can see him creating transient balance art whenever you're in San Francisco.

By the way, the soundtrack to Rock On includes music by former San Francisco performance artist, now of New York City, S. K. Thoth, subject of the Oscar winning documentary Thoth (2001).

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