These days we are assaulted with information overload in every aspect of our lives. Many people seek relaxation through meditation; others do yoga, tai chi, take long walks or run.
I’ve found a less common way to tune into my meditative zone: by balancing rocks.
Balance is a hidden quality, both in nature and in life. It is a quality we often find only through reflection and exploration. For myself, the pursuit of balance is an effort to seek out the hidden symmetries amid all the uneven shapes of the rock surface. I have a suspicion that my work, these artificial stone figures, created against a natural background, are an expression about the nature of balance and how delicate and precarious it can be.
I enjoy both the freedom and exertion of using my hands to find this quality in the creation of forms. Rock balancing is an act of recognizing the smallest features on the surface of a stone: its shapes, angles, degrees of smoothness or roughness, flats and indentations. It is a visual and tactile labour, the marrying of stone surfaces into connection with each other in order to pursue new structures and shapes. I see rock balancing as not defying, but rather finding that center of gravity.
After finishing my work, I pull back and observe not only the pieces, but also the curious spectators inspecting them for glue or adhesive. I am well aware of the fleeting nature of the work, particularly inside the city along the shore where more often than not the curious will lift a piece, or the thrill-seeker can’t resist a kick resulting in the subsequent collapse of my efforts. Ironically, the impermanence of the structures is an appealing factor. Their eventual disappearance offers new possibilities for creation.
Because of the transient nature of the pieces, I use photography to capture the essence of my work. The photographs are not the purpose, but rather the end result in the creative process. I strive to capture the mystery and magic in that moment, and make it timeless. The rock structures eventually collapse back into the water or onto the shoreline. My photographs then become memorials to the conscious pursuit of balance amid the greater flows and forces of nature.
Peter Riedel
I’ve found a less common way to tune into my meditative zone: by balancing rocks.
Balance is a hidden quality, both in nature and in life. It is a quality we often find only through reflection and exploration. For myself, the pursuit of balance is an effort to seek out the hidden symmetries amid all the uneven shapes of the rock surface. I have a suspicion that my work, these artificial stone figures, created against a natural background, are an expression about the nature of balance and how delicate and precarious it can be.
I enjoy both the freedom and exertion of using my hands to find this quality in the creation of forms. Rock balancing is an act of recognizing the smallest features on the surface of a stone: its shapes, angles, degrees of smoothness or roughness, flats and indentations. It is a visual and tactile labour, the marrying of stone surfaces into connection with each other in order to pursue new structures and shapes. I see rock balancing as not defying, but rather finding that center of gravity.
After finishing my work, I pull back and observe not only the pieces, but also the curious spectators inspecting them for glue or adhesive. I am well aware of the fleeting nature of the work, particularly inside the city along the shore where more often than not the curious will lift a piece, or the thrill-seeker can’t resist a kick resulting in the subsequent collapse of my efforts. Ironically, the impermanence of the structures is an appealing factor. Their eventual disappearance offers new possibilities for creation.
Because of the transient nature of the pieces, I use photography to capture the essence of my work. The photographs are not the purpose, but rather the end result in the creative process. I strive to capture the mystery and magic in that moment, and make it timeless. The rock structures eventually collapse back into the water or onto the shoreline. My photographs then become memorials to the conscious pursuit of balance amid the greater flows and forces of nature.
Peter Riedel
