Stone balance

The art of balance

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There are truly all colors and all shapes, with the most extravagant designs, some pitted, others sculpted, rounded, angular, light, heavy, some even sensual: they are the stones, the pebbles of the river.

I would take them all home, but nownothing goes into my house anymore, I have to hold back in spite of myself. But when I walk in the riverbed, I can't help but admire them, pick them up, turn them over in my fingers, and in any case someone always ends up slipping into my pockets of my trousers!

Then one evening, walking at sunset along the river, in a lonely corner, far from the beaten track, I accidentally stumbled upon a beautiful stone sculpture: inserted in the landscape, so discreet and hidden, almost demure, it looked like a poem about nature, written with its own material, with stones.

I had seen similar things before, but only in photography, on some site, and I had never been interested in it. A few days ago I met another one, so are they signs then ? That's to say I should be interested in this thing ? I thought, instead of taking them all home these beautiful stones, I can use them to create these graceful towers in balance, and then photograph them ! ... said, done !

There is a whole real philosophy that revolves around this activity, some define it as an art, others a mental discipline, and like every art and every philosophy, it has its gurus and its masters. Try searching the web for "stonebalance" or "stonebalancing" and you will find really beautiful things ! It is a discipline of patience and concentration that in some ways has points of contact with Zen practices, even if objectively any activity we do can become a Zen practice, it depends only on the mental state with which we face it, not so much on the activity itself.

Considering the places where this art, or discipline, or game is practiced as you prefer, immersed in nature, in tranquility, in peace, surrounded by silence and the murmur of the waters, one easily enters a state of meditative calm, thoughts flow away, we focus only on shapes and colors, we work finely, physically perceiving the only two forces at play: friction and gravity! Perception is refined, thought is calmed, we dialogue with matter through touch, time pressure is released, and we get closer to ourselves. To do this, you have to move, go into nature, look for the favorite stones that are right for us, it can also be a valid motivation to get back to getting closer to the values of simple and basic things, to get closer to beauty and harmony, if you ever were in such a bad shape that you need a motivation: It should already be your priority !

We could consider it a branch of landart, that is the art that is expressed by manipulating and shaping the landscape, but for me it is above all a pretext to manipulate, seek and enhance and celebrate these stones, to let myself be seduced by the shapes, colors, surfaces, yet another pretext to go to the river, yet another pretext to take photographs, which is ultimately mine way of seeking beauty in everything, that invisible thread that unites us to the forces of nature and life.

It is a creative game, even if game may sound reductive, which concretely allows you to get your hands on that primordial matter that constitutes our planet, our Earth, rocks and chemical elements, forged and shaped by the forces of nature, fire, water, air ! Each stone has its own story, it is made up of a different rock and comes from a different place, and this art enhances every particularity in a creative, unusual and fun way. In some ways it recalls the art of oriental mandalas, these beautiful creations made of colored sand, absolutely ephemeral works destined to be destroyed as soon as they are finished, as an emotional exercise against attachment; and even here, these stone towers, once finished, are abandoned to their fate, at the mercy of the elements. But I photograph them before abandoning them, and here my weakness is revealed, the attachment is still strong in me, I struggle to let go, my ego has yet to be tempered, beaten like a hot iron on an anvil ! Still a long way to go !

We must never stop searching, exercising and letting ourselves be fascinated !

The stones, the stones and the Earth on which we walk are a source of creative energy, a thousand things can be done and a thousand things can inspire us: small pictures of stones, sound stones, painted stones, land-art, let your curiosity be piqued, give a Take a look and you will be enchanted    >>> go >>>