Rock balancing
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rock balancing is an art, discipline, and/or hobby depending upon the intent of the practitioner. It can also be a performance art, a spectacle, or a devotion, depending upon the interpretation by its audience. Essentially, it involves placing some combination of rock or stone in arrangements which require patience and sensitivity to generate, and which appear to be physically impossible while actually being only highly improbable. The rock balancer may work for free or for pay, as an individual or in a group, and their intents and the audiences' interpretations may vary given the situation or the venue.
[edit] Styles of rock balancing
- Pure Balance - each rock in near-point balance
- Balanced Stacking - rocks lain flat upon each other to great height
- Free Style - mixture of the two above; may include arches, etc.
[edit] Spiritual practice involving rock balancing and stacking
- Korean Buddhism - monastic, ascetic, penitential
- Tibetan Buddhism - devotional, commemorative, illuminative
- Upala Yoga - disciplined, transcendent, playful
- New Age - exhibitive, syncretic, intentional
- Aloha ʻAina - traditional, respectful, enigmatic
[edit] Famous rock balance artists
- Andy Goldsworthy, an influential artist working in the field, for whom rock balancing is a minor subset of his "Collaborations With Nature".
- Dave Gorman, British TV and Radio comedian took up rock balancing after meeting Bill Dan in San Francisco.
- Bill Dan, a San Francisco immigrant artist who is helping popularize the art in the U.S. (and around the world).
- Mark Mason, Professional Rock Balancer with [Team Sandtastic], an offering that rose out of his profession of ephemeral art like sand and snow sculpting.
