Stone art!
Stacking stones is a silent art form.
I love the English description for this silent art
form: it is ephemeral.
Ephemeral – this is a loaded word; full of nuances and
new meanings it can mean: fleeting; short-lived; transitory; momentary;
transient, brief; short, temporary; passing; impermanent; evanescent – all of
this in brief moment of time. It is not long
lasting – it tumbles any time. Even while you are creating it, it tumbles over.
And over you start again.
Please have a look at the art of stone balancing
created by Strijdom Van Der Merwe by clicking on this link.
And his counterpart in the UK Andrew Goldsworthy by
clicking on this link.
This story is actually twofold: it is about stones and
a tree: a celtis Africana; my celtis on the pavement outside my home in Rivonia.
At my place in Rivonia, we have a huge white stinkwood
tree [“celtis Africana”] with its roots bursting from the ground; these roots
are breaking free from the soil that enclose it; it is seeking new territories;
these roots are strong and robust; these roots are bulging and showing its
beauty to all who would take the time to stare at it. Have you ever looked at this
phenomenon? It is there all of the time for us to admire and to stand in front
of it in awe and admiration.
While we were negotiating buying this property, I
walked around the celtis Africana, admiring the audacity of the roots to leave
the sanctity and protection of the soil bursting from beneath doing its job of
keeping the tree stable and to carry nutrients to the upper most parts of the
tree. It is as if the roots ruptured the earth that enclosed them. “We want to
get out!!” was the silent cry deep down below and then it happened: they got out.
Back home, as it then was, my stones were waiting on
me; what to do with it? Stacking; arranging around those roots. Stones and
roots and soil – it all belong together. There is a synergy that is too obvious
not to see; the stones and the dry twigs and bigger branches are communicating
some deep and profound to each other. And yet, it goes by unnoticed. But not by
all. Some see it. And some take it further and do something with it.
And so, my stones had a joy ride in the removal truck
from Morningside to Rivonia to my celtis. The removal-boys were looking
side-ways at me when I insisted that those stones come with us to Rivonia.
I started playing with the stones. At first, I was
very lonely and felt looney on top of it. An old man of 72 years standing in
public on the pavement, playing with stones. And then it got going. People that
were standing offish, were actually approaching me and some even started
talking to me.
Our neighbours’ children were standing around when I
started moving it around. And I invited them to play with. Oupas [Grandpas] and
Oumas [Grandmas] and pa and ma and nannies all interfered. “You are going to
break the stones!” Can you believe it? How on earth is a three-year-old going
to break a stone?
These stones are mine. The tree is mine. The twigs and
branches are mine. The pavement is mine. They can play here. And now it is an
extended playground for them.
They can build whatever they wish to – no
prescriptions at all. And I approved every single “thing” built by them.
At times, right at the beginning, the parents
interfered and “corrected” the children; “don’t do it like that.” “Stack it
like that …” and so on. “This is not right. You should …” and on and on they
would “correct” the child and try to impose their views.
I stopped them immediately; let the child do it.
There is no correct way to stack a stone.
There is no correct way to build a castle.
There is no correct way to build a stone tower.
And besides, you don’t know what is going on in your
child’s head.
No man, leave them to build; give them freedom.
I insisted on that freedom for the child.
And after some time, the parents are now standing to
the side and lately I see that they are also “building” with the stones or it
might have been the nanny that was building? So, it became an adult playground!
Not an adult shop! An adult playground with their children. I even had a
grandpa visiting from Pakistan playing with his grandson. That was a wow!
experience.
Why am I so in love with trees? Are there any special
reasons behind this? Why does a tree move me so much?
And stones?
For now, I will concentrate on stones? The next blog I
will concentrate on trees.
The world of stone balancing/stacking opened up to me
and I am fascinated by it. Besides that, stones/rocks figure prominently in the
Scriptures: in the 2020 Afrikaans translation the word for stone can be
translated differently. Stone or “klip” in Afrikaans appears 130 times and the
word rock in Afrikaans “rots” appears 93 times. And Jesus Christ, whom is the
Son of the Living God is referred to as a Rock. For some it is a stumbling block/rock.
For others, He is a Rock of refuge. A rock that protects.
Reading the Scriptures, it became clear to me that this
is most apt that the Rock is either a stumbling block/rock or a Rock of Refuge,
a Rock that protects. And much more.
The apostle St. Peter writes in his first letter chapter
2: 1 – 8 referencing this aspect of being a stone of stumbling or a cornerstone
that is precious.
St. Luke wrote down the parable of a man who built his
house on a rock; but there are those who prefer to build it on sand and then
they suffer the consequences [See Luke 6 from verse 47].
The choice is yours.
Please write me your story: neelscoertse@wirelessza.co.za
