Garden of Stones by Andy Goldsworthy

The Garden of Stones

An outdoor installation work by Andy Goldsworthy

A visitation by David Harmon

On 10/15/16, Museum of Jewish Heritage, New York City

The Garden of Stones is an inspirational work and quite well suited for its purpose as a creative permanent installation piece in remembrance to the Jewish Holocaust. I had seen it on an overcast day which allowed for an even contrast of viewing as each stone held its own identity within the community of similar stones. Within the distance one can see the Statue of Liberty standing in the South Ferry, NY Harbor. Fragility and tenacity are key words to describe this work of art. Life is both fragile and tough, bearing the forces of weather and humankind. 18 stones (really boulders) were laid out to form a pathway with very small passages .The garden is 4,150 square feet. The stones chosen were boulders that he had selected from Barre, Vermont. He had chosen only those stones free of flaws. The sizes range from 3-13 tons. Goldsworthy has always become familiar with the processes of selection and familiarity with natural materials he uses with his work. The interior of the stones had returned to a molten state in which they had originally been formed. His technique utilized coring, water jet cutting and flame torching. Granite is a fire-formed stone, so Goldsworthy saw an immediate connection with his Holocaust motif. Dwarf oak trees were chosen as small saplings which will eventually grow to over 12 feet tall.

Thus, the trees will symbolize fragility within the relationship of the permanency of stone .The boulders are not just containers but form a symbolic symbiotic relationship as the expansion of the tree fuses with the permanency of the granite. For Goldsworhty,The initial inspiration for this work was as follows:

One of the most powerful images I have of New York was staying in a hotel on Broadway. My room was high up in the building, I think on the 17^th store. I looked out the window of my room and noticed that a tree had seeded itself, growing out of the side of the building opposite. It was for me a potent image of nature’s ability to grow, even in the most difficult circumstances.

I often think of the prescient painting by Thomas Cole,Desolation,1836.It was inspired by the following:

There is the moral of all human tales;

'Tis but the same rehearsal of the past.
First freedom and then Glory – when that fails,

Wealth, vice, corruption – barbarism at last.

And History, with all her volumes vast,
Hath but one page...

                                                                                        From Lord Byron's Childe Harold's Pilgrimage

 

 Goldsworthy’s proposal was chosen from 60 internationally renowned artists. An installation referred to as the Timekeeper, allows museum guests to view the garden via time lapsed photography. One can see the garden when they are not there to witness growth. Jewish tradition has family members visiting the grave stone and placing stones on the site as a visual symbol of remembrance usually one year to the date of a person’s death. Garden of Stones magnifies this tradition by the growth of the tree within the solidity of the stone which implies the famous saying

Never forget.

Garden of Stones reflects the inherent tension between the ephemeral and the timeless, between young and old, and between the unyielding and the pliable. More importantly, it demonstrates how elements of nature can survive in seemingly impossible places…Goldsworthy brings stone and trees together as a representation of life cycles intertwined. As a living memorial, the garden is a tribute to the hardship, struggle, tenacity, and survival experienced by those who endured the Holocaust. This contemplative space, meant to be revisited and experienced differently over time as the garden matures, is visible from almost every floor of the Museum. The effect of time on humans and nature, a key factor in Goldsworthy's work, is richly present in Garden of Stones, as the sculpture will be viewed, as well as cared for, by future generations.(From a plaque near the art work)