Now that the craziness of Summer has subsided, its time to reflect back on my experiences of the year. One of the most memorable was the road trip to Maine to participate in the Stone Foundation's International Stone Symposium. The symposium is held each year in a different location in this (or another) country. Three years ago we were fortunate enough to have it here in Asheville! This year I was the sole representative from Asheville, and one of three from North Carolina. For me it is very important to connect each year with the international community of stonemasons, sculptors, quarriers, and stone enthusiasts because it puts the work that I do in a greater context, and the knowledge and inspiration that I take away each year fuels my passion for stone and stonework.
An example of the benefits of attending the stone symposium is the presentations on Japanese stonework I was privileged to attend. One of the presenters was Sadafumi Uchiyama, curator of the Portland Japanese Garden: http://japanesegarden.com.
He gave two presentations on stonework in Japanese gardens, one specifically about the various types of pavements, sidewalks, etc.. with specific and detailed guidelines for why and how japanese gardeners approach these projects. This presentation was particularly useful in helping me connect with a recent client in East Asheville who is building a Japanese garden around her home, and wanted a sidewalk based on photo of a sidewalk in a Tokyo garden.
An example of the benefits of attending the stone symposium is the presentations on Japanese stonework I was privileged to attend. One of the presenters was Sadafumi Uchiyama, curator of the Portland Japanese Garden: http://japanesegarden.com.
He gave two presentations on stonework in Japanese gardens, one specifically about the various types of pavements, sidewalks, etc.. with specific and detailed guidelines for why and how japanese gardeners approach these projects. This presentation was particularly useful in helping me connect with a recent client in East Asheville who is building a Japanese garden around her home, and wanted a sidewalk based on photo of a sidewalk in a Tokyo garden.
In collaboration with my client, we created this sidewalk based on a japanese design. What I learned at the stone symposium was invaluable for approaching this project from a Japanese perspective.
Also, a highlight of the trip was giving a presentation of my own about the large boulder retaining walls we have been building. I called it "Extreme Walling" to underscore the increasingly challenging nature of some recent projects. The 15- minute presentation was well-received by my peers, and I was proud to represent Asheville and North Carolina and proud of the hard work that we put in this summer. Here are the slides from the presentation, and hopefully at some point I can post the video.
Last but not least I wanted to share some photos of the amazing scenery in Maine. The stone symposium and our lodgings were set in the Schoodic Peninsula part of Acadia National Park , and we enjoyed perfect weather weather while there. We also did a self guided tour of some of the stone carriage road bridges built by John D Rockefeller throughout the park. I have included some photos from the Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium which we visited, but too much to tell in one blog. If you are interested, read more at:http://schoodicsculpture.org/2014-communities/.
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