Using simply gravity and rocks, Michael Grab creates sculptures that are impermanent but beautiful. While they are spectacular to see, they are more of a zen meditation for the artist. This video shows a short clip of how he balances rocks upon each other.
His work can be seen on his website, Gravity Glue.
“Everything has its wonders, even darkness and silence, and I’ve learned that whatever state I may be in, therein to be content.” – Helen Keller (Stolen from Michael Grab's blog)
To address the question of why he does it, Grab's blog states, "Alongside the art, setting rocks into balance has also become a way of showing appreciation, offering thanksgiving, and inducing meditation. Through manipulation of gravitational threads, the ancient stones become a poetic dance of form and energy, birth and death, perfection and imperfection. they become a reflection of ourselves in a way; precariously sturdy, mysterious and fragile."
"The trick I’ve found is to play and experiment. If you keep at it, a balance will be inevitable if you make yourself present in that moment of balance."
"Much of the time balancing is also spent experimenting with different ideas and arrangements. Remember there is no right or wrong configuration of rocks. It is about YOU and what excites YOUR spirit."
The next exhibit I am dying to see is 'Appearances Can Be Deceiving: The Dresses of Frida Kahlo,' on display in Mexico city at the former home of Frida Kahlo, Casa Azul; her wardrobe is presented alongside some of the designs that her iconic style inspired, by designers such as Jean Paul Gaultier and Riccardo Tisci. The exhibit required extensive restoration of the items on display; restoration that was paid for largely in part by Vogue, who featured her as a fashion icon in 1937 and again in November 2012 to discuss the exhibit.
There is a large display of the traditionally lavish Tehuantepec style dresses and skirts that Frida made famous; complete with paint stains and tobacco scent.
Frida's ornate silver jewelry and brightly colored accessories abound, revealing Frida's distinct sense of style and identity.
"She had a tremendous self-confidence,” Alejandra Lopez, art restorer for the painter's home, told the Associated Press. “She was convinced that what she wore displayed who she was inside."
Her iconic torso braces, leg immobilizers, and prostheses are all on display as well. They have to be after all; so many of her painting focus on the pain caused by these items, but at the same time they are just as ornate as the rest of her accessories.
Seriously, this is a spectacular addition to the Casa Azul, and I hope I get to go to Mexico City to see this some day.
