Still-Motion. No Verdict

"Untitled"   Ink, wash, pen graphite  2013

There is an ancient Japanese gardening book, known as the Sakuteiki, or Notes on Garden Making. It was written in the eleventh century and is still referred to today. In it, I can't remember where, there is a teaching about the proper placement of stones in a dry landscape garden, such as the one I've been working with here.

"Message For Noguchi"   Ink, marker pen & wash  2013

The Sakuteiki points out a need to place the rocks in relationship to each other in such a way, as to produce or reveal the dynamism of the forms. It also mentions that the final composition or configuration of the space should make it appear (ideally) "as if the stones are moving towards each other". 

"Zen Garden Walkabout 1"   Ink, paint & pen  2013

This concept had a great impact on me when I first encountered it several years ago, as I'd already experienced a sense of movement in the motionless forms of certain karesansui gardens in the past. It happened once at Ryoan-ji, in Kyoto. And then again here, at Three Wheels Garden in London. This was also the inspiration behind the title of this blog: 'Still-Motion'.

Perhaps it is this 'still/motion' quality which gives a good karesansui space the ability to completely 'absorb the viewer into the scenery' so that we feel (in many cases) as if we've become part of the garden in the most natural way - sitting comfortably alongside ancient rock formations, green shrubbery and mossy rock crevices. At this point it's just my supposition as the jury is still out on this one.