Applying elements of performance art, sculpture, and meditation, Peter Juhl balances natural stones found on location, creating compositions that evoke feelings of harmony and peace. As they rise toward the sky, the stones are elevated in a second sense: From ordinary cobbles under our feet, they become essential elements in a beautiful, ephemeral work of art. The simple strength of each individual stone belies the complexity and fragility of the complete work as a whole.
Without any glue, magnets, or other artificial supports, the rocks support one another through nothing more than high-school physics and a little karma. The work may last a few minutes, or a few hours – with luck, long enough to be photographed.
Peter Juhl has been developing stone balancing as an artistic practice for twenty-five years. He creates and photographs the work along the North Shore of Lake Superior, where the spectacular beaches provide ideal raw materials as well as a clean and colorful backdrop.
His book: Center of Gravity: A Guide to the Practice of Rock Balancing is the first widely available guidebook on this unique art form. He regularly teaches workshops in Minnesota and around the region.
