Arranging Stone

A collection of stones has been gathered from the surrounding landscape.

They differ in size, shape, and surface.

No two are identical.

The subject moves between them, examining their position before making small adjustments.

Unlike manufactured material, the stones arrive without a predetermined purpose.

Their original forms are accepted rather than produced.

The work therefore begins with selection rather than creation.

The stones are gradually arranged.

Larger pieces establish boundaries.

Smaller pieces occupy spaces between them.

The resulting structure is not entirely natural, yet neither is it entirely manufactured.

It is an arrangement imposed upon existing material.

Harpalus pensylvanicus is a widespread North American ground beetle associated with fields and other open habitats.

The observation focuses on the transformation of found material through arrangement rather than alteration.

The subject works with material gathered from the landscape, establishing order through positioning rather than modification.

What cannot be established is the functional purpose of the arrangement, how long it is intended to remain, or whether it follows a predetermined plan.

What is seen is recorded. What is inferred remains identified as inference.

Why were these stones selected?

Is the arrangement functional or visual?

How long is the arrangement intended to remain?

What distinguishes an arrangement from a natural accumulation?

Nothing has been manufactured.

Nothing has been carved.

The stones remain what they were.

Only their relationships have changed.

Order can be created without changing the material itself.