The art of balance

Remic Rapids, Ottawa River
August 2007

"The sculptures begin each year when the Ottawa River receeds from the spring run off. The lower level of the river allows access to the rocks on the solid limestone riverbed. The sculptures are created with the rocks which are primarily limestone dating 400 million years in age. The limestone has been impacted by glaciers and winter freeze, thus causing it to crack, creating an infinite variety of linear geometrical forms and shapes.

The sculptures are created only with the natural, unaltered rocks on site and are balanced and shimmed into place. The sculptures are temporal and are entirely dismantled by the winter season. They are created entirely by hand and no mechanical devices are required. Until 2001, I’d always worked alone, allowing for an intimate relationship to the material, the site, and the ‘art of balance’. In 2002, I had an accident where a 300 pound rock crushed my right hand, which disabled the project for that year. By 2003, I’d recovered reasonable function of the hand, but also decided to acquire assistance from others. The process didn’t change, but the approach became a collaboration and inspired interventions from other artists as well, primarily in dance, theater and music." --John Félice Ceprano