Garden of Stones

So, this whole project by Goldsworthy is a very interesting concept. So the dwarf oaks are supposed to grow from the hallowed out boulders filled with soil. I get it, but then you realize that in time the roots will die due to lack of space which will then kill the tree. But then, goldsworthy explained how the acorns will bring life back to the tree and it will be a neverending cycle of death and rebirth. So that's one way to look at it. As with this particular jury, that is exactly how they viewed it. They argued that this isnt exactly an appropriate memorial to the holocoaust victims, how it was more like cemetary. Granted, they agreed that after explanation of the piece that they understood its meaning but they then counterargued that a piece of such meaning should be self explanatory.

I however dont agree with them. I think that most will see this as an appropriate memorial. The artists use of 18 boulders, trees and soil creates a metaphor of the tenacity and fragility of life. The Garden of Stones reflects the tension between the ephemeral and the timeless, between young and old, and between the unyielding and the pliable. More importantly, it shows how elements of nature can survive in seemingly impossible places just as holocaust victims did. Even though stones are placed on graves as a sign of remembrance, this still does not make this a cemetary type setting. Here, Goldsworthy brings stone and trees together as a representation of life cycles intertwined. As a living memorial, the garden is a tribute to the hardship, struggle, tenacity, and survival experienced by those who endured the Holocaust. This specific space is meant to be revisited and experienced differently over time as the garden matures.

I think the garden of stones is a successful piece and I would love to visit it someday, and then visit it again, and again, watching it grow, then die, then grow, then die...