ARC D’ACER
A TRIBUTE
TO
S E A S O N S
SEEDING S TONE S
6
As a gateway into the maple collection, this arrangement of stones was inspired by winged maple fruit known as a “samara.” With a form meant to resemble an abstracted wing and seed, the sculpture can be viewed from many angles where it takes on different interpretations and even uses. In a landscape void of durable climbing structures, the stone samara is meant to be explored. Whether contemplated, leaned on, laid on, sat against, and even climbed, this structure is meant to be experienced by Cylburn’s visitors young and old.
The fieldstone boulder and diverse range of bluestone pays homage to the materiality of the adjacent Vollmer Center. The stone slabs are completely dry set utilizing only gravity and quality craftsmanship to ensure their permanent stasis. The layered effect of the stone configuration took inspiration from the stratified nature of Piedmont outcroppings. Exposing these layers to the elements, similar to a natural outcropping, will lead to a very distant evolution into something new. The juxtaposition of geologic time, arboreal time, and the
human lifespan is meaningful fodder for contemplation on this site. It is our hope that one day beyond our period of influence, a hybridized maple seedling swirls down from towering heights to the shaded stones below. Finding no chance of survival in the arboretum’s sea of lawn, may that seedling grow here within the moss and duff filled crevices of this very installation. What could be more appropriate for an arboretum? What could be more fitting for a tribute to Jean Silber.
