Water’s Shape

Sterling Wells Anne Libby Colin Oulighan Andrew Francis

Water’s Shape

When creating a garden, first be aware of a basic tenet. That water will take the shape of any vessel into which it is put, and according to that shape, become good or bad.

Capital, like water, tends to flow around obstacles. Dam its movement at one point, and it will reshape itself to find its way around.

And so a channel must be dug in such a way as to create a stream that flows in a captivating manner. This flow can be directed in part by different stones: Bottom Stones, Water-Splitting Stones, Foundation Stones, Crosswise Stones, and Spillway stones. Stone groupings to use for this purpose include Multilayered Shape, Crown Shape, Writing Desk Shape, the Bucket Type, and so on.

No matter how things flow, they should not be made to appear contrived, but rather flow this way and that, without a seemingly singular objective, from one edge of the hill to the other. With minimal regulation, freer movement can open an area and expand it dramatically.

In an exhibition space dug out of the third floor of an office building, the work is set in motion through the native angles of the site’s topography.