earthTripper

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Rock Balancing: A Gravity-Defying form of Art

I have been randomly browsing different forms of art and stumbled upon Rock Balancing. It is simply an art of balancing stones on top of each in various positions. You shouldn’t use any glue, wires or other materials to support the balance. 

Image source: @gravityglue

What I find amazing is that there is a mathematical as well as physical aspect to this form of art. The stability of a rock structure depends on the location of each rock’s centre of mass in relation to its support points.  To prevent the rock from shaking or falling, it needs to have at least 3 contact points to rest on, also known as a “tripod”. 

Image source: @gravityglue

There are also different rock balancing styles: rock stacking, classic balance, counterbalance, arch and free style.

It is a complicated form of art that requires patience. There are a few famous artists in this niche: Adrian Gray, Michael Grab and Bill Dan. 

A new emerging artist Sam Bennett also deserves some attention. Born in Britain, Sam lives in Devon where he creates these astonishing art pieces from just stones and driftwood. You can find Sam spending most of his time on the beach enjoying the wanders of nature. 

Image source: @sambennett_stone

Sadly some of his art only lasts on the beach for a day or two, but according to the artist  “there’s an element of excitement about seeing the tide coming in and in a couple of hours it has been destroyed”.

Image source: @sambennett_stone