I had an opportunity to encounter Goldsworthy's
Garden of Stones at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York.
Goldsworthy's living memorial was a striking exhibit for me. This work uses natural materials like his other works and is ever changing like many of his temporary works. He placed 18 monolithic stones in a garden and planted dwarf oak trees within the stones.
Why did this strike me? The work is so complex. It is ever changing and will look different with each season and with the life cycle of the trees. The sculpture can have symbolic interpretations as well. The stones are irregular which represents personal identity. The stones are re-purposed as planters; they are given new life. When contemplating the location in which this commissioned memorial is located, one can draw a connection between the stones and the Jewish people whose heritage is chronicled in the museum. The stones are unique, just as each person is unique. The stones show signs of being battered and bruised, as the Jewish heritage has been battered and bruised throughout time. The stones are re-purposed as Jewish people reinvent themselves to adapt and survive the troubles they have endured.
Goldsworthy won the commission for this living memorial. The memorial will continue to grow and change and the Jewish culture continues to grow and change. The solid foundation rooted in tradition allows the culture to continue as the stone protects the tree roots and allows it to grow.
