Jesse English
Kinetic Artist
MULTITASKIP; Skipping Stones
Artists of the Nature art movement often create art that respond intuitively to natural environments. Often without preconceived notions as to what they will make, they intend to react to what they experience. I wanted to try it because some of the artists I am inspired by most, do this.
Richard Long has an interesting concept that expanded what ‘art’ may include. His ideas incorporate walking in nature as part of art. This has lead him to the recording of his paths in photographs. Richard is an artist that I had in mind as I began skipping rocks as an intuitive response to nature. Like Richard's walking, it is an action that we all have done in celebration of simple interactions with a natural environment. As you will see, my earlier video records interaction between nature and myself as I skip rocks of increasing size, forwards and in reverse. This video is found below.
There is an alchemistic quality to attempting to keep a stone lighter than water. The simple act is also meditative. It is in line with so much of what I continually strive for. It is a timeless activity. Maybe its timelessness, and simplicity has kept us from even considering innovation. While playing in a creek, I found that I can skip multiple stones in a single cast. I can in fact, skip up to seven stones in one hand. (Seven times the meditative effects?)