Here’s an excerpt from my second day in Bend along with those photos I promised….
Sitting next to the Completed installation! The last plant went in and the mulching is finished as well. Everything is done. It’s so quiet here, and HOT. Dan had the great idea to top dress the mulch with pine needles, and it’s wonderful – a strong connecting element to the surrounding landscape. The needles also add another compelling texture to the completed work. I am on the lower level here next to the thyme, lavender and cat nip. I can already smell the honeysuckle perfume, and can imagine that as it grows more robust in this sunny clime, the smell will become more pronounced.
As ever, the inspiration of the moment and context produced marvelous results. The new configuration gave me the idea to push the visual connections through the installation to create a consistent motif. The honeysuckle will twine through the entire site along with Indian rice grass and Blue-bunch wheat grass. The growth habit of the honeysuckle binds the site together – while the grasses add the thread of nourishment – as any sound healing strategy should – through the installation.
The health of the plants and the pine needles set the installation apart from the rest of the landscape. The lyrical bones of the piece – the stone work – play beautifully with the diversity of textures and colors of the plants creating a dynamic and living sculpture. As the piece matures, the relationships between plant/stone/building will evolve and reflect the seasonality and context of place…..
