The Standing Stones of Barga by a barganews.com reporter 27th August 2001

A
mysterious phenomenom has come this summer to
one small stream in the Garfagnana, Italy – stone
balancing.

Strange figure-like constructions
stand guard, immobile, along a rushing stream
near the Tuscan hill-top town of Barga.
Some appear to be in an almost human form, others
are like birds. What makes them unusual is that
nothing holds these towers of stones together
except gravity. No cement. No glue. Not even a
small pile of sand comes between the naked stones,one
piled upon another. Improbable feats of balance,
one long pearl-shaped stone stands – upside down
as it were – on another. Three on top of each
other here. Four there. Five. All suspended, as
if for eternity. But the reality is much more
fragile: the most miniscule change can send them
all toppling back into the stream. A strong breeze,
the merest touch, a failed attempt to add another
to the already unlikely constuction and the work
is destroyed.

One large slab of rock
has several egg-shaped stones of various sizes
all precariously perched along its ridge – and
some others cling to one of its sides, which looks
easier to achieve – until you try to add to it
yourself. Long lozenges of rock balanced on a
tip have had smaller rounder stones balanced on
their tops, giving them almost the appearance
of human figures. In places three or four are
clustered together in small family groups. You
are irresistibly reminded of the stone heads of
Easter Island, or the creations of Brancusi, or
Epstein or Barbara Hepworth or Henry Moore – isolated,
impenetrable, silent.

Even the inevitable attempts
at representations of those parts of the human
anatomy generally kept decently covered have a
kind of primitive charm, and no little skill in
the realisation.

And who is doing all this
work? No-one knows.

It appears it was started
some weeks ago by someone who lives nearby, but
then others who have happened upon this somewhat
remote spot have continued the installation, and
now dozens of these statue-like constructions
stand along a hundred-metre stretch of the stream.
Almost everyone who comes seems to want to add
to this exhibition, with however small a contribution.

One of those who has added
to the creation of this free art gallery talked
about the experience.

“It is almost mystical,”
he said, “to feel a sudden realisation of
an improbable equilirium.The most unexpected alliances
can be achieved, and as you gently move the stone
on top you can somehow sense whether the two can
make a happy alliance. You try one way, then another,
you feel it might just be possible, then the most
tiny of adjustments and it suddenly locks into
place. You begin to set fresh challenges for yourself,
and look for bigger and more improbable stones
to try and balance on top of others.

“The whole thing is
so ephemeral, and yet is has an appearance of
permanence. Sometimes the equilbrium is so fine
that if it has been achieved when one of the stones
has still been wet from the stream, it can be
lost as the sun dries out the stone, and you hear
one that ten minutes ago was standing quite firm
suddenly tumble into the water again”

The only thing for certain
is that this unique display is transitory. The
wind and the water will soon take away all this
work. A salute, therefore, to all those who unselfishly
and anonymously have given their time and the
creative effort into creating a park of spontaneous
free-standing sculpture in this secret place that
will pass, with summer, into only a fond memory.