Adam Colman (2026, Industrial Design and Mechanical Engineering)
Stone Stacking Journey, 2022
Found stones from the woods near Loch Raven Reservoir in Baltimore, MD
 
This piece involves a ritual of intricately balancing stones. This ritual is a manifestation of my mode of engagement with the world around me. Ever since I can remember, I have been intrigued with collecting rocks as I walk, whether it be in the woods or through the city streets of South Chicago. Last spring, I collected 20 pounds of stones on a hike in the woods in my birth town of Baltimore. I carried these stones with me to New York City and then to Providence. I then went on a series of hikes in Providence carrying the stones in my backpack. I arranged the stones to engage spatially with the boulders in three different locations that gave me a sense of sublime wonder. I documented the rocks in each of these locations and then I balanced the rocks in a spatial map of the journey that I had taken them on.

This work is about my ritualistic way of reflection on my psyche and my relationship to my environment. Through the ritual of collection and trekking, these stones have become an index of my experiences of wonder.

From The Witching Hour, Granoff Center for the Creative Arts, January 23 - February 26, 2023