Reading the shopped/not photoshopped flame war in the comments gave me a headache.

Yeah.. I thought I'd feed it, but changed my mind.

It's photoshopped. (Or foam painted to look like rocks) I can tell from the shadows.
Plus, it would have taken a ton of work to put together. Trial and error. Years and years of child labor...

These natural formations reveal the skilled hand of an Intelligent Designer.

lerry: It's photoshopped. (Or foam painted to look like rocks) I can tell from the shadows.

And some of the pixels, and having seen quite a few shops in your time?

They're from a super glue viral marketing campaign.

I don't care if it's shooped or not... I just have the urge to knock them down, kick sand in their faces and steal their girlfriend.

I'm guessing that the secret is sand. Have you ever seen the 1950's diner trick of placing a salt shaker in a pile of salt, then using a straw to blow away the extra salt? Just a few grains of salt will hold the salt shaker diagonally on the table.



Of course, you must have some idea about weight distribution, etc. of the rocks you're balancing.

Earguy: I'm guessing that the secret is sand.

Well, based on what I see on the video on this page (pops), I'm wrong. They're really just balancing the stones.

I have a hangover, so I'm really getting a kick out of some of these replies.

//obligatory

I used to watch these guys work down at aquatic park in SF years ago, it's pretty amazing to watch. Lots of patience.

nice work. i'm going to go with real (at least most of them) since i used to live in Monterey Bay, CA and if you drive down highway 1, just south of Carmel on your way to Big Sur there are about 8 or 10 of those balanced rock piles, and sometimes you'll see them on beaches.

so yeah, it can be done

I've always thought that The Society For Putting Things On Top Of Other Things was a bit silly.

*Gasp* Its a fake? No wai! One of the rock has a email address on it! Ain't it cool? No way a rock can be 'shopped like that!

styckx: Reading the shopped/not photoshopped flame war in the comments gave me a headache.

Personally, I loll'ed at the comments about it being a fake.
Most of those photos were taken at Crissy Field^ which is quite literally, a 5 minute walk from my house. So I get down there most every day and see at least one or two rock sculptures set up every time. If you ever get a chance to come to SF and you do the Golden Gate, come down to Crissy Field (it's the big stretch of lawn on the way to Fort Point) and check it out.

Picture 2 I can believe, but some of the others...

Picture 1, for example. It's by the water's edge. It's balancing on a tiny point with what looks like a relatively-high center-of-gravity. It's by the water. There's a sailboat in the background. One would think that the wind would knock it over rather quickly.

I have no doubt that people can do this. I've seen it, but THESE look nigh-impossible. You need the weight lower-down in the stone, or some sort of wider base, to do it.

This is a picture I took of an artist at work in the Ottawa River.


A close-up of one of the rocks.

Psh. Come back when you've done something original:

I do not believe that these stones are simply balanced but even if they are... what's the point? It's not art. It's kind of cool and it's a better way to spend one's time than say... greasing guidos, working in a slaughter house or munitions factory... so, okay, it's cool so that's point enough.

Earguy:Of course, you must have some idea about weight distribution, etc. of the rocks you're balancing.

You know who else knew about weight distribution?

/and husk-gripping

Also known as: People who can royally kick my ass in Jenga.

People will call anything art, won't they? Just because something is cool doesn't automatically make it some form of creativity. Whatever reasons could be used for calling this art could probably be used to justify just about anything as art.

I've got a precariously stacked pile of clothing in my room right now that I'm considering taking a picture of and sending to Random Crap We Call Art Weekly.

RealAmericanHero: I've got a precariously stacked pile of clothing in my room right now that I'm considering taking a picture of and sending to Random Crap We Call Art Weekly.

Philistine.

Pope George Ringo: img361.imageshack.us

:D I enjoyed this far more than the article.

Shameless plug:

Balancing Mini Sculpture (new window)

Those who call things "art" find it pleasing to the eye. Those who don't consider things "art" just don't find it pleasing to the eye. That's why ANYTHING can, or can't be art. It's in the eye of the beholder.

I see some pixels.

I call 'photoshop' on many, if not all, of those... still pretty cool looking, though. :)

RealAmericanHero: People will call anything art, won't they? Just because something is cool doesn't automatically make it some form of creativity. Whatever reasons could be used for calling this art could probably be used to justify just about anything as art.

I've got a precariously stacked pile of clothing in my room right now that I'm considering taking a picture of and sending to Random Crap We Call Art Weekly.

Wow. Who pissed in your corn flakes?

Now the people will know we were here. *insert wolf call*

greglock Shameless plug: Balancing Mini Sculpture (new window)

very nice. very nice indeed

Occam's razor anyone ???

All I know is that I DID have a hangover when I created this

DRINK - RUN - PUKE (new window)

rcain
Most of those photos were taken at Crissy Field^ which is quite literally, a 5 minute walk from my house. So I get down there most every day and see at least one or two rock sculptures set up every time

something like this

OH, and the Mini balance is sweet

For the 'shopped folk, search the intertubes for stupas (new window), the art of balancing rocks has been around for a long time

/yes i have done it hungover
//and while still drunk
///and or high

Rock art is probably a real thing; but some of the pics in this particular article were definately shopped. The fourth one down appears to be made out of rocks that aren't even the same scale.

Earguy: Have you ever seen the 1950's diner trick of placing a salt shaker in a pile of salt, then using a straw to blow away the extra salt? Just a few grains of salt will hold the salt shaker diagonally on the table.

My friend can do that just by balancing it on a single crystal of salt. It took him a long time, but I saw it with my own eyes.

Another obvious Photoshop job...

they wouldve had to use a farking crane for most of that shiat

Andy Goldsworthy is soooooo proud people are taking his art and running with it.

learn2duck: they wouldve had to use a farking crane for most of that shiat

Or the camera is close to the rocks, making them look bigger.

RealAmericanHero: People will call anything art, won't they? Just because something is cool doesn't automatically make it some form of creativity. Whatever reasons could be used for calling this art could probably be used to justify just about anything as art.

I've got a precariously stacked pile of clothing in my room right now that I'm considering taking a picture of and sending to Random Crap We Call Art Weekly.

Art isn't objective, so yes, anything can be called art. It's really up to the viewer to ascribe meaning to it. The term 'art' is way too abstract to define art vs. non-art. It's better just to say what you like vs. don't. Obviously you do not like rock stacking and do not value it. I think it's pretty neat. I am tired of the respect landscape paintings get anyway.

Also, there is more value placed on deliberately made art because it automatically has SOME meaning by nature of someone actively doing it.

Everyone is missing a very important clue here. Look at the horizon in number 9, with a curvature like that, the planet this is on can't be more than a few miles in diameter, so there is going to be far less gravity, making these stacks trivial.

Nobody knows who they where...or what they were doing...

Most of those images are by Bill Dan, who does a lot of stone balancing in San Francisco.

I have been balancing for about 8 months and only recently have started doing it publicly on the shoreline of my town. To my surprise many people love it, just to watch it being done and how the visual aspects of the shore change (I leave about 20 statues each time). I never claimed to call what I do art but know that many people get their own unique feelings from it - and that alone is cause to accept it as art. I have found it to be an amazing form of meditation and find many good lessons can be learned from it while practicing.

I get about 10-15 people each week stopping specifically at the short to join me in balancing and it is just so fun when I hear a little child exclaim "This is so cool. I wanna do that".

Some of the pictures are on my site (and yes, before everyone calls it. I do use photoshop; to add color correction style to them but nothing more).

my website with a a few images
www.stonearth.ca _{(once again, I only just started doing this so it is not as impressive as Bill Dans work)}

News Article which appeared recently on me regarding the rock balancing

DraXXXen I have found it to be an amazing form of meditation new way to meet chicks and find many good lessons can be learned from it that its easy to talk women into dates while practicing.

FTFY

/just kidding - nice stuff on your web site. I'm sure its an awesome lesson in patience and payoff.

no way in hell most of those can be real. but it looks nice.