Kiyomizu, Latvia

Kiyomizu; Pure Water. Rain, Snow, Ice, Granite. 4 elements: 48”x 38″x 52″, 48”x 38″x 52″, 52”x 38″x 26″, 39”x 35″x 35″. Pedvale Open-Air Art Museum, Latvia. A boulder was split open. One side lays open with it’s split side horizontal collecting rainwater in a relief design. It is a snow crystal in a lotus flower with a design from the Buddhist Wheel of Life in the center. Another stone is split but not open, yet to reveal its design. Another stone is not split, still holding it’s secret inside. In this installation, I want to emphasize the importance of water. Clean water is essential for life and is becoming scarce in the world today. I chose a snow crystal because of the importance of snow in Latvia. The first snow is celebrated because it brings light in winter when the days are dark, and the boulders in Latvia were brought by glaciers in the Ice Age. On the sides of the stone are written in Sanskrit the Buddhist Deities of the Elements: Ratnasambhava/Fire/South, Amitabha/Water/West, Amoghasiddhi/Earth/North, Akshobhya/Wind-Air/East. The lotus is special because it grows out of mud and becomes a beautiful flower, a symbol of Purification. The Buddhist Wheel represents the turning of life. 2012