refuse : reuse
Over 500 small stones of various stones, metal, and ceramic pieces were collected from the shore of the Leslie Spit - a building refuse pile that jettisons into Lake Ontario. The materials that make up the landfill of the Spit were used in the construction of the buildings that form the edifice of Toronto and originated all over the world. To this day, the Leslie Spit continues to grow and create more land for Toronto. The materials are left to the elements and natural processes of decay. Through this process the materials blur the distinction between natural and the artificial.
Over one hundred working hours went into collecting, sanding, and polishing by hand. This action was to coax out greater beauty into the stones not only visually but tactilely. These polished ‘stones’ were then soaked in oil to return the brilliance and depth of the color in the stones that I had seen when I had collected the wet stones from the lakefront.
Instructions:
- Choose a stone from the offering bowl that you connect to. One that makes you enjoy how it looks, smells, feels, etc. This stone is now for you to keep.
- Hold the stone in one hand and rub it with that hand’s thumb.
- Stay in the moment and feel the sensations of the stone against your skin.