Amazing Rock Balance Defies Gravity and Logic

Artist Michael Grab spits in the face of gravity through rock balance and makes amazing natural sculptures.

Rock Balance, How to

Yoga Instructor Training is meant to make you feel something. Whether that something is joy, pain, empathy, or outrage, the emotion is what matters. In that sense, Michael Grab’s Rock Balance art excels. There’s something amazing about each piece. They convey tranquility and peace, but in conjunction with their natural surroundings, there’s also a wonder attached to them. Looking at the stacks makes you think that anything is possible.

The rocks are heavy, and they balance in the most delicate way in precarious positions. By all logic, the structures should collapse in the flow of the stream or at the slightest breath of wind, and yet they stand.

But how is it done? Very slowly.

Balance requires a minimum of three contact points. By patiently running his hands over the surface of every rock he works with, Michael can find natural indentations in the stone that will allow it to stand upright, or fit together with other rocks. If the indentations aren’t as easily found, Michael will rely on intuition and experience. So like with anything else, practice makes perfect.

The Artist

Michael Grab | http://www.gravityglue.com

Born in 1984, Michael Grab has been practicing rock balance for the last few years. He’s drawn to the beauty of the art as well as the therapeutic and meditative nature of creating the pieces.

Michael started balancing rocks on a whim in the summer of 2008 while exploring Boulder Creek. What began as a simple curiosity has evolved into a strong creative passion and a daily meditative practice.

I am constantly in awe at the stillness, let alone possibility, of such precarious formations, amidst sometimes very turbulent conditions.

The pieces are beautiful, but sometimes people wonder why Michael would endeavor to produce them. They’re difficult, taxing, and time-consuming. And there’s something about them that suggests impermanence.

But Michael affirms that he learns something from the process, and he calls it his own personal Yoga. While practicing, he finds a piece and insight in the stillness. He even takes something away from the frustrations and failures.