By Richard Turner

Japanese stone appreciation came to North America riding on the coattails of a postwar interest in bonsai. Stones were initially seen as accompaniments to bonsai displays. It was only later, as awareness of suiseki spread, that they began to be appreciated for themselves. During the American occupation of Japan many people took up the art of ikebana, Japanese flower arranging, and subsequently introduced the practice to the west. Ikebana, like bonsai, is a highly stylized idealization of the natural world.   
In this display, an Indian Blanket stone is accompanied by an abstract metal sculpture that is inspired by my interest in the Sogestsu school of ikebana. Sogestsu-style arrangements are decidedly contemporary. I have seen displays in which flowers are innovatively paired with floor mops, five-gallon water jugs, and melted plastic pipes. Here the two objects appear to be in conversation with each other, the sculpture wildly gesturing at the unconvinced stone.