ReGrounding:

A viewing stone is a rock that has been selected and displayed for the purpose of aesthetic appreciation. The relocation of a stone from its natural habitat changes the found object from an ordinary rock to a viewing stone that invites close examination and perhaps contemplation.

In this essay, I will examine the act of “re-grounding” rocks that have been removed from nature and resettled in the soil of culture. Using examples from my collection of viewing stones, I will consider the recontextualization process in the light of our ambiguous relationship with the natural world.