Stick Your Neck Out!

On my recent visit to Bark and Garden Nursery near Olympia, Washington, I saw this nearly life-sized giraffe.  Did you know that of all land animals, the giraffe has the largest heart and is regarded as being amongst the largest, strongest and the most peaceful animals on this planet.

The Giraffe Heroes Project is a nonprofit which  honors the risk-takers, people who are largely unknown, people who have the courage to stick their necks out for the common good, in the US and around the world.  For more about the Giraffe Heroes Project, click here.

(This image  is not mine)

Whenever I see giraffes, I think both of the project and of one of my favorite sculptures,  Peace Fountain on the grounds of the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York.  St. John the Divine is the second largest cathedral in the world.  Being a fan of church architecture and interiors, I was excited to visit this awsome place.  Before our first visit, I'd no idea that Peace fountain existed. The work  is much larger than it appears in pictures and its combination of images from bible lore and science.

"Surrounding the periphery of the sunken plaza in which the fountain sits are plaques, rendered in a style artistically similar to the of the fountain itself, depicting various philosophers, thinkers and artists, most accompanied by a quote by the individual depicted. Despite the Peace Fountain's associating with a Christian (Episcopalian) cathedral, many of the luminaries thus depicted are non-Christian icons, such as Gandi, Socrates, Einstein and John Lennon, whose image is accompanied by a quote from the lyrics of his song "Imagine". 

You may be wondering what this has to do with gardening.  Well, It's located  in a garden so it could be considered yard art.

This image of a detail of Peace Fountain was taken by Teri Tines who writes a blog called Walking Off the Big Apple a strolling guide to New York City.  Teri was kind enough to give me permission to use her image before I stumbled across my own.  If you are planning a trip to the Big Apple and would like some great ideas for walking the city, Teri's site is a great place to find just that! 

One aspect of the piece that particularly speaks to me is the look of love on the archangel Michael's face as he embraces this most gentle creature.    There is a pull here as Michael has just beheaded Satan with the sword in his other hand.   Violence and peace, love  and hate,  yin and yang.  (I get it, evil has been vanquished and peace now reigns -  allegory and all, but it makes one think.)

On a bronze plaque at the base of the fountain is this text:

Peace Fountain celebrates the triumph of Good over Evil, and sets before us the world's opposing forces—violence and harmony, light and darkness, life and death—which God reconciles in his peace.
When the fountain operates, four courses of water cascade down the freedom pedestal into a maelstrom evoking the primordial chaos of Earth. Foursquare around the base, flames of freedom rise in witness to the future. Ascending from the pool, the freedom pedestal is shaped like the double helix of DNA, the key molecule of life. Atop the pedestal a giant crab reminds us of life's origins in sea and struggle. Facing West, a somnolent Moon reflects tranquility from a joyous Sun smiling to the East. The swirls encircling the heavenly bodies bespeak the larger movements of the cosmos with which earthly life is continuous.
Nine giraffes—among the most peaceable of animals—nestle and prance about the center. One rests its head on the bosom of the winged Archangel Michael, described in the bible as the leader of the heavenly host against the forces of Evil. St. Michael's sword is vanquishing his chief opponent, Satan, whose decapitated figure plunges into the depths, his head dangling beneath the crab's claw. Tucked away next to the Sun, a lion and lamb relax together in the peace of God's kingdom, as foretold by the prophet Isaiah.

Be sure to notice the severed head of the devil hanging upside down near the crab claw.  Dinner?

 

 

Here's the lion lying down with the lamb which, although a wonderful idea, is the combination of a couple of different thoughts from the book if Isiah (11:6 and 65:25 to be exact) The bible actually never mentions a lion lying down with a lamb but it makes for pretty imagery.

 

For more images and information about Peace Fountain, look here and here.  Hope you have a peaceful weekend!