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Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.

Friday, March 8, 2013

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)
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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!

17 comments:

  1. Have you seen David Attenborough's latest documentary Africa? There's a portion there dedicated to giraffes and an arresting footage of two males fighting their territory (?). A must see if you like these gentle giants!

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    1. I didn't see the whole documentary but saw several parts incuding the two giraffes fighting. Cool stuff!

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  2. There is a house near us that for the longest time had a life-size giraffe statue in their back yard. Then we thought it had gone, but it had just fallen over.

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    1. I would imagine that these are a little top heavy!

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  3. Impressive "yard art". :-) I'm glad to learn of Peace Fountain. These are the first photos I've seen of it. I especially like that the quotes are so diverse and inclusive. The architecture and art of religions are fascinating to me, as well. Touring churches, large and small - among favorite memories of the years I lived in Mexico and some of the tiniest churches held the most awe-filled surprises.

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    1. Glad that you also like touring sacred spaces from a variety of traditions. It's fascinating to me how we try to explain or capture in some way the mystery of existence.

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    2. Forgot to mention that my fave St. Michael painting overcoming Satan was one I discovered in San Miguel de Allende, MX. It was huge and antiquarian, so it may have originally hung in a church or monastery. I was accustomed to seeing a sword as St. Michael's weapon, but this artist depicted weapon, not as sword, but as pen staff or quill. I was mesmerized by this imagery and intrigued by the artist's concept of written word (truth?) as weapon over evil. I'm not an art expert by any means, so this may be a common theme. I had never seen a writing instrument used as weapon over evil in a painting before, however, nor have I since.

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    3. That's a new one to me & I love that idea. Your comment sent me off to Wikipedia to find the origin of the adage, "The pen is mightier than the sword." Interesting stuff.

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  4. Thank you for a most interesting tour of somehwere I will most likely never get to. I really enjoyed it.

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    1. Glad you enjoyed the look at the fountain, it was delightful to have you along.

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  5. I remember being most fascinated by the giraffes as a child visiting the zoo.

    The fountain is beautiful, I only zipped by the cathedral in the past. Need to slow down next time.

    This is in reference to your comment on my blog today. Enjoy! http://www.mysanantonio.com/life/article/A-surprise-prize-winner-1189888.php

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    1. The interior of the cathedral is pretty cool if you like that sort of thing. St. Patrcks is also amazing!

      That article made me laugh aloud! Crazy northerners! We also buy Spanish moss to hang in our trees for the summer and bring it in for the winter. You could make a killing loading a truck with native cacti, mossy stuff, and anything else you find growig by the side of the road and setting up a table one or our local plant sales.



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  6. I really enjoyed the explanation of and closer look at this amazing piece of sculpture. (I wonder how much I have passed by w/o knowing the details and depths of meaning that lie both obviously & behind-the-scenes...)

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    1. Glad you ejoyed this piece. There's so much to see. We can't always take it all in.

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  7. Thank you for the tour, Peter! Quite an impressive fountain. Have a great weekend!

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    1. I'm fond of the fountain but many don't like it. Hope you have a great weekend, too!

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love to hear your thoughts.