Photo by Denis Bouvier

nac̓ θətəɬp or Transformation Plant is one of several installations of Earth Art currently at VanDusen Botanical Gardens. It was created by New Zealand sculptor Chris Booth in collaboration with the B.C. Musqueam people.

As well as Chris Booth, John Grande, one of the world’s foremost Earth Art curators, has gathered together Nils-Udo from Germany, Urs-P. Twellmann from Switzerland, and two B.C. artists: Michael Dennis and Nicole Dextras to display their Earth Art installations.

In general, Earth Art uses organic materials to create natural sculptures that decay over time. It emphasizes the relationship between nature and art, our culture and sustainability. It has been a popular art movement since the 1960’s.

Booth’s sculpture with its concentric stone circles gives one the initial impression of a mini Stonehenge. But on closer examination, you discover the materials have a very local flavor and theme. All the stones are waste from the new Stanley Park seawall construction, propped up with logs of various sizes. The large upright stones of the inner circle lean outwards and have been likened to the petals on a flower, but in their centre is a cedar sapling whose planting was recommended by the Musqueam people. The cedar doesn’t show in the photograph and you have to climb onto the outer flat stones to discover it. But this discovery intensifies an already serene, spiritual atmosphere. Booth’s idea is that the sculpture will collapse outward over several decades and degrade through the action of fungi which expresses a natural process. However, as the stones fall away, the cedar tree will express life’s renewal with its exuberant growth.

“Transformation Plant” is located in a quiet corner of VanDusen’s 55 acres near the Gitxsan totem poles and the Education Centre.

Chris Booth is an incredible artist and you might find a visit to his website worthwhile: www.chrisbooth.co.nz