Touching Stone Gallery
Santa Fe, New Mexico USA
Touching Stone - A Journey of the Mind
Photography by Tim Wong
Calligraphy by Akiko Hirano
Quiet austere beauty, the essence of Japanese wabi sabi aesthetic, is also an endearing quality of the American Southwest. Wong and Hirano capture the emotive feelings of these diverse landscapes through the mind's eye of a calligrapher (presented as a shrouded figure). The images are limited-edition silver-gelatin darkroom prints, paired with calligraphy written on Japanese paper with hand-ground sumi ink. Enjoy the journey!
Against the inkstone
the ink stick grinds
setting free my mind
Rustling the bamboo leaves
a light breeze plays
in the twilight
A bird takes wings, leading me
on a pilgrimage
to a time long forgotten
An amber light glows
in the dark, illuminating
a new life emerging
Into the warmth of Mother Earth
the open arms of Father Sky
Across canyons and mesas
like waves
Atop the most sacred place
Sun Dagger finds its home
White and blue the dancers' sash
stained a brilliant crimson red
For a thousand years
in a circle of stone
the fiery drums
reverberate
Right and left
forth and back
the Kachinas dance
ne'er touching ground
Over the rock walls
their spirits soar
free at last
as clouds
Returning to earth
the Owner of Fire
transformed
into a gift of beauty
Tonight the wind still blows
the bamboo grove sways
My heart rejoins the inkstone
in perfect harmony
- Touching Stone Journey translated © Akiko Hirano
Touching Stone Journey calligraphy © Akiko Hirano