As much as I admire the rock sculptures made by John Ceprano near Remic Rapids, I am disappointed every time I bike by and see his work cordoned off with security tape.
I can’t remember when this started. I just remember going there one year, and there it was. Suddenly, every year after that, the public was not allowed in this public space.
I understand why this is the way it is: He’s an artist who works hard making these sculptures and it must be very frustrating to have them knocked down by local hooligans, but I can’t help but feel that closing them off this way is somehow…. wrong.
I was particularly pleased to find a new place on the water (new to me, anyway), just east of the Champlain Bridge. It’s just along the pedestrian path by the Ottawa River.
If you want to find it, look for a slight rise, and these trees:
The first time I ventured down this little path I saw that someone builds towers of rocks here. (Or maybe it’s many someones?)
When I go, it’s just me and the birds, ducks, and chipmunks. There is no security tape.
I have been back here many times this summer.
Sometimes I just sit and stare at the water. Sometimes I talk to the ducks. Sometimes I collect rocks. Sometimes I build a sculpture of my own.
It is satisfying to hold those rocks in my hands. They were here long before I was, and will remain here long after I am gone.
I like to think about the people who pile these stones and leave their mark, temporary as it may be.
Some of the rock sculptures inevitably get knocked over, whether it’s by the weather or otherwise. I am ok with this. The impermanence of these stone markers is probably what I like most about this place.
I enjoy this nameless place more than the one everyone visits to see the “real” stone sculptures. It has more meaning for me knowing these could be here one day and not the next. I build one; it could be gone tomorrow. It is life itself.
Edited to add: Mark pointed out to me that the issue probably isn’t with hooligans, but with people getting injured by falling rocks. He’s probably right that the city is cordoning off part of the river because of potential liability. Although I certainly don’t want anyone to get hurt, I still think it’s an unsightly overreach. More injuries probably happen in city parks and beaches every year. What do you think?