Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Xploring Xilitla 3 - Delving for the Details Deep in the Jungle

Yes.... I know this is my fourth post on Xilitla and the surrealist sculpture garden of Edward James in less than a fortnight, but it is such a special and magical place, that I just wanted to share a few more of the finer details deep in the jungle...


Set amidst this natural setting of pools, waterfalls, and jungle foliage, it is exactly this paradoxical combination of concrete and nature that perfectly complement each other, that makes this place so fascinating. Above you notice the beautiful plants first, and then catch sight of the sculptures peeping through the leaves, and then discover that one sculpture even has plants growing out of its crown....Next the sculptures begin to emerge from the jungle much more strongly....

And then the detail of the sculpture becomes the main focus, through which the jungle is viewed, as if through a lense...

In some places the plants and sculptures are in perfect balance and harmony, neither dominating the other .....

Just melting, merging and blending together; an interplay of shapes echoing each other....

Then the plants take over again as the concrete recedes and becomes more weathered....

And it this continous ebb and flow, back and forth, that creates the rhythm of the place until the jungle once again completely obscures the man-made architecture with not a single sculpture in sight....

But final quirky details always remind us that human hands have been at work here....


For more practical information about getting to and staying in Xilitla, check out the last few posts.

5 comments:

Wendy said...

Wish I were dipping my toes in that water right now!

Cecile/DreamCreateRepeat said...

Very interesting. I love looking at the growth structure of plants and often find them to be organic sculptures. Love this combination!

Catherine said...

Thanks for your comments wendy and Cecile...a unique place for sure..

Fly Girl said...

This looks like paradise! I'd love to spend an afternoon surrounded by all that wonder!

Catherine said...

fly girl... I can highly recommend a day spent here...although it takes a day to get here too!!