Because of the nature of his art, Catalde
explains that each balance is unique: “I
can’t ever reproduce them. They’re all
one of a kind.” And they’re also usually
temporary.
He has a permanent balance, however,
at the corner of 12th and Asbury in
Millcreek Township. Although it’s perhaps
his most well-known work, Catalde points
out that it’s not representative of the
balances he is able to achieve. “To make
it permanent, it had to be rudimentary,”
he says. “The arches need to withstand
the wind to stand as long as possible.” His
more intricate sculptures don’t usually last
throughout the day. “I try to make them
look as impossible as I can,” he notes. “But
if the slightest breeze blows, they’d fall.”
To document his work, Catalde
photographs the balances he considers
the most successful and shares the images
with followers of his “Rockface Treestack”
accounts on Facebook and Instagram. to place each rock would fill books. But
Catalde doesn’t make his decisions based
on calculations—he works intuitively.
“I’ve always been fascinated by science
and math, but I don’t have any formal
training. I feel vibrations and weight
distributions, and I use cantilevering,” he
says. “I just feel if it wants to go one way or
the other.”
INSPIRED BY NATURE
Catalde has always found inspiration
in nature for his art. The features on a
tree could inspire him to add some clay
and paint to create a face, or he could use
leaves to add color to a sculpture instead
of paint. In 2015, one of his friends shared
information about Michael Grab, the
Boulder, Colorado-based artist known for
his rock balancing craft, “Gravity Glue.”
His friend was amazed at what Grab
was able to accomplish and thought the
amazing art form would complement the
work Catalde was doing.
When Catalde began rock balancing,
he found it came naturally to him. At
an exhibition at a TEDx show, a physics
student approached him and was baffled
by what she was seeing. She said the
calculations necessary to determine where TAKING BALANCES TO NEW
AUDIENCES
At first, rock balancing was just a
hobby and a passion for Catalde, a crew
supervisor for Presque Isle Power Clean
in Fairview, but last year he began to
demonstrate his craft around the country.
At the 2018 Llano Earth Art Fest
(LEAF) in Llano, Texas, he displayed
his work alongside rock balancing
artists from Spain, England, Wales and
Scotland, which he describes as an “eye-
opening experience.” LEAF includes the
“World Rock Stacking Championship,”
challenging artists in categories such as
height, balance and quantity, as well as
artistic balances and arches. Although it’s a
competition, Catalde says all of the artists
are supportive and, rather than rivalry,
“there’s a very community, family vibe.”
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WEST COUNTY
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SPRING 2019
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