Page 24 - Tạp chí bonsai cây cảnh BCI 2015Q3

Top; Collector/Exhibitor: Chung concerning the Korean approach to the art. During
Kruger; Glacier Mountain; 4” this year’s exhibition opening, the Soosuk Club’s Presi-
high, 13”wide, 8” deep dent Chung Kruger and historian Eden Chung were
Middle; Collector/Exhibitor: interviewed to make known some of the intricacies of
Eden Chung; Green Mountain, the art of Suseok as practiced by the Korean/American
7” high, 15” wide, 8” deep
Bottom; Collector/Exhibitor: viewing stone club of southern California:
Chung Kruger; Many Layer Jack: Compiling such a complex presentation for de-
Mountain, 8” high, 13” wide, livery at the ISAS was surely a lot of work. What did
8” deep
you expect to accomplish? Do you think you were
successful?
Chung: Very little has been written about Suseok
in English, and many collectors assume that Suseok
and Suiseki are one and the same. But there are many
differences. In some respects, Suseok is more closely
aligned with Gongshi than Suiseki. My presentation
was designed to illustrate Korean cultural differences
in viewing the stones. My hope was that an under-
standing of the Suseok method of practice as it differs
from Suiseki and Gongshi would be well received by
the audience …and, yes I believe it was. It was inspi-
rational to me in a personal way, also.
Jack: What is the Korean philosophy regarding altera-
tion of stones by cutting, grinding?
with emotive power and energy. Stones with embed- Eden: Any modification of stones should not be made!
ded patterns are very popular in the west and grace Jack: No doubt there is mystery attached to the art of
most, if not all displays, including both Japanese and stone appreciation. How do you describe this mystery
Korean style collections. Landscape shaped stones are and fascination with the Asian art of stone apprecia-
prevalent in most collections of all three methods of tion as Korean collectors practice it?
practice. Chung: Unfortunately, in the West the very different
As the Soosuk Club’s President, Chung Kruger, was a Asian approaches to the art are being commingled
featured lecturer at the International Stone Apprecia- which ends in confusion and misunderstanding. Na-
tion Symposium (ISAS) held at Hershey, Pennsylva- tive cultural appreciation of the beauty, emotive power
nia in 2012 where she introduced her perspective of and the deeper awareness of ordinary stones become
the Korean method of practice of the art. The ques- obscured, diminished, lost. The suggestive beauty of
tions and answers identified below are a selection of an ordinary stone is a personal pleasure that comes
a few critical issues derived plausibly from Chung’s directly from the heart and soul of the viewer, an in-
widely acclaimed formal presentation. The basic goal dividual experience. Therefore the art is very personal
was to identify and dislodge some misinterpretation and spiritual in its interpretation. We should not forget

22 | BCI | July/August/September 2015