Page 24 - BSAM 2015 Q3

Top; Collector/Exhibitor: Chung Kruger; Glacier Mountain; 4” high, 13”wide, 8” deep
Middle; Collector/Exhibitor: Eden Chung; Green Mountain, 7” high, 15” wide, 8” deep
Bottom; Collector/Exhibitor: Chung Kruger; Many Layer Mountain, 8” high, 13” wide, 8” deep
concerning the Korean approach to the art. During this year’s exhibition opening, the Soosuk Club’s Presi- dent Chung Kruger and historian Eden Chung were interviewed to make known some of the intricacies of the art of Suseok as practiced by the Korean/American viewing stone club of southern California:
Jack: Compiling such a complex presentation for de- livery at the ISAS was surely a lot of work. What did 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?
Eden: Any modification of stones should not be made!
Jack: No doubt there is mystery attached to the art of stone appreciation. How do you describe this mystery and fascination with the Asian art of stone apprecia- tion as Korean collectors practice it?
Chung: Unfortunately, in the West the very different Asian approaches to the art are being commingled which ends in confusion and misunderstanding. Na- tive cultural appreciation of the beauty, emotive power and the deeper awareness of ordinary stones become obscured, diminished, lost. The suggestive beauty of an ordinary stone is a personal pleasure that comes directly from the heart and soul of the viewer, an in- dividual experience. Therefore the art is very personal and spiritual in its interpretation. We should not forget
with emotive power and energy. Stones with embed- ded patterns are very popular in the west and grace most, if not all displays, including both Japanese and Korean style collections. Landscape shaped stones are prevalent in most collections of all three methods of practice.
As the Soosuk Club’s President, Chung Kruger, was a featured lecturer at the International Stone Apprecia- tion Symposium (ISAS) held at Hershey, Pennsylva- nia in 2012 where she introduced her perspective of the Korean method of practice of the art. The ques- tions and answers identified below are a selection of a few critical issues derived plausibly from Chung’s widely acclaimed formal presentation. The basic goal was to identify and dislodge some misinterpretation
22 | BCI | July/August/September 2015