In Full Circle - The Japanese Style Garden as a Work of Art in Progress

Completed in 2006, "In Full Circle" is now being distributed world-wide. The 66 minute DVD features a 30 minute documentary by Dancing Sun and a 46 minute lecture by the garden's designer David Slawson.

The documentary explores the creation and maintenance of the Garden of Quiet Listening located on the campus of Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. The intent of the documentary is to show how the gardeners who maintain the site are co-creators with the designer who conceived and laid it out.

In doing so, we recognize the crucial role that a well-trained and informed gardener plays in the evolution of this most remarkable work of art.

The video also shows how the underlying principles at work in a Japanese-Style garden and how they come together to create this marvelous organic and dynamic form. Step-by-step, we see how the elements of rock and plant materials are best placed for the achievement of serenity and peace in the mind of the garden's viewers.

Harvest - Ray Jacobson Creates a New Sculpture

Since June, 2006, Dancing Sun has been documenting the creation of "Harvest" a major work by Ray Jacobson, one of America's pre-eminent sculptors.

Due to be completed in October of 2007, the sculpture is a project of the City of Northfield's 150th anniversary celebration. The 10 foot high piece will be temporarily installed near the entrance to Malt-O-Meal Company's plant in Northfield. Eventually, it will find a permanent home on the banks of the Cannon River in downtown Northfield.

The finished sculpture will be made entirely of cast bronze. The video will show the step-by-step process by which the cardboard model shown at the left is transformed into the final piece. In doing so, we will follow Ray as he creates the model, transports it to Casting Creations in Howard Lake Minnesota, and how he and the skilled artisans at the foundry work through the "lost-wax" process to finish the work. Finally, the documentary will show the sculpture's installation and the impact it has on those who view it..

We will also show how the artist uses his heart and mind to express something deeply personal but also remarkably universal.

In 2008, the documentary will be issued in a DVD format and available for purchase at our store.

To view photos and video segments of the process, click on the icon below.

To order your copy of the DVD, go the the Dancing Sun Store by CLICKING HERE. The DVD is $29.95 plus S&H.

To view the first 10 minutes of the video, In Full Circle, click on the icon to the left. You must have Flash - version 9 - installed to watch the video. Instructions on how to download and install a Flash player are shown on the video page. You can also read a review of the video by the editor of the Journal of Japanese Gardening.

Watch
In Full Circle

Faithful Unto Death:
Orientation Video - Northfield Historical Society

          Watch
 Harvest Excerpts

For more information about the raid visit the NHS website at www.NorthfieldHistory.org.

You may also purchase a DVD of the video through the Dancing Sun Store or from the Historical Society.

In June of 1999, Paul Krause and Dennis Wilcox began a documentary project that would explore the "quality of life" in Northfield, Minnesota as the city entered the 21st century. Both flim-makers had lived in Northfield for many years and had come to love life in this small college-town. Known for its motto, "Cows, Colleges and Contentment," Northfield has always been seen by its residents as a marvelous place to live. But why? What makes this place so attractive? Between 1999 and 2001, Krause and Wilcox produced 12 short videos about the city. Click on one of the video icons to see the included samples.

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On the Square