Flowing Water Meditation in Robert Irwin’s Central Garden

Visualize your thoughts, worries, and stress floating away, like a leaf or petal on a garden stream, in this flowing water meditation inspired by Robert Irwin’s Central Garden (1997).

Irwin’s garden is the largest work in the Getty Museum’s collection. Composed of living plants, carefully selected boulders, and landscape features, the artwork—and our experience of it—is always changing with the cycles of nature. Irwin added a stream running through the center of the garden; as it flows over intentionally placed rocks, the sounds of the water change. The ever-changing plants and water bring awareness to our bodies and our experience of the work of art.

This podcast uses chapters. If you'd like to jump straight to the meditation, find the fourth chapter.

You can watch this episode on YouTube here: https://gty.art/4wZysOS

Find images, a transcript, and more resources on our website: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/ommm/flowing-water-meditation-robert-irwin-central-garden/

See the Central Garden in person at the Getty Center: https://www.getty.edu/visit/ 

Hear how Getty's Head of Grounds and Gardens, Brian Houck, approaches his task, mindfully, in this week’s deeper dive conversation. Look for this conversation in your podcast feed or on our YouTube channel Thursday, or find it on our website. 

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Production team:

Host: Lilit Sadoyan

Producers: Zoe Goldman and Gideon Brower

Mixer and Sound Designer: Jaime Roque

Executive Producer: Christopher Sprinkle

For more art history insights, check out our other Getty Podcasts shows at www.getty.edu/podcasts

• Recording Artists tells artist biographies using archival material from the Getty Research Institute: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/recording-artists/
• If Objects Could Talk is a family-friendly show where Getty museum objects, like a Greek vase or porcelain clock, come alive to share their story: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/if-objects-could-talk/
• ReCurrent chronicles the people who shape our culture and keep the past alive: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/recurrent/
• Art + Ideas showcases interviews with artists, architects, scientists, and cultural luminaries by former Getty President Jim Cuno: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/art-and-ideas/

Through its programs—Getty Conservation Institute, Getty Foundation, Getty Museum, Getty Research Institute, and Getty Trust—Getty shares and advances the world’s visual art and cultural heritage, both in Los Angeles and throughout the world. 

Learn more about all we do for art on our website:

• Getty: https://www.getty.edu/
• Getty Conservation Institute: https://www.getty.edu/conservation/
• Getty Foundation: https://www.getty.edu/foundation/
• Getty Museum: https://www.getty.edu/museum/
• Getty Research Institute: https://www.getty.edu/research/