The UK’s first ever national stone balancing event, called Balancing Point, was held at the National Stone Centre, in Wirksworth, Derbyshire, on 10 & 11 September.

The art of stone balancing is to create the seemingly impossible by balancing stones on top of each other in arrangements that appear to defy gravity.

In the UK, stone balancing is somewhat of a hidden art-form with few people practising it professionally. However, it does go on and it’s not uncommon to stumble upon strange rock or stone structures while walking on a beach. Internationally, there are a number of well established practitioners creating the most amazing work around the world.

Balancing Point brought together stone balancers, known and unknown, the experienced and the novice from around the country to work together in one location, raising the profile of this hidden but dramatic art-form and the artists who create these amazing works. The weekend event will be a mix of exhibitions, demonstrations, public workshops and community stone balancing at the National Stone Centre, near Matlock in the Peak District.

The took place over the weekend of 10-11 September and formed part of the Fringe activities of the Wirksworth Arts Festival.

The dramatic National Stone Centre (NSC) site offered the ideal backdrop for the first ever UK-wide event. Located near Matlock, on the edge of the Peak District, it displays a rich stone heritage and much geological interest including trails over the 330million-year-old fossilised tropical seascape – complete with evidence of sharks and corals.