The Guachochi commission began with an intense conversation between Eric and the client about water, sculpture, and Asian tradition. Eric invited the client to see the fountain sculpture he had recently designed for the Pinnacle Health Care Courtyard in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Impressed, the client visited Tariki's studio in Meriden and eventually asked Eric to be the lead designer in the building and remodeling project that became the Guachochi Commission. The unfolding project is a monumental integration of art and architecture, spiritual and aesthetic ideals, and state-of-the-art technology.

Guachochi: the home of the blue herons, the name of a cluster of Mexican rock formations where herons once migrated. The monolithic ceramic stones around which the Guachochi Commission is designed evoke these natural forms as well as the cyclical return of migration — the relationship between static structure and ever-present change.

Shibui: a Japanese aesthetic ideal of subtle elegance, literally the spirit of the persimmon, a fruit that combines bitter and sweet into a quietly textured flavor. The experience of Guachochi embodies the essence of this elusive quality.

The commission spans three structures. The original building, a two-hundred-year-old farmhouse, will retain its integrity. It will be attached to a new, 8,000-square-foot barn via an underground passageway. The barn will house an entertainment center, offices, and a Japanese-style ceremonial tea room, and will itself attach to a 3,000-square-foot greenhouse solarium, home to the Guachochi monoliths – four ceramic stones rising nearly 30 feet above free-form pools to create waterfalls of stunning yet subtle grace, ever changing.


The Tunnel
The experience of leaving one world behind for another begins in this passageway, a labyrinth of small sculptural pieces, fountains, and light paintings.
The Barn
Japanese elegance meets New England timber framing. The largest structure on the property is at home in its landscape, as comfortable and beautiful against the New Hampshire hills as classic barns three hundred years old.
The Greenhouse
An engineering feat, this steel-frame glazed solarium plays with light and water, sculpture and movement, color and the transformative power of space.
The Tea Room
The spiritual center of the complex, designed to encompass modern style in the authentic spirit of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony.

The Making of the Monoliths
Follow the step-by-step creation of these magnificent sculptures.

Download a description of the Guachochi Commission in .pdf format (requires Acrobat Reader).