MA IS A SINGULAR CREATURE.

HE HAS A SET OF GIFTS

WHICH MAKE HIM UNIQUE AMONG THE ANIMALS: SO

THAT. UNLlKE THEM. HE IS NOT A FIGURE IN THE LANO-

SCAPE - HE IS A SHAPER OF THE LANOSCAPE. IN BOOY

ANO IN MINO HE IS THE EXPLORER OF NATURE. THE

UBIQUITOUS ANIMAL WHO DIO NOT FINO BUT HAS MAOE

HIS HOME IN EVERY NTINENT.

Among the many relationships that deline the human condition , the individual's connection to the environment is primary.

The elemental background against which all our activity is played out , nature is the biggest olthe big pictures, We worship

and loathe jt , sanctify and destroy it. Birth , death and all that is gracelul and vicious between, sit comlortably within the

I natural web , We 'singular creatures' also bloom and rot on its vast matrix , but the combination 01 our amb ition and our

gifts makes us want more than simply to survive, We asp ire to leave our mark, inscribing our observations and gestures

within the landscape, attempting to translate and transgress the space within which we l in d ourselves,

1I our culture is the manilestation 01 this drive, then its continuing lascination with the land is testament to both the

potential and the strictures 01 our terrestrial condition , Subject both 01 science and art, the landscape lunctions as a mirror

and a lens, in it we see the space we occupy and ourselves as we occupy it. And we have consistenHy sought to connect

on so me level with the landscape. Humans have created lorms in honour 01 the land and as an act 01 deliance against it.

They have made objects to place within the sweeping vista and recreated its patterns in isolation Irom it invented images

variously designed to document. idealize and vilify the sometimes genHe, sometimes vi olent and always oblivious charms

01 the natural environment.

Among the most complex and lascinating 01 these art istic responses to the earth are the works that have come to be

called Land Art. What began in the m id 19605 with a small number 01 comm itted conceptualists - disenchanted with the

modern ist endgame and animated by a desire to measure the power 01 the artwork isolated Ira m the cosmopolita n com-

SURV EY
" modilications 01 the white cube - has grown over the last thirty years to inelude a widely diverging collection 01 lorms.

approaches and theoretical positions.

Like the work that it embraces. the term Land Art is variable. complex and Iraughl. In many ways a quintessentially

American art lo rm . the first manilestations 01 what came to be known as Land Art and grew to encompass earth . eco and
•

Environmental Art. began in the American cultural crucible 01 New York and the open spaces 01 its western deserts. Yet its

lormulation involved artists Irom around the world. who brought very different approaches to bear. Never a movement in

the traditional sense. encompassing a range 01 artists who might be at odds with each other's conceptions and executions,

Land Art is an imperfect hyponym lar a slippery and widely interconnected brand 01 conceptual kinship . Yet whether seen

to be engaged in the interrogations 01 Modernism . Minimalism or Conceptualism . as a purposelully romantic quest lar
•
reconnection with a kind 01 atavistic inspiration or as a serious·minded program me lar the practical conditions 01 the late-

industrial biosphere . all the work inelu ded here has as its pivot the land and the individual's responses to and activity

within il.

These projects are lundamentally sculptural (i n the sense 01 creating in three dimensions) and/or performance-based

(in terms 01 their orientations towards process. site and temporality) . They are concerned with the way both time and

natural lorces impact on objects and gestures, at once critical 01 and nostalgic lar the notion 01 'the garden ', alternately

aggressive and nurturing towards the landscape .

The range 01 w ork relerred to as Land Art and Environ mental Art encompasses a wide variety 01 post-war artmaking .

It ineludes site-specilic sculptural projects th at utilize the materials 01 the environment to create new lorms or to adjust
our impressions 01 the panorama , programmes that import new, unnatural objects into the natural setting with similar

goals, time-sensitive individual activities in the landscape, collaborative . socially aware interventions. By exploring these

approaches through examples 01 artworks and parallel texts. this anthology is intended to expandorather than circum-

scribe. traditional delinitions 01 the genre .

The interventions 01 the Land Artists - working the resources 01 antiquity with the tools 01 mechanized modernity.

exporting the cool cultural discourse 01 the city to in dustrial wastelands or the unacculturated desert - embodied the dis-

sonance 01 the contemporary age. The decade 01 the 1960s that spawned Land Art was a period 01 longing - lar a luture

that broke with a complacent present and lar a past that transcended both . An awakening 01 ecological and leminist con-

sciousness, the rapid integration 01 technology with everyday lile and the resultant nostalgia lar a simpler. more natural

existence, a recognition 01 the personal and politica l power 01 the individual to intervene. lar good or ill. within natural

systems - all 01 these demonstrate an ambivalence about the direction 01 socio-cultural progress . The political strile 01 the

times . and the increasingly decentralized. grass-roots political atlacks on the 'institution ' that contributed to il. were

echoed in the art wo rld 's increasing ambivalence towards its own institutional traditions .

Land Art emerged Irom a mid 1960s art worl d that was seekin g to break with the cult 01 personalized . transcendental

expression embodied in American post-war abstraction . In its celebration 01 mass produced cultural debris. like home

PREFACE
lurnighings. soap boxes and comic strips. Pop Art represented the antithesis 01 the pristine. uninflected environment 01 "
the modernist canvas . Similarly. process arto systems art and ultimately Land Art propose their own kind 01 sculptural

analogue lor this re-examination 01 the presumptions lor isolation and purity made on behall 01 the artistic gesture. The

conceptual approaches then emerging questioned established notions 01 the artistic objecl. as well as the authority 01 its

contexl. Artists lound alternatives to the gallery or museum by co-opting other urban building types or by working in the
•
open alr.

.A dissatislaction with the cu rrent social an d political system results in an unwilli ngness to produce commodities which

gratify and perpetuate that system ·. wrote critic Barbara Rose in a 1969 Artforum article. 'Here the sphere 01 ethics and

aesthetics merge.· ' Rose 's location 01 an increasingly anti-canonical aesthetic programm e within the context 01 the pre-

vailing social. political and economic system provides a touchstone lor examination 01 the Land Art phenomenon . The rise

01 contemporary environmentalist . leminist and de-centralized political strategies encouraged intensely political art
lorms . The broad range 01 works executed in the landscape participated in a programmatic challenge to social orthodoxy

through the agency 01 the artistic object virtually unparalleled in the twentieth century.

The late 19605 was the time 01 the Vietnam war. 01 the assassinations 01 Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy. 01

civil rights marches and student uprisings in Europe and the US oAs Irving Sandler notes in his Art of the Postmodern Era.

the chaos 01 the moment derived Irom and reiterated an essential crisis 01 laith in the Western body politic. In the denoue-

ment 01 the Second World War. the State. which was still viewed as the primary instrument 01 social action. began to lose

stature . The grand industrialist matrix 01 early twentieth-century social lile started to Iray and give way to the more intri-

cate dynamics 01 consumerism and new technologies . This shilt was liberating but also Iraught. and one price paid lor this

autonomy Irom established institutions was an inevitable sense 01 alienation . For all the sound and lury 01 the counter-

culture atlacks on the notion 01 the institution . practical change was limited . The ellect on sensibilities generated by the

ellorts to remake. and sometimes even make Irom scratch . an idea 01 society did. however. have a dramatic impact on our

view 01 ourselves and the world around us o

Quoting the historian Jonathan Miles . Sandler relates the impact 01 this sociological revolution . both despite and as a

result 01 its lailure . with the 'birth 01 a generalized concept 01 revolution - a concept that was seemingly endless in terms

01 what could be incorporated into il. Political emancipation . spiritual regeneration. sexual liberation ... alternative
lilestyles. grass-roots and community democracy ... ecologically-based production. holistic therapies. anti-institutional

"institutions" [ ... ]' AII 01 these. Miles writes. 'could reler back to one generalized concept' .' And this concepl. adds Sandler.

'would spawn artistic movement alter movement' in its wake. Few were so lully-Iormed and dramatic as Land Art.

Although resistant to being seen as part 01 any distinct movement. the artists who lirst began to work in the landscape

- Michael Heizer. Robert Smithson . Robert Morris . Dennis Oppenheim . Walter De Maria - all seem to have been dramati-

cally influenced by the socio-cultural currents 01 the time. They shared a conviction that sculptural gestures could have a

lile away Irom the institution . out in the world. inflected by a variable and 'organic ' location .

PREFACE
" Precedents do exist lor their lormal investigations - as early as 1955 Herbert Bayer had constructed his Earth Mound

at Aspen. Co lo rado. And the artists themselves ha d intermiltently presaged what would come to be their delining pro-

grammes . De Ma r ia had already suggested the idea 01 using artworks to activate an empty urban space in 1961 . Carl Andre

was beginni ng to question the notion 01 sculptural vertica lity by the middle 01 the decade . responding to the horizontality
•

01 the land. But what began as a lew scaltered expressions or plans lor working within the landscape began to coalesce
as the decade moved lorward. Morris and Smithson w ere both proposing projects in 1966 that involved 'earthwork '. In

1967 Heizer bega n to execute works in the Nevada desert - he and De Maria worked together in 1968 on De Maria 's Mile

Long Dra wing in Calilornia 's Mojave Desert. When Heizer created his seminal Nine Nevada Depressions in 1968-

commissioned by New York collector Robert Scull - he was joined by Smithson and his wile Nancy Hol! . Dennis
• -
Oppenheim moved Irom San Francisco to New York in 1966, having hung out with these artists at the lamous downtown

Manhaltan bar. Max 's Kansas City, he returned to the Bay Area to produce his Oakland Cut in 1967. The next year he exe-

cuted a series 01 snow projects in Maine , including Annual Rings, Time Pocket and One Hour Run.

l! was also in 1968 that the lirst 01 several important exhibitions dealing explicitly with earthworks was mounted at the

Dwan Gallery in New York . Alongside the Americans were artists such as Richard Long Irom England , Jan Dibbets Irom

the Netherlands and Germans Günther Uecker and Hans Haacke (who had been producing works incorporating and sited

within the land lor several years). They all participated in the 1969 show. 'Earth Art ', at the Andrew Dickson White Museum

at Cornell University in lthaca , New York, curated by Willoughby Sharp.

II the appearance 01 this work in the galleries and museums began to give shape to a 'movement' 01 sorts and to a

growing critical Iramework , it was still the work executed outside the exhibition spaces that drove the genre's progress .

The counter-culture project to dismantle existing socio-political authority necessarily implicated the authority 01 the art

world . 'lhe museums and collections are stuffed, the noors are sagging', wrote Michael Heizer, 'but the real space exists '.'

Leaving the gallery did imply a kind 01 anti-authoritarian gesture, a break with tradition. but not an unproblematic one .

Many 01 these artists were established ligures, represented by galleries. supported by patrons, with access to the

resources 01 the contemporary art world . Relocating an intricate conceptual programme into physical spaces traditionally

characterized by a kind 01 anti-intellectual work ethic. one that spurned high-toned debate in lavou r 01 vigorous labour. the

early earthworkers both continued the progression 01 long-established art historicallegacies and broke dramatically

Irom them .

Another important aspect 01 this thematic in post-war art was the increasing involvement 01 women artists and the

impact 01 Feminism. 'Beca use women's traditional arts have always been considered utilitarian '. Lucy R. Lippard argued in

a 1980 Art Journalessay on 'lhe Contribution 01 Feminism to the Art 01 the 1970s'. 'Ieminists are more willing than others

to accept the notion that art can be aesthetically and socially effective at the same time '.' And this entrance 01 utilitarian

ambitions into the sphere 01 contempora ry artistic practice linds many 01 its earliest and most prolound examples in work

involving th e natural world. A constellation 01 relate d vocabularies - among them perlormance , the critique 01 domestic-

PR EFACE
ity and work. and a synthetic yet interventionist stance toward social concerns in lorms as various as ecology. agriculture "
and waste treatment - were taken and consciously placed within the landscape. This environment -with all its historic and

mythic maternal identity - produced a brand 01 artma king tied to the social and cultural resonances 01 the land in a paral-

lel yet markedly different way than its male analogue .

lt is olten said that Land Art is - perhaps along with the bra wling days 01 Abstract Expressionism - the most macho 01

post-war art programmes. ln its l irst manilestations. the genre was one 01 diese l and dust. populated by hard-hat-m inded

men olinding their identities away Irom the comlorts 01 the cultural centre . digging holes and blasting cuts through cliff

sides. recasting the land with 'masculine ' disregard lor the longer term oYet il this is seen to be a visceral reaction to exist-

ing art world power structures . it must be remembered that its mythic qualities have to do at least in part with an appreci-

ation 01 the 'denial' implicit in the choice to leave a largely Iriendly and accommodating art world circuit behind . Yet. lor a

number 01 groups - especially women - such a distancing Irom power was hardly something that requ ired effort. Indeed.

the marg inalization 01 women that was intrinsic to the artworld may have . in lact. belter equipped them to lace the chal-

lenges and take advantage 01 the potential opportunities presented by the delinitive shilt away Irom the influence 01 insti-

tutional lorces. A loray outside the boundaries 01 the art world proper was no great liberating adventure lor most women

artists 01 the day - the margin was already their home.

Land Art represented an apotheosis 01 lormalism and the evolution 01 Minimalism . just as the leminist critique which

began to emerge in the late 19605 must be recognized as a primary lorce behind the decline 01 modern ist canons. As

Sandler notes . 'Postm inimalism was ushered in by a show called "Eccentric Abstraction ". curated by Lucy R. Lippard in

the la 11 01 1966. She decided to organ ize the show beca use the rigors 01 Minimalism . olwhich she had been an early cham-

pion . had made her aware olwhat was precluded . namely "any aberrations towards the exotic". She also recognized that

a sign ilicant number 01 artists "evolved a ... style that has a good deal in common with the primary [or mini mal] structure

as well as . surprisingly. with aspects 01 Surrealism o[These artists] reluse to eschew ... sensuous experience while they

also reluse to sacrilice the solid lormal basis demanded 01 the best in current non-objective art" [ ... l"
A number 01 lemale art ists were reconliguring the limits 01 Perlormance Art by establishing new modes 01 address lor

it. From Dada through Happenings and Aktion ism . up to contemporary pract itioners like Bruce Nauman . Vito Acconci and

Chris Burden . Performance Art is lundamentally anarchic. pointedly non-productive and ultimately pessimist ic in its

origins . Women artists such as Ana Mendieta or Mierle Laderman Ukeles. as well as notable male exceptions such as

Joseph Beuys . began to turn away Irom dead-ended behavourial critique and narcissistic tests 01 physio logy. toward prac-

tically effecting changes in the realms 01 cultural identity. community. co-operation and personal realization .

Because women 's work had always been regarded as existing apart Irom the kinds 01 momentous activities - wars.

conquest. exploration - that conventional readings 01 history placed at the lorelront 01 socia l evolution . it provided a pow-

erful basis lor a subversive new practice that would be at home outside structures 01 power. When women artists began

to query. contextualize and purposelully incorporate the potential and limitations 01 traditional lemale roles into their prac-

PREFACE
tice - rather than repudiate them as a kind 01 nostalgic. prosaicotheatrical clutler as Modernism would have had it - they

began to ch ange the very essence 01 art practice. Modernism deleated Classicism beca use it opened the door 01 the

academy to the vi brance 01 the everyday. Vet. even in its embrace 01 the quotidian . it too eschewed certain kinds 01 activity

as too banal. With its mythos 01 heroic creators and brave individualists. Modernism remained atlached to the notion that
•

artw ork might transcend the prosaicoBut in the work olthe women artists who turned their attentions to the land - Ukeles.

Betly Beaumont. Helen Mayer Harrison . Agnes Denes and others - it was precisely the everyday (washing . cleaning. gar-

dening. nurturing) that held the raw material lor artistic investigation . Dovetailing with a generalized reawakening 01 envi-

ronmental interest. linked to notions 01 caretaking conventionally associated with the leminine. the works 01 leading

lemale ligures in the avant-garde 01 the time proloundly altered the course 01 post-war cultural discourse and practice .
•
changing our expectations 01 what a work 01 art could be .

The variable . non-conventional kinds 01 projects that came to be produced in the landscape also challenged lormal

canons. As manipulations 01 three-dimensional materials in physical space . many 01 the lirst projects are sculptures. Vet.

executed and sited in a specilic location on which they depend lor their power. they have the ability to melt and spread

beyond the limits 01 their individual materiality. conlusing the traditional sculptural scheme in which the experience

begins and ends with the object.

With its growing emphasis on personal meditative gestures and integration with daily aspects 01 social interest. Land

Art evolved into one 01 the most egalitarian 01 post-war art movements . FormaUy. the works demonstrated what the mod-

ernist critic Michael Fried relerred to. lamously and pejoratively. as a kind 01 'theatricality' - that which 'lies between the

arts ·.' They also expanded into the contextual spaces between previously delimited boundaries 01 sociology. science .

history and art by conflating aU 01 them into a messy and Irequently exuberant express ion 01 'postmodernist' twentieth-

century lile .

Resituating the site 01 the aesthetic epiphany Irom the object to the beholder and the surroundings in which the object

was perceived - or generating an aesthetic experience without the object at aU - dramaticaUy alters the terrain 01 art-

making tradition . The opposition implicit in the early Land works - between the modernist ideal 01 traditional aesthetic

resources marshaUed within the privileged blank space 01 the gaUery and the conceptualist insistence on the contri bu-

tions to perception made by siting . temporality and material unconventionality- was one that sought to relocate the artist

and viewer Irom observer 01 nature to participant in il.

This participation went lar beyond simple issues 01 sensory appreciation . The rise 01 environmentalism . born in the US

with Thoreau and raised by Muir. came to a kind 01 proactive maturity in the 19605. Between Rachel Carson's ecological

caU to arms. Silent Spring. published in 1962 and the lirst Earth Daycelebration in 1970. environmental consciousness was

lorever changed . The development 01 Land Art in many ways mirrored the post-war evolution 01 eco-thoughl. The early

wilderness-colonizing efforts 01 the lirst generation American Land Artists actuaUy paralleled the ideas 01 conquest and

exploitation that characterized the industrial era . At the same time many artists experienced a nostalgia lor a pre-

PREfACE
industrial Eden , which precipitated, lirst. a critique 01 these con ditions and, ult im ately, a proactive sta nce in whlch the indi-
.,
vidual began to leel empowered to intervene in the problems that had been identilied, The great earthmovers who worked

to lorcibly rearrange the stuff 01 the natural world in an effort to mediate our sensory relationship with the landscape were

succeeded by art ists who sought to change our emotional and spiritual relationship with it. They, in turn , spawned a third

approach , that 01 the literally 'envi ronmenta l' artist. a practice which turned back to the terrain , but this time with an activ-

ity meant to remedy damage rather than poetici ze it.

The book is divided into three sect ions, a survey text which charts the most signilicant aesthetic and critical character-

istics 01 Land and Envi ronmenta l Art: a compilation 01 key works accompanied by extended captions : and documents

which encompass artists ' statements, key critical commentaries and essays Irom philosophicaL literary, scientilic or cul-

tural sources which provi de a broader context. The plates and the documents are themselves structured around a series

01 themes, Inception , Integration , Interruption , Involvement. Implementation, Imagining and Illumination , These themes

are not intended to provide comprehensive documentation 01 a particular style or movement withi n the overall gen re ,

Rather, they are des igned to sketch a tendency, an area 01 interest and pract ice, which in its art historicaL social or poetic

meaning lorms part 01 the larger picture 01 Land and Envi ronmental Art. This book is not in itsell designed to generate

new specilic criticism 01 Land and Envi ronmental Art. but rather to brin g together an array 01 observations , meditations,

explications and ca lis to action in a contextual orbit a round a strongly gravit at ional cultural body, It is in this interplay with in

a loose ed itorial Iramework, rather than in any explicit authorial inscription , wh ere readers will be able to build bridges

between wh at m ight seem distant locations in the socio-cultural landscape .

Our re lationsh ip with the land is complex oWe see stability in its mute permanence and flux in its unending variances.

We exploit and atlack nature , wrestling lrom it the things we need to survive. Yet we are also aware 01 its transcendent

imperturbability, its aw esome uncontrollable power, Making the home lor ourselves in nature that Bronow ski describes

is, wrote Wendell Berry, 'the lorever unlinished lilework 01 our species ." The only thing we have to preserve nature with

is culture: the only thing w e have to preserve wildness with is domest icity' .' Th is lundamental human predicament -like

our entire relationship to the environment and our legacy within it - is animated by prolound connections and insur-

mountable divisi ons . The best Land and Environmental Art highlights th is contradiction , probing the limits 01 artistic activ-

ity with the limitless tools 01 the artistic imagination .

1 Pmhlems ofCnIlOSm VI Th<! PoLla 01 An Pan ArTforum NewYal1<. 1969 Repnllted In Imn!} Sandler Arloftlle1't>slmodem Era From Iheule 6th lo rile úrl.y 1'1),;. leon NewYori<. 1996

3 He .... , 1M An 1)1 IotK:haeI He'ltr Anforvm New Yor1< Oecember 1969

¿ LIK)' R- upp.ard The CollltlbullOn 01 Fem'nlsm lo tI>t! Art olth 1970s Art .Joumal NewYork. fall W,nler 1980 Repnnled ,n Pmlr G/assSwan SelectedFemml5/ EssaysonArt Ne .... Press NewVorl<. 1995

5 Sandler op al
6 "'>eNel Fned Art and ObJecthood ArTIorvm New YerIL June 1967
7 WendE-U Berry Ho",e ECOI'IOmlCS NOflh Polnl s..n Fr.lnc\5C<> 1987 Repnnled ,n W,lhamCronon Th .. Truublewllh .. ss or. Gen,ng Bad 10 lile Wrung Nalure Uncommon Gro<.rnd Tow"rdRem.fonl"'9 Na/ure "el W ,am CronOIl WW

Norton&Co NewYorkandlondon 1995

PREFACE
•
 •
•

•
" In 1992, delegates from 179 nations came
together at the Earth Summit in Rio de
aneiro forthe United Nations' first-ever"
attem pt to develop a coherent i nterna-
tional policy on the environment. Ifinter-
•

national observers ofthis widely publicized

event watched with a m ixtu re of cautious
optimism and frank scepticism, such a
responsewas due in parttothe insanely
overambitious and fundamentally divisive
goals ofthe conference: to stem environ-
mental destruction while improvingthe
economic condition of all peoples. The
viewpoints ofthe various nations involved
were so diverse that consensus seemed
i m possi ble; fu rther, any poi icy generated
would likelywind up being disappointingly
centri st. 1

SURV(Y
 2'
•
To many, the Summit seemed like no more than a vast
p u bl i c -rel ation s effo rt with Iittle ho pe of cu rbi n g the true vi 1-
lains in a worsening global eco-cris is: the major industrial
and corporate polluters. This position w as only bolstered
bythe lavish promotional materials prod uced and dissemi-
nated at the Summit, which subsumed the ap pa rently
unattainable aims underthe upbeat catchphrase ' su stain-
able development', and offered endless , blithely opt im istic
images of one world united by a common goal .
While delegates to the con-
ference were debati ng vari-
ous geopolitical and spatial
remappings,outsidethe
"
•••
•
o

- •
••
meeting halls two very dif-
••
•o"•
ferent 'images ofecology' were being presented. Thefirst 2

gained considerable attention from a photo-op-starved

media that had descended on the otherwise sombre summit,
particularly since it inverted in spectacular fashion the rosy
emblem ofthe summit itself. From high atop Sugar Loaf
Mountain, the promontorythat dominates Rio ' s harbour,
G reen peace activi sts u nfu rled a ba n ner that featu red the
globe depicting solely the Southern Hemisphe re over-
stampedwiththewords 'Sold' and 'Vendido'. In a canny,
SURVEV
succ in ct way, the banner summarized one ofthe key debates ofthe conference: that
Northe rn nations with far greater econom ic power were exploiting the non-reneweable
resou rces ofimpoveris hed Sou thern nations. As environmental groups critical ofthe
co nference noted, the economic and political norm being promoted was based upon a
•

late-capitalist American-sty le model of development, with all its attendant notions of

wealth and progress. The crucial question was not so much how to manage the environ-
ment, but who would manage it.
One presu ma bly un i ntentional resu It ofthe Earth Su m m it was precisely th i s reorienta-
tion of antagonisms from the old East-West alignment ofthe Cold War to a new North-
•
South opposition . The Greenpeace banner also echoed a widespread post-colonial
rethinking of global mapping itself and its relation to the project ofdomination. The
year 1992 was, after all, the 500th anniversary ofColumbus' 'discovery' ofNorth America,
and many non-white intel le ctual s were seizing upon the occasion to challenge the

_ o
• -
.

·-, -.
- '" e
" -"
•

-: 3 ..,

·,>"
z

:l
• •o
o•
ti "'- --
• •
-o

•• "o o
• o
:o:: o::'
-"••
•o
Euro cen tr ism ofWes tern art and th ough t. As Latino artist Gu illermo Gómez-Peña said
at the ti me, 'Artists and writers throughout the continent are cu rrently i nvolved in a ...
redefi n it ion of our continenta l topography. We imagine either a map ofthe Americas
wi th out borders , a map turned upside down, or one in w hich ... borders are organically
drawn by geography, culture and i mmigration, not by the capricious fingers of economic
dom i nation'.3
Less visible but equally incisi ve was a work by US artist Mark Dion , created as a part of
'Arté Amazonas ', a contempo rary exhibition staged by the M useu de Arte Moderna in Rio
t o co in cide with the Earth Su mm it. For his installation A Meter ofJungle, Dion adopted
the guise ofthe expeditionary naturalist and literally remo ved a section ofthe jungle 1100r,
transporting itto the galleryfordissection and classi fication . This physical displacement
replicated the principal operation ofRo bert Smi th so n 's Non-sites, although in Dion ' s
case , the change in context from the original loca le to the museum was meant self-

SURVEY
 • 2J
• consciously to mimi( the i mperialistic basis of natural history size, changes the magnitude and i mportan ce ofthing s.
Robert Smithson once remarked , 'Lo ok cl osely at a crack in
80th of these alternative approaches to the envi ronment- the wall and it might as well be the Grand Can yon '. In the
that ofthe eco-3ctivist and the eco-artist - trace their erigi ns same way, polítical or historical events sometimes gai n
to the agitatlons ofthe 19605, mast particularly to the long- prominence only through a change In optlC. Such is t he case
deprecated phenomenon known as Earth or Land Art, and with Land Art, which, although flamboyantl y boo stered in the
more generally to the fu ndamental reordering af critical and heady, back-to-the earth , 960s, has s i nce large ly fa llen offt he
representational practices conceived at that ti me. Both also map of canonical art histories. Such delays and repres si on s in
unite certain themes, crudely construed as 'politics' and 'art', the reception or history ofideas have thelr own mechan ism s;
in a form of commu njcatíon that embraces both performance sometimes it is necessary to uncover those earl ier moments,
and theory, aesthetics and activism. By locating the sources of not to establish so me false pedigree, but to reconnect w ith
these strategies in political developments ofthe , 960s, one and even celebrate what was previously overlooked .
can not only provide a historical point of origin, but also reveal The whole Land Art movement was, according to early
how both currents responded to a need to develop what accounts, a scrappy and faddish set of pranks camed out by
French urbanist Henri Lefebvre called a 'critique of everyday a small group of self-described nature nuts. But in retrospect ,
jife' - a form of quotidien-based analysis that many would it seems to have presaged - or at least participated in - the
-
o

- • Identify with the emergence of Postmodernism in the, 980s. abrupt shift from Modernism to Postmodernism, particularly
This historical recuperation is especially relevant in light in the way that Postmodernism bracketed both 'nature'
and 'culture' as socially constructed or fktional ideas.
Postmodern ists see a thorough interpenetration of cul-
ture and nature, regarding both as discursive flelds not
fully apprehendable as 'fact'. The critical application of
this view suggests, in the words of primatologist Donna
Haraway, that 'Iove of nature could be part ofthe solution
> ..
rather than the imposition of colonial dominatíon and cul-
• • tural destruction'.
·
•" >,
o
•
ofthe fact that many contemporary artlsts, like Dion, have

-
•
<

•"
recently found in the work of earlier Environmental Artists
unresolved dilemmas, abandoned practices and distorted
Earth wo rks
In October 1968, at the height ofthe Vietnam war, six months
histories - in short, npe possibilities for creating an art prac- after the student riots ofParis, and justweeks before the elec-
tice that engages both materially and cfltically with the past. tion of Richard Nixon as President ofthe U nited States, artist
To cite just a few recent examples: Renée Green's Partia/ly Robert Smithson organized an exhibition at Dwan Gallery in
Buried (1996) takes a multi-faceted look back at Smithson's New York titled simply 'Earthworks'. Included in the show
Portio/ly Buried Woodshed (1970); Christian Philipp M üller's were large-scale outdoor works by fou rteen artists, mostly
contribution to the 1997 Documenta examines the current young a nd little-known, but also including Herbert Bayer and
state of earlier site-speciflc works by Joseph Beuys and Walter Claes Oldenburg. Al! ofthe works posed an explicit challenge
De Maria; and Peter Fend's Ocean Earth company now builds to conventional notions of exhibition and sales, in that they
earthworks origlnally designed by Dennis Oppenheim and were either too large or too unwieldy to be collected; most
•
M ichael Heizer in the, 960s. Why this pronou nced contem- were represented only by photographs, further emphasizi ng
•o
-
--
-
o
porary return to the prior examples ofland-based work?
The exercises of a few 'earth artists' in the deserts ofthe
their resistance to acquisition. Named after a dystopian sci-
ence-fiction novel by Brian W. Aldiss about a future 10 which
western United States in the late '960s mayseem almost triv- even soil has beco me a precious commod ity, the 'Earthworks '
ial when compared to the grand, if unrealizable, ambitions of show delivered a pointedly pessimistic comment on the cur-
the '992 Earth Summit. But sometimes scale, ratherthan rent state of America's environment and its future .

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 This perspective was congruent with the general political eter, collected by Robert Morris and laced wi th steel rod s and
atmosphere ofthe time, in which the ecological movement pipes, bands offelt, scraps ofwood and coils ofbarbed wire.
was growlng rapidly. and political activism, particularly In This work. typical ofMorris' anti-form installations, was a
opposition to thewar in Vietnam, was regarded as vlrtually kind of emblem, suggesting the provisional, anti-romantic
mandatory among artists. Although not politlcalm any con· view of nature typical ofthe works in the show. Such appar·
ventional sense, the 'Earthworks' exh ibition was clearly oppo- ently casual spills and scatter pieces al so challenged the static
sltional in that it demonstrated an intentlon to move the con- and fetishized character of modernist sculptu re, including the
ception of art beyond the spatial confl nements of the studio rigid Gestalts ofMorris' own earlier minimal sculptures, as
and the gallery.' In addition, the various works included in the well as idealized concepts oflandscape. Shortly after the
show all overturned stereotyplcal versions oflandscape and 'Earthworks' exhibition, Morris wrote, ' What art now has in its
its meaning; the contnbuting artlsts joi ned up, however awk- hands is mutable stuff which need not arrive at a point of
wardly. with pioneering ecologis ts in turning attention to the being flnalized with respect to time or space. The notion that
•
land and people's relationship to it. work is an irreversible process ending in a static icon-object
like many polltlcal currents of the 1960s. the ecology no longer has much relevance.'
movement was a millennialist reaction to both the successes An eq u a lIy stri ki n g as pect ofthe 'Ea rthworks' exh i bition
and failures ofModernism. It was not simply a moral cam- was that much ofit consisted solely of photographic docu-
paign against the corporate depredation ofthe environment, mentation of works that were either permanently sited in dis-
but also an anxious response to the globalization of electronic tant locations or destroyed. This not only frustrated conven·

- tional market expectations in the

gallery, but established a strange .
o

sense of absence, even loss, and

posed a peculiarly disorienting
problem aboutwhat constituted
the ' real' work of art. As critic Craig
Owens later noted, the key shift
marked by these works was 'a rad-
and cultural technologies. Mass war, nuclear th reats, popula- ical dislocation ofthe notion of point-of-view, which is no
tíon explosions. repressive economies and polluted rivers all longer a function of physical position, but of mode (photo-
suggested that the utopian promises of progress had failed. graphic, ci nematic, textual) of confrontation with the work of
From this followed what the geographer David Pepper calls art'. This dislocation was only amplifled by the bizarre nature
the 'ecocentric catechism': 'anti-materialism; love and of many ofthe projects shown: a room fllled with earth and
respect for the land; the land as one organlsm; the extension mil e-long drawings in the desert by Walter De Maria; rings cut
of" natural righ ts " from humans to the rest of nature; the need into a wheat fleld by Denn is Oppenheim; a l ine ofwood blocks
for an ecologlcal conscience rat her than mere agronomic placed in a forest by Carl Andre; and various trenches gouged
management; the plea to return to an outdoor hollstic science through forests and mud flats by Michael Heizer. Oldenb urg
of natural h IStOry '. Such views often tended to be translated showed whatwas perhaps the most unusual work: a hole in
mto nationalistic versions ofthe pastoral based on such Central Park that he had hired professional gravediggers to
cliched examples as John Constable's often reproduced dig and then flll in. (The work was represented i n the exhibi-
painting The Haywain (1821) or Eliot Porter's colour pho- tion by photographs and a plastic bag full of dirt.)
tographs of pristlne nature. J ust one month previous, Smithson, the acknowledged

Agai nst thls iconography of ecology, the dlsplflted sense of polemicist for the budding Earth Art movement. had pub·
place echoed In the 'Earthworks ' was clearly dysfunctional. In lished an essay titled 'A Sedimentatíon of th e M ind: Ea rt h
the centre ofthe exhlbition, and also beanng the title Projects '. which served as a kind of manifesto for the exhibi·
Earthwork, was a small mound ofdirt, twenty-flve feet In dlam- tion. In that meandering text, Smithson offered at least three

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• propositions regarding the meaning and relevance of recent scale) formed both the ground for refined experimentatlon
Earth Art. First, he proposed the work as a challenge to for- and the basls for determinatlons of success. Thus, works like
malist views of sculpture's 'proper' role recently pronounced Kenneth Noland's Targets (1958-62) and Chevro", (1962-65),
by critic M ichael Fried; Smlthson asserted that both studlo- bold emblems of colour stalned onto unprimed canvas, were
based art and the (oncept ofthe autonomous or ttmeless art considered exemplary modernist works. Characteristics con-
object that Fried so adamantly defended were essentially fin- sidered extrinsic to the medium, particularly literary or theatri-
ished. Secondly, Smithson argued that des pite their apparent cal qualities such as narrattve, realism, description, subJect
5ubJect, earthworks had litde to do with conventional notions matter or drama, were regarded by Greenberg as detrtmental
oflandscape or nature. 'The desert' , he wrote, 'is less "nature" im p u rities. Thu s, he stated, 'Three-d imensional ity tS the
than (oncept, a place that swallow5 up boundaries' ," Finally, province of sculpture, and forthe sake ofits own autonomy
Smlthson claimed that 'the more compelling artists today are painting has had aboye all to dlvest itself of everythlng it
concerned with "place" or "slte" '. By thls Smithson meant m Ight share with sculpture'.
not only specific overlooked locations, but also a conceptual For Greenberg and his followers (who included Fried,
relation between viewers and boundaries, inside and outside, Sidney Til lim and Rosalind Krauss), Modernism was con-
centre and perlphery. stantly bound to an almost tautologlcal and formally reduc-
In hlS essay 'Art and Oblecthood' (1967)' Fried accurately tive system, based on rational principies but prohibiting traf-
perceived that for the flagging modernist art movement of the fic wlth the 'real world'. Transgress ion or critique could take
mid 1960s, the major artistlC problem was what to do with place only with in the established terms of artistic creatíon.
sculpture.' How could its history Change was defined by stylistic or technical innovation, and it
be rewntten, how could ItS domi· followed that formal advancements would íncrease the
nant terms be evaluated? This degree of visual pleasu re. Greenberg's Modernism excluded
crisis, whlch would contlnue to a ny considera tio n of extra-a rt istic factors, expl ;citly denyi ng
haunt formalist critlcs for that artworks were themselves bound by a web of connections
decades, stemmed from the rigid to specifk historical and social contexts. Jndeed, in the aes-
critlcal dlctums that had been laid thetic economy of Modernism, the amount of pure pleasure
down In the previous decade by provided by a work of art was often measured by how effec-
the influential American critic Clement Greenberg. Best- tively that work separated itself from everyday time and space
known for his strong defence of Abstract Expressionlsm in the to provide an imaginary oasis ofideal reflectíon.
19405, Greenberg had, by the end ofthe 19505, developed a In hls own text, Fried used Greenberg's critical model to
very compelllng, though hlghly personal, theory of the logic of attack the dramatic installatlons of early Minimalism, which
Modern Art. he called 'Literalism '. In dis paragl ng the works ofOonald
Greenberg's pn ncipal rule was this: 'The essence of J udd and Robert Morrís, Fried wrote, 'The concepts of quality
Modernism lees, as I see It, In the use ofthe characteristlc and value - and to the extent that these are central to art, to
methods of a discipline to criticize the discipline itself- not in the concept of art itself- are meaningful or wholly meaning-
order to subvert It, but to entrench It more firmly in its area of fui, onlywithin the Individual arts. What líes between the arts
competence'. Thls view presupposed an allegiance to the is thea tre'. Fried' s notion of theatrica Iity wa s typi fied by the
conventional aesthetic categories ofhigh Modernism - paint- Invasion ofthe static art of sculpture by duratlon, temporality.
Ing, sculpture, drawing and architecture - and a commltment This created a dramattc situation In which mlnlmalist works-
to reinforcing the boundaries that separated them . Indeed, unlike conventlonal modernist sculptures - were no longer to
the measure of quality In any particularwork of art was gauged be vlewed as autonomous, self-contained objects in an atem·
by the degree to which it criticized , defined and upheld that poral state of grace. Rather they referred directly to the archl-
mediu m and eliminated elements from other disciplines. In tectural space of the gallery and to the viewer passing through
painting, for example, the inherent qualities of the medium a nd pa rtic ipati ng in that space.
(which Greenberg identified as colour, flatness , edge and Greenberg himself summarized the stakes lO the debate

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when he stressed, 'The bo rd erline between art and non-a rt is situa ted within the artwork's spatial para meter, the experi·
had to be sought in the three-dimensional , where sc ulpture ence beco mes 'theat rical' . And, as ifto suggest that the Earth
was and where eve ryt hing material that was not art, also Artists were somehow taking advantage of modernist art's
was'. The questlo n involved In deba ting Fried's concept of deb ilitated state, Tillim wrote that earthworks were, like Pop
theatncality, then, was not si mply what constituted scu lptu re, Art , a 'precious primitivism seeking revitalization through
but wha t co nstitu ted art itself. As it turned out, m uch of the willful banality ... [that] arrive at a moment when Modernism
groun dbrea kl ng work ofthe late 19505 and early 19605 was is at th e lowest ebb in its history'."
chara cter ized prec isely by its 'theatricality' and its tendency to Tillim was not alone in considering Land Art a return to the
operate between tradit ional catego ries. This is obvious in the landscape traditio n, and other critics also began to assert his-
dance , performance, film and gallery-filling installat io n work torical precedents for it in eighteenth-century aesthetic theo-
ofRobert Rauschenberg, Yvonne Rainer, Yayo i Kusama , Andy ries ofthe sublime and the picturesque as well as other
Warhol, Fluxus and others. But a similar argument can be Mayan, Egyptian and Native American sources. But Land Art
made fo r the interdisciplinary aspects of other intellectual cur- had virtually nothing to do with such conventinnal notions of
rents ofthe period that are generally considered in strictly landscape as gardening, open prairies , natural rock forma-
political terms . Thus, one m ight consider the 'theatrical' tions, or John Ford's Monument Valley. Nor were these works
aspects ofthe feminist critique of representation , the counter- rituallandforms in the sense ofthe Creat Serpent Mound in
culture's revolt against autho rity, the situationist remapping Ohio or the Egypt ian pyramids. For the most part they were
of urban spaces, the conceptual ists' attention to the institu- im permanent anti-monu ments, formed with the aid of gravi ty
tional frames of art, the by the removal or addition of natural materials. Although
•
civil rights movement's often vast in scale, they were in tended to be inclusive, partici- •
"
strategies to re-assert patory, even intimate. Quite unlike manifestations ofthe sub-
culturalself-definition lime, as defined by Edmund Burke in the eighteenth century,
and the critical reappro· earthworks made no attempt to overwhelm or intimidate the
priation of popular cul- viewer. Burke suggested that the sublime, a mood prompted
ture in a wide range of by some overwhelmi ng or awe-inspiri ng natural feature,
subculturalstyles. would create in the viewer an unsettling fear or astonishment,
The second part of5mithson 's argument addressed the similar to what Sigmund Freud later called 'the uncanny'. In
ways in which earthworks differed from conventional Burke's catalogue of compa risons , sublime objects are vast
app ro aches to landscape then being held up as a standard by and painful , beautiful objects are small and produce pleasure
fo rma Iist crit ics Iike Creen berg. S m ith son a (¡ gned in the observer. (ontrasting the open prairiewith the expanse
e reenberg's view oflandscape with that of popular garden of ocean, fo r instance, Burke proclaimed that the ocean was
magazi nes that favour' memory traces oft ranquil gardens as infinite ly greater because, as he said , 'the ocean is an object of
"ideal nature" -jejune Edens that sugges t an idea ofbanal no small terror ... [and] terror is in all case s whatsoever, either
"quality" '.'9 In a lengthy rev iewofthe 'Ea rthwork s' exhibition more openly or lately, the ruling principie ofthe sublime'."
in ArtJorum titled 'Earthworks and the New Pictu resque', Beauty, on the other hand, evokes feel ings oflove and compla-
C reenbergian critic 5idney Tillim assailed what he perceived cency, according to Burke.
as the prevai ling Romanticism ofthe Land Art movement. 'o A generation after Burke, English philosopher Uvedale
He complained that the new earthworks were simply an Prtce proposed the picturesque as more than simply a middle
•
updated form ofthe 'picturesque' - that is, landscape seen in ground between beauty and sublim ity, albeit one with a 'more
a pictorial way. Li ke Minimalism, he suggested , earthwork s general infl uence'. Rather, he fel t that both beauty and the
were useless artefacts that created a se tt ing more than a s ublime were weighted down by an extrem is m that produced
space and, like the eighteenth-century picturesque, served un iformity and stasis ('that general equal gloom which is
largely to define th e obse rver as a 'man oftaste '. Here, Tillim sp read over all nature before a storm'); the picturesque, he
accepted Fried's ce ntral idea : the fact that when the observe r said, requires greater variety. 'J As an example, Price offered

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• this argument (quoted appro'Jlngly by Smithson in his 1973 Thus, when Smlthson made his third daim, that the more
essay 'Frederick Law Olmsted and the Dialectical compelling artists ofhis day were concerned with 'place' or
Landscape'): 'site', he was invoking an altogether new concept ofthese
'The side ofa smooth green hill, tom byJ1oods, may at first very terms. The spots that Smithson preferred were artificial, mar-
properly be called dejormed: and on the sarne principie, though glnalized or downright banal. The type oflandscape he sought
no! with the same impression, as a gash on an animal. When a was embodied in fellow sculptor Tony Smith's famous
rawness ofsuch a gash in the ground;5 softened, and in part con· description of a night drive on an abandoned hlghway:
cealed and ornamented by the effects oftime, and the progress of 'This drive was a revealing experience. The road and much ofthe
vegetation, deformity, by this usual process, is converted into pie- landscape was artificial, and yet it couldn 't be called a work ofarto
turesqueness; and this is the case with quarries, gravel pits, etc., On the other hand, it did somethingfor me that art had never
which at first are deformities, and which in the;r mast picturesque done. {Its] effect was to liberate me from many ofthe views I had
5tote, are afien comidered as such by a leveling improver. '.. about arto It seemed that there had been a reality there which had
The picturesque, Price claimed, 'by its variety, its intricacy, its not had any expression ;n arto The experience ofthe road was
partial concealments ... excites that active curiosity which something mapped out but not socially recognized. I thought to
gives playto the mind, loosening those iron bonds with which myself, it ought to be clear that's the end ofarto Most paintings
astonishment chains up its faculties'." In otherwords, Price looks pretty pictorial afier that. There;s no way you can frame it,
accepted the ongoing changes and disasters of nature and you just halle to experience it'.
attempted to develop a more practical and pragmatic view of Although many critics were struck by Smlth's visionary
the landscape, based on actual experience and realland rather words (including Michael Fried, who used Smith's quotation
than the brooding visions ofidealists like Burke. Price's idea as the starting point for his argument about the theatricality of
ofthe picturesque, as Smithson recognized, was based on minimalist sculpture), Smithson saw in this description an
'chance and change in the material order of nature': Thus, echo ofhis own fascination for useless spaces and for the
Smlthson concluded, 'Price seems to have accepted a side of meanings to be found in a landscape that was understood to
nature that the "formalists" ofhis times would rather have be geographically, historically and socially situated. As
excluded'." Smlthson wrote In the 'Sedimentation' essay, 'A bleached and
Smithson saw Prlce's theories in light ofhis own notion of fractured world surrounds the artist. To organize this mess of
the dialectlcallandscape as 'a process of ongoing relation· corrosion into patterns, grids and subdivisions is an aesthetic
ships existing in a physical region'. Then, speaking of process that has scarcely been touched'. · What Smithson
Olmsted (but obviously referring to contemporary debates meant by'earthworks', then, was both pre-existing sites on
about Earth Art), he added, 'Dialectics of this type are a way of the land and artistic interventions that marked, traversed,
seelng thlngs in a manifold of relatlons, not as isolated constructed or demarcated territory. In other words, both
objects. Nature for the dialectiClan is indifferent to any formal operations involved actions or processes - pointing or map-
idea l'. Sm Ith son' s notion of the di a lectical la nd sca pe pre-
L ping - that might be called 'spatial practices'.
supposes the idea that the landscape is a culturally con·
structed entity. Not only is the landscape bounded by a politi- A Rad ica l Dislocation
cal culture - either developed or al/owed to remain wilderness Although conventional art histories chart the sudden emer-
- but it is invented in advance in the form of representations, gence ofLand Art in 1968 as a sort offootnote to the triumph
including maps, photographs, engineering plans, etc. For of Minimalism, a more quantifiable and gallery·bound move-
Smithson, those representations were not the end product ment, it is more useful to see it as part of a wider practice of
but the beginning of a long line of corruption and devolution, spatia! concerns, what Owens calls 'a rad¡cal dislocation of
developments that he saw as exciting and generative. In fact, art'. This involved not only the physical dematerialization of
in his series of'site selections' of 1967, he once designated the art object (as described by much Conceptual Art, In which
the unfinished pilings of a dam as 'an abstract work of art that a rtworks were often reduced to propositions or ideas involv-
vanishes as it develops'. ¡ng no material form) but also various conceptual proJects

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• based on geogra phical o r econom ic decentri ng (often i ncl ud - elements taken from common sayings, an allusive fragmen-
Ing a shlft in t he co nventional relatlon between centre and tary storywhose gaps mesh with the social practices it sym-
per; ph ery). These included certaln manifestations of bolizes'.37
Happeni ng s, Fluxus , Conceptual Art and Situationism that While de Certeau 's examples are based on urban street
were m os tly urban oriented and were concerned with patterns cultu re , the pract ice and its analysis allow one to recognize in
ofeveryday life as well as the social organizatían of space. the work of 1960s Conceptual Artists 'the forms
Early conceptual examples of such spatial practices taken by the dispersed, tactical and makeshift creativity of
i nclude Yoko Ono's Map Pieces (1962- 64), one ofwhich groups or individuals already caught in the nets of"disci-
Instructed participants to 'Draw a map to get lost'; Stanley pi ine'" .¡8 Fu rther cla ri fyi ng the ways such socia I spaces a re
Brouwn 's This Way Brouwn (1961-62), in which passers-by in activated , art historian Rosalyn Deutsche distinguishes
Amsterdam were asked to draw maps to various locat ions; between two key factors: difference and use. She notes,
Douglas Huebler's Variable Piece #1 (1968), a 'si te scul pt ure' 'Different iation from other sites, rather than intrinsic charac-
in which four corners of a square were mapped randomly in teristic, endows social spaces with dístinct identities and
various vertical and horizontal directions by placing pieces of values. 1n addition, members of particular social groups
tape on elevators, cars and tr ucks, and permanent perceive and use these spaces: they visit them regularly,
H uebler later described the sorts of soci al processes he ca rry on in terrelat ions there , and interpret reality in their
meant to set in motion, '1 always felt tha t th eworkwas meant cul tural settings.' J9 .
"
to launch the person viewing ¡nto a "real-life" experience ... 1 These social activations of spatial conditions were crucial
to the first generatíon ofLand
Artists whose works often
addressed the specific histories
and social uses oftheirenviron-
mental context even as they trans-
formed that space. Frequently the
works addressed the history and
J representation of nature, the pat-
took a road map [andJ 1 just drew random trips with a magic terns and process of growth ordecay, as well as thecomplex
marker as on an AAA map, and 1 wrote on those things and historical and social iss ues perta ini ng to the site's ecology. A -,•
o
gave a numberofthem out '. cent ral idea was that of nature as defined and shaped byculture Q

Such projects enacted what geographer Edward Soja or, more specifically, the hi story and phenomenology of man's
refers to as a 'spatialization ofcultural politics', a radical inha bitat ion ofth e landscape - what geographe r John
rethinking ofthe inte rsections between social relations , space Brincke rhoff Jackson calls the 'vernacular landscape' and iden-
and the body. This rethinking , he claims, can lead to a kind of tifies with 'local custo m, pragmat ic adaptatíon tocircum-
in-between or third space, a 'Iived space of radical openness 5 ta n ces a nd un pred icta ble mobil ity'.·c
and unlimited scope, where all histories and geographies, all 1fthese terms seem a far cry from the monumental earth-
times and places, are immanently presented and represented , works for which the Land Arti sts are best known, that is in part
a strateglc space of power and domination, empowerment because the docu mentatíon of these works has focused atten-
and resistance'. Soja cites, in particular, French sociologist tion on their sc ulptural forms and denected it away from their
•
Michel de Certeau's notion of'spatial practices' to describe spatial settings and socia l interconnections. Viewers of pho-
thewaya physl cal place is embodied through social actions, tographs ofthe d is tant desert earthworks by Smithson,
such as people's movements through it. Against the totaliz- He izer or De Maria were often struck by the isolation and
Ing s pace ofth e grid orthe government survey, de Certeau barren charac ter ofthe landscape and tended to see the works
sees a whole rhetoric of pathways, such as those proposed by aslarge-scale ve rsio ns of minimal sculptures. Bu t such aes-
Conceptual Art is ts, s preading out like a 'story jerry-built out of thetic descriptions failed to acknowledge the complex rela-

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 •
• tionships between the earthworks and the soc ial and biologi. ' Earthworks ' sh ow in 1968, Hei ze r had alread y created at least "
cal context ofthe deserto As (dtie El izabeth Baker noted after ten temporary land wo rks in th e weste rn US dese rt . including
visiting several ofthe earthworks, ' jThere is an] unexpected Isofoted Ma ss, Circurnfle x (1968), m ade wi t h the assistance of
sense one gets oftheir connectlon with ordinary, everyday life Robert Sm ithson and on e o f Nine Nevada Depressions (1968) I

... Irequ iring] encounters at every level of society, with federa l a senes o f craters funded by ca llecto r Robert 5cull that
and state land offic ials through local industrial ists , ranch stretched 520 m il es across t he Neva d a de serto
owners and bankers to suppliers of all kinds , technicians Desp ite the apparent li tera li zat ion of the d ra wing practlCe
workmen and even watchmen ' . onto a mass ive sca le , Heizer's wo rkwa s both subtle and com-
Helzer, as the son of a noted archaeologist and authority plex. For one thing , he accepted the tempo ra ry na ture ofthe
on Native American tr ibes , was fam iliar with the d iff work , and even took pleasure In pub ll sh ing p hotogra p hs of
dwellings , rock drawings and other archaeolog ical features , the deterloratlon of pieces years after they were m ad e . He also
as well as the various ethn ic cultures that thrived in the focused on negat ive space both withlO and beyon d the act ua l
American Southwest. Sm ithson was also acutely aware of the work. Along wlth 5m ithson , Oppenhe im and De Maria ,
historyof specifk s ites and sought to incorporate both Heizerwas involved in a who le host o f pract lces des igned to
anClent myths and present-day banallt ies into the work . In break down the obJect , indud ing negat ion (cuts , hol es ,
part beca use He lzer and 5m ithson were interested in the removals); durat ion (s pace as a factor of tl me); deca y
anthropologlCal and archaeolog lca l testimon Ies of the land , (decompos it lon of organic and inorgan lc mater ia ls); rep lace-
theywere 'not involved wlth landscape In any plctorial sense ment (transfer of materials from one context to another); d is-
persion (patterns produced by
•
gravity in the form of sp il ls ,
pours , sl ides , etc ); growth (seed-
ing , harvesting) ; mark lng (tem-
porary random patterns on

--
---- -.
public surfaces ); and transfer of
" energy (decomposing , ster iliz-
" •
·- -
-
•
<
v
<
v
•

... their spaces tend to be rather neutral , although veryvast '.4 J

ing) .
Heizer' s most noted work, Double Negative (1969-70) ,
•
Yet, as film theonst Jane Tomk ins notes , even th ls apparently created for his 1969 show at Dwan Galler¡, Is a monument to
neutral desert has a mean ing , 'The blankness ofthe plain displacement. Heizer said , 'The t itle Double Negative is
serves a pol it lcal funct ion that remains below the level of con- impossible. There is noth ing there , yet it is st ill a sculpture' .4\
SClousness. It Impl ies -without ever statlng - that th is is a He izer had a team ofbulldozers cut two mass ive s lop lng
field where a certain kind of master¡ is poss ible , where a trenches fifty feet (15 m) deep on elther side of a narrow
person can rema ln completely autonomous , alone and in canyon on the edge ofVirg in River Mesa , near O verton ,
control ofhimself, wh ile controlling the external world Nevada. This created an imag inar¡ line th i rteen metres wide
through brute force and sheer force ofwill ' .·J and 457 metres long , bridg ing the chasm and d lsplac ing o ver
When Michael Heizer made his first earthworks in 1967 he 244 ,800 tonnes of sandstone and rhyol ite . He izer 's dea ler,
was a twenty-three-year old pa inter living in New York and Virginia Dwan , funded the work , wh ich cost approx imate ly
apparently searching for just this sort of master¡. His early 510,000 (and she later donated it to the Lo s Ange le s Museum
Land Art projects were temporary 'drawings ' or trenches of Contemporary Art).
made on rented land in the desert.ln one case he hlfed pro- Heizer's exhibltion at Dwan , a series of pan o ram ic ph o -
fessional motorcycle racers to create vast designs on the tographs from ins ide the trench , was co ntrovers ia l in tha t it
desert surface by riding in circles. For anotherwork, Heizer symbolized for many critics the dangers o f such mo numen ta l
dug short trenches in a pattern determined by dropping projects. One crit ic argued that it on ly succee ded In 'marrin g
matches onto a piece of paper." By the time ofthe the very land , wh ich is what we have just learned t o stop

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'" doing' 4
ó
Heizer himsel flater claimed that he 'sta rted making phy return s us to our expected viewpoint. Looking down, the
this stuffin the middle ofthe VIetnam war. It looked like the earth becomes a wall at 90 0 to ou r vis ion' . 1' In the la te 1960s,
world was coming to an end, at least for me. That's why I went however, Americans had one association with aerial pho-
out in the desert and started making things in dirt.' ·) But tographs: views ofthe earth taken from the Mercury and
Heizer, like many artists working outside gallery spaces in the Gemini sp acecraft (and often published in colour in Lije mag-
19605, was al50 intent on making a polítical statement about azine). That these same images ofthe earth from abóve had
art-world economics. In an interv iew with the editors of the salu tary effect of re inforcing an ecologically friendly image
Allalanche magazine he said, 'One aspect of earth orien tat ían ofthe planet was not overlooked. Satellite photography also
is that the works ei rcumvent the galleries and the arti5t has no di splaced Cold War aerial images of missil e emplacements
sense ofthe commercial or the utilitarian o" One ofthe impli- with more benign viewof weather formations. For his pa rt, De
cations ofEarth Art might be to remove completely the co m- Maria proposed a Three Continent Piece to be generated by
modity status of a work of art' , 48 sate llite: three s uperi mposed images of massive earthworks
•
IfHeizer's 'drawings' in the desert seemed immaterial yet in India,Australia and North America.
meaningful, those made by Walter De Maria we re even more Th is sense of geopolítical boundaries and border cross-
charged. De Maria had traveled west wi th Heizer in Apr il1968 ings was central to the th in king of many ofthe early Land
to make severallarge works in the desert. One ofthese was Art ists, though th ei rworks had little to do with overt consider-
Mile Long Orawing (1968), which consisted simply oftwo ations of nationalism, identity or displacement. Dennis
mile-Iong chalk lines in the Mojave Desert in California. Oppenheim's Annuaf Rings (1968), for instance, used the US-
"")"'"1'''''
'P1 ' " . _. , Canadian border as a med ian line for the
l __ - - - - -. ....--
schematic inscriptio n of annual tree rings in the
snowY In that case the border, an indistinguish-
.-
-
0
o
_
able feature on the land , served as a conceptual
,
o o
<o <"

element in an arbitrary and abstract design and

lent the work a d is tinctly polit ical resonance. At a
-
o

<
•
ti me when you ng American draftees were rou- "- -.
o
•
•
tinely slipping across the border into Canada to .-
o <•
o
C o
¡
Photographs show the artist standing or Iying down between avoid serving in Vietnam, the annual growth rings suddenly -
>

the lines. And a visitor to one ofDe Maria's late r works, Las connoted youthful age and potent ial destruction .
Vegas Piece (1969), reported that itwas importan t to walk the The sen se of socially defined place that Oppenheim was
four miles ofthe work to gain 'an experience of a specific exploring in his va ri ous Canadian border pieces of 1968 had
place, random apprehension of surrou ndings, and an intensi- been suggested earlier in a project he called Site Markers.
fied sense of selfthat seem to transcend visual apprehension These we re simply stakes which the art ist drove ¡n to the
But like many early earthworks, Las Vegas Piece is ground at various locatio ns to des ig nate or 'claim si tes' .
seen most clearly from the airo Oppenheim later said, '[ In my si te markers of 1967] the notion
The political difference in meaning between the view from oft ra vel was coupled with a se nse of place. Place kind oftook
aboye and the view from below has been greatly debated. the place ofthe object ... My si mple act ofissuing a stake and
The view from aboye, it is argued, constitutes a totalizing, taking up a photograph oft he piece and claimi ng, poi nting
panoptic gaze, a sen se oflooking at someth ing, while the view outwhere it was the map and describi ng it on the documen t
from ground level suggests participation and community, the was sufficien t ... The need to repl ica te, du pl ica te or manipu-
phenomenological effect of walking through space. When late form was no longer an issu e. ' Sl
Robert Morris visited Peru to see the famous Nazca Lines, Smi th son himself, in describing the genesis ofhis own
massive effigles scribed into the desert surface by the Pre- Non-sites, says so mething quite similar, ' 1began to question
Columblan Nazca tri be, he said, 'Everyone I spoke to in Peru very se riously the whole notion ofGestalt, the thing in itself,
advlsed me to ... see the lines from the air ... Aerial photogra- specific objects. I began to see the world in a more relational

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 • way. In otherwords, I had to question where the works were, In Smlthson's own descriptlon ofthe work, and his process of
what theywere about o •• So it beca me a preoccupation with creatmg it, the matenalist base ofthe land blends with the fan·
place'. '" Smithson's Non-sltes were presented as crib-like tasmatic read ings ofthe site:
minimalist contatners af painted or galvanised steel that con- 'This site was a rotary that enclosed itselfin an immense round·
tained r3W material- rocks, gravel, salt - salvaged from dis- ness. From that gyrating spaee emerged the possibility ofthe
tant mines, excavations or quarries. Crucial to these Non- Spiral Jetty. No ideas, no eoneepts, no systems, no structures, no
sites were the maps that were exhibited with the more sculp- abstractions eould hold themselves together in the actuality of
tural containers, si nce the maps both directed the viewer to that evidenee. My dia/ecties ofs/te and Non·site whlrled mto an
the originalsite and established the 'dialectic' between site indeterminate state, where salid and liquid lost themselves in
and non-site. Th is relational aspect, this in-betweeness, not eaeh other. It was as ifthe mainland oscillated with waves and
only destablized the 51te itselfbut al50 foregrou nded the pulsations, and the lake remained roek still. The shore ofthe lake
whole (oncept of process or performance. The passage beeame the edge ofthe sun, a boi/ing curve, an explosion rising
between the two locations, even if simply implied, threw new into a fiery prominenee. Mattereollapsing into the lake mirrored
emphasis on time , duration, physical participation and a the shape ofthe spiral. No seme wondering about classifieatlon
whole range of spatial practices. and eategories, there were none. '
AS lde from the formal paradigms elicited by the sitej Non· The sen se of not o nly desol a tio n a nd decay but ofcolla ps ing ca t-
- slte, the conceptual and spatial issues are as crucial to the the- egories perfectlyencapsulated Smithson's senseof space and
oretical consideratlon of contemporary time.
art as Marcel Duchamp's notion ofthe To crea te the work itwas necessary to plot and move over
z·
readymade. like the readymade, the key 6,500 tonnes of material, which was sha ped to form a spiral or
to the Non-site is the concept of dls- coil·shaped jetty 1.500 reet (450 m) long. duplicatl ng the
-,•
u
placement,how the meanlng of an length ofHeize r's Imaginary line but curling it into a multidi-
"•<
obJed 15 changed by removal to another menslonal work. Smithson drew on mythology, biology, geol-
site. But unlike the readymade, the Non- ogy and history of the region, an area ofthe Creat Salt lake
•• site reta tns a connectlon to ItS original not far from Promontory Point where the continental rail-
site (through the negative impression it roads met and the Golde n Spike was driven. Jn his essayon
leaves as well as the documentatlon that accompanies It), the work, Sm ithson notes how the landsca pe was ravaged by
thereby settlng up a dialogue about context, removal and prospectors, mtners and oil drillers, all trying to extract some-
recomblnatlon that echoes the very terms ofthe collectlng or thlng ofvalue from the site.ln describing some of the ir dilapi-
archiving proJect that underlies the museum Itself. As dated shacks near the site of SpiralJetty, Smithson wrote, 'A
Smlthson noted in his own comparison of slte and Non-site, a great pleasure arose from seeing al! those incoherent struc-
site is about scattered Informatlon ('The slte is a place you can tures. This site gave evidence of a succession of man·made
vistt and it tnvolves travel as an aspect too '), a Non-site tS systems mired in abandoned hopes."
about contained information, 'Instead of putting somethl ng Smllhson's desire to revive or make useful what was once
on the landscape, I decided it would be interesting to transfer abandoned revealed both his allegorical penchant for ruins
the land indoors, to the Non-site, which is an abstract con- and his attraction to entropy, the tendency of all things to tend
tainer' . towards disintegration. The spectacular culmination ofthese
For Smithson the great issue was studying conditions of interests was his Part'-ally Buried Woodshed (1 970), a
cultural confi nement, for which the Non·s ite was a metaphor. metaphortcal antl-monument constructed on the campus of
But at the same time, his view of'sites' or specific locations Kent State University. Earth was piled on the roof of an aban-
was expans ive, even kaleidoscopic. Smithson's Spira/jetty doned woodshed until its ma in roofbeam cracked, and
(1970) is probably the best·known ofthe earthworks in part Smithson stipulated that the work should be allowed to dete-
beca use ofits stark min im al ist form but also because ofits riorate naturally, the decay being part ofthe work (after several
complex appeal to the imaginary projections ofthe land itself. acts of vandalism, school authorities ordered the work razed

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12 in 1984) The wo rk acqul red addltlonal meanlng four months operations like Heizer's Doub/e Negatille, made many viewe rs
after it5 creation when four student protesters were ki!led by in the early 19705 regard earthworks as environmentally
National Guardsmen on the Kent State campus in May 1970. destructive. As one critic argued, 'Earth Art, with very few
When someon e spraypainted 'May 4 Kent 70' on the side of exceptions, not only doesn't improve upon the natural envi-
Smithson's earthwork, ¡t beca me an Inadvertent memorial to ronment, it destroys it'.
that event. Smithson later accepted that added meaning and Smithson , forone, was sensitive to such criticism since he
even made an anti-war poster Incorporating an Image of this had earliertried to revitalize the landscape itself and to direct
work for the Collage oflndignation. the attention of observers to its spatíal, historical, geological
Earthworks rarely engaged so directly wlth polítlcal mat- and cultural dimensions. He often spoke of Spira/Jetty as an
ters , though. As Smithson said, 'The artist does not have to ecological work of reclamatíon, and he envisioned a wide-
WII! a response to the deepening polítical crisis in America. spread movement to i nvolve artists in the reclamation and
$ooner or later the artist 15 impllcated and/or devoured by improvement of devastated industrial sites. 'Across the coun-
politlcs without even trying. ,- Smithson may have been refer- try there are many mining areas, disüsed quarries and pol-
ring to the patterns of activism then preoccupying much of luted lakes and rivers', he wrote. 'One practical solution for
the United States and the world: student stnkes and campus the utilization of such devastated places would be land and
takeovers to protest the war in Vietnam, urban riots to protest water re-cycling in terms of"Earth Art" ... Art can beco me a
racial inequ ality, non-vlolent marches to highlight poverty and resource that mediates between the ecologist and the indus-
unemployment, factory shutdowns to fight for fair worklng trialist. Ecology and industry are not one-way streets, rather
conditions, site occupations to they should be crossroads. Art can help to provide the needed
•
<
inhibit destruction of the land. dialectic between them. A lesson can be learned from the
M any artist collectives were, as Indian cliff dwelling and earthworks mounds. Here we see
Smithson suggests, devoured by nature and necessity in consort.'
pol itics, particula rly imperialism Towards the end ofhis life, Smithson sent packets to
and the bourgeois institutions dozens of mining companies proposing various unsolicited
including museums that sup- solutions for the reclamation of strip-mining pits and for the
ported it. While Fluxus artists disposal oftaílings (the waste minerals left after the ore has
tried to circu mvent the commercial art context by creating an been extracted) . 'The artist must come out ofthe isolation of
"•
•
alternate visual culture based on Eastern notions of chance galleries and museums and provide a concrete conscious- •"
o

and Dadaistic opposition, the Artworkers Coal itlon and the ness for the present as it really exists , and not simply present
Guerrilla Art Act ion G roup flagrantly challenged the unspoken abstractions or utopias. The artist must accept and enter into
political attitudes of museums by stagl ng activist demonstra- all ofthe real problems that confront the ecologist and indus-
tions insid e the museums themselves, in one case spilling trialist', Smlthson wrote in a 1972 proposal for the reuse of a
vials ofblood on the floor ofThe M useum ofModern Art in strip-minlng pit near Ohio State U niversity campus. 'Art
New York to protest against the war in Vietnam . should not be considered as merely a luxury, but should work
However, artists themselves were sometlmes the object of within the processes of actual production and reclamation.
protests and the poHtlcs ofthe growing envi ron mental aware- We should begin to develop an art education based on rela-
ness often posed a more dlrect conflict with projects on the tionships to specific sites. Howwe 'lee things and places is not
land. Smithson's proposal for Is/and ofBroken G/as'l (1970), a secondary concern, but primary.' "' Smithson 's ambitious
near Vancouver, caused a major ecologlcal controversy when plans for the reclamation of a three-mile-wide mining pit
opponents clalmed that the two tons of glass shards to be worked by the Kennecott Copper Corporation near Bingham,
dropped on a rock outcropping would harm nesting blrds and Utah, and a massivetailing pond forwaste generated by the
seals; ultimately, the project was halted by the Canadian M ine rals Engineering Company in Creede, Colorado. were cut
Society for Pollution and Environmental Control. And inci- short by his untimely death in aplane crash in June 1973. After
dents like this, as well as the masslve earth moving Involved in Smithson's death, his widow, Nancy Holt, continued to

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 pursue the project for the Creed e site, saying, "see it as (une- 3J
•
rary and an d ent, and develo ped and -a uthent ie, d ls tinetions
tional or necessary aesthetics, not art cut offfrom soclety, but that were them selves hlghly debatable. The mo st visi bl e sec-
rather an integral part ofit', tlon ofSonfist's projeet, at the corne r ofLa Gua rdia Place and
Houston Street, just north ofS o Ho, too k ten years of researeh
Necessary Aesthet ics and negotiations with the ei ty. But ultimately hewas able to
These twin ideas - necessary aesthetics and an art that was restore the damaged sod, replant na ti ve vegetation and recon-
integral to society - became the hallmarks of much subse- struet the onginal elevation s. Altho ug h visi ble o n four sides
quent work on the land and in the tradition ofthe early Earth through a tall fence , th is permanent, eig ht -th ousand square-
Artists. foot installation has a metaph oriea l impa et an d a moralizing
So me ofthe contravers ies generated by the massive earth- intent that makes its fu nctlon far d iffere nt from other Clty
works ofSmithson and Heizer were addressed in quite differ- parks.
ent forms of ecological art by artists who focused on such nato For so me erities, however, Sonfist' s attempt to rec rea te a
ural (orces as light, energy, growth and gravity. In these works, ' primitive wilderness' was misgu ided prec ise ly beeause it
the natural sites or (orces were left uninterrupted or unim- eehoed the preservationist strain of 1960 s eeol ogleal th ou ght.
peded; there was no earth moving, there were no scars on the In this view, certain areas ofwilderness should be protected as
land. For the 'Earth Art' show at Cornell University in '969, for parks or preserves and should be returned, as mueh as pos si·
instance, Hans Haacke exhib ited a small mound of soillaced ble, to their natural state. In the famous Leopold Commlttee
with grass seed; the work was titled simply Grass Grows. Other report on the national parks in the United States in 1963 the
early works by government-appointed committee wrote, 'As a pnmary goal
Haacke involved we would reeommend that the biotie assoeiations within each
• even less interven- park be maintained, orwhere necessary recreated , as nearly
tion, and were often as possible in the eondition that prevailed when the area was
focused on spatial fi rst visited by the white man. A national park should repre-
determinates as sent a vignette of primitive Ameriea. '6\ But sueh measures
mapped by random si mply disguise the actual problems of modern-day environ-
<
-•
<
or natural motions . mentalism by fixing an image ofthe landseape frozen in the
Some ofthese works , such as the self-describi ng Ten Turtles past, privileging one moment in ecological history over all
Set Free (1970) and Spray oflthaca Falls, Freezing and Melting others, and precluding more complex interaetions with vari-
on o Rape (1969), involved only observations of natural ous inhabitants, native or other. Crities have raised other
processes and echoed an early manifesto in which Haacke questions about the symbolic and utditarian values of such a
had written, 'make something which experiences, reacts to its living monument. At a panel diseussion in '978, for instance,
environment, changes, is nonstable ... make something sen- a participant challenged the effícacy ofSonfist's blocklong
si tive to light and temperature changes, that is subject to air forest in stemming pollution. Sonfist replied , 'Everyone here
currents and depends , in its functioning, on the forces of grav- has thei r own responsibility to their environment. Everyone
ity ... articulate something natural'. 6. here has a certain role. l' m not trying to say thateveryone
In a similar vein, New York artist Alan Sonfist sought to should go out and deal with pollution. I think the issue is to
articulate something natural and to crea te a more harmo- create a more heightened awareness of ou r eircumstanees,
nious and ecologically responsible form of Land Art based on whether they be politieal, or social. The forest is one of many
a particular type of spatial and historical intervention. H is answers.'''
Time LandscapeTM (196s-present) was a massive project Sinee '970, at least, the symbolie eonsolidation ofthe
intended to convert anonymous urban si tes throughout the envi ron mental movement around the annual celebratíon of
five boroughs of New York City into reconst ruction ofthe sev· Earth Day had suggested that Sonfist's political metaph o r -
enteen th-century, pre-coloniallandscape. Implicit in this pro- one forest among many - was an apt one. Robert
pos al was the juxta position of natural and urban, contempo· Rausehenberg's famous Eorth Doy Pos ter (1 970) summarized

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this theme by representi ng the en dangered bald eagle in the women was to reconstruct a sepa rate history that could be
centre surrounded by a blac k-and -white constellation of other traced to prehistoric matriarchies and goddess cults. These
environmental disas ters, and s uggest ing that the movement mythological genealogies were based in part on the ancient
had to opera te on many fronts. Even official environmental beliefin the earth as the mother of allliving th ings, and a
lobbyis ts had moved from a uni vocal preservationist position social attitude stemmi ng from that tradition that identified
characterized by the Sierra Club to the variety of programmes women with passivity and nature and associated men with the
co mpris ed by the Group ofTen , a coalition of major environ- active making of culture. This viewwas summarized in the
mental lobbying groups representing multiple compromise title of fem in ist a uthor Sherry Ortner' s co ntrovers ia Iessay '1 s
positions between government and industry interests in Female to Male as Nature 15 to Culture?' (1972), which argued
resource development and those Deep Ecologists who for an elimination of such stereotypical views. Art critic Lucy
favoured a policy of mi n imal im pact on the envi ron ment. 1n R. Lippard, on the other hand, echoed the view of many 19705
addition , followi ng environmental disasters at Love Canal, radical feministswhen she said, '[1 seeJ no reason why all dis-
Chernobyl, the Alaska Oil Spill and Three Mile Island , the citi- tinctly female qualities should be disc arded in favour of an
zens of many countries were looking to their national govern- unattainable, overrated (and undesirable) androgyny '.67
ments for leadership, regulatíon and answers to thei r ami- Embracing the ste reotype, many feminist artists drew an
eties about the global ecology. explicit link between the land and the female body, tying
Among the answers posed by a wide variety of artists women's liberation directly to ecology and enacting commu-
throughout the 19705 were a range of solutions that , in keep- nal or ritualistic performances at sites wi th historical connec-
ing with the increasi ngly popular tions to matriarchal relígions. In this way, they created a far
environmental movement, more self-conscious relationship between space and gender -
"•
I•
specifically avoided damagi ng or than had ea rlier male Land Artists. Artist Mary Beth Edelson
altering the earth. Some ofthese typifies the impulse among some feminist artists ofthe 19705
approaches involved spatial to combine myths, dreams and spiritual images in rituals that
practices in the city rather than in referred to nature and earth goddesses. Implicit in her work
distant landscapes, but the con- was a beliefthat such pagan forms of nature worship offered
,
ceptual approaches were si milar. an alternative union between the human and natural spheres
"" '
Three strategies in particular governed many works ofthe that superceded both conventional religion and rationalism.
ea rly 19705: fem in ist -i n spi red ri tu a I activity that rega rded the Travelling to distant sites in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia,
earth as an intimate extension ofthe human body; simpler Edelson sought locations with strong supernatural as socia-
gestu ral works that involved walking, pointing or the gentle tions. Her performances, such as Seefor Yourself Pi/grirnage to
and temporary displacements of some natural elements; and, a Neo/ithic Cave (1977), enacted in a cave in Yugoslavia, used a
finally, what might be called organizational projects that uti- traditional vocabulary of ritual, including chants, rings offire,
lized or studied large social groups or political formations mandalas and a woman's body, to highlight the universal
while creating works that emphasized the land or environ- ch aracter ofthe female world that was being conjured.
mentally conscious actions. Despite their nostalgic claims to authenticity and their mysti-
After the first gene rat ion of predominantly male earth- cal appeals to Jungian notions ofthe collective unconscious,
works artists (when women such as Nancy Holt and Jeanne- such early feminist projects were important steps in an effort
Claude, though worki ng alongside their artist husbands, to clarify a separatist space and a geography of difference. 68
received little recognition), female artists began to build pro- 'If ecology is the syntax ofNature', writes critic Jack
jects on the land. Inspired by second-wave feminist theory and Burnham, 'then ritual is its daily, procedural counterpart in
politics, wh ich soughtto define a distinctly female world apart Culture. While ecology is simply theway ofNature, ritual has
from th e co nventions of patriarchy, these artworks were ofte n to be learned and adhered tO: 69 Burnham's definition, while
rel ated to s peci fic stru gg les to define gender and identity. One overturning the rigid distínction of nature and culture, also
way in which fem inists sought to delineate the uniqueness of removes ritual from the atemporal realm ofthe vaguely mythi-

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 •
• cal to the more everyday context of any social practice that 15 recounts , 'One work was the making of a path in a fleld of "
'Iearned and adhered to'. Thus when the nineteenth·century grass bywalk in g back and forth for several hours, another
American writer Henry DavId Thoreau spoke of'the art of consisted of snlpping offthe heads offlowers in a meadow,
Walking', he was describing a ritual to which he attached great thus inscribing a giant X'. Some even engaged with the his-
polítical significance. 'We are but faint-hearted crusaders, torical or political meaning ofthe sites, such as his six-day
even the walkers, nowadays , who undertake no persevering, walk around the Cerne Abbas C iant (1975) or his Power Line
never·ending enterprises', Thoreau complal ned. He wanted Walk: From a Water Wheel to a Nuclear Power Station (1980),
activist walkers who would sally forth 'i n the spirit of undying though the pn ncipal s lg nlficance ofLong's workwas neither
adventure, never to return, prepared to send back our thei r pri m itivizl ng ntua I nor thei r attention to the speciflc
embalmed hearts only as felies'. But when he contrasted this meaning of a place. Rather than the deflned place, the key to
absolute freedom in natufe with the constrained civil freedom Long 's work was the notion oftravel. Passlng through a con·
of society, which required negotiation and compromise, he temporary space with all its own accumulated history and
was advocating the romantic strain oftranscendentalism that everyday rituals , Long enacted a specific temporal actlvity that
many American Land Art ists ofthe 1970S -like Smithson and scarcely left a mark but which communicated through the fun -
Morris - desplsed. Thoreau thought of man as 'part and damental integers of a language of transitivity itself.
parcel of Nature ', but he still saw Nature with a capital N, and Other conceptualists , notably the messianic Cerman
regarded most human Improvements (such as the locomo- artist Joseph Beuys, used natural processes as metaphors for
tive) as unwelcome intrusions . the spatial structure of social systems and often blurred the
.\ line between artmaking and organized polltical
• action. Beuys, In an effort to spread his 'green'
• ecological philosophy (which saw every citizen as
• an artist and linked all animate and inanimate
things in one ecosystem), even ran twice for th e
- Cerman Parliament (but lost). From his early
•
involvement with Fluxus , Beuys had perfected a
ritual form of perfor-mance or 'action' that uti-
If American artlsts ofthe 1970S were suspicious ofthe lized dramatic spaces and symbols, such as a dead hare or
ideallyricism ofThoreau's image ofthe walker in the forest, stag, as metaphors of Cerman political trauma. In his famous
many Bntlsh artlsts ofthe same period saw this activity as an New York action Coyo te: I Like America and America Likes Me
engagement with authentlClty itself. Richard Long, whose (1974), a felt-wrapped Beuys stayed in a cage installed at the
works document his solitarywalks across the English land- René Block Gallery with a live coyote forthree days, as both a
scape, has said, 'Mywork is real not illusory or conceptual. It direct allusion to endangered species (the coyote and, by
IS about real stones, real time, real In early pieces extensl0n, the Native American forwhom the animal was
such as A Line Made by Walking (1967), made while he was sti ll sacred) and the imperialism of American involvement in
a student at London's Sai nt Martin's School of Art, Long Vietnam (likened to the near extermination of Native
mapped straight lines across the landscape by displacing American tri bes) . When Beuys referred to his actions as 'my
small stones or twigs along arbitarily selected stretches of so-called spatial doings in so-called envi ronments ', he was
ground. These so litarywalks, which were re-p resented either alluding to the fact that des pite their universaliz in g overtones
as books of photographs or as individual photographs with his performances were always rooted in the specific spatial
captions reco rding the time and place ofthe hike, were meant practices of a particular political context. "
in pa rt as a minima list ch allenge to the Creenbergian model The complex rituals of contem porary social institutions
offormalist, weld ed-steel scul pture then being produced in and networks articulate a constant exchange of materials and
Engl and by Anthony Ca ro. AII of Long's 'ephemeral gestures representations between a speclfic site and its env ironment
on the lan d' were equally simplified ; as art historian Carol Hall or context. A major task for the first generatlon of Conceptual

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Artists (including Marcel Broodthaers , whose work si mulated tions of a museum's board, traced the tenement holdings of a
museum exhlbltions; Bernd and H illa Becher, who pho- single New York landlord, and ch ronicled the provenance of
tographed typol ogies o( ve rnacular architecture , such as certain paintings. '& These investigations revealed the system·
wate r towers; Ed Ru scha, whose deadpan photo books, like atic networks that always connect art to other forms of politi.
Ellery Building Along Sunset Strip [1966J, created arb itary col- cal influence.
lection s o( publ ic networks and spaces; and Dan Graham, For various ecological artists ofthe 1970S it was important
whos e Homesfor Amerlea [19661 organized the permu tat ions to make clear links between natural and political systems,
o f suburban tract housi ng) was to catalogue the com ponents both within the context ofthe museum o r gallery and outside.
ofthis exchange. But beyond that structuralist project, they One collaborative team , Helen Mayer H arrison and Newton
engaged in a form ofinstitutional critique that examined the Harriso n, focused almost exclusively on environmental policy
microcosmic economic and polítical preconditions that were and the powers that shape i1. In the ten·year long Lagoon Cycle
channelled through the art·world con ta iner a nd i nflected the (1972 - 82), forexample, the Harrisons present their research
•
meaning of all artworks. into the history and function ofwatersheds of va rious cul·
Many ofthei r site·speciflc installations consisted of small tures , focusing in particular on the Paciflc Coast ecosystem. ,.
interventions or alterations in the exhibition space. Dan iel The Lagoon Cycle has no tangible form as an earthwork
Buren , for instance, underscored the meaning of certain envio (though some ofthei r ecological alternatives have been
ronments or sites by plastering them with posters reduced to adopted by local planners i n Lo s Angeles) ; rather, it consis ts
a standard programme of stripes, alternati ng white and of a narrative of drawings, maps and conversational dialogue
, between a fictional witness and the lagoon keeper. In part this
- form replica tes the nature ofthe H arrisons' research which
entails speaking with dozens of scie ntists, ecologists, poli ti·
cians and sociologists. So, the text ofThe Lagoon Cycle in part
represents the Harrisons' own increasing involvement in eco-
logical issues and contains their argu ment for both restora-
• tion ofthe original water systems and a greater integration of
natural and human needs . Towards this end, their 'eco poetry'
another colour. At various key locales these see m i ngly formal· has a didactic function, proposing practical solutions to exist-
ist stripes drew attention to ways in which the ideological and ing food production and i rrigation systems while also looking
psychological preferences of cap ital is t economy were bei ng at the language of ecological discourse. ' Likening thei r
reinforced or produced through elements of architecture or process to the flow of a river', notes art critic Eleanor
decora t ion. In pa rti cu lar, th i s type of i ns ti tutiona I critiq u e H ea rtney, '[The H a rri so ns 1tal k about "co nversa ti ona I d rift"
stressed the effects on the audience of ce rt ain naturalizing and suggest that their ultimate goal is to "ch ange the conver-
codes withí n the museum or gallery. But, at the same ti me, the sation'''. "
emphasis on public space and vernacular forms of arch itec- The Bulgarian artist known simply as Christo has, along
ture as subj ect matter in th e co nceptual works o f G raham, with his wife and collaborator jeanne·Claude, extended the
Oldenburg, the Bechers and Ru scha, as art historian Ben jami n notion of site·specificity to buildings and landscapes alike by
H.D. Buchloh has pointed out , '(o regroun ded the absence of wrapping them in cloth or curtains. One oftheir earliest pro-
a developed, artis tic reflectio n on the problematic ofthe con- jects, Va/leyCurtain (1970-72) in Rifle, Colorado, consisted of
temporary public'. a vast orange curtain (1,250 feet wide and 182 feet high) hung
Thl s was specifically the problem taken up In the early between two cliffs in the western U5 desert. The political sigo
1970 S by Hans Haacke, who had earlierdocumented various nificance oftheir work lies not only in the subjects that they
natural system s. In an extended series ofworks of'sys tem s select - key build i ngs like the Reichstag in Berlin or monu-
analysis ', Haacke polled museum vis itors about the pol itic al mental natural forms like the Cayman Islands - but also in the
vi ews o f the trustees , charted the Interl ock ing fiscal connec· rigorous political negotiations necessary to accomplish these

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 • works. In the documentary film that the Maysles Brothers ere- Utilizing a structu ralist diagram borrowed from li ngu!s- "
ated about the making of Running Fence (1972-76), Chrlsto ties, Krauss charted an 'expanded field' that induded the new,
and his wife are seen ja mmed ¡nta a telephone booth sorne- in-between categories, which she called 'marked sites' (any
where on the California coastline pleading with a private physical man ipu lation or impermanent stamp on the spot),
landowner to allow the fence to cross their land. In other 's !te con s truction s' (s tructu res bu ilt in to the land sea pe) a nd
meetings with banks , landowners, community groups and 'axiomatic stru ctu res' (i ntervention s with in a rch itectu re) .
planners, eh risto and Jean-Claude hammered out the details This logical expansion ofModernism's categof!es, Krauss
of that complicated project. As critic Jeffrey Deitch has claimed, provided 'both for an expanded but finite set of
observed, 'Running Fence was approached in much the same related positions for a given artist to occupy and explore and
way 35 a highway authoritywould approach building a road or for an organization of work that is not dictated by the condi-
a deveJoper would plan an industrial park. Thousands of tions of a particular medium '.8' And , most significantly, this
hours had to be spent structuring fi nancing, preparing envi- s tructu ra I tra n s fo rmation of the cu It u ra I field signa 11 ed,
ronmental impact reports , and testifying befo re zoning accordi ng to Krauss, the advent of Postmodernism.
boards. ':. Although qu ite different from the sorts ofideologi- But In a direct response to Krauss' essay, critic Craig
cal machinations highlighted by Hans Haacke, the Artworkers Owens offered a strikingly different version of postmodern
Coalition and other artists, the practical, on-the-ground poli- spatial practices in his essay 'Earthwords' (1979), a review of
tics of Christo and Jean-Claude demonstrates the everyday Robert Sm ithson's collected writings. 8 ' Owens shared with
negotiations necessary to any social transaction. Krauss the viewthat language is central to postmodern phi-
losophy, which regards culture as a system of socially con-
••
Post modernis m structed signs that can be read as text. But Owens argued that
- One thing that Postmodernism in the arts was signalled not by a multiplica-
"
united these very tion ofits forms but by the eruption oflanguage into the aes-
diverse efforts by thetic, and was therefore far more profound in its implications
feminists,systems than Krauss acknowledged; it entailed 'a transgression of
theorists and eco- entire aesthetic categories (the visual versus the verbal, the
artists in the 19705 spatial versus the temporal)' .al This radical decentri ng, which
was a willingness to move beyond the conventions of artmak- Owens found in Smithson's writings, refiected the poststruc-
ing and to engage with the ways that political meanings are turalist view that discourse destabilizes all spatial categories
shaped in a complex field of social interactions. In an impor- based on logic a nd disrupts the dosure implicit in common-
"•" tant essay titled 'Sculpture in the Expanded Field' in 1979, sense definitions (such as those plotted by Krauss). Smithson
American art historian Rosalind Krauss returned to the trou- himself reflected on the new conditions of postmodern space
bled nature of the modernist category of sculpture. 19 Twelve when he said:
years after Miehael Fried 's 'Art and Objecthood ', Krauss found 'There is no hope for logic. 1f)JOU try to come up with a logical
that the word 'sculpture' no longer meant simply a homeless reason then you might as wellforget it, beca use it doesn 't deal with
and largely self-referential object as it had in the modernist any kind ofnamable, measurable situation. AII dirnension seems
canon. The basic definitíon of sculpture as 'not land scape' lost in the process. In otherwords, you are real/y goingfrorn sorne
and 'not architecture' had been vastly complicated by thewide place to sorne place, which is to say, nowhere in particular. To be
range of site-specific structu res and processes produced by located between those two points puts you in a position ofelse-
artists in the 19705. These new liberties taken byartists where, so there's no focus. This outeredge andthis centre con-
seemed to return Krauss to the conundrum outlined by stantly subvert each other, cancel each otherout. There is a sus-
Greenberg in 1968, 'The borderline between art and non-art pension ofdestination. '8.
had to be sought in the th ree-di mensional, where sculpture Th is 'suspension of desti nation' is an apt characterization
was and where everything material that was not art, al so was'.30 ofthe philosophical basis ofPostmodernism as well as its
But how was one to map such a broadly conceived category? spatialization. Critical and theoretical work in the early 19805,

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" responding to the breakdown of modernist discourse in liter- erable room for glossi ng over specific issues of gender, colour
ary theory, psych oanalysis and the soci al scien ces, shifted and 10cation.&3 ln general, feminist and postcolonial critics
attention in art away from the autonomous modern master- have preferred to use the metaphor ofthe body and to con-
works towards the operations ofModernism itsel f, and from side r the issues around what has been called 'the po litics of
the established d ivisions oftraditional culture towards an location', which ealls for a speeific attention to the way spe-
Interdiscl plinary examinatían ofthe dynamics of discourse. ei fic s itua tion s or contexts s ha pe pa rti cu lar poi itica I ptactices.
Speciflcally, Postmodernism studied the construction and This view clas he s with jameson's idea that postmodern per-
perpetuatían ofthe subject, or individual sociali zed person, eeption of space produces a sort of schizophrenic sensation
through d isco urse, social fields made up of representat io ns that 'tends to demobilize us and to surrender us to passivity
whlch do not refer back to an 'original' nature or reality but and helplessness, by systematically obliterating possib ili ties
only to the language of one another. The very existence ofthe of action under the impenetrable fog ofh istorical inevitabil-
real or something 'outside' discourse was questioned. The ity' Although it is wo rth retaining the sense of dislocation
means by whieh sueh representations eould be eritieally and decentredness in jameson's mOdel, his universalizing
apprehended by visual artists were speeifled by Owens, descri ption of spatial conditions overrides the very different
'appropriation, site-speeifieity, impermanenee, accumula- experiences of space one might have based on one's gender
tion, discursivity, hybridization'. 3' or ethnicity. Moreover, the polítical helplessness that
One specific d irect ion for postmodern artists who were jameson's disorienting Postmodernism pred icts is contra-
attempting to move beyond the strictu res ofModernism was dicted by the practical ecological endeavou rs of many con-
the exploration ofissues surrounding temporaryartists.
public spaee and public art. Postmodern Certainly, the deeentring of postmodern space has under-
space, as defined by cultural critic cut the authority of site-specific public monuments, a particu-
Fred ric Ja meson and others, was under- larly ironic legacy of early Land Art. In fact, it was the sheer
stood to be fragmented , insufficient and incompatibility of postminimal site-specificity and postmod-
confounding.ln a much-debated essay ern placelessness that formed the subtext ofthe celebrated o
•"
'Postmodernism, or the Cultural Logic debate in the United States over Richard Serra's seulpture, <
-"
u

of Late Capitalism' (1984), jameson Tilted Arc (lg81). That curving rusted steel wall bisectíng a for-
described a new kind of disorienting, postmodern space sym- lorn public plaza in New York City was opposed byoverl,300
bolized by the mirrored-glass su rfaces of john Portman's workers in the adjacent office buildings who signed a petition
Bonaventu re Hotel in Los Angeles . The reflective panel s ofthe agai nst the work claiming that it violated their public space,
hotel's exterior produce in the viewer, according to jameson, that is, their easy aecess to work. In March 1985, a public hear·
'a sense ofimmersion and dislocation; the hotel transcends ing was held in the District Court ofLower Manhattan , and it
the capac!ties ofthe individual human body to locate itself, to was decided that the work shoul d be removed. The dest ruc-
organize its immediate su rroundings perceptually, and cogni. tion ofSerra 's monument signaled a rejection ofhis intentíon
tively to map its position in a mappable external world' .86 In to 'i nvolve the viewer both rationally and emotionally' 90 by a
other words, the moderníst conception ofthe logical, fully large portio n ofhis audience, but it also sounded the death
integrated self was superseded by a postmodern individual knell for a version of site-specific art that insisted by its sheer
seen as psychically fragmented, sch izophrenic and superfi- bulk in remaining rooted to its location.
cial, trapped in a maze of competing signs. For jameson and Agaínst the permanence and monumentality ofTilted Arc
others, the postmodern subject was, in a sen se, placeless.8 / and the heroic indivídua lism of arti sts such as Serra are post-
But, as Susa n Bordo and other femí nist crities ofjameson modern practices that are mobile, adaptable to a wide va riety
have PO! nted out, this geographical metaphor suggests a too- of spaces, and attendant to the intersection of va rious social
easy move from a moderníst 'view from nowhere' (objec- d iscou rses rather than to the importance of one restrictive
tivism) to an equally problemat!c postmoderni st 'view from spot. Art critic James Meyer has referred to the spatial arena of
everywhere' (relativis m) . And , in the process, there isconsl d- such projects as 'the funetional site', which he defines as 'a

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 • process, an operation occurring between sites, a mapping of and understand thls process. inc1udes three parts: "
institu t ional and textual flliations and the bodies that move a long arcade-like entry ramp made of reeyclables, the c1ear
between t hem (t he artist's aboye all) ... an informational 5ite t glass bridge that passes overthe dumping stages, and a video
a locus of averlap'. In so (ar as such works are ambulator¡, wall that shows various operations and provides information
involving movement and impermanence, two prototypically on environmental topies. 'By creating a point of aeeess', art
'functional' works are Flow City (1983-present) by the eritie Patricia C. Phillips argues, 'Ukeles enables members of
American artist M¡erle Laderman Ukeles, an enormOU5 walk· the public to make more ineisive connections with the physi-
through viewing station that allows visitors to observe the cal dimensions oftheir urban and natural worlds. 80th the city
massive and ongoing process of urban garbage disposal, and and the river are seen as relational ; Flow Cityserves as the
5t;/1 Water> (1992) by the British collective PLATFORM, an suture that draws the extremes ofthe nature culture dialeetie
exploratíon ofthe damaged ecosystem ofLondon's lost into visible coexistenee.' Ukeles suggests that 'if people can
rivers, anclent tributaries ofthe Thames that have now been directly observe how the city works, they can then direct their
channelled through sewer pipes and underground diversions. actions and ideas towards the construction of a meaningful
80th works tem porarily claim certai n sites but, more impor- public life'.
tantly, they also generate a kind of grass-roots activism that is In a similarway, PLATFORM's project uses a spatial and
directed towa rds involving communlty members in repre- environmental project to alter perceptions of sociallife.
senting and constructing meaning for envi ron mental issues Working collaboratively since 1983, PLATFORM has incopo-
•-
·
•• that are generally invisible. rated a flexible membership of specialists and non-specialists
,
·
"
-• • la ' "v .-
,
I a!ike.ln general, theywork
•
• - "
with local communities to
restore environments that
have been destroyed or dam-
aged by human intervention
o

•"• - and to use alternative energy

•
"• production, waste manage-
-
<

-" - -
• o _

·
-• < -
Provislonality is central to this idea ofthe functlonal site
men t, information distribu-
tion and other schemes to re-educate the public about their
and this often entails the artlst's ability to adopt alternate pro- ecosystem.ln one statement, the members ofPLATFORM
fessional roles or to engage the servlces of non-art specialists. stated their goals in rather utopian terms: to '[provoke] desire
Ukeles, for example, serves as artist-in-residence for the New for a democratic and ecological society ... [and toJ crea te an
York Sanitation Oepartment, a unpaid pseudo-bureaucratlc imagined realitywhich is different from the present reality'. 'l4
post that nevertheless accords her status as an expert or Like Ukeles' Flow C;ty, PLATFO RM's 5t;JJ Waters project
insider. Bemg part ofthe system makes possible many ofher involved specialists from a variety of disciplines as well as
works that focus on the labour involved in waste manage- members ofthe community as observers and participants.ln
ment, such as Touch Sanitation: Handshake Ritual (1978-79), attempting to draw attention to the lost history ofthe
in which she shook the hand of every garbage collector in New London's watershed , Still Waters incorporated four major pro-
York City. Being part ofthe system also allowed her to partici- jects a t s pecifi c s ites with i n the city. For o ne section,
pate in the planning and design ofthe New York City 'Unearthing the Effra ', a performance artist and a publieist
Sanitation Oepartment's Marine Transfer Faeility, a vast pier developed a massive pu blicity campaign urging the pub lic
in the Hudson Rive r where huge garbage trucks eontinually simplyto dig up the River Effra, buried sincethe late nine-
rumble through to dump tons of urban trash onto barges teenth century under urban South London, and to restere its
heade d for landfill dumping sites. Withi n this switching place, natural forms. Using the language of modern advertising,
a geographical passage between use and disuse, Ukeles has PLATFORM wrote, 'The unearthing ofthe Effra will be
bui lt a kin d of visito rs' centre that allows tourists to observe Europe's most important and exciting urban renewal project,

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" and it is happening on your doorstep' , 9\ Part of another project consequence, art historian Hal Foster has complai ned that
on Merton lsland invo lved restoring the abandoned Merton this 'quasi-anthropological work' constitutes a ki nd of ama-
Abbey Milis wheelhouse and using it to generate electricity to teur fieldwork that attempts to reconcile theory and pract ice
¡lIumi nate the nearby Hatland Primary $chool. but often ends up in a cul-de-sac of'self-othering'.96 Aga inst
Increasingly, artists have taken it upon th emselves to in iti· this tendency, post-co lonial theory has focused on diasporic
ate such covertly oppositional read ings in the public realm. and hybrid cultures, encouraging the study of migrati'ons of
Combining a new awareness orthe vitalism of public sites, an people and cultural practices. Cultural theorist Homi K
interest in reclalming lost or su ppressed histori es , and an 8habha notes:
investment ¡n con tr ibu ting to social change, these artists 'Anxiety is created by enjoining the local and the global; the
have aften formed all ian ces wi th other public interest groups. dilemma ofprojecting an international space on the trace ofa
I ntervening in the pre-existing spaces of communication, decentred,jragmented subject. Cultural globality is figured in the
transportatian, waste treatmen t and environmental reclama- in-between spaces ofdouble frames its historica/ originality
tion, these artists have taken over public spaces. Their works marked by a cognitive obscurity; its decen tred "stlbject" signified in
are deli berately not like Tilted Arc , abst ra ct monuments the nervous temporality ofthe transnationa/, orthe emergent pro-
erected on permanent sites. Rather these are temporary visionality ofthe presento ' 91
responses, more akin to political action , responding to imme- The dislocations ofthe postmodern subject in space
diate situations and current causes. Sometimes these inter- referred to in 8habha's notion ofin-betweenness suggests a
ventions have taken the fo rm of education and direct action new attention to travel and mobility. Agai nst the rootedness
united not by stylis- to a particular site, these artists emphasize a multiplicity of
tic featu res but by sites and the mobil ity ofthe artist. The very notion of travel
common strategies also signals the possibility ofthe liminal sites as a position,
or modes of what Smithson called 'dialectical' space. The work ofSwiss
address.lsraeli artist Christian Philipp Müller provides a good example of an
artist Av ital Geva, for oeuvre based almost exclusively on travel, both in terms ofits
example, active subject and its formo Many ofhis works involve hikes, tours
sincethe 1970S, has and excursions, often with the specific intention ofchalleng-
been working on a project called the Greenhouse since 1977. ing po litically invested boundaries. As part ofGreen Border
This project, which is part ofthe Kibbutz Metzer, near the (1993), his contribution to the4sth Venice 8iennale (with the
town ofMesser in Israel. is a collective social experiment theme 'Nomadism and Multiculturalism'), Müller posed as
des ig ned not only to produce new plants and food but also to an Alpi ne hiker and surreptitiously crossed the border of
teach horticultural skills and to foster a communalliving and Austria into eight neighbou ring countries. While
working situatíon, what Geva calls a 'sociallearning environ- humourously tweaking the attentiveness ofthe Austrian
ment'. ForGeva, whoquit the art world in 1980, there is no border patrol , Müller says, he 'experienced the difference
di s ti nction between the poi itica I o r ecological work of the ki b- between the border as an artistic concept and a political real-
butz and his art. ity'.98 He and his assistant were seized in Czechia and forb id-
For those artists who continue to work within the more den to re-enter the country for three years, an event that
conventional spaces ofthe contemporary art world, a similar immediately recast the humou r of the piece into a harrowing
interest in instigating particular social or polítical practices for recreation of the ci rcumstances ofthousands ofillegal immi-
particular regions is facilitated (or exacerbated) by the new grants and other border-crossers. For philosopher Michel
co ndition of exhibitions staged at widely dispersed locations Foucault, the hope of such symbolic artistic actions is to:
that requ ire the presence ofthe artist to create topical and site- 'Develop action, thought and desires by proliferation,juxtaposi-
specific installati o ns. Unlike Geva 's work on the kibbutz, how- tion and disjunction {and] to prefer what is positive and mu/tip/e,
ever, these new site-s pecific projects are often temporary and difference over uniformity,f1ows over unities, mobi/e arrange-
tnvolve only brtef encounters with the local community. As a ments over systems. Believe what is productive is not sedentary

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 • but nomadic." o f t his wo rk ha s litt le to do wtth the'commodtty-based require- "
As part ofth is mob ile pos it ion ing many recent art is ts have me nt s ofthe co m mercial art world. As video artist and AIDS
developed the ir own campan ies, programmes, orga ni zat ions act ivi st Gregg Bo rdowit z says, 'What seems usefu! to me now
and solut ions. American art ist Peter Fe nd , fo r examp le, head s is to go out an d do work that is directly engaged, that is pro-
Ocean Earth , a company that was the first to se ll h igh-qua lity d uct ive - t o p ro d uce wo rk th at enables people to see what
satel li te images to neW5 organ izations and is now ¡nvo lv ed in they are d oin g, t hat en ab le s them to criticize what they are
massive eco logical projects based on early earthworks. In so do in g, and m oves on'.
far as Fend seeks to use sate ll ite imagery to h igh li ght globa l Redefi ning cu ltura l pro d uction as a polítical activity that is
eco log ica l d isaster areas such as Chernoby l and the Pers ian co ll aborat ive , m ul t ic u lt u ral and e ngaged wi th a community in
Gu ir, there is an act ivist element to th is otherw ise (anven- an active way, t hese issue- o rie nted collect ives (including the
tiona l profess iona l work of consu lt ing , teach ing , network ing artist groups Border Arts Works hop, PAAD and Group
and bu ilding new structures. Another examp le is the work of Material) extend the lessons o fthe ear ly Land Artists. Their
Viet Ngo , a Vietnamese-Amer ican art i5t and civ il eng ineer, 'non-art' man ifestat ions suggest a way beyo nd t he fr a me of
who started h is own bus iness in 1983 us ing h is patented Modern ism to a true ' Postmodern ism of res ista nce '. But t hey
' Lemna System ', wh ich emp loys duckweed (lemnaceae) , a a lso make c learthat there is not o ne Po stmodern is m , but
sma !! f10ating aquat ic plant , to transform waste into prote in- many ; not one vo ice , but many. Postmodern spa ti a l p ractice s
rich feed for an ima ls. Ngo 's Dellil's Lake Wa stewater Treatment cannot be confined to a fixed set oftheories but fo rm an o ngo-
Plant (199 1), in Devil' s Lake, North Dakota , Isa s ixty-acre ing experi ment , costantly sh ift ing and evo lvi ng . In part icu lar
sewage treatment p lant in the form of a snake-shaped earth- they address the crucia l issue ofbordercross ings and li m its
work . The p lant doub les as a waterpark for the commun ity, as they perta in to nat ional isms , loca l cu ltures , c lass , race ,
te ll s vis itors about the env iro n ment and so il , and 'adds gender and sexual ity. So the quest ions that are pert inent
beauty and mean ing to the commun it ies they serve wh ile inc lude : From what pos it ion do we speak? And forwhom?
pur ifylng the water' . What will th is change? And forwhom?
Us ing these mode ls of spat ia l and envi ronmenta l engage- Such interrogat ives suggest that the project of under-
ment , many act ivist coa li t lons - not necessar ily invo lving sta nd ing ou r relat ion to nature and the env ironment has
art lsts - have appl ied postm o dern vi sua l tech niques to cr it i- changed drastically in the past th irty years. The banner
ca l publ ic issues. Thus in add it ion to 196o s -style means of unfur led by Greenpeace at the 1992 Earth Summ it showed
protest such as demonstrat ions , s it- íns , roadb locks or mon- a d ifferent view of the world , allud ing to a poststructural ism
keywrench ing (sp iking trees s lated for logg ing), many env i- where mean ing and power are not determ ined by a s ing le
ron mental coa li tlons have developed soph ist icated means of dom inant viewpo int. Yet, even as we are confronted with a
ínterven ing In or 'zapp ing ' the med ia . Notab le among these world that is increas ingly mult ifaceted, intertextua l and re la-
efforts are the vivid images of Greenpeace protesters rap- t ivist ic, certa i n material tasks rema i n. Among these are the
pell ing from br idges to stop sh ips carrying hazardous materi- need to rema in sus p iciou s ofthe ideo logica! fre ight and the
a ls or PETA's an ima l-r ights advert isements showi ng celebri- constructedness ofthe concept of nature and ca ll s for its
tíes preferring to go naked ratherthan wear fur. ln a s im il arway, preservat ion ; and to cont inue to call attent ion to the frag ility
internat ional gay and lesb ian rights groups , i nclud ing ACT U P, of our env ironment and organ ized threats to it . Th is means
Gran Fury and WHAM! , have used vivid graph ic des ign styles not only protest i ng violations of specifi c phys ical spa ces a nd
for posters that question social att itudes towards biological negot iat ing the complex issues ra ised by d iffere nce b ut a ls o
and med ical issues around Al DS r US spends more in five paying attent ion to the everyda y, that loca l s ocia l s ite 'where
hours on defense than in fiveyears on healthcare ' or ' Men , ideology and its res istance are lived ou t in all th e ir me ssy co n-
use condoms or beat it '). Aga in , exploiting formal techn iques t ingency' . 02
developed by earlier postmodern artists - appropriat ion,
montage , use of advertising style graphics - these art ists use
their art as polítical propaganda. Needless to say, the purpose

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,
 9 Robert Mo,,"s 'Noles on SeulplU.e, Stlt<,mn ojh,s Sp.t< Gna W'llongs, Imogo",a pIOUf. Bllekwell 50 See ln pilrtleulil •. M,eh ..1de Ce.leou.
"
•
" .. .
"
"
Pilrt 4 Beyond ObjeeIS', Anjorum 7.
n08 NewYo.k Ap.'! '969, P S4 See
illso Robe'l MOffls, 'AMI' -Fo.m' ,
ed Louls 1 Ored_old ilnd Ralph G
Ro.s, Un ..e's'ty ofM ,eh, giln P,ess.
AnM A.bo., '967, pp 2,6')7. 262
37
Pubhsners.O. fo,d, 1996.P 311
MlChel deCertuu_ TIle P.Od,,,O!
EvtryJoy lift, Un .... rs'ly of (ill,forn,a S'
'n IheC,ty',
ojflltryJay lljt. op CIt
In

RobeflMoms, 'AI'gnedwl lhN3ZCil'

r"t P,a<l"t
,pp. 91-110

." e.p r>d 11

o,
Anjorurn 6. no 8, N_ Yo,k Ap,,1
".. 68. pp And fo." d,¡eUSSlOn
fMoms' wnan tdo.mw<>."
,n Ih,s p '93)
l3 U_edille P"ee, An E"ilyon the
P'<tu'e'que. J Robson, London,
p, .. ss_ Berkeley, 1984_ p XX
38 Ibld _pp XIV -XV
39 ROSilyn OeulSche_ 'Allernatove
Artforum '4. no 2, NewYo •.,
Oetobe, '97S, pp 26'19
00ptnhelm m¡¡de olhe'
, 'lnd ro" lenilu.' Miu"ee B... ge' /lob.rt '796 'ep"nled ,n The Gen,,,. ofl"t Spaces'. '" l/Yo" L,wd He.t A ,mportlnlwo,ks nu, FOfll(ent.
o ¡he e ha al'\d Mom¡ M,,,,rn ,m ondlh. '9 Plact Thr f"gl"h 1'(0)1<1 by Motllro /lasJt. ed S"an ,Ma,ne, dUf1ng !he silme w,nle',
Hilrpe. ilnd Ro"", N.."" Yo,', 989 An ,610-.810 ed ¡ohn O.. on Hun l 3nd Wall,s, Seattle. 1988 p 4S lndud,ng (1968),

• eoh b, on, ,Ied Ant,·Form', ilnd

,nd .. d ngwo.h by He.. e.
Peter W, 's,
Yo,k, pp 3'>4
ind Row. New
,n th,§
40 10hnBflnckelhofl"j¡ekson,
\/,,"a.ulol
Poá" (\968). Bo"na0'l' 5pl,¡ (1968) .
Cotoge Ú¡.".oa" (1968) ilnd
n ,hf'd F've
rel al mar y ni n t ... Panilmil.enko, Ro!>..rt Alan volume PP \93-94] Yale Un .. ers.ly P,ess. N'gG¡,1It Soora {1968}. S.. e 0.,,,,,,,
Iccomp !$ofthe R,o Saret. Roch¡.d S""iI. K",th Sonn,er 14 Pflee, Essays On Ihe New Ha_e n, '984_ p . " ,n Ih,s Opptn"t,m Wmlu,
.... m I ¡nd R,eha.d r.. nle, wis p.e.enled it P,cturesque', ,810, q .. o,ed '" Robert volume pp '949S] '967-]], d An Comempo'ilon,
.. d n 1997 (;trth Summ,l the John G,bson GillI ....,. du"ng Ihe Sm'thson. L3wOlmsted 4' EhubelhC ArtwO'.s onlhe Montrtil. 1978, pp 4°'42
mide bIS ¡htrl few In 10B' hlp_ month ¡S the 'Eilnhworh' and Ihe D,ale<:1\eal , Land-_ Atl ",AmeIlW, New 53 Ibld, Oenn's Oppenhelrn, quoted ln
pened bu!llh ,kit", luket,meto exh ,b",on DWiln G¡iI .. 1)' The e.h ,. A,tjo",m, 1, n06. New York, Yo,k, jilnuil)'- Feb.ual)' '976, lnle""ewwolhAli.n Paren\. p ,6
,dent'fy ¡he oulcome b,tlon '9 a' .organlzed Febr 1)' 1973. .tpflnted In Tlrt ,eprmled m Art ,n ¡h, LQna A [,',,'01 S4 RQ!>..rt Smlthson, quo,ed 1M Paul
2 On !he 'elallonsh,p between SUS;!" by Robert MO'fI' du"ng Ihe month Wrrrmgs ojRo/un Smrlh.on. 01'. tl l .. Art, ed Cummlngs, Robert
Sontag', .1'(0108Y af ,miges· and of Oecember 1968 at Casttlll' s wi.e- pp 118- 1 9 AI.n E P O..uon & Co., New Smo lhson for Ihe ArehlVes of
,mages af 1'(01011(. see Andrew house, ,nduded a la.g .. n,1of P"ee, An on Ihe Poclu.esq .. e·_ Yo.k. 1983. p 84 Ame"eil n
Ro" T"r O ,ogo Gong'U, Thwryof 3'1' slS and mil"e<! the du.est ,n .f.ede"ek lilw Olmsted .nd the 42 Ib,d.p 7S Insmu't', 1972: .epron led In The
L./r NOI"" '¡ Otbt lo $","Iy, Verse exp'ess,on of the ant,-fo,m O,aIKI,eilll¡ndsCilp'" ,01' el! 43 13neTomk,ns. Wf\lrng¡ ofRGben Sm"h"'M. op. CIt.
NewYor' 1994 PP '7 n tles 26 Sm'lhson. 'frede"ck La"" Olmsled landscipt An Ontol081 (or Ihe PP IS5-5 6
1 e, t.moGomn-Peíl;t,qL >!ed,,, 10 Cra'gOwens 'Earth""o.ds ,n ¡nd Ihe O,.leel,eill undseilpt' . op Western', Artjorum 28_ no 6, New SS Rob..fI Sm,lhson. quoled m
Suunr\t Liq Cuth.!,,,1 P,lgromlgts Seyona /lt"'gn",on /ltp .. "nIO¡"",- e,1 p "9 Yo.k, Feb.ual)' '990 pp 96'99 (See fon"M, ed N,nil
Ind Metipho", Jou.neys In POorlr_ ond Cul'';''. ed BiI.b",¡ 27 Ibld. P ,,8 TM,S .emilrk undoub, - In th .s volume pp 24748[ '.ger, And ... w O"hon Wh,te
M..pp "¡p'" ru,o n NewGtnr, Kr .. ge,et il Unt.e's'tyofC¡I,forn'¡ ref"Hed to ¡he formal,S! 'fltoe. 44 On He,"er's .. -The Art Mus .. um of Art, Ilhilea_ NewYo.k.
Pub Ar! f'd L.ley Biy P'ess P.ess Berkeley '992 p 47[Se"'" ofSm'll\son sown t,me. sueh as He 'u', 8, n04 1970. n·o .• epr,med In Tht: Wnlonli!'
Surte 995 P 9 th,s volume pp 28'·821 T ,m ilnd F""d ""ho s,m,larlyd,s- NewYork, '969, pp 32'3'1 oj/lobtn Sm,¡""'''. op en . O. 160:
" O" D o ... S afl""'" su 11 RobertSm,thson 'ASed,mentill'on rn,ss"d Eaflh A'I n p'(lu'esque' 4) M ,eh_el He,z .... 'Inl"",'''''' w,lh ,6,
M,wo"l(won. orthr M,nd E¡rth Proleel, ,n Ih,s pp 223-24] B.own·. m Rtwrst. ed jul¡a Rob..n Sm ,thson,n,.. Sp"ill Jeny'
Ttf\dMt'P$ S<,en! Mforum 7, no '. New'l'or' 18 Ib,d ,p '9 S.own. The Muse .. m or tn Cyorg1I(ep"s, M. '"¡lre
O ¡n', Fa,,,,,,, IrIl"not,,,nol Antwe'p. Sep'.. rnb.., '968, .eprlnled ,n Tlle 29 Ib,d (onlemporaryArt, los Geo.ge B.az,lle •. New
... g .. ,1199) In in even! ,,"'e- Wn¡,ng¡ of/lobert Sm,lhsorr. ed jC Roben Sm'thson. 'To""a.ds Ihe 1984 [See In th" Ifolume pp 228·29[ Yo.k. '972. repf\nled In WnlmB'
liltd lo 'Artt A... exh.b. N ilncy Hol\. New York Un'vers 'Iy lR_tlopmen l of 3n A.. Te.m,nil 46 joseph Mashed,The Piln3m3 o!Robtn 5"",h",,,.op e>l., p. 111
I.on, F. nM "h ... enl ehose Pren, NewYo.k, '979. pp 82-91 S'le', MjGn;m 5. no \0, NewYork, Canal Some Othe. Wo.ks of A't [See ,n Ih,s "olume pp 21S-18]
Ihe C Su"''''.1 lO [See,nthlSvolumepp 211"S) 1967, .epflnred In T/'e Wnl,ngs 9, no 9, NewYor k, May S7 Ib,d
nce Ihe spoMso.sh.p of Agnes '2 Ib,d.,p.89ISe ... nthlSvolumepp ofRobtn (11. P 43 '97 ,P4\ SS Roben Smllhson. ,n 'lhe Artlst ilnd
'
Oenes' TtU Mu,,,,IO'" (1992 '9S), 211-1)J J\ Samuel Wag sllff, 1', -ralklMg 10 Tonr 47 Mlchael Helzer. quoled ,n Oougln Pol'I'" A SympoSlum·. Anfonrm 9,
p.ese",e of 10,000 Iree s '3 Ibld,p 8s[See,nth"volumepp Sm'lh', Anjorum 4, n04, New'l'ork, C MeG,II, 'Mlehael He,zer'S no '. New Yo,k. Seplembe. 1970. p
by 10.000 H 21"'sl Oeeembe' 1966. p 19 Aconr .. rnpo- .. , m Htrur'¡ fffirt J9
Pl'l of .IS n"t,on;ll fo. eno, '4 F"ed. 'An ilnd Ob,etlhood' 'ill)' ¡,t,S! ,n w"h Sm'lh's RttmttgtnctojAn"tm 59 On Ihe p'oposed Vonco"""
ron ... Anjo.um 5. no 10, NewYo.k, ¡une v,ew 's )ilmes Tu "ell. who has ,a,d, Mound HiI'ry N Abr am s. 'slond ofBroktn Gloss (1970). see
S Robefl S"'.lh "n, unpubl.shed 1967. rep"nled ,n M,,,,mol Art A 'Tn., plaees mosteommand my 1990. p 11 He'ler'shuge Robert Hobbs, Ro/utl Sm"hso"
ew (r""ol ed Gregol)' iltlenl,on ilI" I"ge, ,.,e ,hil' qUils,-ilreh ,Ieetur wo,k Compl.:t ScuJplurt, (ornell Unlve'SlIy P'e ...
6 Oonnil A Cyborg Battcock E P Outlon & Co N_ •• en mge, ..sed,suchnMonle (1972'76) ""iIS bU,!1 neot 10 IIhie¡¡ '981. pp 18S·86
Miln r ,lO ,n S m CybotgJ. ""a York, 968,pp 116·,p[m"'lhl'J Alban (lh"templec'lyoflhe a nud"iI' lest .,te ,n ilnd 6c M,eh3eIAup,ng. ·MlchaeIHe,zer.
Wom." /l. ""nI pp 223-24] s,lualed on. mount.,n H.. sil,d. 'Part of my art 's b"sed The Eeonom,es of
1 , .PO 164' 5 Clernenl Modern neil' ,n Me.,eo) The exptn on an ilW¡r .. n"sS ""e I've ,n iI NewYo.k.june
6, Pa nl,ng. MI IV, N_ enee of enle"ng s .. eh a spice 's IUSl nueleilr ... iI We'." p.obably ilt 18.1977-P 1
7 By' "".01,1.01' " ..e' e." 1 ,n,n Yor. 196' ' '1>' nled ,n M "mal An Ihe e'pe"enee ofthe spilce ,tselr Ihe end of (,,,,1 ,ziloon' S .. ch fve or 61 RobertSm,lhson. 'Unl,tledI97'- ,n
N_ Yo.k n 0(1 be! 968 h"d mo'e A Cnl,wl I P 70 t m ,nt ... est"d ,n mak ng spaces Ihal DeslruCl,onlhem"swere eehoed ,n Tht Wm",gs oj/lobttl Srn"lrson. op
O"".lIy po t".1 end, ¡I>ough Ine 16 Ib,d we.e fam. 'ir .... ,Ih ,n and ,n Ihe (ilSI of many ,",o.ks. not e,1 . p 220 Fo. mo.ton afl35
wo.k sh wM ""u mo'e" '7 F, ed,Art ilnd ObjKlhooo' ,maglna"on' 'lames Turrell only l'ler al holes dug ,nto Ihe ""rth mal,on, See Robert Mom •. Notes
Th"".t> 1 A,lfo,Puce' OlBiI' Mm,mol An. A (nl"ol Antn >¡¡y, lp Pi,nl'"g"",\h Loghl and bul 31so e¡¡neell_llons, on Al! al_nd l3nd Reclam¡toon'
",zedbywI,c 'yR 'pp"d. e,¡ . pp. '9-20[S .. 'n Ih,s pp Inte""ew by (lire , AtI ti: "i1lers. self-desl.oymg wo,ks. d'Sln (klobe" no 12, (ambfldge.
p" nter Huol ilnd peice 223- 2 41 Ors gn. no JO london, '993, p 46 leg, ¡1,nB wo,h. 'ums dllp!ice, Massaehusetts, Sp"ng '980, pp 87-
Ron Wolon ill Ihe Piulil 18 ClementG.eenbe'g. 'The Jl Sm,thson, 'A Sed,men l¡!>onoftne menlS ,02IS .. e In Ih,. volume pp 254S6)
Ce 'pe. wils lO use Reeentness ofSeulplU.e' , In Mmd P,olects'. op. col . P 82 48 M<ehael He,ze •. quoled In Pe.haps Ihe mOSI d,silSl.ous exam-
Ihe com ... e" ill gilllerysyslem for Mm,mol Atl A C",,,al A"lhology. H Owens.·Einhwo.ds',op.e'l ,p 4' Helzer, Oenn,s Oppenhe.m. pie ofrh IS Iyp" of ... at,on 15

polol' ,,1 ends Wo.ks by milo. m,,,, op CIt. pp. 180·81 H See Ch "Slel Hollevoel, 'Wande"ng Robe'l Sm'thson: Inle""ewwllh MlChael H,.. l e.'s rurnull (1985'
ml " ••1"1, sueh H CiI.1 And.", Sol '9 Sm'thson, ·ASed,menl.tlonofthe ,n Ine C'ly F/dntntlO DtMt and Avalon,h,- '970, New 86) In Otrawil, Illmols. an atlempt 'o
leW,tt, Robert Mo.", Oonilld M,nd fil'th P,oJeet,' op. (11. P 85 Afte. The Cogn'I,ve MilpP,"g of Yo •• _Aulumn \970, pp 48-71 [Se" ,n makea p_.kon Ihe S< le o( (o.est

j jd ",,"'e $ dI be""f,llh 20 S,dneyTIII,m. 'Eanhwo.ksandtt>e Urb.an Spiee-. ,n Tht Po""t'ojlht tnls pp 202-sl A fe"" ytilr5 deslfoyed by Ihe Ouawa S,I,e¡¡
1,0nComm'tteelo New P,elu.e'que', Mjorum? n, 4. (,ty/ TIt. (oly ojPo""t._ ISP pt'rs, lale., howeve', He,zer lold ... eporte. Company. Im .. nded 10 'epl,eilelhe
WiI' nV Ove. N_Yo,k, Oeumbe. '968, pp 42 45 no Wh'lney Muse .. m of Ameflean f.om '1 w.. s n.. ve. out lO elf'gy mounds or p,eh,sto"e Na',ve
S¡ '" iI <;"el yR .. mepp 221-2l) A.I. New York 1'1'1) pp desl'oy Ihe Billlery syslem o. Ih" ileS' Amencan moundbudders, the ""o."

An R..iI
"e",.tnl Wor: V
el P. . ,
22
d [See,n,h'lIOlumepp
fdmund Su'.e A PI"losooh cal
fnq .. ,ry • eO'cnofOurlde¡,
II '22) n Oougl¡s Hueble. quoled ,n
'Sympos'um' '9]<: ,n
Loppa'd, 5 •• I'tOI'1, P,¡ege.
R
Ihet,e ob,ecl
OouBlas
I'm nol iI .¡d,cal
'lhe E."h
N....,Yo.k. Noo"m!>...
con.,,"

• snikt,
m.ss,"e mounds In
Ih .. abstr iel forms o( iI .p,de', a frog,
and a tu't'e

• o"ppt. YalÚ f ,n Sub and .. I,f R and Publ,shers N....,York '973,P '28 ,8, '974 P "3 O"g,nally. Ihere slrong l<Kill
t,
t'rlBt N
A"
. Ilod"
,
Ooosey don '7í7 'el' Ned
n The PI! 3OP/tyoffJmund S",. t A
36 Ed""ird SOli Tfr ••drPQu
An" t< ona o¡n" /leol-o ..d-
JOUml'f' lo 49 Baker Artworks on the Lind'. op
CII.pBo
oppos,t,on 10 Ihe proleel "nee the
ilbandoned bu,jd.ng srte had

SURVEY
 b«ome 10 pop"I¡, d,nbd,e u¡á ind
•
p"nlee! on Ihe occas,on of lI'e was] co,nc,de"'l.., Ih, ,f nOI thedrf"in F Pal"c'aC Ph,' ps 'Ma nlenance •
s, ... ee '1 seemed 10 •• loze ¡he Rtchard Long e.h,b,I'O .... Anthony ,t,ve ",de. of the eme'genee of Act,v 'Y' C,e.! nla
fu ... a,o ... oftne o"s,n,,1 mounds. d'Offay. Seplembe"98o; ,ep"mee! Postmodet!'l,sm Tlleglosso ... Cnange', r S<l1 11 11 An' o» e,!
O ... ce bu,ll, the mounds fided to 'n Long Pro"" Pnnud Owens' essay 's from Hil Fosle •. P ,88
sro"" s,ass as plannee! SUlcetne so,l Mott.,. New Yo," Publ,( l,b,,,I)'. Rt',,'" of,h. Rtal, MIT P,ess, )3 Ib,d. for more on Ukele, se ..
""as eo!'ltam,nated Afte' several NewYofx_ 1 994 Camb"dse. Massachusetts M,erle lade,ma ... Ukele,
yurs of neglect ¡nI' s,¡e ""iS dosee!. 72 Both Ihe from (arol H.II ind ,86 'Ma'ntenance Aft An v ty (19J3)
One loc.l oppo ... e ...¡ offe,ee! a usefu I Ine apl ph,ase -epheme,al geSlu'e, 84 Robert Sm,thson. 'Fr .. gmems of ..... K""oni"d
,ummil)' of¡nI' C)'eles of publte use on Ihe are borrowee! l... te'v,ew"",lh P A Norvell, Aprd Helen Moles""orth. and i conyt","-
ofthe lind whe" nI' 'i,d, -Tn.,. f,om S¡ephan,e Ross. ·Ca.dens, '969' '" loppi,d. Ytar<;. op e,t toon between ind Doug
m'ghl .eopen '1, bu! nobody ,sso,ng EaMh",o'.,. and Eny"onmenul Art- , !, Ashford Is
loeome see ,t anyway There 's st,ll No!ural Sto .. tyDnd ,ht 8, Cri'gOwens. 'TheAl1egoltcil Empty·. Oowm.nl<. no' '), New
nolh,ng 10 '1 bUI a few d rt n,lIs We AMS, ee! Sal'm Kemil ind Ivan Impulse Toward a Theoryof York, FaII1991.oP. c,t. pp )"0

i""istelind and ""e used '1 Casktll. Cimb"dge Un've'''tr POSlmode,n,sm' ,nAftAfttr 94 PI..ATfORM. S¡,I'Wolt", e.h,b,\,o ...
They ,wnee! ,¡ so nobodyuses ,1 See P'ess. (¡¡mb"dge, 1993. P 11' Modt"",m. Rtlh",k,ng brochure, '992, n P
E"ka Doss. Splf'! Pole. ,,,,d Fly ng 73 On 1I"hi,d long's work, ,n pa.t,cu- R.prrsenlOl''''', ed SfI"n W311os. 95 Ib,d
P'g5- ""bl" An rlnd C .. larlhe Ce"', Abbol W¡¡lt see Dav,d Cod,ne, Boston .. nd Ne"" 96 Fo, Foste,. tn,s ""hole I,ne of ;'gu·
lÑmoua,y '" Ame""an Stephe ... Bi"", 'The Map as the Museum of CO!'llempo,a')' Art. tII.w men! 's p.. rt of .. ¡a'ge, skepto"sm
Sm,lhson'in I... du ofthe Real l .. nd Art and Ihe York. '984, p. 209 ibout tne anlhropolog"al p,e!en-
Ins[,tu t.on P,ess, Wash,nSton, OC AuthentoCit,on ofTr .. vel· Imago 86 fred"cJameson, 'Postmodernism. Sfons of cu Itu'al slUd,es, new h,s-
'995. fo. a promOl,onil glo55on ¡he no 46, B"t'sh l,b.ary, or Ihe Cultural log'c oflate lo",,,m, I 51ud'es, and Ir
P'OJeCI see MeC,ll 'M'en"el london. 1994 pp 9·,8 [See ,n In,s Cap,ulosm' . New teft Rt .. ,tw. "'0 , 46. d,sc'pl,na,.,. sWd'es ,... general See
He,ur s Effigy T.. e'lee! ,n 47 YO ume pp. 243'45[ london. 1984_ p 8l.jameso ... H al Fostef, Re! ..", 0f R.ol. op
62 Robl!rt Sm,lhson ·Propos.. 11972', ,n 74 loseph 8euys a ... d R,chard Demarco, descrobn h,s pu,pose as. 'A model e,\.
The Wm"'g"; ofRolxn S"., op 'Imef\j'ew' , 982. E"trgy Plon for Ih, of poi t,eal culture approp"a,e to 97 Hom, KShibha. Loco"on of
e'l,pu' Wentm Mon.jo.. ph Btu}" '" ou' own s,tuat,on "",11 necessa"ly Cld"rc. Routlee!ge. N"",York. 1994,
6] Nincy Holt lene. to T,molny Amlnco Wnr,ngs !7yond Inlt""(.." havelo ra.se spat'i11 ,ssues as the p.216
Coll,ns.Oct 1 1973 Tllt An,,!. complied by Can.n fundamental ofga ... 'z .... g eo"'ee.n 98 Ch"st,an Ph, 'pp Mulle., ·C.een
PofXr1, Areh,.es of Ameroun Ar¡ I<uon" Fou/ Walls E'gh,W",dows, "" : the,efo,e p'ov,s,onally ne Sorder' _,n Sltl'wftr.t.f,
Wasn "gton. O( NewYo,k, 1990, pp.log-16ISee 1n an ¡esthet.e of eogn.!tve mipp,ng' R.plf'>f-nllll'w,.
64 Hi"' Hiade, ¡¡uoled ,n ¡ad Ih,s volume pp. 266-68] The conce»t of ,ogn ,llVe mapp' ng 's Ausman Pivll,on. '993, n.p.
Bu,nnam. 'Hi"" Hiiüe W,nd ind 7S Ben¡am,nH.D Suehlon 'F.omthe more exphc.tly d ,scussed ,n 99 M,chel Foucaul¡,
\Niler Seul ptu,e', Tn· Q..arterlv. no , . Aesthet,c of Adm,n 'Sil at,on to Jimeso .... 'Cogn't've Mapp,ng'. ,... Reoder, ed Rl,nbow Pantheon.
Nonhwesle,n Un,.e,s'ry, E"aMto ... , 1"'51,lul,onal Cr,t'que (Some Aspects Mormm ond tht interpr.MI,on of 1984, p.",
lI,nOl5 Sp"ng'967,PP"'24 of(oncepIU¡IArt, '962-'969) '" C.. ee!s Ca')' Nelson ¡nd 100 M,lle" 'V,et Ngo-
fep"nlee! ,nArl.n ,he Llmd op. e,! L 11ft Con.tp,,,,I, pe"p.a,.,. uw'ence C rossbe.g. Un'vers'ty of I as Ar¡', P"bl" Art
PP '06-24 nat,o ... al d· .. ft modet!'le de la III,no". Urba ... ¡, '988, pp. )47·60 Rc",tw, M,nneapolos.
6S A S lNIpold, 1'1 .. 1 W.ldloje vdlede P.. "s, PifoS. : 989. p 49 87 Fo, ¡ suec,"et summiry of tne,e Sp" ... s·Summe, '990
Ma""gtmtm ""h. Na¡.onal Paru. 16 debates. see Dav,d Ha",ey. Th. 101 AConve,sa\,o ... Between Do"slas
US Depirtment of the Ime"o', ,dea of'env,ronmen¡al art' can be Po,¡modt," Cond",on, Bas, Cromp and C,egg 80,dow,tz_ Ji ... ua,.,.
Adv,SOI)' Board On IN lidl,fe f,om Ihe fae! Ihal ,¡n- london. 1991 Fo' fem.- 9, 1989', In Ja" Z,ta C,ove,. AIOS
Manisement Report to the cellee! ,etrospe<:tove al the So lomon n,s! (Oftee!,ve, 10 Ihe 'maseul,n 'SI' The An,m e.h,b'l,on eil .. -
Se<:.etil)' Mirch4 '96} R Museum, spitoa Ilheo' ,es of F,ee!, ,e Jameson, logue, Oh'O State Un.vers '!y,
66 Al¡n Sonf"ist, qUOlee! ,n H¡lfold ,n '97' was loh¡ve been d,,,,dee! ,nlo Dav,d Harvey, Edwa,d SOla, and 1989,P 8
Rosenbe.s. T,me and Spue Ih'ee se,!,ons: Systems. o!hers, seelhese ,mportan! wodcs '02 John 'Mad Fo, 11".
Concepls '... Env,ronme ... ul Art . ,n B,olos,e.. 1Syslems and Soc,¡l Rosalyn Deutsche, E"'CI,on\, MIT T,.-, "O 15, londo .... Summe, 1996.
An '" Lond. op C,I . pp. 2' l,' 2 Systems. O ... Huc.e's udy systems P,ess, Cimbrodge. M assachusetts, p 3°
61 lucy R l'ppi.d o,.,.rloy ""o.ks Hans Haicke. From,ng 1997: C 111'3 n Rose. Fem,n'!m
Conumporr¡ryAnond AM 0f ¡¡/'Id B.''''g 7 '97'>- J5, Th. L''''''',of
Pinlheon Books New ed I(i,pir I(oen'g New York Unovers.,y
York.l9'83,» 44 Un'\je,s,ly Press. New '975 ofM,nnesou P'ess, M,nneapol,s,
68 Olhe,femln 5¡,lft,s¡,de.elopee! 17 Eleano,Heirtney'Eeopol,!ots¡Eeo· "993: S P,le i ... d C,II,,, ... Rose, 'AII or
""h ,eh 'e,te' ¿lee! .paces poe!ry' Helen Ma,e. Ha",son and No!h'''g) Poht.es .. nd C"toque ,n Ihe
1ft¡ th person .. 1mea ... ,ng', sueh as tIIewton H¡m,on' S Envlfonmental Modern,sm- Postmodernlsm
AI,ce Aycod,- W,II'oms Co!ltgt "'g ,n Sut 1$ HAM? rht E/'Iv,/onmCnI ond
(19741. i 5mall eanh mound Sp"'¡ ee! N, ... a O: SO".lyond no 'o. P,on,
'" th aehambe, ,n ""n,ch oneeould felsh,n. B¡y Press. Semle, 1995. London, '992, pp. '23'36; and
"a""l. and ""h,en .efe'l 10 Hop, P·148 Doreen Milssey, 'flex,ble Sex,sm'
'he caves of Ko,. ¡he subterranea ... 78 JeA"rey Dt" ¡ch, ,n AM ,n Ll1nd, op. EnMonmtn,ond Plonn"'8 O: $o"cry
viults Fede,al Bi nk, e,t,p 8 7 oMd Spo'., ... 0 9, P'o .... london, '99',
and ,he c"cula, P'!' of ¡he Ma'm •• 1S 19 Rosalond K,auss, 'Sculptu,e ,n the pp ]1'51
hpanded F'eld', Oaober. no 8. 88 Susan So,do. 'Femi .... sm,
69 JackBu .... llim, 'Contemporary Camb"dge, Massaehusetts. Sp"ns Pos\mode.n,sm, and Cender
R,tuil A Sea,cll for Mean,ng ,n Post- 1979ISee"'th,svolumepp 233'341 SkepI,e,sm·. ,n F.m",i\mjPO<l-
H,sto"c .. 1Te,ms·. '" Crtol W.,ttm 80 Clement C,ee ... be'g. 'Rece ... tness of modtfMm, ed l, ... d.. J N,cholson.
5011 Worb. Mton,ngof Sculptu,e' , rep' nted ,n Mor' '''0' ArI Ne""Yo,k, 1990, PP '13-
Pou-Forrn¡¡l,j! AA. Ceo'se B'aI,lle', A (n1,,,,1 op. c,t . pp_ ,80- ,6
NewYork.1974_ p 161 !, 89 Frede"e I¡meson, op. c,t . p_ 8&
70 Henry Dav,d Thoreau. 'Wilk' ... g', n.. 81 Ib,d 90 Rocha,d Serta. quoted,n Robl!rt
AIIDnl" Boston, 1861: 82 C,a'g O",ens. 'E .. rthwo,ds'. op coto Sto", "TillfdAn Enemyofthe
rep"ntee! ,n Th. Pol1llblt TIloreou. 8) Ib,d. Accord,ng ' o o..ens, In,s I,n- People)' Art ,nAmtnco, vol]3. no 9.
ee! (¡¡rl8ode. y,k,ng, NewYo,k. SU'SI'C e'llp¡,on ""as 's'gnalled by, Ne"" York, Septembe, 1985. p. 93
'980. pp. [See ,n Ih,s volume bUI by no mea ... s Iom'ted 10, the Ift¡"t- 9' lames Meyer, 'The Fune!,onal S,le',
p.2n] ,ngs ofSm,lhson. Mo,," •. And'e. Oowmenl¡, no 1, NewYo,k. fall
l' Rtehird long_ from leaflet Judd, Flav,n. Ra,ne,. leWltt lind '996. p 21

SURVEV
 •
•

The works grouped here manipulate the landscape as a

material in its own right. The artists add , remove or displace local natural

materials to create a form of sculpture that reflec!s the ethos of Minimalism in its

emphasis on materiality, elemental geometries and siting. Their work draws out

the relationship between the existing characteristics of a site and evidence of

human intervention. Often monumental in scale, they simulate the spatial

expanses in which they are located. These works introduce the foundational

expressions of the Land Art phenomenon . The performa tive. process-based

nature of Land Art 's formalstrateg ies developed throughout the 19605 are based

on mark-making, cutting, agglomeration or relocation . Later practitioners inflect

these methods with lyrical. and/ or political intent.

. -;

.-
• •

Noguchl slaned des1!!nlng works lor .-". -

pubtJC spaces betwee-n 1m and 1937
xulplure lO Ek Sel'fl from Mars was
lnlwUy entJlled MemonoJl lo M.Jn and
concelVed as a maSSM! I!arthwork Thl!
maquette was <In Impress,on DI an
abslrilct lace In sand pholographed 10
creal!! me IUuslon 01 maSSM! seale The
nOSI! was lo nave been a ml!e!1 6 km l
long and when seen from spac!! was
rntended 10 snow thal a CM1.l.ll!d
form had Orlee eXlsted on Earth
Nogoctll s pesslml5m about Ine fulure
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01 me plane l resulted In part from hls •

expenences as a Jap.lnese-Amencan
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walter (

L<f5 Vegas P,ece (onslsls 01 four trenches. Iwo one mlle (1 "km, lon g and Iwo half a
mlle 1804 mI long al! sel al nght angles lo form iI square The stralghlllnes are
Ir('nches In Ihe earth 244 cm wlde onented N·S and E·W Overlapptng Ihl5 artifiCial
gnd are Ihe curved paltems 01 natural streams The plec!! 15 meanllo be expenenced
al ground level II explores Ideas 01 measurl!menl and orlen lallon o, Ihe bocly In Ihl!
landscapl! By dlgglng 1010 Ihe earth. De Maria also eommenls on how map·makcng
dev,ees are Imposed on Ihe nalurallandscape

INTEORATlON
 ,
•
"

WORKS
 Deon i s OPP EHII[l H
" , ,<<Ir "
"
"
, ,,
.,
• ,
,
gra¡',
grape,

p
O • O

" P

Oppenhelffi cut through deep layers

01 snow <lod Ice. llnmg [he path wllh
sawdusllo create a dark seam (91 "
122 " 1.500cmlthroughthesnow The
work was exl'lIblted as a photograph
accompann,!d by a milp showlng lhe
(ocallon 01 1he temporary rnark In lhe
landscape The mappmg 01 the arllst's
gesture on ¡he (and <lnd on a map
crealed two very dlfferent Visual
expenences ollhe work Thls work
makes eVlden! lhe symbollc functlon
01 milps

r'
-
• •
•

NEGATIVE BOARD . 1968. St o Francis, Maine. )' x 4 ' x 50 ' . Snow and sawdust •

-
-

WORKS
Denn i s DffEIIH[! M
, • "
•
• • c.
..
•
•
- •
,
• •
Perpendicular 10 ¡¡ trozen waterfalL -- ••
Dppenhelm cut a \ 22 >< 300 centlmetre
channel In Ice wlln a chamsaw Wllhln
,
-- •
1
¡
twenty-four lIour!> Ihe ch¡¡nnelln Ihe Ice
i
had refroze n. Ihe forces 01 nat ure had
-
erased man s Intervenllon In Ihe nal ur;al

envlronmenl -- -
•

Oppenhelrn exh lblled documenlatton

-
01 In ls work In lile form 01 a map and
photographs al Ihe seminal Ear1h Art
exh lblhon al Andrl'w DlCkson Whlte
.
..
.r
•
•

-
Museum Comell UnlVI!rslty.lthaca 1969

-
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, - .......
•

-
•

...
•

• •

•
I
ACCUMULATION CUT . 1969.
Location : Itha c a , Ne .... York. 4' X 100 ' cut madc perpendicular to fr ozen water fal l . I
Equipment: Gaso line powered cha i o saw. 2 4 hours r equired to r efreeze.

-- •

•
•

• /

-
.- -
J "\.

\ 1

WORKS
50

, "

-, - ,
t'

" f",t,"Jf'

• '"." r w •
, "
,
,
FoUowlI'Ig Ihe IIn!s 01 [he boundary

between Fort Kent. Maine (US) and

Clalr New Brunswlck (Can ada) on lhe
Irozen SI Jalln Rlver. Oppenhelm cul
two paro!lIel !in!!!> In Ihe Ice wl th a snow-
moMeo kavelhng al 35 m p h The
work ¡ook ten mlnuleslo extCllle Tlle
boundary ¡Iso marks lhe inlersectlon
between two dllferenl llme zones
Oppenhelffi 15 explonng lhe relallonshlp
between time and space. ¡he time 15

slmuUaneously lhe same and dlfferen!

011 each su:!e 01 ¡he lime hnl! Thls makes
citar lhe contrasl between lime as .In
abstrae! conc epl and lime as 1I 15
é xpe n e nced by m OYlng Ihrough space
Oppenhelffis gtslure ¡lIustrales how
human mapplng systems are Imposed
on lhe natural envlronmenl. rellerallng
lhe arllfielality 01 man 's ma pplng 01 spaee

A lield was seeded ano lhen lhe graln was harvesleO In Ihe lorm 01 an X, lhe graln

was kepllrom processlng and never sold Oppenhelm explalned Planllng ano
culhvallng my own malenalls like mlnlng one 's own plgmenl (for palnll Isolatmg
thls graln Irom ful'1her proces5lng becomes IIke sl opplng raw plgment Irom
becomlng an IUUSIOnlSllC lorce on canvas'
- Oennls Oppenhelm In DennlS Oppenhe,m Selected Works 1967-90, 1992

The X IS a symbo l 01 cancellallon and eeonomlC negallon The erop was nol released
InlO Ihe 1000 ehaln and remalned excluslvely pal'1 01 an al'1lsllc ael

INlEGRATlON
 •

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Olbbets found a large cltanng In a

lores! where a p.¡Ith crossed a creek •
• •
l o-
A dothnllne attached 10 lafge rocks
was used lo mark out a largl! Von
Ihe ground each arm 01whlch was
,. \.

appro.lmately 152 cm wlde and 3 m i-

.. \
long The turf Wlthln I!olth arm 01 Ihe
V was tumed over wrlh plckaus and "•

-,.
shovels ucepl where Ihe V was
Interucted by Ihe path The long walk
,
••
·., •
•

\":r ..,.
through Ihe woods lo Ihe Sil! 01 Ihe •
work was pan 01 ¡he plece ,)
The work was molde lor Ihe ' Ear1h
Art uhlbltlon al Andrew Oltkson Whlle • •
Museum Comen UnlverSlty. nhilt.] \969

,
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WORKS
 HEllE R
Rllt ter ,rilte I

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..
tonne

re lry
ment ' or,!!,

The lransformatlvl' powers 01 n<Jlure are examlned through Ih e natural delerloratlo]l

01 Helzer's The artlst creales a dynamlc relallonshlp between lime and
space The forms whlch have been dug mIo Ihe desert floor graduany dlsappear over
time as Ihey are erodeó and Ihe 5111' 15 by nali.lre Time 15 selln retallon lo
human seale. whlch seems mlnlscule In proportlon lo lhe ImmenSlly 01 "alure
11"1 hl5 photographs 01 Ihe Nme Nevada Oepressions H,mer plays wllh conventlons
governu19 VISlon. seeo frorn dlfferent aogles lhe depresslons appear lo
lilke on a dlHerenl form

• •

lNTEGRATION
•
•

/I'chael HEllfR

•
,

WORKS
MI hae'!:!.f "R

A ma551ve 240 000 tons 124L. 800 tonnes! 01 earth was moved wlth Ihe help 01 •

bulldozers whlch excavaled Irom Iwo sldes 01 a valley wall The displaced earth was
banked up m Ironl 01 Ihe bulldozers lo lorm two homontal ramps Commenllng on
Ihe IIlle. Ihe artlsl slaled. In order lo creale Ihls sculplure malerlal was removed
ralher Ihan accumulaled There 15 nolhmg Ihere yet II 15 sllll a sculplure·
- Mlchael Helzer 'lnlervlew wllh Julia Brown 1981.
The sculplure 15 created Irom Ihe vOld ralher Ihan Irom Ihe solld Helze(s concems
wllh Ihe dlrecl phYSlcal expeflence DI our bodles m relallon ID Ihe landscape are
partlcularly eVldenl m Double Negallve The vastness 01 Ihe work Ilself compeles wllh
the Immense scale ollhe na tural world The vlewer can watk Ihrough Ihe sculplure as
• •
¡lit was a bUilding. thus a connecllon IS also made between sculplure and
archltecture

- .
•

•
•
- • •

• -• .. .. ....
........ . ::.:. . ...
• ... . ... •

INTEGRATlON
 •

•
•
•

• •
•
•
•
, •

•
•

•
• •
• •

•
•
 •
•
 .

01 earth Two dump Irucks. a tractor and

a large 'rontloader were laken lo Ihe

I
Sil! Basal! and earth were scooped Irom
Ihe beach al Ihe beymnmg 01 Ihe jelty.

!
Ihe lrucks backed up 10 Ihe Gulllne 01 the
splral and dumped Ihe matenal The
lorm 01 !he work was Influ!nc!d by Ihe
SIII!. whlch had once be!n uSl!d lo mine
011 Ihe splral shape 01 Ihe Jetty was
derlved Irom Ihe local topography as well
as relalmg 10 a my1hlC whlrlpool al Ihe
cenlre 01 Ihe lake The splral also renecls
lhe Clr(Ulilr formahon 01 Ihe sall cryslals
!hal coal Ihe rocks Smllhson was
IflIllally attrac!ed lo Ihe Sil! because 01
Ihe red colourallons oflhe sal! lake The
work was changed by lIs envlronment.
reflechng Sm'lhson 's fasclnallon wllh
enlropy. lhe inevitable transformallve
lorces 01 nature Subsequently
submerged underwater thls
monumental structure IS a hollow
testimonial lo man s domlnance 01 the
landscape and a comment on hls
relallonshlp to monuments The work
perlodtcally re-emerges Irom the lake

INTEGRATlON
WORKS
 . Robert SMIIHSO N
,; ,
,"
p

, r' , •
o ,
p
, '"'
Cre;¡led In an abandoned sand quarry as
Dne DI [YIo works on 11'1,5 Slle nhe olher
beln!! Broken erre/el. th,s WilS Ihe lin.l
work by Smllhson 10 'recla,m ' an
industrial Slle As Ihe art lst eKp lalned . 'In
a very densely populated ¡¡rea like
Holland, I leetl!"s besl nol 10 dlslurb [he
cuUlvahon o( the land Wllh my work In

the quarry. I somehow re-organlzed a

dlsrupled sltuahon ami brough t 1\ back lO
some klnd 01 sha pe '
- Robert Smlthson. 'Inlervlew Wllh
Gregolre Müller', 1971
Splral H!II was construcle d 01,11 01
earlh aYer whlch severallnches o, black

I lopsoll were lald Whlle sand was spread

alonglhe edges o, Ihe splral path The
anllelockwlse dlrecllon 01 Ihe palh lorms
an anclen! symbol 01 deslrudlon The hltl
can be seen as an analogy lor Ihe Tower
01 Babel. a referenee lo man·s destrue-
Ilon. here specllieally e nvlronmen la l
deslruellon The work was IOtended lO
deterlorale graduaUy and Ihen disappear.

I bullhe local eommuOlly has voled lo

¡ malOtaln Ihe work 10 lIs orlglOal form

Robert
,
¡"
"' 1
'"'
,. P 1ea ", agoon
" ¡;
" "
"' , ,la nd Key . ,linda

• Sunken Islandwas madI! by

eonsolldallng rocks lrom the bottom 01
lhe lagoon In whleh lhe work was bUllt
The rocks were enerusled wl!h small
shmy plant and animal lile and sponges
ealled deadman"slingers' Smllhson
used the water. vegelable and mlO eral
matter as II lhey were a whole.
IOtereonneded material

INTEGRATlON
• •

.. .- •
 flE ISCHNEB
" d

4b IT\

• •
In' •
5 0d "'<lzecomp nses four concenlnc.
gently sloplnQ maunds 01 earth Wllh a
single piillh lo Ihe cen tre The pa!h 15
vIsible due lO Ihe low rellel 01 Ihe
construc1lon. and may be lollowed or
aba ndone d al WIIl The lorm relates lo
prel'ust oflc for1llicat lons and bUrla l
grou nd s

-
I

!
,
I
I

I
Robert il:ll' HSON
I •
I•
I •
" "
• •• I I

Seen Inll.aU., !rom above as 1\ 15

,¡pproached Am.Jnllo Rolmpchanges
slgnlflcantly upon belng enlered By
walklng upon l' Ihe Vll!wer 1$ aware 01
nls/hef constanUy changln!! relahonshlp
10 Ine surroundlngs and helglltened
sens! DI Ihe temperature IIght IInd
soun ds 01 natufe The sculpture 15 a
partlal (Irde bu.11 on a dry lakebed In /In
afea riel'! In IlInl Tn! (o(OU( 01 Ihe earlh
changes throughoul Ih! dóly
Smllh50n dlled In 1973 wtlllsl
uplonng Ine slle In /Ir> alrplane 11'115
plll!Cf was (ompleltd by Nancy Holl
Richard Serra and Tony Sllalrazl

INTEGAATlO N
 •

Herbert BAYEB

¡q/9 82
[arth

1" td"

i ,nty . ioIash ngtJn

I
Se! In 11 park and deslgned lo take mio
account bolh envlronmenlal and human

I needs. Ihls work 15 cempased 01 'ive

geometricelements two mounds.
one raund and one oblong oa cone
surmounled by a bridge over ¡¡ pondoa
flng mound and pondoand a rlng mound
blsecled by Ihe creek The design
controls storm -water runaff mio MIli
Creek Canyon. Kmg County. Washington
as lhe mounds runchon as drau1age
basms They ¡¡Iso provloe seatlng lar
Vlsltors dunng Ihe dry season

INTEGRATlO N
 TuRRElL •
• "

Thl! s,11! IS a dlSh-ltkl! 5paCl! bl!twel!n 122 and 3D5 m abovl!

a p\.i ln TUITI!ll uuvall!d!hl! lO lorm a per1ect clrell! lhl! slle 5 rl!Lallon5hlp Wllh
space and ltghl 15 01 u!mosl Imponanu 1115 approached from Ihe WI!$I by dl'Mng
act'Oss!h1! MHn Thl! road makl!$ a Clme on!hl! north Sldl! 01 Ihl! cralu and
eoml!s up a rilVlnl! on 11.5 nonheasl sldl! Allhl! lop ol!hl! faVlne Ihe VlSllor r!!OJches a
walkw.-,!hal foUows!he ClrcuLir maLapal nm 01 Ihl! fumarote olllhe llonhl!asl slde 01
Ihe erall!r lhe watkw.-, 1$ approltlmall!ty 76 m abo ... e Ihl! pLa,n Allhl! lop 01 Ihe
fumarotl! arl! new $paces from whlc;h a lunnl!L 2.6 m In dlaml!lu and 28m
tugh ulend$ 315 m The atl$ as an obsl!rvatory whIL$1 from lhl! edge 01 Ihe
votuno Ihl! geotog,e dlsnlpllon 01 Ihe reglon da!lng back 10 prehlslonc limes can be
sl!en The work uptoresllghl as 111$ $pread acro$$ Ihl! sky Thl! SIII! was choSl!n lO
take advanlage 01 Ihe An zona sky one 01 Ihe e(!!areslln Ihe wortd The anlsl has
5taled My W1sh 1510 use II ghl as Ihe malenal nol Ihe subject 10 alfect Ihe medlum 01
perc:epllon [ I Our abillty lo perc:erve Ihe sky 15 d,rectly rl!LaI!!d 10 Ihl! upans lon 01
I!!mlones 01 Ihe self [ 1The $paces Il!ncounl!!rl!d In ftlghl encouraged me lO work
wllh Larger amounts 01 5paee and Wltn a more t\Jrviltnear se nse ollhe space 01 Ihe
sky and Il.5ltm'15
- Jaml!S Turrelt Rod!!n valer 1993
INTEGRATION
 i
I I

, ..r
 •
• .

rhICJf d'PtNd o" s/lowlhen IN;Jler

h,,¡d u(I/II froun tog,tn,r
CJt;a$I(H'IdUy usmg forl.,d s/Jd<s iJS
$Upport unll/ studc
iJ IMU mom,nI w1I,n I"k.ng ¡h,m

on In, sbdc lirsllo /,

GoIdswonhycreiJlu INOoo In Ih,
landseape ,,,,n!jl lound malena15 and
Nllural proc'$$'S .as w,U as h'5 own
physlUll man,pulat.on 01 !he mal,nals
Ihrough brealh,ng handIJng or holdIng
10 erule n_ fonTl5 Th, wom are
ofien very shon-llV.d and iJft rKorded
as photographs Goldsworthy s
,n I\iIture h"ghlen out
awarenen 01 !he beaulyoln.ature as
_ll oiII5 0111$ endvnng '¡lnd ¡¡Iso

horst ChU/flllllr,e
10m hol,
swchtd around Ihe edgl! w,rn grass
stalks
movmg In rhe wmd

WO RKS
 1"111 ,RAY IN

I
Dods BLOOM and 1Ii1 al!! HNTRIOGE •

Thls IS an analomlcal ¡mage of a heart

drawn in chalk on fire-scarred veld(open
counlryl The cond1110ns 01 productlon
are hOrllonlal. Ihose 01 expenence
venlcal Thls compleluty IS mlrrored
by Ihe contexl 01 the Joha nnesburg
Blennale lor whlch 1I was created m
1995 The work IS experienced very
d,Herently depen dlng on whelher 1I IS
seen from aboye or from ground level
Seen Irom Ihe grollnd Ihe draw¡ng IS a
labynnth 01 runnlng chalk llnes wh!Ch
make a hean. Ihe shape of whlch
can only be dlscemed mdlslmctly
The fI,Innmg Imes can also be a way
01 tlrcumscnblng a p,ece of Land The
drawmg can only be seen m lis enllfety
Irom Ihe alf

WORKS
 ,
These projects intersect the environment and

human activity by employing non-indigenous. man-made materials ranging from

asphalt or glue to a row of Cadillacs; the works expand to match the large scale of

the environment itself. They use manufactured substances and structures. or

m ach ines and technology to frame. set in motion or harness natural elements

ranging from coastlines to forked lightning. The artists place an increasing

emphasis on the transgressive qualities of the activity. questioning the definition

• •

of what is ·natural·. Paradoxically. these artists participate in whilst critiquing the

kind of terrestrial exploitation frequently carried out in the name of industrial and

urban development. They also interrupt the landscape by bringing its dirt and
I
organic randomness into the acculturated white cube of the gallery.
I

•
I

eM BI STO a J[ ANNE- Cl AUDE

1972-76
;te . J

In l'

Runnmg Fence ¡ook ¡he ¡nISIS four years \0 complele and the technlCal and legal
problems encounll!red durlng lIs plannmg and conslruchon are Integral lo the work
Al and a half-mel res h Igh and Üllrty-mne -kllometres long. I!Ktendlng easl-wl!! sl
near freeway 101 . north 01 San Fran"sco and droppmg down lo lhe Pac¡fic Oeean al
Bodega Bay. 1I was made 01 200.000 square melres 01 heavy WDven wl'u te nylon fabrlc.
hung from a steel cable strung between 2.050 sleel poles (eaeh 6 5 m long. 9 cm In
dlameler) embedded one melre mIo Ihe ground and braced lalera lly wl'l1 guy wlres
(145 km DI sleel cablel and 14.000 earth anchors The top and boltom edges 01 lhe
2.050 I.. bnc panels were secured lo lhe upper and lower cables by 350.000 hooks
Helped by hundreds 01 workers. englneers. advlsors. sludenls and farmers. Ihe work
had a slrong SOCIal elemenl Runnmg Fence was vIsible for rourteen days Acllng as
an artificial barner. lhe work connecled lhe land lo lhe sea and s ky surroundlng 11.
maklng expllClllhe arbllrary na lure of polll"al and geographlCal boundanes

INTE RR UPTION

I
 •

. ....:
.
 t-Iade dlreclly In ¡he landscape Sf1'Cdntwaslocated top 01 a grassy mound Irom
Ihere'l descended 1010 a rollln9 meadow surrounded by Irees Th!! hne 01 ¡he work
artlculaled 'he (lse and fati ollhe land and In lroduced a dlff!!ren! seale lOto Ihe natural
5ell,09 A secan! 15 a 51r<ll9hl ¡lne con necllng a curve al two pOlnls Andre "s work was
bol!'! the undulatlnQ [lne 01 Ilmbers and lhe strillgl'll hne (onnl'(:l1n9 Ihe two ends TrIe
arttsl sald The [lne 15 !he !Irsl and atso Ihe very lasllhlng nol only In palnllng bul
,
also. more generally In every construchon TrIe hne 15 passagl!. movemen1. Colllslon.
boundary. support link. dlvlSlon By eleva1lng Ihe hne lO Ihe status 01 prime
I element. wll h whose help alone we are able lo c;ons lru el and ereale. we rejeel any
aeslhelles 01 colour. Ihe treatmenl 01 surf/lcu and style .
- Carl Andre. ar1lsrs statemeñt

I Hans HAA CIí..E

,
6
..
,
Hehum-Ittled ballDons wtrt reteased In
Central Park New York mapplng a
bnght hne In !he sky

,
•
,

INTERRUPTlQN
 •

•
•

•
----
-

.--' .....
. . -"....._u
- ....
,._'""'" lo.
.......... .
,,-" . . . . __ • -0-'" •

lhe neor plOln 01 g"llery number" 01 Ihe

Andrtw O,tkson WMe Museum Ithaca
New York was lransplanted lo Slrd
Sancluary !thaca New Von... by drawlng
on lhe gfound uSlng d,rt and snow
Oppenhelrn s concem In hl5 senes 01
Gilllery Transpldnls was 10 creale a
dynamlc relallonshlp wllh Ihl! 511e
becomlng a surface for InscnptJon The
manlpulallon 01 Ihe locallOn lakes lile
place 01 Ihe obJect Transplanllng
• Ihe Slle 10 a dlffefenl conlu\ productd
ObJKls ¡¡nd slg"S Wllh d,lferen!
fundlDns Through Ihl5 acllVlty Ihe
The woñt cOf'ISlsled 01 ¡¡ !lne 01 wood tlmbers placed one behlnd lhe otller Wood as a
world wh ,eh Oppenhelrn has created
sculptural male-nal has a IOflgOlnd d,st,ngulshed hlstory and for Andre 1\ al50 hu
poetlC reSOIWI1lCes The semi! nature 01 elemenlS was IKhoed In the repelillVe becomes iln ensemble 10

SIr\KtUfe 01 tne WOOl Viewmg Ihe work pacmg oullhe lenglh 01 Ihe wof1( 'he be dIKlphered

dtstance belwHn rwo potnlS tonnlKled by a Ilne Th,s mOlde c\ear Ihe spatJal Th ls WOOl was firsl made lor Ihe

s,llJatlons 01len91h al'ld dlstance The elements fepellllVe rhy1hm wh lch could only br1h Ar1 exhlbltlon al the Andrew

be expenenced by wal1t.1ng allowed the v,ewer lo sense Ihe WOOl s temporal OlCkson Whlle Museum, Comell

Time f!Veals Itsell 10 be made up 01 small Unlts 01 space and 'he UnlVerslty Ithaca NewYof1( 1969

IndMslb,tJty 01 space and t.me becomes apparenl

WORKS
 Ilennl s OPPE NIIEIH
" , , ,
"19 " ,t Je

," •• , ,
"
• ,4'f
, "
, ... !

An ;Jlrpl)lle pilo! dlrecled by radiO Irom

Ihe ground tr.JCed Ihe schemala 01 a

tomado In Ihe sky uSlng Ihe Jet 01 smoke

dlscharged by Ihe alrcraft

Oennis OPPEHHEIM
, "
- a.d b a" nd
tcp

•
,
," Av ,<" Y"

Oppenh!lm spread 1000 lbs (454 kg) 01

saUln a reclangle on;Jn aspha lt surface
Idenlltal dlm ens lons were lranslerred In
JO • JO· 60 cm sa ll-bck blocks lo Ihe
ocean floor off Ihe Bahama toasl.
Idenlltal dlmens lons were ucavaled lo a
deplh olJO cm In Ihe Sall Lak.e Oesert.
Ulah Oocumentallon 01 these evenls In
Ihe lorm 01 photographs and maps were

,4'-' ,. H un o¡ ...-u O" .. uhlblted In Ihe gaHery

'"' h. " " ", !.t" ••. , .• YO,'. ' u 'o".
'0'" lo b• • r.l",r.' •• a In ,. ,2' Dloc ' S
to Geu" floo' ,H F Oh''''4 tO 00
•• ... " t · • of l ' 'n 4lt l.'. n . . . . .. tan.

•• ,
"

... ." ..'

•• •

"NI ,) •
'/
_o .:

" ••'. <

' ".'
, .'
, •.",". .
• , • , , .
o'

• •

• ...
,• , •
- •
•
, , '"i •
•
í
,
, , •
.,
•
• tY.'
" r...
o.

¡ ... ,•
•
---- ,
•
·· ,
, ,.,

.-..
•
,,
'
• •, •
•
•
•
•
l'

, NTHIRUPTlON

I
•
 "

Oennis OPP [ NH EIM

,
I '"
,
• •, " •e ", be k "" ",
'" ,
"
" •
e ", 6
• ,
, ,
• -, , ,

Oppenhelm proposed plaelng glant slars

made 01 eoncrele and glass In Ihe
landseape Visible from the alr wlth a
treneh ¡eadlng up lo eaeh one Ihe stars
I, would have looked as II Ihey had lallen
Irom Ihe sky and skldded lo a ha!t In Ihe

,
, urlh

Oennis OPP!NHEI H

. ,
•

"
USlng an Induslrlal primer Oppenhelm
marked the lan dseape wllh a square
eross eeholng Ihe marklng 01 a
topographle map lo Indleale a slle lile
lorm 01 a eross also carnes symbohe.
rehglous overtones. as weU as belng a
symbol 01 negallon The asphall primer
would nOI have made an Indellble mark
on Ihe landseape. Inslead II dlsappeared
In Ihe same way Ihal traces 01 anelent
bUrlal slln may have been erased or
bUrled as Ihe forces 01 nalure erase
man -made marklngs 01 Ihe land

INTERRUPTlON
 • •

Ir.::- -

-- . . ::l¡ .

• • ,

long s work hn a[ways demonslra1ed a slrong conceptual emphilsI5 as well as

a concem wllh Ine matenallly 01 Ihe natural world and modem urban spac! The
process 01 maklng each plece 15 Ihe central focus 01 hl5 praclice The works wh lch
Long bnngs mio Ihe galtery envlronment ¡¡el as slgnlfiers 01 nls resolute mvolvemenl
w,th [he earth and lIs malenals In [hem he seIs vp i tenslDn be!wel!n Ihe n¡tural
world and [he i!rdl'leclura[ sett,ng In wnlCh [!ley are placed

W ORKS
 '"

The chlt-IIned shorl! area whleh was

wrapped 15 apprOJ.lmalely 25m long 46
10244 m ""'Ide 26 m 1'1'91'1 al Ihe norlhem
chHs and was al Sl'iillevel al Ihe
sDulhern sandy beath Án upanse DI 93
km 01 eroslon-conlrol labnc was used
lor ¡he wrappmg ¡nd S6 km 01
polypropylene rope lied Ihe fabnc lo Ihe
rocks 25,000 fasteners Ihreaded sluds
I
¡nd cllps wefe useo lo secure the rope
lo Ihe rocks The coasl rernalOed
wrapped for a penad 01 len weeks

, Alterwiuds aU matenals were removed

and ¡he slte was rel\,lmed lo lIs onglnal
I (ondlllOn
Wrappmg ¡he toasl vl'lled Ihe feal
con lours 01 ¡he lemtory The rope used
lo secure Ihe fabnc lo ¡he slle lormed
hnes whleh recalled Ihe gnd 01 a map
The landscape was SlmultaneDusly
-
I
I
cDvered - blocked 001- and dlscovered
In a dlfterent form

,,
,

-
..... -
•

INTERRUPTlON
• •

_.
•

--
_ _ _ _ _ 7

.;=. ------ - --
-
•
,- - -
- -- -
-
- •

-
--
 Chnslo and Jeanne-Claude were helped •
by a wlde group 01 people ranglOg lrom
eons lruehon workers lO lemporary
he lpers art-sehool and eollege sludenls
12.780 m' 01 orange nylon labne were
seeured along Ihe valley 01 Rifle
Colorado The Villley CurtillO was
suspended al a wldlh 01 3Bl m and
eurved from 111 m In helghl al each
end lo 55 m a l Ihe cenlre The CurtillO
remaifled clear 01 Ihe valleys slopes
• -
and bottom A 3 m sk lrt was attached
lO Ihe lower part 01Ihe CurtalO belween
Ihe lhlmbles and Ihe ground
Thls was a very short-llved pleee.
hours a fter 11 had been
e recled. hlgh wlOds swepl Ihrough Ihe
valley makmg 1I necessary lo lake Ihe
curt a lO down

•., r ,
, CtlUlli1 J.LAN NE- ClAJ.iltE
,
I "ce
,
d

en p ,
" '", dbr '"
fI dt fi g a r "d CHRI SIO dnd JEANNE·C1AUDE

'0
9
'" " "
J,1 tógona l umbrel1dS

q m 3(h

Vdl1ey' Jbaral dpdr . J<j

1. 14 b Je pdra ó · ¡fornld .

I )Ab km . 16( yel,¡ par", 1

On 1. Oclober 1991 . Ctmslo ilfid Jeanne-
Claude·s 1.680 workers began
slmultaneously lo open Ihe 3.100 umbrellas
10 Iwo dlslanl parts 01 Ihe wodd . lbaraki.
Japan and California In Japan lhe valley IS
localed 120 km north 01 Tokyo Il'Ilhe US Ihe
yalley IS localed 96 km 1'I0rth 01 Los
Angeles Manufac1urers In Japan. lhe USo
Germany al'ld Cal'lada had prepared Ihe
umbrellas Ihe fabrlc. alUmll'llUm super-
slruclure. sleellrame bases. anchors .
woodel'l base supports. bags and moulded
base coyers Alllhe umbrellas were
assembled 10 Bakersfield. Call1omla.lrom
where 1.31.0 umbrellas were shlpped 10
Japan AII Ihe umbrellas In Japan were
blue. Ihose In Call1ornla were yellow The
Inslallallon lasled I'IlOeleel'l days
 . --" Nancy HOLT

.. --
-- ,
These bUrled poems were prtvale artworks Hall dedlCated Ihe poems lo five dlfferenl
people (Mlchael Hellef Phlllp LE'lder. ear¡ Andre. John Perraull and Robert Smllhson)
and ehose [he fl!mole slIes accordlng lo cerlalll physlCal. spahal ilnd alrnosphenc
•
" qualltll!s whlch would evoke a particular person for her lhe poems were bUrled In •

vacuum contalners. and Ihe reclplenl recli'ved a map whlch conlalned al! Ihe

_.- •
necessary Informallon for Ihe poem 10 be faund and dug up The map proYlded Hall
w,th bolh a physlcallocilllon and charactenstlcs whlch slle could relate lo a speclhc

-- persan. as well as a symbohc spaci' In whlch lo construc! Ihe mealllng prl!senled In

Ihe poems Along wllh lhe inslruchons on how lo find Ihe slle she tnc\uded del,lIls of
• '" ," . Ihe hlslory. geology, flora and launa 01 Ihe slle as welt as maps. plctures and
- speClmens 01 rocks and leaves

• •

I
I
,,

Nanc)/ !iQjJ Nancy HOLl Nancy HOLl

, ,
• "' ,"
,
"
"" , '"' 'o,.., 1 eh Heller

"' " ".

,
, "' , ' !t gr,
'H , Ar:he Pa r •. ,,"
" ""

INTERRUPTION
 •

Thl5 was .lO Inslallahon mOlde 1IIon951de

Ihe NI.Jgara Rlver Concrete dlsks holding
pools 01 water In varylng slzes were
sunk mIo Ihe earth The conflgurallo1"1 01
lhe pools matches lhe stellar
consleUahon Hydra rJ'lls work explores
lhe Idea 01 mlm s relatlon!;hlp Wllh Ihe
Ul'llverSI! ralher ¡han JusI Ihe Immedlate
envlronment

WORKS
 88 Nancy !!Qll
o
1, '6
'1 ,
,
"
d. , "'",

,. ,1
'" "
•
Four concrete lunnels are 1¡¡ld out on Ihe
desen floor 10 an open X configuratlon.
26 m long on Ine diagonal Al Ihe centre
1 15 a cemenl elrete flush wllh Ihe ground
lhe holes In Ihe upper haU 01 Ihe lunnel
I
waUs vary from 1 cm In dlameter
Thl!se are conflgured 10 correspond 10
dlfferen! sl ellar consteUatlons The
tUImels are ahgned wllh Ihe angles 01
•
Ihe rlslng and setllng 01 ¡he sun on lhe
days 01 Ihe solsllces When 1191'11 'rom
eitller lhe sun or moon shln!'s Ihrough
Ihe holes . a changmg pattem 01 pOlnted
ellipses ilnd clrdes 15 casI on lhe bottom
hall 01 eaeh tunnel The Inslallatlon 15 se l
lrI an Immense landscape wh,ch
ch¡¡nges accordlng lo Ihe cydes ellhe
sun and moen and 15 IOtended lo
II'Ilroduce lhe Vll'wer lo Ih!! C05mlC
dlmen510n of time

•
I
•

lNTERRUPTlON
WORKS
 H!I..: T

•
•

The oval pool "iS exaetly miO Ihe "eld 01

vlslon Iramed 1hrough 1he smaU tunnel
and appears tlreular Lookmg up lhe
small tunnel the other way a etrcle 01
• •
sky ean be seen The tlrele olsky 15 also
relleeted In the pool

HOU
, ¡,
, 8

•
•

•
'"
•
. •

•
•
The work IS made Irom 200 to
mlllton year ol d sehlst. hand-quamed
Irom a mounlatll 65 mIles northeast 01
the slle The onenlatlon 01 the ple<:e
was ealeulaled Irom the North 5tar The
arches run N-S and the holes run NE-
SW. and SE-W

IN TE RR UPT IO N
- •

•
-
• • •

• - •
• • •

- •

I
•
•
- •

• , •
• ..
--.-
•
i
, • f
•

. . .-
• --
• I /
--., •

- •

"'l ena e1 IlULER

He W ".
" • ,,, Nevd p

968
, ,
, • •
• .
' •
Helzer sel plet:I'S DI wood Inlo Ihe flal bottorn 01 a dned lake The artlst was aware
how qultkly Ihl5 work wou ld be reclalmed mIO Ihe landsc.ape He uphllned. As Ihe
phYSlcal del enoratu. Ihe abstrae! proll fera,les exchanglnljl pOln!s OfvltW
- MlCha el Hel zer A rtforum. 1969
Hls milln mteres! In maklng IhlS plece was Ihe gradual trilnsformallon and
del enorallon ollhe pu!ce wllh 1111' passage 01 ti me as \he natural envlronmenl erases
hls inl ervenllon In Ihe l¡,ndscape

WORKS
,
 •
"
, ,

CTl!aled In !he emply NevaOa desen. Chis work plays 00 (he Vll!w!r s upenencl'
01 sea!! wllhln !he Landscape The sculpture whlch 15 madI! In !hree pans. was
conslrucled WIII'! concrete and volc.alllc rack surfaces The structure can bl! I!nlered
once Inslde!he Clty ¡he VI!W!!f 15 confronled by Ihe enorlnous Kulptures and can su
nolh'ng 01 Che surroundlng landscape cnly the sky remams VIsible The presente 01
Ihe obJK\s overwhelms wlII'! Ine Imml!llSl1y 01115 sea!!! He ller remarks 1115
Interestlng 10 bUlld a sculplure tha! aUempts 10 create <In almosphefe 01 ¡¡we 1
Immense arch,tecturally-slzed sculpture ereales bOlh Ihe obJe<:I<lnd ¡he atmosphere
( 1 Awe 15 a slale 01 mlnd eqUlValenl lo fetJ!I'ous upen encl! [ 1To create el
transcendent woril 01 art means 10 90 pilS! everythlng
_ MlChael Heller -I ntemew wlII'! Julia Browfl 1984

WORKS
 " Rob e rt SM!I HSO N

In den ! ,[ "1 rr r· Ira"" l In t ne

Vu

...
-- In ¡h.s serlu 01 photographs In mnl'
difieren! Sltes.
, Smllhson maps a phYSlcal
Joumey !hrough !he landKape The
natural envlronment 15 Iransformed
and Iractured In Ihe surfaces 01 twelve
ffilrrors wl'lIch Smlthson look wllh hlm
,'--'
on Ihe !np olnd placed In dlfferenl coo-
ligurallons In ¡he natural envlronment
The work ¡¡Iso concems time and
memory. Ihe works eXlsted only lor a
very shorlllme. bu! [he rmages trapped
by ¡he camera are IImeless trollces 01
memory
The photographlc work WoJS orlglnally
molde as ¡ magazine sprl!ad In Ar1forum.
5eptember 1969

I
•

INTERRUPTIO N
 •
RObert SHI T" SO N • "

• •
Thls was one 01 a senes 01 comer plKes
Installed In Ihe gallery usmg gravet
sand rack. salt. slale red sandstone and
chalk Three mlrrors are pOSllloned In a
comer and gravells Plled m Ihe resullmg
angle The mlrrored world ulends In
Ihree dlfferenl dlrecllons mulllplYlng by
a factor 01 'our Ihe square on Ihe 'loor as
well as Ihe rack . lummg II Into a
symmelncal cone

•
•

Thls plKe was duphcaled so Ihal II (ould appear slmultaneously al a chalk quarry m
"md Ihe lnslltule 01 D:lnlemporary Arts london mlrrors were lomed
back lo back lO lorm a "rete wllh elghl dlameler 'mes around whlch chalk was Plled
In lumps and powdered lorm Composed 01 a elrete a renectlve surlace and clumps
01 whlle miltl!flill. Ihls pleee uses Ihe same baslC vocabutary 01 shapes thal Smllhson
employed m some 01 hls olher eilrthworks mosl nolably SpJral Jeftyand Broken
CJrde Here Ihe mlrrors replace Ihe wall!r
Roben '1IITIís..Q/j

• •

WORKS
 . lIober t
, ,
, . 9 '

- -
Smllhson madI' Ihlló work outdoors from
plKes 01 broken glass Thl' glass 15 a
•
map 01 a non-ells!!!n! Istand whlCh
calen!s Ihe sun s rays and radiales
bnghtness Wllhout I!leclfl(: technology
The cracked Iransparency 01 Ihe pites 01
glass dlHuse Ihe IIght 01 lhe.r solar
.- -- 5Durce Llke [he suns rays whlCh catllde

I wllh Ihe gases Ihal enclose Ihe earth. so

Ihe glass shaUers Ihe lignl. reftectmg 11
oH Ihe bntHe mass The map 15 a senes

-
•
- - --•
01upheavals and coUapses as Ihe

,
,

• ---.
.
• - --
,
•"
,
" , .- •
,
•
• •
-, unstable !ra¡¡meols are caplured by
h9M ilnd shadow The work was

- - - • •
- •
commlssloned lor a group exhlblllon

- .- • sponsored by Ihe Long Beach Istand

Foundalion 01 Arts and SClences
•

, -
- -- - -
De/al/s ilnd Spec Alter map o{ LeWls
,
Spence
'- ,
See Hlslory o, AI/dnlls
5everdl/ons ofbroken c/edr (gldssJ need
• rrdce 11m l/S (dpprox I on floor Ilghlly Ihen

,, fil/I/m
Gel few blg pleces 5.1y /22 cm by 92 cm
Sllt;k Ihem IJpnghl sllgh/ly lednmg
dnd SlJpponed by 30cm pleces
Bdldnce b'g preces dgamsl each olher
IJse smaller p,eces lo shore Ihem IJp '
- Roben Smllhson. 1981

Robert
,

A buckel 01 glue was poured down a

slope 01 5011 and gravel As Ihe glue
Iravelled down Ihe slope seeplng Inlo lIs
conlours. loose 5011 was dragged wllh 1I
Smllhson s mleresl In lhe lranslormalJVe
lorces 01 Ihe nalural envlronmenl was
contlnued Wlth 11'115 work

INTERRUPTION
• •

I
, I

I
I
 •
, ,. , .
•

A d,lap,daled woodshed used lar

stonng d,rt gravel and "fewood. was
found on Ihe Kenl Slale Unlvefslly
Campu5 Under Sm,lhsons d,redlons.
R,eh Helmhng a bUIldIng C0f11ractor
p,led twenty loads 01 earth anta Ihe
woodshed unhl Ihe central beam
cracked CruCial lo Ihe p,ee!!. Ihe
cracking 01 lhe centre beam d,rectly
communlUled Ihe role 01 achon ¡¡nd
gravlty In 11'115 sCulptUfl! and mvolved iI
dlillogue between exlemill ilnd Inlemill
spilce To Sm,lhson Ih,s WilS iI symbol of
enlropy. lurther chilnge ilnd weillhenng
would occur over tome Enlropy WilS iI
key Issue lor Ihe ilrtlsl denotong
Ihe process of lranslormallon whICh
works undergo when abarldorled lO Ihe
lorces of rIiIlure

A dumplruck relea sed a load 01 asphall

down .ln eroded h,ILslde In ao aban-
doned sKtlon 01 a gr.lvel quarry As 11
nowl!d down Ihe hllls,de l' merged wllh
Ihe l'arth. fitting In washed-oul guIlles
The asphalt became a casllo!} 01 erosloo.
Ihe plKe a Inbule lo enlropy The work
.1150 relerences Jackson PoUock s dnp
palllhngs Smllhson pamts wl1h asphalt
onto Ihe landscape monumenlahzlng
Ihe dnp as a slow OOle

WORKS
 00

•
The ObservaroryconSlsled 01 two con-
(entne nngs 01 earth The Innef nng
was formed 01 earlh plled up agamsl a
circular wood'n slockade The outer
clrcumlerence conslsted 01 three
embankments ¡¡nd two ( anals Entrance
lo ¡he plece was gamed Vh} a tnangular
pilssage (1,11 through Ihe embankment
towards Ihe west Once Iflslde ¡he

stockade Ihere were lhree ou./er

operungs lile firsl looked tasi along
two parallel channels whlch ended In
Iwo sleel plates propped on a diagonal
The mterval between ,hese plales
marked the poslllon 01 Ihe sun al Ihe
I!qulfloxes The Iwo olher opemngs
marked Ihe pOlfltS 01 Ihe sunnse on
¡he summer and wlflter solsl lces
respechvely Tl1e work was deslI;lned
lo be expenenced both aeslhellcally and
In relallon lO 115 physlCal and temporal
•
exlslence both as a monumenl and as
a way 01 poslllonlng man In Ihe cosmos
- • • - The observalory makes reference lo
, •
•
-- • neohthlc monumenls such as

•
-.
- Slonehenge whlch accordinglo a

•
• -. 1heory popular especlally in the early

•
•
'.
- 1970s are Ihoughl10 have served as
calendars IIltads 10 dlMerenl
awarenesses 01 lime in terms bolh 01
the time Illakes lo Ylew the slte and 1he
time 01 human h lstory

IN1ERRUPTION
•
R bt'rt ,,_ R&
• "

Thls was Ihe firsl Land Art work In Ihe landscape to be funded by US !lovemmenl
funds AA abandoned MI al1he oulsk,rts 01 Grand Rap,ds was enc,rcled w,lh a palh al
Ihe base and anolher al Ihe summ,l lhese two palhs were connected by two X-
shaped roads on Ihe s,de 01 Ihe h,lI_ w,lh a plalform atlhe Inlersect,on Followln!lth,s
preceden! 1he NallOnal Endowment lor Ihe Arts Ihe General Serv,ces Admln'Slra!,on
and other stale counly and mun,c'pal or¡¡an,zallons showed an Increas,n!l
recepllveness towards Ih'5 klnd 01 ar! lh,s developed alon!ls,de a !lrowlng
comm,tmenl by art,sls lo crealln!l works ,n s,les wl'lIch ha ...!! a pubhc luncl,on

WORKS
,

TI" S InYOlnd Ihe naluriIIl

•
enOlTlena <)nde'uahon .lnd
evap :al lln and was dependen! on the
natur¡¡1 Cl;Ind,llons DI templ!'ralure

hum,d'¡y pressure and w,ndveloclty

The WCrK was conceml.'d wllh nature
and atmosphere Stum drqwn Irom ¡he
CltyS underground $upply was drlven
through p'pn .. nd fIller!d above ground
Ihrough apenl"gs In a largl! rack bed
Thework whllst sculptural was molde
• •
from anll-sculptural media. and had
very 1,tt1eob¡1C1 quahty al1hough 1I dld
have a sel\se 01 physlcal'ty ulsllng 015 a
1'10\ amorphou$ cloud seepmg from the
greund b lowlng $kyward and
d,n'pat,ng
 03

APr OIlP iJ2Fjl, MAIIQUEl. Ooug MI.tH(1..S

BUll! In June 1974 Cad/I/ac Ri!lnchwas made up 01 ten CadlUacs ranglnQ !rom a 1949
Club Caupe 10 a 1963 Sedan buned fln-up In iI wheal lield In Trxas The plen' was
constructed In lour days U51flg a molonzed back-noe and low-tech surveylflg 1001s
On Ihe h"h <!ay Ihe work was unvelled In the !radlhon 01 feadymades Ihe work uses
mass-produced pans wnlch nave symbohc Qvertones The Cadillac was a status
symbol 01 1960s Amenta mdlcallng Iha! Ine Dwner was finanClally successful and
had ¡herejofe mOlde 1\ By usmg Ihe Cadlllacs as mere componen! parts 01 a work
Anl Farm subverted Ihelr symbohc lunctlon The plen' funcllons as a klnd 01 cernelery
él commenl on social value5 as well as Ihelf dealhly poUutlng effee! on Ihe
envlronment

WORKS
 '"'

,
,I
I
,I
I

Allce

An area 01 approxlmately 6 m 12 m was Clnd él senes 01 s,. c:oncretl! block

weUs connected by tunnels were bUllt Three 01 ¡he wells were apen I!nlry wells 2 m
deep These were Indlcated aboye gfound capped Wllh permanenl covers aoel a layer
01 earlh The vltwer (ould cram 'rom entry well 10 entry welllhrough narrow tuno ... ls
81 cm wlde and 71 tm h1911 Interrvpted by vertICal rehevlng wells whlCtl were clouel
and completely surrountled by e¡¡rlh The underground structure was demarcated by
a wa1l30 900 1 500 cm The dark undergfound tunn!!ls were deslgned lo produce
¡¡In uncomfortable response In ¡he audlencl! In concelVlng 1hl5 work Ayeoek drew on
upenences !rom her past comblnlng personal memorles aod dreams wlth
archllectural h,story

INTEARUPTlON
•

l4ary tl l

Three tower-I,ke slruclures two eClrlh

mounds and an undergfound courtyard
were bU11I on a lour-acre slle lo se!! Ihe
work Ihe Vll!wer has 10 walk ¡nrough Ihe
whole ¡her! are chaoges 01 seale In
¡he towers and lnaccli'$$,ble spaces In
the underground slNcture Boundanes
and perceptlons 01 distante are breugh!
mIo quesllOn as are Ihe IIm,l!; 01 ,lluslon
and reallly lhe work musl be walked
through In arder lo be uperlenced In Its
enhrety The vlewer 1$ Ihere/ore aware
01 bolh Ihe passage 01 time and 01 Ihe
changlng rl!lallOnsl'lIps 01 Ihe body In
space

WORJ(S
'" Mar y MI SS

• •

INTERRUPTlON
 ... lE MARIA ,
•

A km-long rod 01 meta! was bUrled vertlcaUy In Ihe ground The bOrln9 01 Ihe shaft
whlCh 90es Ihrough SIX geologlca! Layers look sevenly-n.ne days The conllnuous
melal rod IS mOlde 01 167 m-long rods screwed Ilghl1y logelher The sandslone square
whlch surrounds Ihe lop ollhe shaft 15 al Ihe mlersecllon 01 two palhs whlCh lraverse
Ihe Fnednchsp!alz In Kasse! Germany slle 01 Ihe mlema\lona! conlemporary art
surveys Oocumenla The work IS on!y vIsible In sectlon. the kJlomelre 01 melal
plunged mIo Ihe earth can be seen as a representallon 01 lime m a vertical dlmenslon
 •

• •

,I
 ".
•

The work lsloc;aled In Wl!st New MeJlco. 2.195 m aboye sea leve!. lB 5 km taSI
DI lhe Continental DIVIde Four-hundred custom-made ['l Ighly pollshed sl¡unless sleel
poles Wllh solld pOlnted tlpS are arranged In a rectangular gnd array They ¡re spaced
61 m ¡part Ihere are sl.leen poles lO ¡he wldlh (1 km ) runnlng norlh-SDuth twenty-
me poles lo thl!' lenglh n 6 km l. runrllng easl-wl!st Only after 11 [Ighlnlng slnke has
advanced lo an area 01 about61 m aboye The tlghlmng Fle/d can 11 Sl'n5e lhe potes

Tlle upenencl' 01 lhe work dlrectly In nalure Ihe effects 01 Ihe cl'lan9ln9 119M Ihe
shlft,ng spacl! heal and Ihe sense 01 w<IIIIlnQ lar 11 spKlfic evenl l lhe IIgh1mn91

hell;¡hlenS lhe Vll'wer 5 sens!! DI sea!!! and tlme

'oIalter DE

By fIlhng a 10ft space In Manhallan wllh

earth DI! Mana makes a Ihealncal use
01 space !t IS Ihe space Ilsell whlch IS
belflg shown translormed both by Ihe
quantlty and nature 01 the matenal
lilbng 11 as well as Ihe smell The ear1h
bnngs Ihe vlewer Inlo contact wllh raw
nature Ifl an urban envlronmenl The
work can only be contemplaled Ihroug"
a doorway A sense 01 excluslon IS
expenenced by Ihe Ylewer as the space
occupled by Ihe work cannol be
entered

WORKS
'" Betty

Thls work conSlsls 01 <In Iron flng madI!

01,110112 km 01 1 cm dlilmeler cable The
•
rmg measures 30 m In dlameler Thls
plKe 15 ¡he hlth In a senes 01 Ilrne-based
landscape prO¡Kls The Iron flng 15
slowly burylng ItseU slnklng mIo ¡he
ground ¡nd Ihe slrands 01 ¡he cable have
begun lo deterloral!! Thl! Iron contenl 01
Ihe pltee alfecls ¡he growth 01 !he grass.
and lIs development over ¡he years 15
be,"!! moMortd by mira - red
photography' Because 01 ¡he huge seal!!.
IIIS Imposslble lo see Ihe work Hllts
enllrl!ty !rom !he ground

INTEARUPTION
•
• "

Meg OIEIJ5..HR

Thls WilS iI temporar)' large-scale slIe-spetlllC sculpture Collstrutled In response lo

lhe surroundmg landscape a depreSSIOIl was carved mIo ¡he slope !hat lorms Ihe
I!ilstem border 01 Ihe Mmneapolls Sculpture Garden Two triangular 51eel slabs served
as relalnlng walls and formed ¡he entrance lO Ihe interior 01 ¡he plece The lerraced
Intenor was planted wllh carefully arr¡¡nged flowenng plan!s crealmg a surface nch
wllh colour and seen! organlc materlals comblned wllh mmlmal lorms For
Webster Ihe womb-hke work had sexual and speclllcaUy lemale overtones as 1\ had 10
be entered In arder 10 be fully upenenced The ftowl!rlng plan!s and Inse<! acllvlty In
spnng emphaslzed Ihe Idea 01 procreatlon blrth .lnd regener.lltlon

In her moss bed works Webster emphaslzesthe process 01 maklng - lor uample
poundlng 50ft earth Into a mould - and also the cyde 01 natural hlslory through Ihe
growth 01 moss or olher plants dunng the IIlespan 01 a plece She works wlth natural
element5 01 the landscape U51ng loam mOS5 natural planls water and salt as her
raw matenals Her work olten leatures simple geometnc shapes that derive Irom
Mlnlmal!sm The demandslha! the p,eces make on the envlronments and systems
tha! conlaln them are an Importanl part olthelr meanlng Websler bnngs elements 01
¡he landscape Inlo a man-made envlronment crea!lng a lens,on between art and
nalure

WORKS
.1

lhe work conSISIS 01 three plates whlch are l¡lId out In .ln e[hpllcal valley al12 4 and 8
o dock The spac!! m-between Ihe three pl.:ltes 1$ .ln Isoseeles Iflang1! 46 24 24 m
Eael'! plate 1$ iilpproxlmalely 3 m 1'1191'1 12 m long and 4 cm U'Uck They are sunk lOto ¡he
Inchne;ll equal elevahons Sena s work explores topology and [ocomotlon When
YII!WInQ Ihe work al gfound level Ihe plates al hrst appear paraUel when ¡he Yltwer
walks heft lhe plates move rl9hl As Ihe Vlewer walks Inlo Ihem Ihey open up and
appear 10 push oulwards 1010 Ihe slde 01 Ihe hltl A ndge 46 m 1'1191'1 enmeles ¡he
spac! When Ihe VIl'wer walks on lhe ndgl' Ihereby vlewmg Ihe work !rom aboye. Ihe
sp¡ce appears elllpllcally comparlmenlallzed ¡he Ylewer cannol se!! thls when
walklnQ through ¡he pie" Vlewl"g ¡he plece from overhead or vlewlng II Irom wlthln
creille5 iI very dlHerent I!xpenence 01 place

INT(RRUPTtQN
 u ao
•

• • • •
•

Endo s wOl1t IS ollen based on simple lorms remlnlscenl 01 Mlnlmal ArI. bUI hls worlc
dot's nol 10Uow In Ihal t",dlllOn Ralher 1115 concemed wllh an Inner Ideology and
nlslory Wltn mythology and human exlslence Fire and water are both Imponant
elemenls tire 15 a devastallng lorce 01 nalure whllsl allhe same tim e a source 01
ener,», Fire posstsses alchemlcal qualllles and 15 also punlymg Waler IS a reserved
and neul",1 malenal bul smce lis lorm can never be ordered 1I also represenls
c:haos Tht hldden caches 01 waler I"Slde sorne 01 Endo S SC1Jlptures are a remmder 01
the ftuldlty 01 aU \h,ngs The burnlng 01 \he worlc IS often camed out outdoors Inls
ceremOnial IS nOI dlrected al an audtence Endo documenls Ihe process wllh
photog"'phs and Ihe resultant form 15 uhlblled The worlcs are nol Slmply concemed
Wllh procus or form bUI allude 10 Inner layeno 01 human consclousness Ihe universal

psyche and mytnology

,
. . •

--
• •
• •

WORKS
 '"
Works here focus on Ihe artisl as an individual acling

in a one-Io-one relalionship wilh Ihe land. Some artisls use Iheir bodies lo make

a performalive relalionship wilh an organic environmenl: Ihe scale of Ihe works

•

is in relalion lo Ihe human formo They emphasize a primal and symbolic link wilh

Ihe earlh. crealing conlemporary forms of rilual. Olhers reacl againsl Ihe

monumenlalily of much early American Land Art by making Iransilory and

ephemeral geslures . A sculplure may comprise Ihe artisl laking a walk across a
-
fie ld. subtly realigning elemenls wilhin il lo mark Iheir passage. Artisls also use

Iheir bodies lo map Ihe landscape. presenling pholographic documenlalion of

I Iheir journies. Drawing on Conceplual Art's slralegies. some use words lo

subslilule a piclure of Ihe land wilh ils evocalion as a physical experience. In

conlrasl lo Ihe boundlessness suggesled by early earthworks. Ihe landscape

may be revealed as a zone of invasion or exclusion. divided by invisible yel

complex nelworks of polilical and elhnic boundaries.

Waller ll.i MARIA KazU Q SIHBAGA

" "9 Ora ....

"
, ,, ,I ha 9
9'
" ,,
'" haH

" , o. ,
". h-,y

. , In th,s performance al lhe firsl Gulai

'" exhlbltlon. Stllraga wnlhed arcund In a
• •
•• "
• '" el, pite 01 mud He belleved lhallhe mue!
De Mana drew two parallel cnalk lmes possessed a Splrlt 01 lIs own wllh whlch
on a dry desertlake bed he baUled Only when exhausled. cut ¡¡nd
brulsed. dld Sh lraga stop Thls type 01
performance whlch tested lhe artlsrs
enduranc! was typlcal 01 Ihe Gulal group.
an experimental art group founded In

Osaka In 195ii by J lro Yosh lhara . 01 whlch

Shlraga was a key member

INVOlVEMENT
 •

• •

..-
 '" Kazuo SHIRAG"
Pita )'"

P'

Ash ya. apan

The work WilS ongmally crealed lar

Ihe 'Experimental Outdoor Modem Art
Ex nlblllon·. Ashlya Thls was Ihe first
majar actlvlly 01 Ihe GUlal Art Assoclallon
Sine!! lIs foundlngln Oecember 1954
Shlragil erl!cled a cone 01 ten posts
palOtea red Standing inslde Ihe
strucll,lre and wleldlng an ne. 911raga
scarred Ihe Inslde 10 create iI violen!
drawlng' The gestural display 01 ga shes
was sald 10 'expre ss Instlncllve

destructlon' Tnls verSIOfl was

made lar photographers from Llfe
•
Magazine In Apn11956

,,

•
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- . -. , • •

-
-
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•
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•
•

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•
• • • • •• •

-
• • • •
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•
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• •

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.- . •.
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•

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•
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•
• -

INVOLVEMENT
 Dennls QEP!NltíJJ'\
"
•

. ,

Thls was a ten - minute performance

plece between a masonry -block wall
and a collapsed concrele p,er between
Brooklyn and Manhattan bnd!les The
pholO!lraph was laken al Ihe poml al
whlCh Oppenhelm s bocly was In Ihe
poslllon 01 !lrealesl slress
The arllstlested Ihe capab lllty 01 hls
body lo suspend IlseU between two
masonry w ans The sl ress was recorded
by Ihe poslllon 01 h,s body as II arched
Oppenhelm s body lormed a human
bnd!le echoln!l Ihe Brooklyn and
Manhattan brld!les on ellher slde 01 hlm
Oppenh elm held Ihe poslllon unlll hls
body coUa psed JUSI as Ihat sectlon 01
Ihe dock IlseU had already coUapsed
Oppenhe, m performed Ihls over and
over. w ldenln!l Ihe !lap belween Ihe w aUs
Th e stress poslllon was repealed lor
one hour In a cavlty In Ihe !lroun d m an
abandon ed sump on Lon!llslan d

-.
-'• ..,-
'-_. ....-
"
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-'.,
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". . ,

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<- ••
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?dIallel Stress - A 10 minute per for ma nc e piece - May 1910

Pho t o at gre a t es t s t res s position pr ior t o collapse
l oc a t ion : kasonry - block wa 11 a nd c o11aps ed concrete pier be t we en
Brooklyn a nd Manhatt an br1 dges
Bottom Photo : Stre s s positi on re as s umed .
Lo ca tion : <\.ba ndoned Su.::lp . La r...:; I s land iba tos : P.ob er t K. '.cElroy

WORKS
 n.
, , ,

" , " ,

Thls was part 01 a proJKl camed out by Hutchlnson In Ihe late summer 011969 Sacks
DI sand were dropped !rom a boa! 10 form a Óo)m In an undelWater 90rge three metres
deep Hutctllnson then photographed ¡he work •

• •

I Peter HUICHI NSO N

• , ,

• •

Hutchmson planted yellow flowers In ¡he sand In shaHow water In ¡he lorm 01 an
Isoseeles trlangle a shape ¡ha! r«UfS In Ihe arllsl s work ThIS 15 assocliltl'd wlth Ihe
form DI lhe Iree 01 lile and .. Iso has splnlual resonante for ¡he artls!. Slgnlfymg a
harmony 01 splnl soul and body

Pete r HUTC HIN SO N

Thes!! works beloog 10 Dne 01 Hutchmson s eiilrllE'st senes The arllst slrung frulls.
oranges gourds. DnlOnS tom<l\oes and bread In plas!lc bags on a lishlngllne These
were Ihrown 1010 ¡he sea welghted down Wllh a slone or tled lo corals and left lo Ihe
currenl The IIquld envlronmenl allowed Ihe suspended obJecls lo appear welghtless.
whlle the constant movemenl changed Ihe regulanly oJ Ihe rows Through Ihese
worl(s HutchlnSOIl crealed new underwater landscapes wllh malenals ahen 10 Ihal
envlronmellt - !rulI and vegelables whlch normally grow on !irm 5011 The worl(s

lasted only a few days. dunng whlch lime a relahonshlp was eSlablished belween Ihe
envlronmenls aboye and below 1he waler The underwa1er sculplure was recorded In

colour photographs
Peter Peter HLILtllN '1

arr.anged a band 01 wh'le bread wrapped In plaslJt 76 m long along Ihe

nm 01 the Pancvton volcano The bread look 51 .. days lo grow moutd the warmlh
mO'SIUfe and vapour from Ihe volcano atcelerated Ih,s process The fast-growmg type
01 mould aUowed the art'st lo record Ihe tontmuous thanges In the mould s
decolouratlon and dec::ay

Petl'r ti

WORKS
 In Ih,s work S,monds tonslrutted dwell,ngs lor Imaglnary mlnl<lture mhab,lanls-
Ihe UlIle People - us,ng h,s own body as Ihe Landscape The artlst used h,s whole
body as Ihe s,le on whlCh lo enact the blrth ofthese mlnlalure clVlhzahons In Ih.s ver-
s,on 01 Ihe worX. S,monds hlp served as a hlllSlde on whlCh lo tonstrucl dwelhngs •

be cbwn nude on \he earth. ce'EI 111,"SeU WIIh cIay and 1Jansform my bo<tt 11'110 a
landscape WIIh day and Ihen budd a fantasy 6.veIbng-pllCt' on mybo6¡ on !he w;1I.
- Charles Slmonds Mlcrocosm lO Macrocosm. 1974
The work explolts the sexual and saered assoclallons 01 Ihe earth The earth
arth,leelure and Ihe body are all analogous lo dlfferenl dwelhngs Slmonds wenl on lo
bUlld ellles or dwellings lor Ihe Llttle People on slles In New York especlally derelicl
SIIe5 and abandoned bUlldlngs He also eonslrutled Ihese works In museums

• -

,
,

Charles SIMONOS

,
• • •
• •

l.

- - •
 • - ,
MENOI ET A

•
•
-,
-, •
-- •

• - -
,
yo- ,.
..
• These works began as a senes 01 sell-
portralts In whlch M!!ndleta [¡terally

• Inscrlbed her presente onto Ihe

• landscape !hIlO serlu encompassed an
exl!n!lve speclrum 01 media matenals
and melhod The InscrlptlOflS 01 femiille

forms In Ihe landscape were bU11t In

mud. rocks or earth assembled wlth
leaves. moss or Ilowers. sliilllned In
blood. etehed In 'ire or ¡sil. ilnd wilshed
away by water or smoke Often ¡hese
works were made In conJunchDn Wllh
personal ntuats lar heallnQ punflcallon
and transcendente The Silueta works
5ynlheslze aspec's !rom Ihe culture 01
Mendlela's blrlhplace Cuba wlth
aspects from her adopled culture. Ihe
Unlled Stales. and ¡¡Iso a powerful sense
01 sexualldentlty These works are
documenled In phologr;¡phs ;¡nd on
Super-S film

WORKS
 •-lo,'
,
• •

..•

INVOLVEMENT
 Ana !1lNOIEIA •
•

AM !1(l/OIETA

• , , f 1t e

, •
, • •

Ana !'!..ENO!W
•

WORKS
RtCllard LONG
,. ",
'"
•
• •

Long made Ihls work by wa lklng

repuled ly backwards and forwards
along Ihe same fi ne In a fi eld wea r lng
away a palh by llattemng Ihe grass
Long luves a trace 01 hls presence In
Ihe enVlro nment. bul lhe mark IS
ephemeraL IastJn g only as long as I1
lakes \he grass lo spn ng ba clL Th ls
marktng ol lhe earth IS analogou 5 10
drawlng wllh hls l eet

Richard LONG

Walklng has always bun an acllv!1y cenlrallo long s art most ohen In InaccesSlble
unpopulated barren reglons where expanses are vasl and natural matenats
abundanl It 15 dunng such walks Ihal Long atters Ihe lerraln. shaplng slones In
simple geomelrtc conligurallons These tempo ral evenls are expenenced by Ihe artlsl
and presenled lo Ihe vlewer as a map word plece or pholograph

WORKS
 '" • ,•
LONG
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l ONG
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The ael 01 drawlng on Ihe Iand 15 •

uemplllied lO Ihls map upon whleh Ihe

anlsl has marked hl!> IIIOerary along
rcads and lanes lO Ihe Engllsh
counlryslde whleh Irace Ihe oulllne 01 an
Here Long 'draws'
hls Slgnalure simple geomelne forms on
a vastly enlarged seale. ln part under·
IrnlOg Ihe Immense dlflerence between
Ihe dlrect uperrence 01 Ihe landscape-
•
wllh Ihe slghls and sounds 01 Ihe
ouldoors - and liS polenllally abSl.lrd
Iranslallon 1010 a Iwo·dlmenSlonal lorm
In a sense Ihe drawlng 15 made by Ihe

-- anlsls walk . as II Long were hlmsell a

glanl penClI or marker lraClng a Irne on

-"--- Ihe huge eanvas 01 Ihe earth s surface

.,
RHhard LO NG
,

I
I
WATERLINES
Some 01 RIChard long s works conslsl 01
plalO lexl desenblOg lO sImple words.
EAeH DAY A WATERLlNE
Ihe process 01 maklng Ihe work or Ihe
POUREO fROM MY WATER BOTTlE
I ALONG THE WALI<ING LlNE roule 01 a walk Al lImes parred wllh Ihe
pholographlc represenlallon 01 Ihe

fRQM THE ATLANTIC SHORE TO THE MEDITERRANEAN SHORE correspondlOg work . Ihe pleces
A S60 MILE WALI< IN 20'12 DAYS ACROSS PORTUGA L ANO SPAIN share more characlensllcs wllh Long 's
pholographs Ihan mlghl IOllIally appear
bolh are black and whlle . obJedlve
presenlallons 01 Ihe work lO liS enllrely
JUSI as Ihese lex! p,eces glve a Ihorough

plelure olthe work In a conclse .

slralghllorward mann!r. Long s
pholographs slrnllarly do nOI dwell on
delall bul provld! a comprehenslve.
sIngular overvlew 01 hl5 sculplure whllsl
suggesllng Ihe process by whleh Ihey
were made lIke concrele poelry and
sorne langl.lage·based Conceptual Art
prachces. ¡hese works prompl vIrtual
plelures whlCh al lImes, only lO Ihe
vrewer s mlOd

INVOlVEMENT
 •

111 -hard IdJN(;

WQRkS
 ".

Ha .. l fULTQ N

•• •

p' •

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.
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INVOlVE MENT
 ,

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R
F
E
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SIOCl' 1969 Fullon s work has resulted !rom walks In ¡he landstape ThE! walks are
represented Ihrough Ihe comblned medlums 01 words a(ld photographs The durahon
01 Ine walks ranges from one day \0 uveral menlhs FuUon s reactlon lo ¡he land-
supe depends on Ihe 1englh 01 the watk .. nd ¡he number 01 pholographs taken The
actual waUc ISan essenllill aspecl ellhe work. wh.ch 15 based on ¡he m.1liam "no walk.
no work The physlcalrty 01 walklng helps lo l'VQke a stale 01 mlnd and a relallonshlp
lo !he landscape Fulton belJeves ¡hal Ihere 15 a very strong correlallon belwl!l!n hls
slale 01 mlnd .nd 1'115 walklng performarn::e When he walks he always attempts lo empty
hls mlnd as mueh as posslble so enhanclng lhe medllatNl' qualJty 01 hls waUung

WORKS
'"

NIGHT CHANGING SHAPES

e
R O
P A T 1I
K

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Ifami sh rJJ.lfON Hami sh FULTON

, • , ," ,
9
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Fram , • <"d ., , , , b ,
p' }r,¡ph te, • ,, , ,"
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INYOLYEMENT
• •

WORKS
 ll2 '-al Gua Qí an g

e,! ry w th Mu n.
14 br r .¡

1 le m P w (

• • .
'
The work was madI! when Cal Guo Qliilng carned out field research al a former
nuctear test 51h! In Nevada /acl!vl! 1951-9)1. Ihe focus DI wtm:h was lo InSpect a
nutlear-ravaged 511e In ¡he Nevada desertlwhlth cdnlamed ¡he dl'vasted
reconslruchon 01 a Japanese vlllagel as a posslble futufe tounst' spo! Cal Guo Olang
envlsaged reclalmlng Ihe polluted rUlns 01 a cl",!lIzallan ¡hrollg" Ihe Imaglnahon 01 an
HIlO mmlilture verSIDOS DI nuclear mushroom clouds werl! delonated In Ihe desert and
In Ihe envlrans DI ManllaUan The Irally 01 nuclear lorel! lor Ihe artlsllS Ihal 1\ has
effected sorne 01 Ihe worsllragedlts 01 human hlslory whllsl al Ihe same lime
praducmg monumental ilnd beaullfullmagery Cal Guo OJang deSCribes hls works as
a means of "fighllng fire wlth rire"

CAl Guo 01 ang

Th n' yw'h'"

r N6

.. rk

INVOLVEIo4ENT
 hr t.
•

The an,st oul1ml!'S!he proJ@ctasfoUows

How 10 gel Ihere Tra," V,enniill-
Fl!'ldk.on;:h 7 tlr" '5 m,l'Is
Bus FeldJ¡,rch - Bangs 15 m,ns
Po,"! 01 dep¡¡rture GnlhaU!¡ zum Stem
Bangs
Time requlred Dn 1001 45 m,n!>
Danger lones Unwooded areas 01
meadow Arus IrH /rom undergrowth
Camouftage lighl. r.I,nprool h,i{ln9
an,re. nd.ng 10;,1 .w.1h hor!>e'
Level 01 d,tf,culty No real danger

We eros!> Ihe road head,ng In Ine

dlred,on 01 lhe chapel and Ihe ¡Iplne
elm - planted tn 1813110 mark Ihe
hberatlon tram Ihe Frenenl Keep'ng lo
!he nght we traver5e Ihe wn,te
farmstead ¡¡nd !>t,bles - Ihe red and
v,-tute llamer w,lh border-control hul
already In s,te
CautJously. WI! eross Ihe meadow .lnd
seek cover In lhe embankment 01 Ihe
Hasl!nbach Taklng a I'\Jn-up we ctear
IhlS natural boundary The meandenng
dra,nage doleh m'ghl be conruslng Only
Ihe ground mar1<l!d by rtd and blue
woodl!n slalles IS no longer Auslnan
lemlory
We are careh.tl nOI ID be so rash as ID
break cOlfer loo soon large culll\faled
fields offer Imll! prOIKtIOn from \f\ew
maklflg 11 nol so easy ID enter Ihe \f\llage
DI Ruggell unseen

O,sgu,sed as a h,lchh,ker MLiller left

Auslna and crossed Ihe boroers ID e'ghl
ne'ghbounng counlnes The work look
on more s,n,ster pohl,callmpllf;alJons
when he Wil5 ilITtSled by border control
guards In Czechlil forblddl!n ID rt-
I!nll!r [hl! country lor thrtt yl!a rs

WORIliS
 ", eildo
, ,

,."
The pro]ec! toncems Ihe Iransformallon
01 lhe landstape The work recorded
here WilS made on the border bl!tween •

Rlo de Janelro and Sao Pauto (8rallll and

conslsted 01 makmg a hole on eaeh Sldl!
01 ¡he border and exchangmg sOll plan!s
and debnslrom !hese Iwo hales Insldl!
¡he case Ihe lopographlcal patlem 01 ¡he
border 15 reproduced and contalOs pan
01 Ihe matenal !rom Ihese e_'avallons
-- carned oullO November 1969

• •

I
I

INVOLVEMENT
 • •

Thls work 15 one 01 many mlnlatunled

yerSlons l mostly nngsl Melrelu crealed
01/'115 worJo; lhe Geograplllc,, / f.lutallons
Insldl! ,he nng 15 a sample 01 5011 and a
dlagram reLahng lo Ihe procns and
consll'\K'lJon 01 Ihe work

WORKS
 '"
Alongside the formal and aesthetic

innovation represented by Land Art. it also precipitated an investigation into the

environ ment as ecosystem and depository of socio-political realities. Artists

•

co ntested the perception of nature as a blank canvas or as an infinitely exploitable

resou rce . Exploring natu re as a dynam ic and interactive system . they point out

parallels with soci al and political structures and their impact on each other. The

scope of radical transfor mation embarked upon by feminist artists also came to
-
encompass environmental issues. The works brought togetlier here demonstrate

how human re lations with the natural environment are based not only on

perception and pleasure. but also exploitation . waste and destruction . Industrial

developmen t. urban expansion omass market agriculture and scientific

intervention w ithin natural processes are perceived as causes of global pollution

and socia l alienation . The practices surveyed here range from sculpture to

performance. They present responses that combine incisive critique with

I
practical and redemptive strategies wh ich can be effected by the individual.
Peter fE NO

FRUCHTIG I M M E R WEITEA (uth, Europa (detai 1

1991
board. monitors
Dimell' ,fl var;able

The many semi-enclosed or fully enclosed sal! seas in Europe are suffering Irom
severe degradation Defining Europe as Ihe land 'from the Atl a ntic 10
Ihe Urals ', Fend Identified Ihirteen regional sea basíns and divided Ihem inlo two
groups The walers 01 one group drain ¡nlo lhe open Atlantic. Ihe others ¡nlo in terior
seas such as Ihe Medilerranean or Clspian Eileh basln is represenled on a salelli!e
mOnitor In ¡hese two Images. len 01 Ihe total thirteen oc ean basms lar Ellrope are
dlsplayed. wilh Ihe slogan. 'Europe"s ecotogicat re gions being ma de ever more lertile·.
The milps on the willIs ilre tilken from US Aeronilu tical charts and show Ihe individual
sea baslns The two tab!e-moun ted maps in these instil\\illion shols all show sea-

/ / •
- baslns The firsl presents an baslns as sloped In lo the Nort h AUa nlic Ilrom Ihe !berian
Curren! lo 6arenls Sea). and the second is 01a\\ basins as sloped in to Europe·s interior
seas such as Ihe Medilerranean
The alm 01 Fend·s methodolgy IS lo conlribule lo a linanceable an d syslematic
construcllon 01 ou tdoor earthworks as funclion a l archltec!ure. There are Ihree s tages
01 the work 1) mapping !he saltwater ca lchmen!s, 2) moniloring the ch a nging
condltlons 01 each basin; and 3) harvesting !he nut rienls that accumul ale in sal!
•
waters. uSlng seml-submerslble rlgs lo support crops 01 giant brown a lg ae. This
algae supports large marine populations: lIs chiel industrial product is mel ha ne or
hydrogen gas. a renewable. non-poUu ting lue\.
 ,, , ..... --- .. - , ... ''1 n
-

I
- -

WORKS
n' I
I

The simple hUe DI thl$ work desCribes

bolh Ihe $ubJect ¡lnc! Ihe mlenl Thls work •

was a modlhcatlon 01 Ihe original plece

shown al Ihe Howard WI51! Gallery 10
1966 where Haacke grew grass on lop 01
a 3-1001 191 5 cm) square cube
The phenomenon 01 organlC growth as
an essenllal componen! 01 an ec.osyslem
1$ an early example 01 Issues whlch

would laler be uplored further In more

fully developed ecologlcal artworks
• •
Thls 01 Gras5 Grow5 was madI!
for the E,Hlh Art uhil:II\lon al Ihe
Andrew Olckson WMe Museurn. ComeH
Unlver5lty. Uhaca 1969

• •r
•
•
•
•
• •
• •

•
•
• •
•
•
 • .. ,
"

A se! 01 spnnkler$ were leh cn ftood,ng

[he surroundHl!l gr.l!ós WLlh water The
exc!ss water became a destructIVE'
ralher Ihan nurturmg force The
ftood,ng water!> ercded (he so l IlImm!l
¡he lawn "to a pool 01 mud

WORKS
 In a melaphoncal geslurl! Haackl! purchas!!d ten lurtles lan endangerl!d SpI!CIU)
from a pl!\ shop and laler rl!tl!aSt!d thl!m mIO a foresl near SI Paut-dl!-VenCl! soulh of
Francl! Thls was a symbohc ilCI whiCl'l cilUed mIo queshon human Inll!rferl!ncl! wllh
•
Ihe freedom of ilntmills and thelr Imprtsoned poslllon as pels Thls was onl! of Ihl! flrst
works lo dramallle human dlsrl!gard lo ammals and thetr lhreillened stalus
Haackes hberilllon of the lurtll!s was an acknowledgement of iI pnnclple of
envtronmenlall!lhlcs -Ihal every lIfe has a nghllo exlsl for lIs own sake

I •

IMPLEMENT A TION
 - -
-
- • -

.. ,

Haacke obtalned poUuted Rhlne-watef !rom a Krefeld sewage plan! The water was
pumped mIo an elevaled iJtrytlC basln !rom large glass botUes In Ihe gal1ery In whlch
¡he water was stored Chemlcals were In¡ected mIO Ihe water lo cause Ihe pollutants
lo setUe The sed,menlalJon process contmued In a Sel:ond ólcryhc conta,ner From
Ihere Ihe par1lally punfied water Il.owed ¡hmugh a enarcoal ilnd a sand filler and
eventually dropped In\o a larg!! basm wllh goldfish A hose tamed Ihe overflow oullo
Ihe garden. where 1I seeped mIO Ihe ground and Jomed ¡he ground water level Thls
work whu:h resembled a expenment. talled mIo queshon a spK,fic
envlronmenlal problem _ water paUullan In Krefeld where Ihe Rh,ne was used as Ihe
reposltory 01 raw industrial and household sewage The goldfish lank was sel In Ironl
01 a vlew 01 wooded landscape behlnd ¡he museum, eslablishlng a dialogue between
Iwo eco-systems one IJle-supportlng one on Ihe verge 01 collapse

WORIIS
 '" He l en Maye r Nf'w lo n

Helen Mayer HARR!SO N Newt on HARR [SO N

I
,

Portilble Orchard WilS (In orchard 01 l'!ghleen tren planted In hexagonal boxes In 1
yd (O 765 m 101 earlh wllh hexagonal hghl boles over thl!m Al Ihe apenln!! Ihe
exhlblllon was accompanled by él tableau 01 frult and él C;¡lrus leas! Newlon Harnson
conslrocted lile enVlfonment and Helen Mayer Harrlson deslgned Ihe tableau and
I constructed ¡he feasl s whlch were deslgned as soclallnteractlons Many 01 lile
I orchards In Orang" County. California ¡¡llhe lime 01 Ihe exhlbltlon were dymg !rom
smog or belng removed by spreadlng urban,zal,on Plac,"g an orchard In <In art

I gallery hlghhghled Ihe problems 01 Ihe survlval bolh 01 lile archards ami Ihe
c;ommumtles whlch depended on them

,
I

IMPLEM[NT A TIO,.,
 Ne.. n \i!B.! ISON ,
•

The mural '5 11 prOjl'd,on map 01 Ine worid w,lh San D,ego al the centre Th,s was
thelr first work on Ihe GreenhouSI! etfect and proposed Ihe need lor plannong
on cllmate ch¡¡mge

• •
•

,
"

1
•

•
• ,
t
-

,
•

WORKS
 '"

I
I

Helen Mayer an Hewton H_RRllQH

I ,
I . t. !rd .. · 9

ThI10 106 m mur<llln1OI<lU<ltlon 110 m<lde up 01 over lifty p<lrt1O le<llUrlng dlflerent 1Olage1O
ollhe c:ycle Ea, h l<!goon Image 15 ,omposed 01 sever<ll panels The panels are made
up 01 aerlal and slle pholomurals. ,oll<!ge and drawlOgs. lhere are occaslonal
portralls and sorne narrallve overlay The lulls an ulended. seml-auloblographlcal
dialogue betwe en lwo ,hara'lers. a 'Lagoon Maker" and a ·wllness·. IOterspersed
wlth stones and ane,doles The n<lrrallve trates the Hamsons' worklOg prOl:ess.
whlch Iyplcally beglOs Wllh an aCCidental encounter wllh a problem and for whlch a
501utlcn 15 1Ooughllhrough dialogue The dialogue serves lo establish ¡he
phll050phlcal bilSlS lor ¡he ecologlCal argument oNen used by Ihe Harnsons In later
works. lhey recount elements 01 thelr rese¡rch. the development 01 altitudes.
potenllal solullons and contradlcllon1O The Lagoon Cyde beglO1O wllh observilllons on
Ihe lile 01 a small crusta ceiln and ends 10 the Paclfic Oceiln wllh Ihe Greenhouse
, elle, '

, 1
I
UD l.. 'fJ JOII ' .... r AH MlN üOWE 11 ' ''lILt N
.m ""' 1M AH l IlE TUI S N.",
" UlIJ orUff ro IllUUtIW
6l. . m mwU, lE
,m•.,o. CllflifAlf' .• llur. ,. ' 'Hu"-
fA r; AU eITTL f af lONU"' 10 " OIL E W1MCU W(U *'X-c¡ ss
lJf fUf UQttWlf.. H Al"" IHOUU JI

i •
1

IMPLEMENTATION
 " •
.
, ,
, . •

The water buffalo was an Integral pan 01 an Kosystem whid'llncluded Ihe Indlgenous
human popu!,.¡¡llon In lhls sketch lor ¡he Sevenlh Lagoon Sulfato Wallow Ihe
Hamsons narralfVe ShOW5 ¡he water buffalo as a more effectlve element Ihan Ihe
Indor tI reprcduced Itself for nOlhln9 provlded free Labour dld nol requlrt' fuel. dld
nOI pollute!he enVlronment In addlllQf1 l' was a source DI ml[k and mea! A.s water
buffillo dlsappurl!d lhe tale 01 mataN Increased

• , .,
Hel en "ayer HARR ISL N •
,
HARR ISO N

", , ,,, , .
",,, •
•

The Harnsons beheve 11'101110 arder lO effecl envlronmenlal change ecologlcal art
rnusllook al and respond 10 Ihe lotahty 01 inlerretallonshlps ¡hat define ecosyslems
Slnce 1977they nave been eumlnlng ways 01 malntillnlflg Ihe tcologlcill balance 01
whlch are crlhcallor suslillnlng blodlverslty and ensunng Ihe quallty 01
waler whlch IS atlecled by human aCllvlty
Thelr work IS communlcaled Ihrougn maps and colLaged pholographs accompamed
by poehc narrallon or dialogue and occaslonaUy perlormances by Ihe arllsls llls
concemed Wllh encouraglng commumcahon between Ihe communlty CIVIC
organlzallons and govemmenl Visual documenlallon IS comblned wllh Ihe arllsls
Impresslons 01Ihe place as well as descflpllons 01 posslble solUllons 10 poUullOn
problems

WORKS
 '"

I
I
I,
I
f

1
.
Kelen Mayer HARR ISO N 4

,
, , p. ,"
Newt on HARRISO N
• .. '"'
,
Tn! Hamsons have been toncemed Wllh Ihe pollUllon 01 walersheds Ihal are crltlcal
In lerms 01 malnl'llnlng blodlverSlty and ensunng Ihe quallty 01 water Sine! 1977 In
\1'1,5 pltee Ihe Harnsons used photographs and lo Illustral! Ihe colllslan betweI!n
man ilnd nature along Ihe Sava Rlver If'l former Yugoslavia Tl'1e anl5ts pholographed
Ihe course 01 Ihe Sava Rlver from lIS tWIn sourc!s In mountaln and 5wamp unlllll

flows Inlo Ihe Danube Rlver near Belgrade The rlver. clean al lIs source. becomes
pOlsoned by Ihe Dulllow 01 wasll!s 'rom a nudear power plan! and !aclones along 115
roull! Th! Hams,ons documenled Ihe toxlns dumped mIo Ihe nver by a paper mili
ami ferllllzer planl JusI before 11 enlers a nalure reserve In order lo preserve lile
ecologlcal balance as much as posslble Ihe Harnsons proposed makmg swamps
along Ihe dramage dllclles whlch empty Into Ihe reserve Through a carelul selectlon
01 planls a natural system 01 punfic.allon could effecllvely ellmlnate many pollulanls
To reduce lertlhzer rvnoff and stem algae bloom. organlc larmmg along Ihe edges
ollhe preserve was suggesled FinaUy water used lor coollng al Ihe nuclear planl
could be recycled Inlo holding ponds lor ralsmg warm-water lish

IMP LE MENTA TION

•
• "

Melero MaJe" Ne wt on

,.
•

The Harnson Sludlo (He!!n Mayer

Hamson NeWlon Harn$on Gabnel

Harnson and Veril Westergaard) was
comm lsSloned by Ihe Cultural Counell 01
Soulh HoUand lO find a solutJon lo lhe
prestn! gradual efOS lon aflhe Green
Heart 01 Hol land The Harnsons
proposed a Rlng 01 BlodlVers rty lGO km

long and 1 - 2 km Wldl! wh"h wou l d ad

iI5,¡¡n Interface between rura l and urban

enVlfonments The nn; alms 10 suslarn

Ine tull r¡lnge DI blod lverS lty 01 Ihe
n¡lura' landscape and also 10 produce
d eaner alr and water lor presenl and
luture generat lons The n ng would
luncl lon as an example lor Ihe rulure
and .1$0 as iiln !ndl;;"lor 01Ihe wellbeHlQ
01 Ihe Grten Hurt hab,tal 01 Hollan d

WORt<S
 '" Roberl MORfUS
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" dmat o
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,
"
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,
•

•
.
•
• 'ree \ ,mp

• • , o, •
Butl lm an abandoned quarry. tne plKe
(On51$15 01 concentnc terr-aces ilnd
stopes formlng .ln amphl1heatre In Ine
centre 01 ¡he slte wllh a MI flslng In Ihl!
lower se<tlon From wllhlO ¡he
amphlthealre only Ihe sky 15 VISiblE!. 'rom
¡he hlll ¡he Y¡l'wer surveys Ihe largely
rural Kent Valley, In Kmg County.

WashIngton A fe ..... scanered tree sl umps

remalO as emblems 01 resource
ullhzahon MOrrls' work demonstrates
Ihe aesthellC posslbhlles 01art-as-land
redamallon and Ihe e<:onomlC vlablhty 01
Land Art

I
I
I

U.4PtE M EN TA Tl ON
•
"
w

, ,

On a 6-hectare $lle by stnp-m,n,ng ilCllv'hes 'he iilr1lsl planted three (,retes

01 W!UOW 'rees loUowmg the slle s bowl-shape topogfilphy The tren planted
around a pond formed Irom coal-dust ruo-o" WI/lOW Rmgs 15 maontaoned as a
wetland wlldhle preserve Attemphng lO m¡unlilm a balan<1! belween people and
nature by restonng a damaged area 01 Ihe landsc.¡pe lo a natural habita! Ihls work
reftec1s Felgenbaum s commllmenl lo land feclamatlOn
 Time LandsCdpe'''' IS Sonllst s earllest
envlronml!ntal narrallvl! landscapl!

I staMed In 1965 01'1 a ptol ta<:aled 01'1 Ihe

comer 01 Houston and La Guardia Place
In New York CIIy Once an urban
wasleland Sonfisl planled 1!'Ils
abandoned 101 covered wllh rubble wllh
10resI planlS Indlgenous lo M¡nhattan
and re-cre¡led lhe so11 and ra<:k
lormallons lhal had once ulsled Iherl!
before Ihe Weslem seUlers amved The
Sculplurl! IS deslgnl!d lo evolve
conllnuaUy as Ihl! planls grow Sonlisl
uplalns Ihal II IS Importanl lo pl¡nl
Indlgenous foresls olherwlse Ihe Clly
wllllose lIs henlage Thlslandscape
olfers Ihe vlewer Ihree natural terralns

I an open field 01 grasses ¡nd Ilowl!rs a

I plonel!r forl!sl 01 blreh. eedars and

Ilowerlng bush, and a malure oak loresl
blrds and olher small anlmals
m¡ke Time Landscape' " Ihelr home
wllhln lhe clly bnngll'lg the urban
dweUer back 11'110 contaCl wlth nature

IMPLE MENTATlON
 Alan SO Nfl S! 51
• •
• ,

Thls wori( Incorporales lh@melaphoro'

human IntervenIJon Wltl'lIn Ihe reclama-
han 01 Ihe angina! Iand The sculplure
traces Ihe use 01 Ihe land from pnmaeval
Iones! 10 Ihe presen! The centre nog
bUll! on r.Jlsed ground 15 a pomaeval
lores! The nut nng represents Ihe tirs!
setllers who cuUJVilted herbs lor cookln9
and mediCinal use The thlrd nng
represen!s ¡he Influente ollhe Greeks
wllh bronze casls made from endan-
gered trees The fourth nng'!> the Greek
symbol 01 vu:lory 01 9-1001 (275 cm) tan
laurel hedg' plerced wllh low passage-
ways for enlry Next 15 iI Roman road
bUlll 01 slones In Ihe Roman style The
outermost nng Integrales Ihe sculplure
Wllh ¡he curren! agncultural USI!S 01 the
I.¡,nd rhe olJVl' trees whlch werr selln iI
gnd formallOn have been replanted In a
Circular form¡¡¡IJon and are sllll harvesteo
ong,nal gr.sses have been replant-
eo so that!he ShHP can stllt grille

WORKS
 '"

Ahn SO NflST
P , f V1rq" [

• 191 <,
tHth. ocd
, .\ •
Art, off. ". , ". Ne ... York

On a ctlernlcal wasle dumping ground.

f Sonlis! Cfuted a pool 01 vlrgln sOll lO
t calch blowlng seeds Irom Ihe ;Jlr and
I, begln Ihe reblrlh 01 Ihe lores! Sonllsfs
I alm was lO rll'create Ihe rores! that may
have grown Ihul! before humanklnd's
desecrahon 01 hls enVlfonment.
restonng Ihe land 10 lIS natural state

IMPlEMENTATlON
 , ,
, •
• •

, "
,

In her mano le sto MiJlnteniJoce Ar1

Ukeles acknow1edged Ihe drudgery 01
malnlenance actlVltles such iJ5 ctean lng
iJnd wiJ5h lng whlts¡ iJlso acknowledg lng
¡helf neceSSl ly In a senes 01 Ih,rteen
performiJnces dOJtmg from 19n lo 1916
she cteaned iJ SoHo street and museum
nOOfS as well as performmg iJlI !he
dulll!$ 01 !he gUiJrds In a museum
Slmllarly Ukeles selected and perfor-
med cel1aln acllvltles 01 malnte"ance
whlCh she Ihen labelled as al1
 '"

"' l fOr le Llderman UKE U S

F ,
"
• F
98
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"
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"

I
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1- ...... ,. .... . !
".,. • 'j'
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In - "

IM PlE M EN T .. TIO N
• .,
M,@rle Lade rma n

Oeslgned Wlth engmeers from Greeley

Hansan and molde In collaboratlon w tlh
Ihe New York Departme nt 01 Sanltatlon,
Aow Ci tylS InslaHed In a garbag!!
reeycbng uM on Wl!st 59th Street and
Ihe Hudson Rrvt'r In mldtown
Minhaltan The work 15 a demonstratlon
01 Ukeles conCfm lo educale \he publlc
about lIS role In controllmg Ihe Me 01
waste whlch 15 poured mIO ¡he

envlfonmenl It Involves an on-slte (ook

al Ihe prOCl!55 01 dlsposlng 01 wasle In

Ihe lirsl sectlon. Passage Ramp a 76 m
long walkway 15 made 01 twelvl!
recyclable matl!nals Includlng 6 m 01
crushed glass and 6 m 01 shredded
rubber Al Ihe top 01 ¡he ramp 15 Ihe
GldU Bndgewhu;h 15 12 m long and 5 5
•
m wlde From Ihe bndge ¡he Vlewer can
watch Ihe garbag!! trucks benea!h them
whlch are loaded In !ourteen dumping
bays under ¡he Gla55 Bndge Allhe end
ollhe bndge 15 Media Flow Wall. a 3 m
5 5 m long wall 01 crushed glass wllh
twenly-Iour monllors sellOlo 11 The
Video waUI5 progrclmmed Wllh ¡/Ve
camercls whlch are located bolh on and
011 Slle The momlors lransmlllhree
klOds 01 flow-Imagery nver. landlill and
recychng

WORK S
 "6

• •

Sherks farm was Dne 01 Ihe Ilrsl ecoloQtCaf works \0 Integrale bolh land and anlmals
Thls envlronmental ¡¡nd social ar1work broughl many people trom dlfferenl diSCiplines
•
and togelher along wllh planls and anlmals rhe Filrffl Involved exlenslve
[and Iranslormallon Includlng lhe mlegrahon 01 disparate plKI'S alland. aH adJacenl
lo and IncorporahoQ a maJor molorway Inlerchange. mIo a new park The Farm
restored a sustalnable eco-system \0 a prevlDusly destroyed slle and provlded an
edl,lcallonalliwlily lo ,ncrease ilwareness DI Ihe value and beauly 01 nature

(
I•
I
i

Sonnle StIE.B.¡:;,
• •• •
,
,.
rile Raw Egg Ammal Tllealre fTREAn
was an area wltl'lIn rile Farm
speclfically dedlcated 10 educahon abou!
,mlm"l!) Chlldren !rom over seventy-
hve pubht sthools, prlmanly urban.

- vlslted as part 01 Ihelr school day and

expenenced bolh nalure and art

IMPLEMENT A TION
 Betty BE A. UtlONl
'"
•
APp f\<>,n'" , . ; ,
•

_.--
-_. •

Th,s 15 in underwater envlfonmental

work 011 lhe Roor 01 lhe Atlanhc. made 01
510 lonnes 01 processed coal-waste a
potenhal potlut¡¡lnt whlch has undergone
a planned !ranslormallan. turnlng'! mIo
a flourlshlng ecosystem Thl! coal waste
now provldes Ihe slte lor a lu5h
underwaler garden 17.000 coal fly-ash
blocks were fabrlcaled sl'lIpped ID Ihe

ocean Sil! (64 km Irom Ihe New York

Harbor and 5 km oH Flre Istan d NatlOnal

I SeashoreJ arld [ald on Ine continental

shelr The Ocean Ldndmark PrOject

5tarted 10 ch,lnge a l Ine poml 01
Installa\fon In 1980. and has (reated a
sustalnable envlronmenl for manne lile
The work has also been documented as

saund video .• milge and wntlen

Inlarmallan

,,.......... -<1- ...

.. •" ,... oo. l.",
•

, .
•
.
• • •
A •
7-. __

WORKS
 ". ,
JOH AN SO N

Com m l5510ned by lhe Oallas Museum 01 Art. ¡hls proJecl was deslgned lo rll!vltallze
Ihe Falr Park Lilgoon J oh anson dlscovered Ihalllle area had once been a Ihnvlng
weUand habltal AMer punfylng Ihe lagoon whlch was suffocated by algilil! slle
rellllroduced nah"! plan!s 11511 ilnd repllle!> lO revllahzl' and balance lhe load chilln Al •

ellher end 01 Ihe Park complu grouplngs 01 palnted concrete paths brldges ,)nd
bencnes were Inslalled based on Ihe forms 01 Ihe aquallC plants In Ihe water lOe
real ruson I only deslgn parks and lountalnS Ihese days 15 I m slck 01 Ihe whole
museuml collector/auc;llon house co mplex wllh lhelr self-collgralulalory pranle aboul
how mueh ¡hey re dOlng lor culture' Johanson's work 15 al'! effart 10 reconcllIale
envl(onmen la l ar1 ano social purpose

• •

,
¡•
Ir
I

IMPLH.tEN TAnO N
 Patr t a . .,
•
•

A ne ..... Sl!wer Qulle! v.as netdtd for Ihe

S-y Aru DI San FranCI5(o. and Jananson
was approacheo by Ihe San FrancIsco
Arts Trust Jan.nson s role was nol Gnly

10 m.k!! Ihe aullel allractlVl! bul also 10

Iriilnsform,\ mIo .. bOlh ill!slhellc and
IIUlvlfonmentally saund prOJect
Johanson dlscovered ¡hal Ihe area

hosted a large number 01 endangered

speClIl.!S Many specles slruggl,"g lor
SUN,v.l cDuld be helped by prov,dln9 Ihe
appropnal e habita! Jan.nsons deslgn
made Ihe slle ¡¡In eJde nslon 01 Ihe
adJac!n! Califomla Slale Recreatlon
Area The endangered garter sn.ke was
lO provlde Ihe visual form lor
Ihe proJKt lIs colours and pa!tems were
r
10 be Iransl.led Into a senes 01 gardens
whleh wauld provld!! sus!!!nance lor

locally Ihrealened speClts

,

•
•

- '

_._-
"0>- _ _ • -,

-- ,

WORt<S
 ..,
.' ,

"
Afler monlhs 01 preparahons In Miily
1982 a 2-acre 10 8 heclare) whe¡¡tlleld
was planted on a landllll In lower •

Manhattan . two blocks !rom W,,1l 51rtel

.. nd Ihe World Trade Cenler faclnQ Ihe
51atue 01 llberty Two-hundred
truckloads 01 dlrt were broughlln and
285 furrows were dug by hand and
deared al racks ¡¡md garbage lhe suds
were sown by hand and Ihe furrow5
covered wlth 5011 lhe ¡ield was

malnl,lIned lor four monlhs, an Imgatlon

•
system was sel up and Ihe fleld was

weeded . cleared 01 wheat smul ferllllzed

and sprayed "galOS! mlldew fUflg\jS The
trOP WilS harvesled on 16 August and
Ylelded almos! 1.000 lbs DI heal1hy.
I
I' golden wheat

,l' In planllnQ and harvestlng a wheat

I trap In Ihe mldsl 01 an urbao

envlronmenl Oenes called ¡lIentlon lO
human valu!!s. mlsplaced prlonlles and
ecologlCilI concems The parado. 01
growmg wheal on an area ol land wol1h
S4 5 billlon. called aUen l lon lo lhe hunger
and mlsmanagemenl 01 resources whlch
I
affhcls some parts 01 lhe world whllsl

olhers lhnve Sorne 01 Ihe harvesled

gram lravelled around lhe world m an
e.hlblllon enlllled The Internallonal Art
Show lor lhe End 01 Worl d Hunger",
organlzed by the Mlnnesola Museum 01
Art 11987- 901

IMPLEMENTA T tON
 S)4!10M

iiUnleu 10 ,!,¡sOIll'W 011.11 "111M ul'wn4 0I4j OIjlUn 01 pOlulilup SI II Iilul']d il41 1,10 01111

¡e.munl pUl' 0141 01 st naM st OIJnln¡ 0141 OIIUilW\IWWOl s Állul'wnl.l

SWJyjl' l861 UI POIAl.lUOll/'f'/lJnOH .aJ1 h:ll'liil¡¡n¡liuIUl'aW e I.IIIM SUOI\e.JOIUOIIi

ilJnun¡ oljnqoliOl uewn4 .\jj 01 101,1 pUl' uOIIe.Jnp 1,11pOlIOlne.Jedufl

adols 1,11 jl'UOlleWalul SI \e\jII.lUl'a uo IUOIWflUOW jSOIIiJl'] il41 sll/lf'/lJnoH ilaJ1

sWOIlled JOIMOlluns OIlddl'.uld pUl' UOlpOlS UilPloli il4jl0 UOlIl'UlqwO) e WOJI pOl"'lJOIp

wOIued illt)IJ¡UI ut UI palut¡d OIJl' SOIOIJ\ 0141 ¡SOIJOI tUIIiJlA)¡eilJ e

liuljeaJ) Álll'n\UOI ... iI SillJnlUilJ JnOl JOI POlUIl'IUIl'W OIq 01 pUl'] Pilpil\oJd slwl'¡unoH aaJ1

'jUOIWUOJI",u3 0141 JO AJ¡SIUII'II.ISIUU\j ill.Il p ue weJlioJd ¡tluOIWUOJI",u3 SUOlll'N piljlUn

il41 Áq paJosuodS ssaJIs Il')llioIO)a s PIJOM 0I\j1 OIll'lAillle d)ill.I 01 uOI ¡nqlJjuoJ spu e¡ulj

se l661 ilunr!i Ál'O ¡UilWUOJIi\U3 "lIJe, uo OJIOIUer OIp Olt¡ UI ¡IWWnS \jIJl', ill.IL le IUilW

-wai\oli 4SIUU\;:j 0141 Áq pillunouue ÁlItlJlllo seM pilfoJd 0141 pilloJd uOILl'WepilJ pUl')

pue )!JoM4uea a ... lssew e 10 IJli!d se PUIi!¡U!::lloVli!rOIA JUU "lid ¡iI... e.J1i ºIZUld le PIJOM

il41 lilAO n li! WOJ¡ OI¡do¡d 0000 I Áq U¡JI 000 01 \jIIM palUIi!)d seM ildl'4S UI)l'Jlldll¡¡

pUIi! 41i14 W 8l ap lM W oa liuo) W Ol'1liuIJnsli!.w UlIi!junOW ilpew-uli!w alinll "1

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Ii! OIUI 10I1il'q,ll'6 10 pUe¡SI ue) ¡liS OII¡losqo ue SitJO¡UJ IIJOM S.UilO N61u le pilJllwa
SllplllMl1l6r¡uns 01 J.410 11.11 Illlpuli!l.4¡,I;Q p.JnpoJd OIUl'41i1W uO wnq
01 .uo pilulilSilp OIJOI ..... usnol.l146!] OM1 S\u.W4JIE'J J.¡l'M pUl' SWJollIi!Jn¡d)nJS 41IM

S]ood lli!pll . 4SJew I.Is')Pe.Jq pUl' 0I11e¡ J.jIi!M4UJj e JO 6UI¡SISUOJ Á.Jli!nput'S OI¡I¡PIIM
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(ilJIi!POI4-!i1 .Jll'-lt Ii! SitJe..u.¡ .UOIS pUl' UJ¡I!.ljlll.ldwli! OIUO¡S pUl' "lIJe•• Il¡ OIUI
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pilA.Jl'J sl.Id..I.¡IiOJ¡ad sllIll p.pOOM JilMOUUns e Mope.w JOIMOUP1IM e DUlpnpul
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herman
...
v i es
• '"
98 re ot

,.
herman de vnes proJecl wlese
jmeadowJ 15 51tuated In the counlryslde
ne ar Esche na u al Ihe edge DI Ihe
Slelgerwald The meadow has been
crealed as an altemallve 10 Ihe he"vlly
Industnallzed ag ncullurallandscape
surroundlng 1I 'Oeculllvallon for
renaturallzatlon IS the concepl by
WhlCh herman de vnes has approached
nalure bOlh as an artlst and a sClentlst
Hls acllvltles Involve colleel In9 and
classlfylng Ihe material he has 'ound
and Ihe dlrec! appllcatlon of conservatlon
technlques Through Ihe re-Introducllon
of wlld planlS 1010 the meadow. de vrles
has created Idealltvlng condltton5 lor
a large number 01 Insects butterfhn
and beetles tha! have now retumed ID
the area

WORKS
.
,

• •

Joseph BEUYS

Beuys plantlflg 017.000 oak trenlhroughout Ihe CIIy 01 Kassellor Documenta 7

embodled a wlde concept 01 ecology whlch grows wllh time 7.000 Irees were planted
nex! lo a basal! Slone milrker Beuys stated Ihal Ihe prOJe<! 15 a ' movemenl 01 Ihe
human cilpaclly towards a new concept 01 art. In symbolic communlCahon wllh
nature ' The flrsl Iree was planted In 1982. lhe lasl Iree w,u planted elghteen monlhs
aMer Beuys' dealh al Ihe openlng 01 Documenta a In 1987 by nls son Wenzel Beuys
'[ beheve tha! planhng lhese oaks 15 necessary nOl only In blDsphenc terms. tha! 15 lo
sayoIn lne contexl 01 ma!!er and ecology, bu! In Ihal 1I wlll r¡lIse ecologlcal
consclousne55 - ralse 11 Increa$lngly. In Ihe tourse 01 yearslo come. because we shaU
never stop planhng .

- Joseph Beuys quoted by Johannes StuUgen 1982

I101PlEMENlA flON
Joseph BElIYS
'"

Betwun the openlnljl 01Documenta 7 on

1'182 and Documenta 8 on 1'187. the po!e
01 basall m¡rkers gradualty cl'wmdled
unlil the Lasl tre! was pLanled on 8 June
1'187

BEill
,

,
Ooa Cenler lor Ihe Arts Ilnaneed Ihe
Inlllal 7.000 Oaks In Kassel They have
contlnued Ihe pro)eel In New York wllh
Ihe planllng 01 several dlflerenl klnd 01
Iren eaeh palred wllh a basalt slone
The work embodles 8euys uloplan Idea
01 social sculplure deslgned lO efleel a
revolUhon In human eonselousness The
Inlentlon 01 such a Iree-planllnljl evenl IS
10 p01n1 up Ihe lranslormallon 01 a11llle
01 soclety and 01 lhe whole eeolOljlleal
syslem

WORKS
 .
, 1e t !I.G..Q

W4tr,Q.' , "
,,
'·',rq, .
Ngo descnbes hls work asa Iuslon 01
•
engloeenng ardllledural plannmg and
ar1' He has crealed a 101' treatlng
waste walers UStng natural blol091cal
means Inslead 01 mKhamcal 01'
chemlcal processes Thls syslem . whlen
he has called Ihe Lemna Syslem relles
on noatlng pl;mts whlen can be used
throughout Ihe world - Ihey thnve
anywhere. from col d cllmates lo Ihe
desert The planls gro.... vel'Y, fast In
• •
speclally de slgn ed ponds lo l real wasle
lo a vero¡ fine degree
The 20-hectar!! wastl!-water
Ireatm e n! planl al Oevll'sla ke 15

I sl lualed In a former welland

envlronmen l The Lemoa laclhty conSIS!S
01 nme serpenhne ehaonels w""eh

I' remove harmluf phosphorus nIIrogen

I
• and algae before releasmg lh e treated
waler 1010 one bay 01 Devll s Lake The
harvested plants are used as an organlc
lerllllzer Schoot ehlldren are taken on
tours lO leam aboul blology. Ihe
envlronmenl and lIs preservallon

8us t er S.l!i50N
• An t

991
e tI'

h. 8 1,

Headwater f the Hud Jn Q .,·r, d'" P H .d. Nt'w York

The Installallon Hudson Headwafers Purge IS parl 01a con llnumg senes. dallng back
lo 1983. whlch Illuslra les Slmpson s concem wlth Ihe damage lo waler and wlldllfe
resulllng Irom aCld ram Nu merous dlsks 01so ft chalk IImestone measunng 61 em m
dlameler by 8 cm thlck have been dropped Inlo the Hudson Rlver The ll meslone
neulrallzes or 'sweetens aCldle walers lor a llmlle d time The process 01 addin g
IImeslone lo aCldle nvers IS now a s tandard practlce wlth envtron mental agenCies
Slmpson htmself wades mIo the waler to place Ihe dlsks. a gesture remmlscenl 01
Nallve Amencan ceremOnial pntctlces 51mpson s work attempts lo revive a llm g
waters Ihrough chemlslry and art

. "' PlEMENTA TlO N

 ". "", C.HIN
,
", d.
" ". f" n dfi 1

"
"", ,
'"• ,' , , ".
", ,,"

•
,
"
Thls work was creiilled as an exploratlon
01 Ihe use DI pLan!s as remedla " on 1001s •
An 18 m' $e<:Ilon DI landfiU contamlnaled
by heavy melals $uch as cadmlum was
planted In a Circular pattem wllh specles
speclflcally ehostn lor lhelr ablh!y \0
remedlale $011 The (Irele was
by ml ersechng palhs whlch
separated difieren! plan! vilrlehes S,.
Iypes 01 planls, two pH ilnd two h!rt lhzer

tests wl're u$ed In eiilch quadrant Th e

•
circular area. planled wll h delo. ,fyInQ
weeds served as ¡he controllest s,'e
The square. planted wllh localgrasses.
served as Ihe control slle
,

,,

IMP LEMEN TATIO N

 I •
",

Th,s was ene 01 a serl!!'S 01 prOlects In

wh,eh landan was tooked al as a ¡,dat
bas," A propowl was made to redevelop

,• ¡he E!tri '" Bruelon wl'lIch had been

buned s.nce Ihe lB80s The proJect was
•
•
• t.ilrned out as a markehng campa.gn
•
• pub!!c meel,ng5 were held \0 sollC,llocat
•
-- op,n,on an arch'lect by,U a modl!'! 01 tne

--, proposed redevelopmenl prl!55 releasl's

were senl out and prn.s covl!rage was
,, oblalned Once publJc ¡¡UenllOn had be"n
,
,, atlracted lo Ihe queshon 01 reslonng Ihe
slle Ihe Redevelopment Agency
,,
,, sloppe d atl wo r k and was dlsmanUed

.,
.,., -
., ---
'-

-
'VI fpRII

Al Bell La n! Creek. where Ihl! Rev!! r

Wa ndle meels Ihe lhames a bronzl! bell
has bee n bUIU on \o Ihe sl ule!! gal e Th ,s
flngS wllh Ihe mOyemenl 01 Ihe h des
The names 01anlmals wh lch once
IIlhablled Ihe Wand le havl! bee " carved
+nlo Ihe stUltl! slrucl ure A mlcro-hyd ro
l urbme !leneral es ener!lY lrom Ihe
Wand le. wh lch hghl s the assembly hall
01a nearby school The area nowa n
Industn al was leland was desl!lnated a
della by PLA,TFORM l or Ihls prOJect
PLATFORM . re eonc emed w lth
democracy an d social power as mueh as
w lth envlronmentallssues As a result 01
PLATFORM S actlVlhes a gro up called
!he Won derlul Oella Network has been
lor med who are active In trym!l l o restore
1he aru

WORKS
 'lO Pe l e r f[ ND

n"

,
......... ,
.,
Thls work was onglnaUy shown al Ihe

-''"-- Venlce Blennale 199J"The AdnatlC and

Red Seas are suggesled as posslblt'
slles for Ihe development 01 Oeean
Ear1h s Glilnl Algae Syslem These
syslems. whlch can be grown In Ihe
seas provlde a renewable and non-
panullng energy sourcl' as an altemallve
10 pelroleum The firsl contracted slles In

• 11'115 oll·free COrrldor ran along ¡m

slrelchlng !rom Iceland, ¡hrough Ihe
•
Norlh Sea. lo former Vugoslavl,ú
mounl¡lIns. ¡ncludln9 slgnlficanl slles
suth as Moun! Alh05 , MDunl Slna. o1nd
Mecca The charts on Ihe floor show a
marketing ternlory lor Ihe Glanl Algae
Syslem Thls syslem challenges Ihe
mlneralluels Induslry. aslhe alm 15 10

1, Introduce a global algae produetlon

Induslry whleh w.U make 011 and gas
unprolilable and - In vlew 01 the polluhon
Iheyeause - unappeahng

I Pete r E..E.ti O
,
,
--- I
Peter [Ekl1

11 .. 11 ,

e'

• • Oeslgned wllh naval arehlleet Mare

Lombard. Ihls IS a 1 15 seale model 01 an
oHshore glant algae syslem elear Air Rig
or OHshore 5011 Rlg deslgned lo produce
energy wllhoul any pollullng greenhouse
elleel by-produels
Slnee Ihls model was exhlblled In 1993.
a mueh more Ie<:hnleally developed
model has been eoneelved Parts 01 Ihe
slruelure have been bUlll and are ready
lor sea Inats A eontrael has been Slgned
lo allow produelton

IMPLEMENTA TION
 • •

\
\
\
II
/ /
/
/
/
/
/

/
 Peter rENO
,
•

-
.... s .... lJNrry •
Tival Bay 15 a sem,-enclosed saltwaler
I
11. basln In Montenegro Oeean Ear1h was
responSlble lor surveylllg Ihe baslIl and
determlnlllg where and how lo ¡ncrease
lIs mOnltored bloproduCllvlty and lindlllg
opllmal slteslor blologlcal harvestlllg
The obJeellve 's 10 allow an urban
setllemenl wllh v.r1ually no pallullon

, . . ., - -
•
• •

These salellJle Images lal(en over

Iwenty-Iour hours. show an expl0510n DI
alga e bloom Irom Ihe small pOlnl where
1I beganlll Anhol!. lO nearly all Ih e
walers surroundlng Den marl( The
eXlstence DI Ihe Wlld blooms 01 algae are
attnbuted ID excesslve ler1ll1zer and
pollulanl n.moff The green eolour Inthe
water Indlea led Ihe lIlereased
lemperalure 01 lhe sea-5urface whlCh 15
¡boul 6-lJ>warmer Ihan normal
In s prlng 1988 lhe a lgae bloom wlped
out DI "sh and IS thoughtto h¡ve
eontn buled lo Ihe Immune-syslem
breal(downs 01 sea mammotls The
quesllon 01 tOXIC "algae had conlu5ed
SClenllsls lor some lime lince algote
alone eould nol be responSlble lor Ihe
devastallng effeds on aqualle hle

IM PLEMENTA TION
 '"

Avital G..EV A

re' u
6

Geva sees Ihls work pnmanly as an educallonal 1001 and a syslem 01 renewal The
Greenhouse IS an upenmen!al proJKI In a soclo-agrlcultural domaln Geva
cons!ruc!ed Ihe Greenhou5eand sel up a leachlng and upenmenlal programme
hlmsell. modeHmg Ihe syslem on cooperallon Inves!lgallon examlnallon and
observallon The IS mean! lo be based on an KonomlC balance and IS
slalfed by workers on Ihe Ein-Shemer klbbulz Geva clalms thal art 15 wllllng because
1I has no! connecled IlseU lO realllfe He 15 nol mleresled In art In museumsl see art
as a seri es 01 expenmenls On Ihe basls 01 Ihese upenments people leam ar!
dont care wh a! Ihey calll! art or anll-ar! The problem 15 Ihe soclety we !lve m
- AVI!al Gevat On Ihe Greenhouse 1993

WORKS
 '"
The artisls in Ihis seclion make works Ihallake Ihe land nol
as physical maller. bul as melaphor or signifier. They undersland il as a concepl.

as an oplical conslruclion or linguislic elaboralion Ihal may lake Ihe form of a

•

diagram . a senlence or a pholograph . Forms of measuremenl such as maps

and place names are deconslrucled and played wilh as Iheorelical conslrucls.
arbi lrary and conlingenl acls of inlerprelalion. Some works here evoke Ihe

la ndscape archilecls of Ihe formal gardens of Ihe pasl in which planling. slaluary
•
and archileclural follies were all part of a rich iconography symbolizing culture.
civilizalion and mortalily. Conlemporary artisls similarly regard Ihe environmenl

as a hislorical narralive which provides a repertoire of polenl symbols Ihal can

I also be deployed lo describe conlemporary sociely.
I

lan Hamilto n flNLAY

qna t ufe t th e Art .' Hndl er
.98
r j t n

lan HamlUon Flnlay c:a rve d a n en larged

represe nla llon 01 Hodler·s s lgnalure on a
slone on lhe Furka Pass In SWltzerland
ferdlna nd Hodler was él SWI SS pa lnter
famous lor hls landsca pe paintlogs. lo
wh lch lhls phol og raph bears a stnklnQ
resem btance

la n flN l AY

",
an h " • t :l

IMAGINING
•
•
 '" eft "na <JpP
00U91 aS HUEBLER
I(e

dI m
Dlmen Vdr dble

On a map 01 Ihe US, Conceplual Artlsl

Douglas Huebler marked lourteen cltles
and lowns sllua led approlnmalely along
Ihe 42nd paraUel From Truro.
Massachu setts, he malled !ourteen
leners lo each one 01 Ih ese dlies on Ihe
same day The leUe rs . havlng no specllic
destlnallon , were subsequently malled
back lo Huebler The work conSlsled both
01 Huebler"s Ihoughl and Ihe achon 01
sendlng Ihe let1ers. and oflhe poslal
recelpls whlch constlluled Ihe
•
work logelher wllh a map 01 Ihe lellers'
palh The Ime 01 Ihe 42nd parallel and Ihe
US posla l syslem became lemporary
vehlcles 01 lime and dlslance. whllsl Ihe

I1, recelpls. removed 'rom Ihelr slallC

a dmmlslrallve nlslence. acqUlred a
I' dynamIC and hlslorle welghl The work

I aels as a descrlphon 01 movemenl

I Ihrough space It also serves lo re-In)ee!
art Ideas Inlo lhe labrle 01ordmary
by USlllg lile poslal seNlee
I as Ihe 1001 lO earry oullhe work wllhln
eonlroll ed paramelers eslabhshed by
Ihe artlsl

ARl & .lMfG.\J.AGE

(hr ry Michael SAL DI!!N )
",p

lhls work 15 concemed Wllh Ihe

dls]unchon belweefl maps as visual

o m!ormallon syslems and Ihe physlcal

reallly DI what lh ey are supposed lO

- represen! The Map works 01 Alklnson

and Baldwln also explore Ihe correlahon
- or rather Ihe Imposslblhty 01 precise
correlahon - between Ihe representallon
01 a lhrt e-dlmenslonal obJecl. Ihe earth.
and a two-d,menSlonal surtac!!. Ihe map
As Ihe arllsls explaln . 'SlncUy speaklng
,he map cannol achleve whal'l says 1I
does because Ihe surtac! 01 Ihe Pacllic
Ocean 1$ no! complelely Ita! - Ihe waves
"have helghf and are conslantly In
mohon '
-Art & Language Sorne Notes '. 1967

IMAGINI NG
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 178 J hn
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Baldessan destrlbes Ihe worlt as

lollows Pholographs ollellers Ihat spell
CALIFORNIA and ollhe map used lor
locallng Ihe slle lor eath le\ter The
lellers vary In In:lm one 1001 lO
appro.lmalely one hundred leel. and In
o ¿
malenals used The leUers are localed
as near as posslble wllhln Ihe area
by the letters on Ihe map The
Idea was ID see Ihe landstape as a map
and ID uKute leller and
symbol DI Ihe map employed on Ihe
parl 01 Ihe earlh 11 was an -
allempt 10 make Ihe real world malch a
map lo Impose a language on nalure
and

< '.-

/ .-
•

tlo4AG1NING
 •
•

..
-

- - - .=
-
- - •

;=

• -

-
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- - •
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 Gordon MAIIA - CLABK
"" , [<,tate
"
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"
"
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-_... _-
•
1"1 Ir",', In 1973 Matta-Clark purchased ttm1een

- ---- _._--
C " .. .... .... ... I __ _ _ _ _ unused areas olland that were left over
. , . ji-- .

__ -
... _ . _ .. .... _ - " " _ ......... _ 1 ..
when tenaln dlstrK;ts m the borough 01

.. ,.,-"". "'-_
::-,
:_._-- ' '- . .
- _ .
._- --_.-
--=- . . . . • Queens were re-mapped and property
• -- -- lmes re -drawn The plots boughl by

- _.. _---_ ... _- Ma tta-Clark lor between 525 and S75

-_
.. _.--_. --........._--
_----------
._---
. - --,._-- ---
.. -.T._.......
eh.
eath are often Isolaled and Irregular
511es. somellmes only 2 • 31eel 161 •

- 1
-
Q, . . _ _ . . . _ _ . . . .

• ". ..... 91 5 cm}. localed where olher propertles

meel In a block AlIhough the slles could

_._...._-::::::::
..... '- --------_ ..•-
_--. ......._--_......... - .. _._-
nol be occupleo. the work confirms Ihe

--
--
, • Amenca n Dream Ihal everyone tan

-
I
betome a landowner

--- I
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I =!C=--=mn:
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WOOOWAAO
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IMAGINI NG
•
"

"

Jan D,bbets Corree/lons

upenment w.lh thl' opt,c.al construcllon
01 spac!!! 'nhented 'rom Ihe Renalss.ulCl!.
usuilUy uSlno;¡ slnog stretched aver Ihe
ground lo lorm squares or rectangles
The prinCIpIe 01 !hese works 15 lo
invalida!! Ihe ,Uuslon 01 perspecbve

created by photographlc construct.on.

wh,le cftahog another ,lIu510n. wh.ch
sU!I!luts thal ¡he square VIsible ,n Ihe
pholograph 15 nol In ¡he photograph bul
supenmposed on.1 The corrE!i:llon 01
one ,lIu$lon produces anolhef Illuslon so
¡hal ¡he YltWl!f 15 led lo deconslrucl Ine
undustandlng 01 plclonal perspectlve

Th,s work WolS made lar Gerry Schum-s

-Land Art uh,b'llon for leleVlslon.
broadQlst In Germany on 15 Apnl1969

Olbbets descflbed.1. 1ñe pro¡e<:1 WIU be

madI! al ¡he beach when Ihe water 15 low
It wlll be wlped out when the water IS
comlng up ilgilln It takes about elghl

hours mood-lide! The whole thlng IS

spKlflCillly conslru!;!ed lor TV So dunng
Ihe time at whlch people are look,ng at

Ih,s proJ!!;! on TV Ihey wIIl have iln

ol1glnill artwork by Q,bbets In thelr

room When 1I 's fin,shed the work 01 ar1

no longer !X'Sls
- Jiln Q,bbels Land Ar1. exhlb,llon

catalogue 1969

WORKS
 1)
I
I se I le;
l·
I
\/V( () [ )
() ()I. "
VV I N I )
•
lan Ha.ilton EINLAy
• ,
",
•

Thls IS a slale slele bea nn g Ih rH Fmlay-s garden al lIttle Sparta makes

d,fferenl seq uences 01Ihe three words elear hls vener,¡hon 01 Ihe p,cturesque
wood wln d song 1I s,.nds 10 c. grove In Ihls garden F,nlay c.sp,res lo a natufe
01 pmes wh lCh slng whe n Ihe wmd Improved by Ihe mlellect r,¡lher tnan leh
blo'NS througn them unloucned In Ihls he reveals a c10se Imk
wlln Ihe Frenen SeVenlHnlh+eenlury
landseape pilmler Nlcolas Poussln. who
org¡nlzed nalure In hls palotmgs w.lh
gre¡1 preelllon In order lo presenl,l as
perleel Where Poussms work reveals a
clanty 01 visual and Inlellectual purpose
Freneh seventeenlh+eenlury Landscape
pam ter Claude Lorrams approaeh lo

,.' landscape was more resonanl and

' ..
•
almosphene Flnlays Inscnpllon. 00 a
•
slone beslde a pood, hlghllgh!s Ihe
eounlerpolfll belween Poussm s ngour
and Claudes more rOmaO!IC approaeh lO
nature Thls work wc.s made In
eollabor,¡llon wllh John Andrew

lan Hamilton FINlAY

, • ,

lan Hamilton flNkAY

P Or r

The words carved on Ihese slones are

laken from a slalemenl milde by SI Jusi
dunng Ihe Freneh RevolutlOn and read
Ihe Presenl Order 15 Ihe Dlsorder 01 Ihe
Future

WORKS
 '"

• •

Allghlero 80E1T1

•
,
,
,
OraWlng on a d!versl! rang! DI resources Boelh looked al Ihe protes!> 01 ctassllylng
I
rlvers and Ihe status DI Ihls Informaban The etuslv(' nature 01 water Ine dll1lCulty DI
Idenlllylng Ihelr louree and Ihe hngulsllC problems connected wlth lhelf Idenhly al!
ralse doubts as lo Ihe classllyln!l and namlOg methods apphed Man s mapplng DI
nature Ihe allempt lo PI" 1\ down as somelhlOg fiKed becomes provIsional and
Illu50ry

IMAGI NING
•
¡,¡ 1
." >l.

The \York 15 structun'd ¡ccordmg lo

twelve 01 Ihe wortd s time Iones IIts
madI! up 01 twelve triltS planted wlln
!jiras!> seeds from one 01 tWl!lve global
lime Iones The composlllon ol!he
9rowlO9 med'um 10 e.leh 01 Ihe lrays ¡¡¡Iso
corresponds lO lha! found In one 01 !he
Iones Al Ihe end 01 !!aeh ¡raya clock 15
se! lo a one-hour lime dlHerence thus
creahng a chronologlcal atlas The lrays
were 1n$laUed as low lolbles on Ihe wlnd-
swepl approach lo Klllerton House
Oevon. dUflng Ihe monlhslrom June lo
Odober The grasses !lrtw unevenly
The work explores Ihe Idea DI mappln9
Ihe wortd Ihrough vertltal dlvlslons
along Ilnes ollahlude ralher Ihan
accordmg lo land mass The uneven
growth 01 Ihe grilssl's from dlfferenl
reglons olthewortd placed wllnlo Ihe
lertlle and producllvl! enVlronml!nts 01
Ihe park area are a remlnder 01
locatlons around the world where human
survlva! and ulslence depl'nd on lraglte
and ohen hostl!e soclo-eco!oglCa!
balances

WORKS
 .
, I
I

I
The plan 01 Ihe gardlm 15 biilsed on
geometnc forms a reclang\e a cln;le

I
an oval and a tr.angle. eaeh figure
embedded In Ihe alher A vas! Isoseel!!s •
trlangle appears lo contaln atl Ihe I
olh!!rs and partlcularly lhe fe<:langle
lraced by the Freneh ar(Meel Jean
Nouvl!ts gtas!> bUilding Baumgarten
hils created dlff!ren! Iypes 01 landscape
In dllfer!n! areas 01 lhe garden. ranglflg
(rom a formal seatlflg area lo plols 01
wlld plan!s Mailing lhrough the garden
Ihe VIl'wer upenences dlff!r!!n!
• •
envlronments wllh ln an urban settlng

I
I
,
l' ,
,
I

• ..,
•
•
\
.' ,
--
, •

\ •

IIo4AGINING
 "

Chrl tun Ph 1l1 Pp '1 Jg ER

A 8. I nc n o;¡ Act
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r u r l I¡¡nu m.

Muller 5 In5taltallon 15 bUllt around iln opeo wmdow 01 the MU5eum Fndenclanum.
whlch reveills a b,rd 5 eye vlew 01 Ihe Fnednchspliltz Wllh Ihe con51ructlon 01 iln
underground car park Ihe permanenl works by De Mana IVertIcal Earth KlIoml'lrl'.
Documenta 6. 19771 and Beuys (7000 Oa/{:; Documenl¡ 7. 1982) have now been
dIsplaced Irom Ihe,r cenlral poslllon In Ihe square Muller exhlblls documenlallon
relallng lo Ihe lundmg 01 Ihese Iwo eartier sculplures Alongslde Ihls documenlallon
IS a 6 m-long bata!'lw'Ig rod on a sculpturill base whlch 15 conslrucled hall In brass
hall m oak fa relerence lo De Mana s venlcal bran rod a!'ld Beuys oilk treesl. MLiller
has also embedded a VIdeo screen In Ihe wall 01 Ihe Fr,denc,anum wh,ch rKord5 a
performance belore Ihe openmg 01 Documenla X !n wh,ch MLiller w,lh Ihe batanóng
rod!n hand watked repealedly belween Beuys ¡rees and De Manas sculplure H,s
actlon lraces a very speclfoc hne between Ihe \v.o sculplures although Ihey were nol
made!n retallon lO one anolher Muller s emphallc connect,on 01 Ihe two works
underbnes !hal Ihe r.ew symmelncal des'gn 01 Ihe square completely Ignoreslhe
presence 01 Ihe twtI sculplures

WORkS
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 PIO N

• • • •

Th!S wori( was aealed dunnglhe R,o

Eanh Summ,11n 1m O,on
1 m- 01 soll 'lnd debn s from a ra ,nloresl
pari( In Belem localed al Ihe moulh 01
Ihe Amazon. 10 Ihe exh lb,llon haU In Rlo
lor dIsplay By bnnglng Iht jung le InlO
Ihe uh ,blOon spaCt - d!splaclng Ihe
matena l lrom lis surroundlngs - a nd
dlssKllng and CLas5,tylng ll Olon
hlgh ll ghts the ro le 01 dlspLacement In
Ihe lormal!on 01 $Clenllfic knowledge
Olon pays homage lO Ihe Nalura h51
WIUJam Beebe by adoptlng Ihe methods
he employed In carrylnljJ oul hls fie ld
wori( upenmenl5 Iotalenals taken
Irom a partIcular s ,te are ana lyzed In
lsol.allon In Ihe Non -s 'le 01 the ga llery
space where dl5pl.aced 5peamens are
used lO IUustrale man s know1edge By
tioklng hlS sample Irom Ihe Jung le lloor
Dlon 'acuses a"enOon on Ihe InVisIble
mlU ocosms !n lhe so," Al! element.s In
Ihe enYl ronmenl are JUSI aS lmporta nl In
Ihe role 01conservallon as Ihe removal
ol just one elemenl alle rs Ihe whole
ecosyslem

DlQN

The wolil ls concem ed w!lh the conser.'allon 01 blologocal d,ve rSITy In a come r 01 the
garden 01 Ihe Ha rewood Esta le a proposed nelWork 01 paths ereales a Iree-hke
ligure The ma ln palh conslllules the Iree tron k and Ihe slde palhs 115 branehes
These also dev lale Into smaller paths whlch lermlnale In semi-Circular areas In Ihls
area the vl ewe r encoun le rs a reclangle 01 slone 5ellnlO Ihe ground and mscflbed
wlt h Ihe name 01 a frolt Iree va neTy followed wlth an odd and anachronlsloc
descflptlon 01the q uahlles 01Ihe troll p¡¡rllcul¡¡rly Ihe laste Beyond Ihls Inlayed
tab let sta nds a s ho rt concrete cotumn beanng a bronze pLale on whlch Slts an
overslzed bronze lrol! Immed lately behlnd Ihe column anel a short d,slance off Ihe
pathway IS the Iree Ilse ll The Ire es come '!'I Ihree forms a newty pla!'lled saphng. an
adult Iree or a Wllhe red a!'ld bare bronze lronk represenllng extme! !ree specles The
maln branches 01 the Iree pa thway represen! Ihe maJor norlhem froll crop Irees The
te rmina l no des rep rese n! dlstlne! vane\les

WORKS
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David
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NicolH P!l..!J.S.: I N
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Dennl s !fQPP.E1!

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DOCU M ENT S
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John [CIIID

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Vose mite Nat ion a l PHI(
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Albert BIlRS-TAQJ

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Cup ane! Ring markings

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Rollert ,.,.MI ni:ai.l N

lI.obert SHl lhSO H

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 19J

'Why is il. I wonder', writes the critic and theorist John

Brinckerhoff Jackson at the beginning of his essay, 'The Word Itself, 'that we

have trouble agreeing on the meaning of "landscape"?' The idea of Land Art is,

as Jackson says of the landscape, 'something which we think we understand'.

Yet concepts of both 'land' and 'art' remain incredibly varied and are historically

and ideologically inscribed. Jackson's text and the others collected in this section

address broad background ideas related to the production of Land Art: constructs

ofthe 'picturesque' and the 'sublime'; evolving ideas of landscape in relation to

spiritual. physical. social and political issues; and examples of contemporary

aesthetic theories that both draw from and refine their antecedents. Identifying

strategies and tendencies emerging in the late 1960s, these texts layout the

critical foundations of Land and Environmental Art.

be endued with greatness of dimensions or not; for it is ( ... 1 Picturesqueness, therefore, appears lo hold a station
Edmund BURKE impossible to look on anything as trifling, or contemptible, between beauty and sublimity; and on that aecount,
that may be dangerous. There are many animals, who, perhaps, is more frequently and more happily blended
A Philosophical Enquiry into thougn far from being large, are yet capable of raising with them both than they are with each other. It is, however,
ideas ofthe sublime, because they are considered as perfectly distinct from either; and first , with respect to
the Origin of our Ideas on the objects ofterror. As serpents and poisonous animals of beauty, it is evident, from atl that has been said, that they
almost atl kinds. And lo things of great dimensions, if we are founded on very opposite qualities; the one on smoolh·
Sublime and Beautiful annel( an adventitious idea ofterror, they become without ness, the other on roughness; - the one on gradual, the
comparison greater. A level plain of vast extent on land, is otheron sudden variation; - the one on ideas of youth and
[1757] certainly no mean idea; the prospect of such a plain may be freshness, the other on that of age, and even of decay ...
as extensive as a prospect ofthe ocean; but can it ever fill These are the principal circumstances by which the
THESUBLlME the mind with anything so great as the ocean itself? This is picturesque is separaled from the beautiful.lt is equally
( ••• JThe passion caused by the greilt and sublime in owing to several causes; but it is owing to none more than distinct from the sublime; for though there are some
natufe, when those causes operate most powerfully, is this, that the ocean is an object of no small terror. Indeed qualities common to them both , yet they differ in many
astonishment: and astonishment 15 that state ofthe 501.11 terror is in all cases wha tsoever, either moreopenly or essential points, and proceed from very different causes.
in which aU ¡ts motions are suspended, with sorne degree latently, the ruli ng pri nci pie ofthe su bli me ( ... 1 In the first place, greatness ofdimension is a powerful
ofhorror. In this case the mind is so entirely filled with its EOIIIUM Buc<e, '.10. cause ofthe sublime; the picturesque has no connection
object, that it eannot enterlain any other, nor by Oue [ded, ,1 the jme I fui'. The Ph ¡ Icsopny cf with dimension of any kind (in which it differs from the

} consequence Tea son on that object which employs it. fdmund Bur'e: A Se lect ,on cf h, $ Speeche dfTd I/r; t lng5. ee, beautiful also) and is as often found in the smallest as in

- Hence arises the great power oftne sublime, that, far from the largest objects. The sublime being founded on princi.
being produced by them it anticipa tes OUT reasonings, and Pre5 ' . .'tnn Arbor. 196/. pp. 256·51: 262. Onglnally pies of awe and terror, never descends to any thing light
hurries us on by an i,resistible force. Astonishment, as t publnhed by R. and J. London. 1757 or playful; the picturesque, whose characteristics are
have said, is the effect ofthe sublime in its highest degree; intriucy and variety, is equally adapted to the grandest
the inferior effects are admiration, reverence and respecto and to the gayest seenery. Infinity is one ofthe most
No pass ion so effectuatly robs the mind of all its Uvedale PRICE efficient causes ofthe sublime; the boundless ocean ,
powers of acting and reasoning as fear. For fear being an forthat reason, inspires awful sensations: to give it pie·
apprehension of pain or death, it operates in a manner that An Essay on the Picturesque turesqueness you must destroy that cause ofits sublimity;
resembles actual pain. Whatevertherefore is terrible, with for it is on the shape and disposition ofits boundaries lhat
regard to sight, is sublime too, whether this cause ofterror [1796] the picturesque in great measure must dependo

4RTlST S STATEMENTS CRITlCISM CULTURAL CONTOO DOCUMENTS

 '" Uniformity {which is so great an enemy to the
picturesque) is nol o"ly compatible with the sublime, bu!
splendid and powerful , has a more general influence; il
neilher relaxes nor violently slrelches Ihe libres, but by its
him - mountains, river, forest , fields and so on - and
compose them so thal they made a wOrk of arto
often Ihe cause orit. Th3! general equal gloom which is active agency keeps Ihem l o Iheir fulllone, and Ihus, when There is no need to tell in detail how the word gradually
spread over all natufe befare a storm, with the slillness so mixed with eilher ofthe olher characters, corrects the changed in meaning. First it meant a picture of a view¡
nobly described by Shakespeare, is in the highes! degree languor ofbeaulY, or Ihe horror ofsublimity. But as the then the view itself. We went into the country and
sublime. The picturesque requires greater variety, and nature of every corrective must be to take offfrom the discovered beautiful views, always remembering the
does nol show itselftill the dreadrul Ihunder has ren! the peculiar effect of what il is to correct, so does the criteria oflandscape beauty as established by crilies and
region, has lossed the clouds ¡nlo a Ihousand towering picturesque when united to either ofthe others. It is the artists. Finally, on a modest scale, we undertook lo make
forms, and opened (as il were) Ihe reces ses ofthe sky. A coquetry of nature; il makes beauty more amusing, more over a piece of ground so that il resembled a pastoral
blaze aflign! unmixed with shade, on the same principies, varied, more playful, but also, landscape in Ihe shape of a garden or park. Just as the
tends lo the sublime only: Millon has placed lighl, in ils ' l ess winning soit,less amiably mild.' painter used his judgement as lo what to indude or omit in
mas! glorious b,ightness, as an inaccessible barrier round Again, by ils variety, ils inlricacy, its partial concealments, his composition, the landscape gardener (as he was
the Inrone ofthe Almighty: it excites that active curiosity which gives play lo the mind, known in Ihe eighteenth cenlury) took pains to produce a
'far Cad is lighl, loosening Ihose iron bonds with which astonishment stylized ' picturesque' landscape, leaving out Ihe muddy
And never bu! in unapproached light chains up its faculties. roads, the plowed fields, the squalid villages ofthe real
Dweh from elernity. Where characters, however d istinct in the ir nature, are countryside and induding certain agreeable natural
And such is the power he has given even lO ils diminished perpetually mixed logether in such various degrees and features: brooks and groves oftrees and smooth expanses N

splendour, manners, it is not always easy to draw the exact line of of grast The results were oiten extremely beautiful, but --
Thal Ihe brighlesl seraphim separation: I think, however, we may conclude, that where
-
they were still pictures, though in three dimensions.
Approach not, but with both wings veil Ihei, eyes.' an object, or a set of objects, is without smoothness or The reliance on the artist's point of view and his
In one place, indeed, he has introduced very picturesque grandeur, but from its intr icacy, its sudden and irregular definition oflandscape beauty persisted throughoul the
circumstances in his sublime represenlation oflhe deily¡ deviations, its variety offorms, tinls and lights and nineleenth century. Olmsted and his followers designed
i but it is ofthe deity in wrath - it is when from the weakness shadows, is interesting to a cultivated eye, il is simply their parks and gardens in ' painterly' terms. 'Although
and narrowness of our conceptions we give the names and picturesque; such, for instance, are the rough banks that three·dimensional composilion in landscape material s
the effects of our passions to the all·perfect (reator: often inclose a bye-road or a hollow lane: Imagine Ihe size differs from two-dimensional landscape painling, because
'And douds began ofthese banks and the space between them to be a garden or park design conuins a series of pictorial
To darken all the hill, and smoke lo roll increased till the lane becomes a deep dell, the coves large compositions', the Encyelopaedia Sritannica (thirteenth
In dusky wreaths reluctant flames, the sign caverns, the peeping stones hanging rocks, so that the edition) informs uS,' "0 nevertheless in each ofthese
Orwrath awak'd.' whole may impress an idea ofawe and grandeur; the pictures we find the familiar basic principies of unity, of
In general, however, where the glory, power or majesty of sublime will then be mixed with the picturesque, though repetition, of sequence and balance, ofharmony and
o
God are represented, he has avoided that variety ofform
and of colouring whieh mighl lake offfrom simple and
the scale only, not the slyle ofthe scenery, would be
changed. On the olher hand, if parts ofthe banks were
contrast'o But within the last halfcentury a revolution has
taken place: landscape design and landscape painting
j
•
uniform grandeur, and has encompassed the divine smooth and gently sloping, orlhe middle space a 50ft have gone their separate wayso landscape architects no
essence with unapproached lighl, or with the majesty of dose·bitten IUn, or if a gentle stream passed between longer turn to Poussin or Salvator Rosa or Gilpin for ª
Z
M

darkness. them, whose clear unbroken surface reflected all thei, inspiration¡ they may not even have heard oftheir worko
Again (if we descend to earth), a perpendicular rock of varielies - the beautiful and the picturesqu p by means of Knowledge of ecology and conservalion and
vast bulk and height, though bare and unbroken - a deep that softness and smoothness, would then De united. environmenlal psychology are now part ofthe landscape
chasm underlhe same circumslances, are objects that • <1 Pr e 'Ar [ ,y P .!ure ,ue O
Tne Gen' ,r architect's professional background, and protecting and
produce awful sensalions; but without sorne variety and 'f ' ng 'managing' the natural environment are seen as more
intricacy, either in themselves orlheir accompaniments, . Ruw. N,'w lork. 19/ • important than the designing of picturesque parkso
they will nol be picturesque.lastly, a mosl essential Environmental designers, 1 have nOliced, avoid the word
d ifference between the two characters ¡s, that the sublime landscape and prefer land or tenain or environment or
by ils solemnity takes offfrom Ihe loveliness ofbeauty, even space when they have a specific site in mindo
whereas the picturesque renders it more captivating. John Bnnckerhoff Landscape is used for suggesting the aeslhetic quality of

JACKSON
According lo Mr. Burke, the passion caused by the the wider countrysideo
great and sublime in nature, when those causes operale As for painters, they have long since lost interest in
most powerfully, is aSlonishment¡ and astonishment is producing conventional landscapes. Kenneth Clark, in his
that state ofthe soul in which all its motions are suspended The Word Itself [- 984] book Landscape into Painting, com ments on Ihis facto
wilh sorne degree ofhorror: the su blime also, bei ng fou nded 'The microscope and telescope have so greatly enlarged
on ideas of pain and lerror, like them operates by slretching Why is ¡t, I wonder, that we have trouble agreeing on the the range of our vision', he writes, 'Ihat the snug, sensible
the libres beyond their natural tone. The passion excited meaning of'landscape'? Theword i5 simple enough, and il nature which we can see with our own eyes has ceased to
by beauty is love and complacency; il acls by relaxing the refers to something which we think we understand; and satisfy our imaginations. We know that by our new
fibres somewhat below their natural tone, and Ihis is yet lo each of us il seems to mean something differenl. standards of measurement the most extensive landscape
accompanied by an inward sense of melting and languor. What we need is a new definitiono The one we find in is practically the same as the hole through which the
Whelher this accounl ofthe effects of sublimity and most dictionaries is morethan three hundred years old burrowing anl escapes from our sight'.
beauty be strictly philosophical, has, 1 believe, been and was drawn up for artists. It tells us Ihat a landscape is This does nol str ike me as a very satisfactory
questioned, bul whelher the fibres , in such cases, are a ' portion ofland which the eye can comprehend at a explanation ofthe demise oftraditionallandscape
really slretched or relaxed , il presenls a lively image ofthe glance'. Actually when it was first introduced (or paintingo More Ihan a change in scale was responsible.
sensations oiten produced by love and astonishment. To reintroduced) inlo English it did nol mean the view itserf, it Painters have learned to see the environment in a new and
pursue the same train ondeas, 1 may add, Ihal Ihe effect of meant a picture ont, an artist's interpretation. It was his more subjedive manner: as a diR"erent kind of experience.
Ihe picturesque is curiosity; an effect which, though less task to take the forms and colours and spaces in front of But that is nol Ihe point. The point is, the two disciplines

INCEP TIO N
which once had a monopoly on the word -Iandscape
architectute and landscape painting- have ceased to use John BARRELL
precisely what attracts him lo them, the sense Ihat Ihey are
mysterious and unknowable: and he does this nol only by
'"
it Ihe way they d id a few de<.ades OigO, and it has now putting Ihe places he visits on the map, whether literatly or
reverted as it were lo the public domain. in some other sen se, but 01150 because the only way he can
What has happened to Ihe word in the meanlime? For , knowa landscape as picturesque is by applying to ¡t a set
one Ihing we are using it with much more freedom. We no ee of'picturesque rules', as it were eategories of perception
longer bother with its literal meaning -which I will come without which any knowledge ofthe landscape would be
lo later- and we have eoined a number of words similarto ( ... 1Ifthe landscape and the features within il are to be impossible for him [ ... 1
it: roadscape, townscape, cityscape, as ifthe syllable uope sueeessfulty subjected lo Ihe poet, and lo be organized by ce

meant a space, which it does not; and we speak oflhe him, unlil they become as far as possible the landmarks on , "
wilderness landseape, the lunar landscape, even ofthe his eye's journey, elements in a general composilion which 184 , r
," •
landscape al the bottom ofthe ocean. Furthermore the does its best lo prevent the particular things within it rrom
word is frequently used in critical writing as a kind of asserting themselves at 0111, the poet must have the space
metaphor. Thus we find mention ofthe 'Iandscape of a between the landscape and himself which a high
poet's images', 'the landseape of dreams', or 'Iandscape viewpoint affords. Only as il looks from rising ground can Kenneth FRIEDMAN
as antagonist', or 'the landscape ofthought', or, on quite a the eye separate the immediate, disorganized foreground
differenl level, the 'politicallandscape ofthe NATO from Ihe malleable area beyond il. The importance oflhis Words on the Environment
eonferenee', the 'patronage landscape'. Our first reaction separation oflhe poet from Ihe landscape he describes is
to these usages is that they are far·fetehed and reflected in the poetic vocabulary ofthe eighteenth [1983]
pretenlious. Yet they remind us of an importanl Irulh: Ihal cenlury, and particularly in those words which were more
we a lways need a word or phrase lo indicate a kind of or less interehangeable with the word 'Iandscape' itself- [ ... J In Frame Ana/ysis: An Essay on rhe Organizarion af
environmenl or setting whieh can give vividness to a 'view'. 'prospect', 'scene' - ,,11 of which make Ihe land Expe,ienee ('9741, social anthropologist Erving Goffman
Ihought or event or relationship; a background placing it in something out Ihere, something to be looked al from a made a charming leap ofimaginalion thal is instructive for
the world. In Ihis sense /ondscape serves Ihe SOl me useful distanee, and in one direction only. 'Prospect' carries this the study and criticism ofEnvironmental Art. He perceived
purpose as do the words e/imate or atmosphere, used sense from its lalin root, pro-spicere, lO look forward, or that words shape Ihe: organization of experienee, Ihal our
metaphorieally.ln fact /andseape when used as a painler's out into the distance: before anything else a prospect is organization and framing of experience shape our
lerm oflen meanl '.111 Ihal part of a picture whieh is not of what is in front ofyou - the phrase en [aee perhaps perception, and that 0111 the many factors ¡nvolved in the
the body or argument' -like the stormy array of elouds in a expresses il best -and some distance away. And though in developmenl of'words' of'organizalion' or of'rraming'
battle scene or Ihe glimpse oflhe Capitol in a presidential Ihe eighleenlh cenlury Ihis sense of direction became are theoretically of equal importance, differing in realily
portrait. In the eighteenlh eenlury,/andscape indiealed gradually more submerged, it did keep a limiting influence only accordingto time and cireumstanee. As a result, he
scenery in the theatre and had the function of discreetly over the sense that could be mOlde ofthe word. Thus, when took a Iruism on which most social scientists agree, using
suggesting the location ofthe action or perhaps Ihe lime of Thomson writes in Ihis passage that the 'prospect' il lo ereate the framework for a remarkable volume by
day. As I have suggested elsewhere, there is no better spreads immense 'around', there is eertainly a tension drawing on sources as common as newspaper artietes.
indication ofhow ourrelation lO the environmenl can between Ihe sense of'prospect', something in a fixed and Rather Ihan using constructed experiments or observed
change over Ihe cenluries Ihan in Ihe role ofstage scenery. opposile posilion to the observer, and 'around', which interactions as he had with greal success in pasl sludies,
Three hundred years Oigo Corneille eould write a five-act suggests a wide are oflandseape stretehing out beyond Goffmann's leap consisted in the sensible choice of using
Iragedy with a single indicalion ofthe setting: 'The action Ihe arc oflhe poet's visiono This tension relates very some oflhe very materials that create and frame
takes place in Ihe palace ofthe king' .Ifwe glance al Ihe dosely lo the process of organizalion bolh Claude and experience in the most common and pervasive manner.
work of a modern playwright we will probably find one Thomson were engaged in: that of organizing what was in In considering Environmental Art, mosl eritics and
detailed description of a scene afler another, and the fact an are - Ihe 'eireling landseape' as it was often called artists have failOO to appreciate the meaning, context and
ullimale in Ihis kind oflandscape, I suppose, IS the by eighteenlh-century poets - on to a flat surface, that of nature ofthe environmenl. That is to say that a nolion of
eontemporary movie. Here the set does mueh more Ihan the canvas or an imaginary one. 1I was partly lo make Ihis Enlolironmento/ Art has been elaborated rrom theories of
merely identify Ihe time and place and establish the mood. feat or organization easierfor the connoisseur of art and from notions of an art Ihat is related to natuTe,
By means ofshifts in lighling and sound and pel'Spective landscape Ihal the Claude-glass was invented: a plano· nature being 'the environment' in which ' Environmental
the set actualty ereates Ihe players, identifies them and convex mirror which 'gathers every scene reflected in il Art' takes place. Nothing could be more evidently sensible
tells them whal lo do: a good example ofenvironmental into a tiny picture'. in today's art world - and nothing eould be more wrong.
determinismo The word 'scene', applied to a landscape, assumed To understand Environmental Art, one must begin wilh
But these scenie devices and theatre landscapes are also that what was being described lay opposile the a simple yet significanl queslion: What is the
mere imitalions of real ones: easily understood by almost observer, en foce: and this sense came wilh it rrom its environment? or perhaps, What does the word
everyone, and shared. Whal 1object lo is Ihe fallacy in Ihe theatrical origin - the flat and square-shaped skint behind enlolironment mean?
metaphorical use ofthe word. No one denies that as our the orchestra in a Greek theatre, and the square frame of Webster's Collegiore Dictionory (1943), an excellenl
thoughts become complex a nd abstract we need metaphors the proseenium aren which the English Iheatre had version ofWebster's New Internotiona/(second edition),
lo give them a degree of reality. No one denies Ihal as we adopted since the Restoration. A 'scene', then, in the defines the word e"",i,onment in this manner. ',: act of
become uncertain of our status we need more and more description oflandscape. is something opposile you and environ ing; state orbe¡ ng envi roned 2: that which environs;
re-enforcement rrom our environmenl. But we should not endosed by the limits of your vis ion in very much the SOl me surroundings; specificatly the aggregale of 0111 the external
use Ihe word /andseape to describe our private world, our way as a painting is endosed within its frame ¡ ... ) eondilions and influences affecting the life and develop-
private mierocosm, and for a simple reason: a landscape is What is uncultivaled is uncivilized - Ihal is its ment of an organism, etc., human behaviour, society, etc'.
a concrele, three-dimensional shared reality [ ... 1 attraction - and thus 01150 mysterious; bul just as a The degree to whieh the word en",ironment is related lo

•
. " ",
t • progressive farmer can endose a tract ofheath or
moorland, and eultivate it, so the picturesque Iravetler can
appropriate and thus destroy in the plaees he visits
the sense ofsurrounding orofoverall placement and
situation can be seen through Ihe development and
descent ofthe word from its origin in lalin. Bloch and von
'"' d.l>4.PD.

DOCUMENTS
 ". Wartburg in Ihel, Dictionnoire de la langue (1977) defi nes the word en¡¡ironment appropriately for our with men standing side by side addressing themsell/es to
¡ral1fo;se (second editioo, 1950) locate ils origin in Ihe purposes: 'In the most general sense, all the external some eKternal object or phenomenon wilh an attention
latín word "ibrare, which P:utridge reports as meaning ' lo conditions, physical and sociocultural, which can which amales outlanders. They do not understand thal
shake O( brandish' in Origins: A Short Etymologicol influence an individual or a group; sometimes used to those two men stand ing on Ihe concrete apron ofthe
Dictionary ofModern English. from thal word grew lIirore denote physical surroundings as distinguished from Ihe Mobil slation, staring down the highway towards a fragi!e
orvulgar Latín and gyrore oflate latin, gyrore meaning 'lo sociocultural; when employed in the general sense, ofien wisp of doud, may, while discussing that doud, rel/eal
turn (something), (anything) about' and lIirore meaning 'lo used synonymously with milieu'. their souls, and only discover as much of one another as
cause something lo go about', particularly - in its original Hoult goes on to cite Kingsley Dal/is, who in Humon they want.
meaning - 3 vessel 01 ship. Through old Freneh and 50ciety (1949) wrote that 'there is no such thing as My father-in·law is aman of such elegance. When we
Freneh, the word became lIirer, and into English as I/eer, as environment. There are many different environments, and lalk we mostly !ook at douds, cottonland, horses, heavy
well as Ihe nautical term wear meaning to cause a vessel to what is enl/ironment in onesense may nol be so in another'. equipment or just distance, but we get it said. We might
go a!>out by turning Ihe Do ..... away f,om the wind. The term En¡¡ironmentQ/ Art has come to have a say it more eloquent!y before Michael Heizer's Double
lhe word lIirer in Old freneh and Freneh had a meaning that summons up images of earth art or art Negoti¡¡e. 5ince my father·in·law makes roads, moves
derivalive word, lIi,on, meaning 'a cirde, a round, t he forms ¡nvoll/ed with 'ecological invest igat ions'. A closer earth and loves the big machinery s uch work requires, it
country around (or surrounding something)', which look at Environmental Art and at artis15 who engage would be the kind of work he might e njoyo and since it is
appeared in Old French and in Early Modern French. From environmental concerns in Iheir art will reveal dimensions huge and vulnerable, il would lend itselfto his most
that word Old French and French gave birth to the wOrd that are as much cultural as natural. Human beings create Roman topie (t he favourite of all adult males west ofFort
en¡¡iron meaning 'in/around' and functioning as a art as a cultural act, commenling through cullure on Worth): the ravages of nature upon the works of man oHe
preposition and later as an adl/erb. In Middle French and culture i15elf and on all those aspects of existence and would lik'é dril/ing out to the site in his while jeep, wearing
Ea rly Modern French Q "en¡¡iron came to mean 'in the experience lhat affect them - including nature. his narrow-brimmed 5tetson, his khaki slacks and jackel
vicinity', and from it the plural noun en¡¡;rons was adopted Only false romanlicism or Ihin analysis can imagine and his Gokey boots. The more difficult Ihe trip, the more

I by the English language. The Old French preposition

en¡¡iron also gal/e rise to the verb en¡¡ironner, whence
Environmental Art to be related exclusively to 'the natural'.
A phenomenon is lodged within the contexts ofboth
complete!y il would reinforce his serene pessimism. rhot
would be his idea of going to see sorne arto mine, too, in

,,
'1 emerged the verb 'to environ'. While other old French and culture and nature, as are atl forms of art to a greater or propercompany.
Middle French words are related - as are certain archaic les ser degree. As an art form concerned with the relation In big country you do not see in the ordinary way. There
meanings from Early English, induding the rare word of our species and our societies to the planet on which we is no 'middle distance', only 'near' and 'far', the dust at
en¡¡;ronment - the current meaning and use ofthe word lil/e or as an art form using our placement on and percep· yourfeet and the haze on the horizon. Between, just a
en¡¡jronment apparently derives from the I/erb 'to environ'. tion ofthe planet, what is called Environmental Art is as rushing away. There is lite rally nothing lo see, so that is
Current acceptable meaning in common English is dearly focused on culture as it is on anything else. The what you look at: the nothingness - the nothing- ness.
evident in Webster's 5eventh New Col/egiate Dictionory focus may be diffuse, it may change and vary in proportion Vacant space is the physical fact you perceive most
(1969), based on Webster's rhird New Intemationa/ and perSpedive in the work of one artist or another, it may insistently, pressing down on the earth as the prehistoric
Dictionory: '1 : something that environs: surroundings 2a: even seem to have more to do with ' nature' than with oceans used too Objects intrude upon the vacancy to little
the complex of climatic, edaphic and biotic factors that act 'culture' as subject matter, bul Environmental Art remains effect; they only dutter your sight. Since you do not see
upon an organism or an ecological community and an art form Ihat must - in order to be successful - deal things, but simply see, it is always easier to experience
ultimately determine i15 form and survival b: the aggregate with 'all the external conditions, physical and socio· what has been taken away Ihan what has been added. 50
of social and cultural conditions that influence the life of cultural, which can influence an individual or a group'. you can 'add' by taking away. By making his two cuts
an individual or community'. 'Word on lne [nv,ronment·. Ar( rn tM€ across the concavity ofthe mesa, Heizer has 'Created' a
With the growth of concern for the biosphere as a ed. lI.lan I P. utlQ" & • York. 198 . 'double negatil/e' space between them. Once negative by
political issue ofthe movemen15 identified with 'ecology' the mesa's cul de sac, and twice by the hOrizontal column
and 'environmental activism', the term began to be implied by the cuts.
inappropriately and almost exclusively applied to ' nature'. I wonder ifthis particular negative space would be as
The misunderstanding bound up in this media-inAuenced Dave HICKEY palpable in a more duttered, 'posilive' environment? t do
slippage of meaning should be evident in the fact that it is know Ihat privative pieces - those which involve cutting
the total environment (social, political, economie, cultural Earthscapes. landworks away, digging out or marking - have much more authority
and natural) thal affects our relationship to 'nature and and intimacy with the country itselfthan the additive
ecology' as it has come to be understood. Given that and Oz [1971] pieces like Smithson's 5piroljetty or Heizer's Block Oye
human beings and Iheir culture are in the largest scale of ond Powder Dispersol, which are dwarfed in a way that
description simply a form oflife mOl/ing about and acting ' The country is really too big for human beings to lil/e in even smaller pril/ative pieces are noto5mithson 'sjetty,
on the surface ofthe planet, the drilling of an oil company withoul making a conscious adjustment, and there are particularly, has a beaux-arts look about it, more related to
is as much a part ofthe 'enl/ironment' as a tree. Thal the oil only two you can make: Vou can either increase, through other sculpture than to the lake. Like Wallace 5tevens' jar,
company acts differently towards its host organism , the mind or machine, your own reach in space and lime, or it makes the 'slovenly wilderness' surrounding it, 'no
planet, than does a tree is significant, but bolh exist and you can break that space into man-sized chunks. The artist longerwild ', and like the jar, 'it takes dominion
rema in . In sorne senses one can view human culture in its working in this enl/ironment, almost by necessity, renders el/erywhere'. Which is al1 right ifyoll like imperialistic art,
use of planetary resources much as one can view a colony his strategy pub!ic ... ' whieh Ido. 50mehow, though, I would rather it took
of animals in its use of a forest or a group ofinsects dominion over the MoMA than ol/er Ihe Great 5all Lake.
meeting in the core of a planet. It is the decisions that A strict decorum gOl/erns conversation between man and Rereading the abol/e - slrange, that the things we say
human societie s make that control their uses of nature man in hard dimates and desolate country. Direct in the presence of art are always indirecto Our crilical
and ofthe planet. Thus it is that, at least in human terms, assertions are taboo, as are conl/ersations face to face, remarks veil personal confessions, and our private
the wid est us e ofthe wo rd environment is in a direct sense since you can read private things in a man's face. And revelations are nothing but aesthetics in d isguise. But just
the most appropriate. since they demand response, direct queslions are always as well - I mean, art can be so much less than an occasion
Thomas Ford Hoult's Dictionory ofModern 5oci%gv redesigned . So conversation , in such country, takes place for discourse, and art's attemp15 to subvert discussion

INCEPTION
onl)' ¡¡ssure us Ih¡¡t Ihe talk, when il arises, will have a problems in Ihe wheat up lop Aunlie Em's Ihresher? I about earthworks tilled ' Oirty Pictures' (heh, heh) when 1
certain density and subtlety.lt is misleading, Ihough, lo certainl)' hope nol. I couldn't think of a more eJlcellenl noliced from the cornar of m)' e)'e that Ihe linear
speak of qualit)' in art when what we;¡re reatl)' appraising enterprise. Making art in the landscape allows the configurations Peter Plagens had left on his large paper
is the qu¡¡lity of our own response. For me, there is ¡¡ elevation of man), splendid activilies from Ihe bondage of painting, when he painte:d il brown, were the same as
distinction between art which is ottroctive and art which I utility into Ihe realms ofimilation - activities like sipping those Heizer was marking onlo the desert with his bike,
think is good. when ¡¡ work is either or neither, there is no iced tea from a big glass while sining on a Iractor seal, and Ihe same brown colour. Peter had pajnted oul 120
question oftute; but when I suspect that il mOl)' be bolh, loading ¡¡ rock crusher, mapping out the land benealh your square feet oftaped-toge:ther roadmap to milke Ihal
Ihere are difficulties - ¡¡S wilh so much ofthe work done in feet orcle:aring )'our sin uses wilh Ihe fragrance of asphall. painling. In effect he had painted the earth back over Ihe
the landscape. 1I is so oUroctive at ¡¡ primitive personal As Ceorge Puttenham was wonl lo sa)', Ihe artist is 'both a ideiltional s)'stem oflhe map, leaving ¡¡ negative
and cultural level (Ihal levell share with m)' father-in-I¡¡w maker and a counterfeiler'. These are atl things worth configuration scaril)' similar to the one Heizer was
who, for atl his virtues, cares nol a rip for ;¡rt) thal it is dolng in and ofthemselves, however rich in referenee. mapping on the surface. That doesn't meon anything, of
alwa)'s difficult to decide: whether a wor\¡ is true lo itselfor 1emphasize this beca use, according to the art press, 1 course, bul it does iIIustrale: how object art will gel )'ou
on!)' true lO some old echoes within m)'se:tf, some resonant am probabl)' one ofthal effele corps of dealers, crilies, through breakfast.lt has some impliations ilS well.
private mythology. curalors and collectors who are supposedly incensed, To understilnd how appropriate il is thal AmeriCil was
'Well. Yes! Dorolh)', ¡¡nd the Scarecrow, and Ihe Tin bewildered and frighlened b), Ihe people who make Earth named forlhe man who mapped her ratherthan the man
Woodman, ¡¡nd Ihe Cowardl)' lion, ¡¡nd Tolo have been lo Art. This isn't the case. I am incensed, bewildered and who discovered her, )'ou should make the run 1make from
Oz. It was far out and groovy (Oz was), but ¡nsincere:. And, frightened b), the people who make laws, bUI towards time lo time: from Kansas eit)' through Oklahoma City and
like wow, Ihe Wizard for 0111 his power was kinda fake)' and Earth Artists I am s)'mpalhelic, even enthusiaslic. I know OaUas down to Austin, where Ilive. You drop like a tear
sexuall)' ¡¡mbiguous.1 mean , il was Ihe Emerald Cil)', and Ihal Ihe movement (pun?) could use some delractors down the face ofthe map, running before the wind which
Ihe road was )'e:llow brick, ¡¡nd it did go to Oz and not lo (pun?!), but Ihis isn'l the good old da)'s, when we had an hasn'l hil so much as a billboard since it left Canada,
Kansas City, ¡¡nd il was in technicolour which Kansas is n't avanl-garde:, when )'OU were judged b), the qualit)' of )'our through country of such spectacular monoton)' Ihat, like a
to Ih is da)', but it wasn'l real, )"know? Now, tomorrow enemies, when you had it mOlde ifHarold Rosenberg used blind man, )'ou become acutel)' sensilized to the
Doroth)' is going lo borrow Aunlie Em's Irencher and cul a the New Yo,ker space usuall)' allotted to the J. Press ad to conceplua Ispaces th rough which you ilfe plu mmeting -
M6bius strip in the No. 7 Pasture. She sa)'s;1 is going lo be announce Ihat Kurt Schwiners did what )'ou are doing JI timezones,states,counties, water districts, flywa)'s,
¡¡ half-mile long and a quarter-mile wide and Art. Can )'ou numberof )'ears ilgo. Ubi su ni? Now )'ou hilve il milde if national pilrks, wealher s)'stems (the skies are nol cloud)'
dig il?' )'ou can survive Ihe banal praise and keep the guls or all mid-morn ing )'ou lose Ihe eBS station in
Radical gestures have an elegance: and inevitability ¡¡boul stomach to make arto Kilnsas Cil)' and pick up the N BC slation in Pittsburg,
Ihem, but the)' lack much sense ofbecoming. Now it I don't, however,look forward lo the much-heralded KansilS, offlo Ihe east_You have sludied the comparalive
follows: thal an ¡¡rt concerned wilh Ihe gap between the abolilion oflhe: object from ;¡rt. For atl the rage al our news styles ofthe networks, so now )'ou can eoncentrate
world ¡¡nd our idea ofit would evenluall)' address itse!fto acquisitive society, I musl agree with Mary McCarthy that on the stylistic vilriations among Ihe individual
the world itselfand Ihe: s)'stems we use lo pareel it UPi Ihal Americans, beset b), traditions of rationalism, purjtanism broadcasters (Dalias Townsend has one greal voice).
an art conce:rned wilh Ihe sem¡¡ntics ofspecific objects and transcendentalism , have never had a trul)' eas)' Hourl)' )'ou nolethe incremental change inthe newslext,
would soon become involved wilh subtler forms of inlimacy wilh objects. It is certainl)' an acquired taste wilh suggesti ng how lime passes al the h ighest priority.
nomina lization (wilh mass, locative, gerundive and me, ¡¡nd after )'ears of cultivaling it I'm nol about to quit. Al sundown pick up WBAPoutofFort Worth , and
collective concepls and their ph)'siul equivalents)i that Earth Art, at least, isn't predicated upon Ihe abolition of after midnight, the all-nighllruck driver's show: country·
painling obsessed wilh Ihe idea of'ground' and sculpture the object. lt is concerned with marking out, activating and western music - cold soul, sugar-tittle black pills and
with the logistics of'grounding' would evenluall)' discard conlrolling spaces ¡ and an object in an unbounded neon lights. The stalion broadcasls at fift)' thousand watts,
the metaphor and address Ihe: archelypal plane/pl¡¡in. The environment occupies space, il doesn't control il - unless and afterdark you can pick il up coast to coast. From the
question is, whal follows Ih¡¡l? it is monumental. (Dennis Oppenheim's plan to dedications, I guess most truckers do: 'eould )'ou please
II doesn'l follow that American artists are once more move a 14,oo<>-fool mountain to Kansas s hould delight pliI)' something b), Little Jimmy Oickens for Lero)' who's
fleeing back 10 the landscape with the e:quipmenl and Dorolh)'.) Qtherwise, an object onl)' conl(ols endosed driving for Snowcrop out ofButte, from Laura and Sue in
ideology ofsome: secular and cosmopolita n art, Ih¡¡1 the)' spaces b), inter¡¡ction wilh Ihe endosure. So Heizer's Bozier City ... and here's one: from the girls al the Cline's
are once ¡¡gain making ¡¡rt oul oflhe ironic re!alionship granile masses in cement depressions are bivalenl. Each Corners truck stop for Jim Bob Brown who's driving
between dirt, earth, country, propert)', landscape, territory entire piece is an eXlerior work, wh¡le the granile masses tonight for Double:-M wa)' up in Miline.1 hope )'ou're
and nalure. That seems to be one: ofthe dumbest cre:ate: interior works lIis-Q·vis the enclosures. listening Jim Bob, 'cause here comes Roger Miller and
Americon Ou:oms: lO caplure Ihe I¡¡ndscape while Which doesn't mean thal the StiltUS ofthe object is not Bobbie MeGee'.
capluring our im¡¡ginalions. The milit¡¡ry meuphor is in jeopard)' from Ihe museums, who have nullified the The I¡ghts ofOklahoma City are sucked behind )'ou,
unnerving (people are alwa)'s coplllrrng the American liveliest object.art b), hoarding ji in a place where Ihere is and soon )'ou are: running south again down )'our own
imagination); bUI from Emerson's Noture lo Fitzgerald 's nOlhing but art and therefore no need for il. The vitlue of short tunnel oflight. In your mind the enlire spread oflhe
Oulch sailors (Ihe e)'es oflhe Hudson River School) , lO object art (where surface and s)'mbol are co-elrtensive, American nighl is plotted oul, its paslures dark, its cilies
Ihose ever-so Eas)' Rjders aboad Iheir chrome ponies, portable and visible) is Ihal il ciln be moved inlo Ihe beds of coals, and its being traced the
souls stuffed wilh tapioca and reruns oflhe Cisco kid, il is funkiest, most secular places and nOI lose its recognition . puddles oflighl that run before the big trucks, whose
manifest. So there is the possibilil)' of confronting it drivers, up on the high lonesome, musl feel the eilrth is
Once more 'The Nature thing!' I don 'l want lo sound unawares and responding lO jt while )'ou are munching a rolling and Ihe Iruck standing still. Somewhere west, near
like: a siss)', but I can't see wh)' people find nalure more peanul butter silndwich or looking for the TV Cuide, Salinils, Roger haslel her slip aWil)'.
'n¡¡lural' than anything else, or better for being so. The withoul gening inlo )'our art-walching suit. Sometimes, The country is reall)' loo big for human beings lo live in
natural part of nature makes )'OU sweal, sling and shjver. whe:n this happens, )'ou can have a kind oflow-grade wilhout making a conscious adjustmenl, and there are
Forgel jt. epiphan)', the kind which would help Lew Archer solve a onl)' two )'ou can make: You can either increase, through
Do I impl), Ihat Dorolh)', fresh back from Oz, cannot use, but which onl)' helps us non-flction chilracters forgel mind or machi ne, )'our own reach in space and lime, or
find happiness as an artist in the fields ofKansas? - thal thewar. )'ou un break that space: inlo man-sized chunks. The artist
true: happiness mighl elude her as she solves mapping for eJlample, the olher mornlng I was reading an artide working in this e:nvironment, almosl by necessity, renders

DOCU t.lENT S
 museums have proved a good source of commissions for order tradesman to hustle Ihis higher order of
'" his strategy public. The trail·hands who used lo drive caHle
up and down the Irail lo Montana tried bolh ways. They these artists. And third: even ifthe work weren't merchandise. A Wizard? Right, Oot!
had songs like The TUQS Rongers which through marketable and the museums were rejecting it, an There was a 10t ofthat about the Pop exhibitions in Ihe
incremental variations could extend lo Jiterally hundreds aeslhelic trench in Ulah is going lo have aboul as much 19605. It was a cosmopolilan moment, wit h a kind ofself·
o( verses, so Ihat a cowboy walking his hOrse broke his day effect on Ihe object market and museum endowments as conscious, genu ineo rh inestone, shallow.soph istication,
¡nlo discrete distances aftime, bu! nane so small as the admission figures al Ihe Grand Canyon. linsel.glamour joyo And then, as now, the pure in heart
'narrow grave, juSI six by three'. This, by Ihe way, is The answer might be: II is not the Earth Artists who are were appalled; and then, as now, il was hard lo leU the true
I essentially the strategy ofEd Ruscha's books which chaUenging the market and Ihe museums, bul the Marxisl revulsion wilh capitalism from the old-line,
contain sequences of photographs of gas st¡¡tions, parking magazines Ihemselves. Earth Art and its unpackageable shabby.genleel revulsion with peopte 'in trade', as they say
lots, apartment houses, swimming pools, etc., eaeh peers cannol hurt the market, bul erlensive magazine in Jane Austen. And the times were changing until the first
photograph depicting ane stopping place, or increment, coverage can, since not as much object art will get CasteUi Warehouse show showed how they could stay the
on a human journey Ihrough space and time. A good exposure. The magazines have found in this same. In a twinkling we wenl from Ultra Violel to the Red
rhetorician could also make a case for Nine Swimming unpackageable art a vehicle Ihrough which they can Cuard, from Ben Dayto May Oay, from androgynous
Pools as an earthwork (heh, heh). declare their independence from Ihe art dealers who popsters to post.cultural.revolulion macho heavies. But
At night the cowboys would make up and recite brags invented Ihe critical press, nurtured it, and have tended to the relationship oflhe work to the warehouse, and ofils
by which they imaginatively expanded themselves into the treal il like a whoUy owned subsidiary. Now Ihere is an art aeslhelic lO 'mainstream sculpture', is structuraUy
landscape so as nol lo be swaUowed up, 'I'm bigand I'm form ideally suited lo presentalion via magazine. Work analogous with the relalionship ofPop lo the gallery and
bold, boys, and I was bigand bold when I was bul nine consisling of pholographs and documenlation is not the aesthelics ofP<!p lo mainstream painting.
days old. I've rode everything with hair on it and a few presented by journalism, bul as journalism - a higher There is a curious kind ofShem-Shaun relalionship,
things thal was loo lough lo grow any hair. I've rode buU form , needless to sayo 100, between Pop Art and Earth Art. They are both arts of
moose on the prod, she·grizzlies and long bolls of The people on Ihe magazines must believe (and Ilhink localion and dislocalion, deriving energy from
lightning. I got nine rows ofjaw teeth and holes bored for rightly) that these indefinite art forms might do for the sophisticated forms oftrespassing. The Pop Artist
more. when I'm hungry leal slick dynamile cut wilh alkali, magazines whal Pop Art did for Ihe dealers -Iend a certain imposes his vulgar image on Ihe sanctioned 'art'
when I'm thirsty I can drink a rising creek plumb dry, and instilulionalluslre, and wilh il a modicum of arbilrary environment, while the Earth Artist imposes his artificial
when I'm tired, I pillow my head on the Big Horn power. image upon a secular ' non·art' lacalion. Between the two
Mountains, and slrelch oul from the Upper Grey Bull River Should Ihese art forms f10urish and develop we shall there is a greal deal of work with processes and indefinite
dean over to the Crazy Woman Fork. 1set my boots in soon need a kind of Nationa/ Geogrophic fa, Aesthetes. objects which, while violating the gallery space the way
• •
Monlana and my hat in Colorado. My bed tarp covers half Already Philip leider and Oiane Waldman have been out to Pop did, concerns ilselfwith place in a general way.lt is
ofTexas and all ofOld Mexico. The Grand Canyon, son, see Double Negotille, and have relurned wilh (Iiterally and hard lo say, for inslance, whether De Maria's Pure D,n ¡s a
•
ain'l nOlhing bul my bean hole ... ' figuratively) breathless accounts. New styles of criticism simple ¡ndefinite object piece, an audacious Pop gesture,
Maybe Ihis is whal MacLeish meant when he said thal are evolving: it's goodbye Clement Greenberg and Michael or an earthwork under house arrest, and it doesn'l really
'the West i$ a country in the mind and so eternal'. The Fried, helio Ernie Pyle and Richard Harding Davis. As the matter. What is interesting is that Dennis Oppenheim has
Irucker lislening lo WBAP, the cowboy reciting his brag, artist's style oflife becomes tess analogous to Ihat oflhe executed the antithesis to De Maria's thesis: his Gollery
the eartn artist executing a gigantic work at a distance of a craftsman and more analogous lo thal oflhe professional Tronsplant replicales Ihe floor plan of a Stedelijk Museum
few feet, aU carry in their head the topographical image, soldier, concerned with specific campaigns in specific gallery on a lot in Jersey City. Here Oppenheim demon· •o
which, al any given point on Ihe surface, has more interest
than the terra in they can actuaUy see.1 would imagine that
siles, with logislics, ordnance and Ihe burdens of
command, so art history and memoirs will change their
slrates the inverse attitude aboul mediation which again
pairs earthworks with Popo The artist will begin with a
•}
for most Weslerners this Iranslalion from man.high tone, and we will find chaplers like 'The Mojave Desert mediated image (Johns wilh a map ofthe United States) •
ground view into an aerial mapping is a cultural reflex. Affair: Tactical Successes, Stralegic Failures ', replete wilh which he remediales by, in essence, painting a picture of a
Before one ofOppenheim's double or triple.scale mapping snide attacks on the bureaucrats who never carne out in picture. The Earth Artist wiU often begin with a mediated
problems, or Heizer's or De Maria's desert drawings, this the sun, brief praise for one bureaucrat who, allhough a image as well (Oppenheim wilh a map oflhe Uniled
transtation from ground level lo topography is rendered peasanl who didn'l understand a thing, did nevertheless States), but Oppenheim will de-mediate. With alterations
conscious and the viewer participates in the same kind of sign the check. (No more, no more Kirk Oouglas, earless in he wiU force the map back upon the earth which il
psychological apotheosis as the cowboy in his brag. tt is a Amsterdam, lusting for tife. Now il's David lean directing represenls. This, again, is nol unlike Lichtenstein applying
p ity aerial pholos exisl lo preconfirm your visiono lee Van Cleefinjones of/he Mojl:we.) What can happen, the Ben Day illusionistic shadow$ and highlights 10 an
II should be obvious thal the s tatus of objects in the simply, is whal happened lO poelry and poels. The rituals actual round coffee-cup. Another kind ofthesis and
West is lenuous enough without any assislance from Ihat used lo constitule marketing promotion - Iectures, antithesis. Probably the most ilIuminating 'cut' which
Canal Slreet. Even should an innocent object escape time, magazine articles, visiling.artist grants, museum could be made would be lo dislinguish Ihe arts oflocation
wind, weather and the Baptist Church, there is stiU the commissions - can become money·making activities in and dislocation according to their specificity. Thal is, lo
soda/lhing, 'Nice people buy land, only Irashy folks buy Ihemselves. This is nol so far·fetched as it sounds. An dislinguish those arts concerned with the semantic idea
Ihings'. So you can always leU the artists who make things artist who makes documenls needs an editor, nol a dealer. of'place', Ihose concerned wilh the cultural idea of'art'
out here by the silly little smile thal f1ickers around their Now Pop Art was really deo/er's arto It belonged in a and ' non·art' space, and those concerned wilh actual
lips. like kamikaze pilols building their own planes, they commercial gallery, and il lenl Ihe men who deall in il a cartographic ' Iocalion'. This would make a cut which
are constantly alT'azed by the lunacy oftheir own activity. certain mystery and charisma. Consider: here is this would group Huebler's conceptual pieces and
The question is: Why have the nalional art magazines commercial image done up as a painting, somehow Oldenburg's monument proposals and Ruscha's books
bolh overrepresenled and misrepresented the earthworks transubstantialed from dross ¡nlo 'art', an object of a wilh Ihe olherwork I have been discussing.
movement and its related disciplines, choosing to portray higher order, but still for sale. And here is this guy in his It is in Terry AUen's sludio in lubbock, a storefront out
them as a kind of agrar ian Children's Crusade against Ihe handmade shoes and his serene smile selling this 'higher- on the Amarillo highway. Terry is banging his piano, and
art markel and the museum syslem, when this is obviously order-soup-can' for thousands ofbucks. Righl? While Ihis beer cans are dancing atop iti the wind is banging signs
not the case? First: the work is marketable - anything is poor schmoe down the streel is hustling real soup cans for and doors, and Ihe November sky is fuU oflocal topsoil.
marketable, as SI. Paul so aptly demonstraled. Second: the two·bils and his have fOUp. Obviously it takes a higher- Everyone in the room is laughing lo hold back lears of

INCEPTION
sublime self-pity as Terry plays A Truckload ofArt. It is
more than the paranoia and bathos ofthe song¡ there is
bamboo, benzene, candles, chal k, cnarcoal , down, dust,
eartn, excel s ior, feh, fire, flares , flock, foa m, gra ph ite,
SOURCES ANO INSPIRATIONSOF EARTHWORKS
•
Early indicalions of a painterly i nterest in ea rth malerials
'"
an authenlic ambivalence between a commitment to grease, hay, ice, lead, mercury, mineral oil, moss, racks, may be seen in Ducnamp's Oust (1920), tne pebbles in
technicolour Oz and the sepia-tone city outside: rope, rubber, sand, sawdust, seeds, slate, snow, steel wool, Pollock's Number 29 (1950) and Robert Rausenenberg 's
'A truckload of art from New York City, string, tar, twigs, twine, water and wax. Nature Pointings (1952-S3). A more environmental
Came rolling down the road; Tne treatment of material by different sculptors is attilude is present in Herbert Bayer's outdoor playground,
Yeah ... the driver was singing and the sunsel was pretty, nardly less diverse Ihan the range oftnings used and is to a Earth Mound (1955) in Aspen , Colorado; in Waller De
But the Iruck turned over and she rolled offthe road. lafge extent dictated by the properties peculiarto each. Maria's proposal for an 'art yard' (1960) using
They are bent, broken, curled , crumpled , neaped, or nung¡ earthmovers in an empty city lot¡ and in Heinz Mack's
Yeah ... a Truekload of Art is burning near Ihe highway, piled, propped, rolled, scattered, sprayed, spread and Sahoro Project (1961), an 'art reservation' wnicn aimed to
Precious objects are scattered 0111 over the ground, sprinkled. Such procedures appear casual, off.hand; tney activate sculpturally a large-scale land mass. A number of
A terrible s ight, if a person were to see it, blatantly deft tne definition of sculpture as sometning kinetic sculptors became inlerested in eartnmoving works
But there weren'l nobody around. modeled or carved. Nothing is made in the traditional in the mid sixties.ln 1964 David Medalla mOlde both h is
sense¡ materials are allowed to 5ub5ide into, or aS5ume, first Sond Mochine and tne first ofhis series ofMud
Yes ... the driver went sailing high in Ihe sky, tneir final shape naturally without being coerced into a Mach ines. In 1966 Cünther Uecker did two works witn
Landing in Ihe gold lap ofthe Lord , preconeeived formo Tne tool5 employed are very basic or sand, Smol/ ond lorge Oesert and Sond Mil/. ARer that, the
Who smiled and then said, 'Son you're better off dead, else considered redundant. With a tremendous lIocabulary interesl in outdoor eartnworks accelerated with Robert
Than hauling a truckload full ofhot allant-garde'. of means at its disposal, tne new sculpture manifests itself Morris' Model and Cross-Section for a Project in Earth and
in an infinite lIariety of configurations. A common Sod (1966) and Earth Project (1967); Robert Smitnson 's
oh ... a Truckload of Art is burning near the highway, denominator ofthese works is their focus on physical rar Pool ond Cral'e1 Pit (1966); Hans Haacke's Crass Cube
An' il's rag ingfarout of control , properties - density, opacily, rigidity - ratner than on (1966) and Cross Mound (1967)¡ Mike Heizer's
An' what the crities have cheered is now shattered and geometric properties. Oepressions (1968); Barry Flanagan 's One Space Sand
queered, A natural consequenee oftne features singled out Scu/pture (1967); Richard Long's Oirt 1'967); Claes
And tneir noble reviews halle been stewed on the ro ad .' abolle is tne intimate relation whicn Ihe work bears lo its Oldenburg's Pit (1967); Dennis Oppenneim's Cut in an
- Lyrics by Terry Allen, courtesy Clean Music Ine. site. Many pieces are improyised in siru. Distribution of Ooklond Mountoin (1967); Walter De Maria's Pure Dirt
tne constituent matter is intuitive and informal, and little 1'968), and Jan Dibbets' C,oss RolI (1967). Wnile local
attempl is mOlde to arrange tne material. Tne massiveness factors nave played sorne role in shaping Ihe works of
"
oftne works is often d ictated by economic faeton ratner these artists, cross-currents in the art world and the
tnan by aestnetic considerations. A sense of anonymily almost immediate information flow naye brought aboul
Willoughby SHARP and impermanence emanates from tnem. Of espe<:ial the existence of a truly international sensibility witn
importanee in the context ofsite is tne work's relation to national variants. Civen tne number of significant works
Notes Toward an tne floor or the ground. The new sculpture does not stand witn earth , critics nalle nailed an Eartn Art mOllemen\. Bul
remote and aloof on a pedestal. It is la id down on the most oflne artists mentioned nave sculptural coneerns
Understanding of Earth Art ground or cut beneatn ¡ts surface. Tne floor or ground whicn transcend tne use of any single material or group of
oRen forms an integral part oftne piece, as may Ine wall materials. There is no Earth Art, tnere are just a number of
[1970] plane. Spectators can sometimes pass tnrougn the work eartnworks, an important body of work eatego,ized under
as well as past it or around it. a catcny heading.
Sinee the fal! of '966, a new kind ofsculpture has become Apart from the new attilude lo making and the close The sources oftne earth sensibility are elClremely
increasingly recogn ized . The exhibition oftnese works work-to-plaee relationsnip, otner aspects oflne new diverse: Pollock's drip paintings inspired by tne Indian
and the critical interest tney have stimulated indica tes that sculptural sensibility are an empnasis on time arld sand painters, Rauscnenberg's reatization Ihal ellerytning
tnis seemingly accidental, unordered, and unpretentious process, and anti-object orientalion, and a desire lO can be used as artistic material, Kaprow's emphasis on tne
art is tne outeome of a sculptural sensibility wnicn is subvert style. Tne new works seem lo proclaim the artists' pracess of materials used in large·seale situations, and
qu ite independent oftne last dominant mode, M in imal rejection of painting and previous scuiplural coneerns; tne Morris' writings focusing on the way in which sculplure is
Sculpture. Variously characterized as anti-form, anti- production of artifacts; Ine commercial art world and its experienced. Tnese all nave mOlde a strong impact on most
¡lIu sion, elemental sculpture, imposs ible art, microemotive consumer etnos; the urban environment¡ and the long- oftne Eartn Artists, especially Ine Americans. Older works
art, the new naturalis m and poor art, tne new work was standing aestnetic preoccupations wiln eolour, nave also nad an influenee. Carl Andre has said tnat
examined in at leart four other important exhibitions in
1969: '9 at Leo Castelli', New York City; 'When Attitudes
composition, illusion and tne internal relation of parts.
Many works express a strong desire to draw attention by
arcnaic eartnworks nave nad a tremendous influence on
nis tninking. Stonenenge and the Englisn eounlryside
i
,
Become Form', Kunsthalle Bern; 'Square Tags in Round artistic means to real pnenomena. Materials usually wnicn ne visited in 1954 also made a great impact on his
Holes', Sledelijk M useum, Amsterdam; and 'Anti-Illusion: thougnt of as mundane and inartistic nave now been sculpture. Andre's interest in tne six.incn.nign Indian
Procedures¡ Materials', Wnitney Museum of American designated as aestnetically interesting. Witn the new mounds wnich stretch for miles tnrough Minnesota is also
Art, New York City. seulpture, tne pure presentation of materials in carefully relevant, since he showed a small mound of white sand in
One ofthe most striking aspects oflnis work is tne wide selected situations nas become a significant aestnetic the 'Monument and Tombs ' exnibition at tne Museum of
ra"ge and un usual cnaraeter oftne materials employed, statement. Tne non-utilitaria n use of certain ordinarily Conlemporary CraRs in New York City in 1967. But Andre
materials seldom previously associated witn the making of useful materials is not without a sense of paradok: many of is primarily eoncerned with place and elemental units
sculpture. Tnese halle eertain features in common: Ihey Ine works display a certain stubbornness and rather tnan tne use of eartn materials pe, se.
tend to be easily manipulated, commonplace, flexible and recalcitranee, as tnougn tney refuse lo be absorbed into Robert Smithson, who spent nis cnildhood in Passaic,
often neallily textured. How farcontemporary sculptors tne ekisting culture. One major consequence ofthis is thal New jersey, on tne cliffs ofthe Palisades, is interested in
have lIentured in their seareh for new materials for tne traditionalline between art and life nas become geological phenomena and has created sculptural projects
sculptural express¡on is clearly snown by tne following list, blurred. We are encouraged lo draw Ihe distinction witn glaciers and volcanoes. Anotner influence on
by no mean s exnaustive: air, alconol, asbestos, ashes, between Ihe two afresn. Smithson has been nis work since July 1966 as 'artist·

DOCUMENTS
 consu Ita nt' for the architects.engineers, Tippetts·Abett· said that he is not interested in presenting the medium fo, by the gallery and museum syslem, by an overanxious
McCarthy·Stratton, in thedevelopment of an air terminal ils own sake, several artists (De Maria, long, Mortis) are. press geared to superficial exposition, and by an
site near Fort Worth and Dalias. This experience But the inlellectual and artistic aspirations evident in their insensitive art public ( ... J
introduced the artist to a systems approach for the study work, as in alt the earthworks in the exhibition, go further
ofinformation: maps, surveys, reports, specifications and than mere media presentation. Each artist has carefully IDEOLOGICAL BASES OF TH E NEW SCUlPTURE
construction models. worked out a theoretical framework for his sculptural Earthworks show a clear emancipation from ideologies
The influence offormal garden arrangements shows projects, and in a sense th is may be said to be a substitute and doctrinaire aesthetic codeso Only a few ofthe new
up in Dennis Oppenheim 's 1968 scale models which use forthe traditional sculplural 'base'. Haacke enlertains a sculptors have themselves been associated with recent
grass, trenches, furrows , flowers and hedges. His recent programmatic approach to his work and advocates attempts made in New York dty lo plan reforms ofthe
work, Wheat, in Holland calling for the seeding of a field sculpture which 'experiences, reacts 10 its environment, existing art world structure.' These catl for radical postures
in accordance with its topographical configuration and changes, is non·slable ... which lives in t ime and makes indudingthe payment of rental fees by museums for
the subsequent harvesting ofit relates directly to ordinary the experience time ... ' He stresses process, works shown in exhibitions, the ooycott of commercial
farming. Ihe growth cycle ofliving syslems, allowingthem t o galleries by artists, more legal protection against the
Born ofGerman farming parents, GOnther Uecker says develop from birth to death. Uecker, a German kineticisl exploitation of art works, and increased control by the
that his slrongest childhood memories are of drawing in and member ofthe Zero Group, has written very little artist over his work. Such potential reforms obviously
the sand on the shores ofthe Baltic and ploughing the about the aesthetics ofhis work; he wanlS the beauty of require long and careful exploration. But experimental
Mecklenbergian fields , an activity which was to be Ihe material and ils motion to become self--evident. So he exhibitions like this one help to modify the prevalent
simulaled in one ofhis proposals for the ' Earth Art' endeavours to purify, lo reduce lo the elemental zero point anachrooistic situa!ion of contemporary art in America. A
exhibilion. Another formative influence ofUecker's work everything but the essential aesthetic experience ofthe marked feature ofthis radical work is that it casts doubt on
has been his interest in Oriental culture, particularly the work. He wants lo 'beaulify the world with movement'. a whole range of previous assumptions aoout the nature of
Zen rock gardens. Richard long's works which almost Neillenney's work aspires lo Iranscend its visual image sculpture, the nature of art itself. 1t is understandablethat
disappear into the land, appear lo have grown directly out through an environmental theatricality, a tableau Earth Art should throw open to question the exhibilion
ofhis physical environment, the gently rolling moorlands consisling of objects which shock the spectatorwhen he system generally adopted throughout the world. The artist
ofsouth·west England surrounding his home in Bristol. realizes that they are nol a part ofthe natural environment is traditionally expected to make a work in his studioj when
His soft·edged indentations certainly reflect the subtleties but ofthe piece. According to lenney, ' The activity among the work is selected for an exhibit he rarely has further
ofthe English landscape. the physical presences ofthe ilems and events they contact with it. Now it is possible forthe artist to leave his
It also may be significant Ihat Iwo ofthe earth workers, realize, providing they exist together, is theatrical'. Related studio and produce whatever he wants in the exhibition
, David Medalla and Mike Heizer, have fathers who are to this attitude is De Maria's and Heizer's concern forthe area itself, and this offers him a way ofhaving greater
anthropologists. Heizer's Depressions, diggings done with religious aspect oftheirwork, which is not without a moral control over his artistic output.
simplelools like a pick and shovel in the Nevada mudf1ats, element. De Maria has written, 'God has created the earth
resemble the abandoned excavation sites thal he - and we have ignored it'. And Heizer sta tes that art is THEAESTHETIC SIGNIFICANCE OFTHE NEW
frequented during his youth. tending more towards religion. Similar sentiments are SCUlPTURE
present in the persistent pantheism of many ofthe In art's escape from object orientation, the new sculpture
COMMON ASPECTSOF EARTHWORKS outdoor earthworks. Perhaps this connects to Heizer's i5 trying to confront new issues, ones of vast scale, of
Despite the extremely disparate origins ofEarth Art, anti.urbanism, a quality of much ofthe work in earth. It is a open, unstructured space and non·materialistic attitudes.
several sculptural concerns are widely shared by Earth reaction lO the city where art is necessarily first seen in a The cloud·seeding project that Oppenheim proposed for
Artists, induding a total absence of anthropomorphism gallery or museum.lenney takes a different attitude, 'Take the opening ofthe exhibition, his large·scale crop
and a pervasive conception ofthe natural order of realily. any portion ofthe world out therej pul it out ofcontext in a arrangements in Holland, and his recent underwater
The conceptual bases ofthe works vary greatly, but visually gallery, and it's beautiful'. lenney's dependence on the projects in the Bahamas indicate the wide·ranging nature
Ihey all tend to be unpretentious and relatively unobtru· gallery site singles him out from the other artisls in the of current sculptural concerns. Earth Art calls for the
sive. This apparent lack of sophistication, however, is Cornell exhibition, all of whom have executed or made radical reorganization of our natural environment; it offers
deceptive. The works are without physical support, plans for outdoor works. Ifhis work were placed in an the possibility of mitigating man's alienation from nature.
without base, grounded in their environment either outdoor situation it would probably go unnoticed, because While the new sculptor is still thinking aeslhetically, his
indoors oroul. The result is an unframed experience it could not work against the natural environmenl. Being concerns and techniques are increasingly becoming those
with no one correct perspective or focus. professionals, all the artists take their exhibition oftheenvironmental manager, the urban planner, the
Outdoor works such as Oppenheim's ice cut in Beebe opportunities where they come and are reluctant to architect, the civil engineer, and the cultural
lake present thedynamics of elements in the environment. express general preferences. Heizer, forexample, says that anthropologist. Art can no longer be viewed primarily as a
The whole work cannot be taken in at a single glance. The he works outside because he likes the space and it is the self·sufficient enlity. The iconic content ofthe work has
spectator has to experience the different stages ofthe only place where he can display mass. But he claims that been eliminated, and art is gradually entering into a more
system ifhe wants to experience the whole work, which there are just as many aeslhetic restrictions working in the significant relationship with the viewer and the
has ils own life span. Neither can such works be fuUy Mojave Desert as there are in the Dwan Gallery. Such component parts ofhis environment.
understood through single photographs in the manner viewpoints indicate the strong environmental sensibility 1 5ee publicaUons Jf lhe Artworken CoaHUon .

oftraditional painting or sculpture. and the concern for a man·nature in teraction that these 80.553, Old :Ilelsea StatlQn. New He ... York 10011

Apart from thetime dimension, which forms an artists share. Wl11ouql>by Sharp •. Notes lowanl an Understanding of [artl>

integral part of much ofthe work with earth materials, the Another force operative in bringingthe new Sculplure Mt·. Andrew Oickson Whlte ... Corne11

most common perceptible aspects of earthworks is thei, back to earth is the artists' sharp awareness ofthe artistic Jnwersity. 1thaca. New 1970, n.D.

formal simplicity. The materials aretreated in a direct, ' mistakes' ofthe immediate pasto The drunken
straightforward manner, allowing physical comportment redu ndancy ofthe abstract expressionist gesture, the
of substanceto take precedenceover any plaslic ambition. commercialism and campofPopArt,and the pristine
In many cases the medium is presented intact with absolulism of minimal sculpture all were only incidental
minimum formal modification. Although Smilhson has factors in these individual modes until Ihey were exploited

INCEP TION
 •

•
,

• •• • .,
 202 Not ha ving seen Liranies or read the description ofit in works or evenls that have taken place are, one earthworks
-1lchel FOUCAULT Exhibit A, I cannot say how il was affected by Morris' artist is qUOled as saying, a ' practical alternative to Ihe
withdrawal or whal its aesthet ic condition was alterthe absolute city system of art'. Herethe sociology of art
Space. Knowleaqe und artist signed his statement. Perhaps the construction overtly enters into the theory and practice ofcrealion. The
turned into what one permissive critic has called a 's uper· c urrent defiance ofthe aesthetic is the latest incidenl in the
r 1
object ofliteralist art' or a n 'anti·object ofConceptual Art'. pere nnial reversion to primitivism in the art ofthe past
Or perhaps it became an 'anxious object', the kind of hundred years and the exaltation of ruggedness, simplicity
Space is fundamental in any form of communallife; space modern creation that;s destined to endure uncertainty as and doing what one c hooses without regard to the public
o

is fundamental in any exercise of power. to whether it is a work of art or noto In a ny case, the obviou s and ils representatives ( ... 1
intent ofMorris' deposilion was l o convert Litan;es inlo an Harol d 'Oe·aestheticiHt1an · . Oe- defin!tion of
object ofthe same order as Ihe reductionist.inspired Art AcUonAr! l. Pop 1< Horllon Ne w
boxes, modules and s haped canvases that flooded the art 1972. pp, 18·29; 32

world in the sixties. Morris' de-aestheticized construction

antidpated, for example, the demand of Min imalist
Claes OLDENBURG Donald Judd for an art wi th 'the specifidty an d power of Michael H EIZER.
actual materials, actual colours, actual s pace'.
I Am tor an Art 0(1961) o o Both Morris' aesthetic withdrawal and ludd's call for Dennis OPPENHEIM .
materials that are more real, or actual, than others - for
I am for 3n ilrt tnat is political-erotical-mystical, that does example, brown dirt ratherthan brown paint - imply a RobertSMITHSON
somelhing otherthan sit on its ¡¡SS in a museum. decision to purge art ofthe seeds of artifice. Towards Ihal
I am for an art that grows up nol knowing il is art al all, an end, Morris' verbal exordsm would probably be less Interview with Avalanche
art given Ihe ehance ofhaving a starting point of zero. effective than ludd's pre·selected s ubstances. For works lo
I I am for an art thal embroils ¡tselfwith Ihe everyday crap & be empty of aesthetic content, it seems logical Ihat they be [1970)
'i¡, still comes out on topo produced out of raw rocks and lumber, out of stuff

,I I 3m for an art thal ¡milates Ihe human, thal is comic, ir

necessary, or violent, or whatever is necessary.
¡ntended for purposes olher than art, such as strips of
rubber or electric bulbs, or even out ofliving people or
Avolonche Denn is , how did you fi rs l come lo use earth as
scu lplural m ater ial'
I am for an art thal takes i15 form (rom Ihe lines oflife ¡tself, animals. Belter slill, non·aeslhetic art can be worked into Dennis Oppenheim Well, it didn 't occurto me at first thal
thal twists and eKtends and accumulates and spits and nature ilself, in which case it becomes, as one writer this was whal I was doing. Then gradually I found myself
drips, and is heavy and coarse and blunt and sweet and recently put it, 'a fragment oflhe real within the real'. Irying to get below ground leve!.
stupid as tife itself{ ... 1 Digging holes or Irenches in the ground, cutting tracks Avolanche Wh y?
I am for the art that grows in a poI, tha! comes down oul of through a cornfield, laying a square sheel oflead in Ihe Oppenheim Because I wasn't very excited aboutobjects
the skies al night, like lightning, that hides in the clouds snow (the so·called earthworks art) do nol in their de· which protrude from the ground. 1felt this imp1ied an
and growls.1 am for art that is flipped on and offlike a aeslheticizing essence differ in any way from exhibiting a embellishment of external space. To me a piece of
switch [ ... 1 pite of mail sacks, tacking a row of newspapers on a wal1 or sculpt ure ins ide a room is a disruption ofinterior space.
I am for the art of scratchings in the asphalt, daubing at the keeping the shutter of a camera open while speeding 11'5 a protrusion, an unnecessary addition to what could be
walls.1 am for Ihe art ofbending down and kicking metal Ihrough the night (Ihe so·cal1ed anti·form art). Aeslhetic a sufficient space in itself. My Iransition to earth materials
and breaking glass, and pulling at things to make them fall withdrawal also paves the way for 'process' art - in which took place in Oakland a few s ummers ago, when I cut a
downl .. ·1 chemicat, biological , physical or seasonal forces affect Ihe wedge from the side of a mo untain . I was m ore concerned
,,, e'
o
• New f p original materials and either change th eirform or destroy with the negat ive process of excavati ng that shape from
"
,. prlnted ,e • Ar t m , them, as in works incorporating growing grass and the mountainside than with making an earthwork as such.
nd n.
" , ' '"
, ", bacteria or inviting rust - and random art, whose form an d It was just a coincidence th at I d id this with earth.
, •" '", , "
o ,

hdng ng rr content are decided by chanceo Ultimately, the repudialion AvaJanche Yo u d idn 't t hi nk ofth is as an earthwork?
, M ",e
"' Oc ofthe aesthetic suggests the total elimination ofthe art Oppenheim No, not Ihen. But al thal point I began lo
"" o

, object and ils replacemenl by an idea for a work or by Ihe think very seriously about place, the physical terrain. And
"
rumourthatone has been consummated - as in this led meto question the confines ofthe gallery space
Conceptual Art. Oespite Ihe stress on the actuality ofthe and lo start working th ingslike bleacher systems, mostly
Harold ROSENBERG materials used, the principie common lo all classes of de· in an outdoor conten but still referring back to the gallery
aestheticized art is thal the finished product, if any, is of sit e and taking sorne stimulus from that oulside again.
De-aestheticization (1972) less significance Ihan the procedures thal broughl Ihe Sorne of what Ilearn o utside I bring back to use in a gallery
work into being and of which il is the Irace. context.
o
The sculptor Robert Morris once executed before a notary The movemenl lowards de·aesth etidzation is bolh a Avalanche Wo u ld yo u agree wlth Sm lths o n thal you,
public the following documenl: reaction againsl and a cont inualion ofthe trend towards Den nlS a nd Mlke, are ,"volve d ," a d lalectl c between the
'Statement of Aesthetic Withdrawal formalislic over·refinement in the art oflhe sixties, and outdoors an d the galle ry?
The undersigned, Robert Morris, being the maker ofthe particularly in the rheloric Ihal accompanied it. Asserting Oppenheim I think thal Ihe outdoor¡indoor relationship
metal construction enlilled litanies, described in the the nostalgia of artists for invention, craftsmanship and in my work is more s u btle. I don't really carry a gallery
anne:ced bhibit A, hereby withdraws from said expressive behaviour, earthworks pro test againsl Ihe disturbance concept a round with me; Ileave that behind in
construction all aesthetic quality and conten! and declares constricting museum·gal1ery syslem organized around a the gal1ery. Occasional1y I cons ider the gallery site as
that from the date hereof said conslruction has no such handful of aesthetic platitudes. Works Ihat are constru cted though il were sorne kind ofhunting ground.
quality and conten!. in the desert or on a distant seashore, that are not for sale Avalanche The n for yo u the two actlvities are quite
Dated: November 15, 1963 and cannol be collected, thal are formless pi1es of rubbish se parate)
Robert Morris ' orlhat are not even works but informalion aboul plans for Oppenheim Ves, on the whole. There are areas where they

INCEP Tl ON
begin lo fuse, bul generally when I'm outside I'm great access to them . So I decided lo use Ihe Pine Barrens ouldoors rather Ihan In already slructured sltuatlon' 20J

compleldy outside. site as a piece of paper and draw a crystalline structure Oppenheim I' m following a fairly free palh al present so
Roben Smithson I've Ihought in this way loo, DenniS.I've over Ihe landmass ratherthan on a 20 x 30 sheet of papero I'm not exdusively outdoors in that sense.ln fact I' m
des ig ned works for Ihe outdoors only. Bul what I wanl lo In th is way I was applying my conceptual Ihinking directly tending lO refer back to Ihe gallery.
emphasize is thal if you wanl lo concentrate exclusively on lo Ihe disruplion ofthe sile over an area ofseveral miles. Ava/anche Why do you find thal necessary>
Iheexterior, Ihal's fine , bul you're probably always going lo So you might say my Non·sile was a Ihree-dimensional Oppenheim 11'5 a kind of nostalgia, I th ink. II seems lo me
come back to the interior in some manner. map oflhe sile. that a lot of problems are concerned mainly with
Ava/a"che So what may really be the dlfference between Oppenheim At one point in Ihe process you've jusi presentalion. For some people Ihe gallery iss ue is very
you IS the attlludeyou nave 10 Ihe slle Dennls, how would described, Bob, you take a quadrangle map of an airport. In important now but I think Ihat in lime il will mel!ow.
you describe your attltude 10 a speofic slte Ihalyou 've my recent piece at the Dwan GaUery, I took Ihe conlour Recently I have been laking gal!eries apart, slowly.1 have a
worked wllh) lines from a conlour map ofEcuador, transferred this two- proposa! tha! involves removing Ihe floorboards and
Oppenheim A good deal of my preliminary Ihinking is dimensional data onto a reallocation. I think Ihere's a evenlually laking Ihe enlire floor 01.11.1 feel this is a
done byviewing topographical maps and aerial maps and genuine similarily here.ln this particular case I blew up creeping bacle lo the home sile.
then collecting various data on wealher informalion. lhen the information to full size ¡nd Iransferred il lo 5mith Ava/anche Bob, how would you describe Ihe relatlon
I carry Ihis with me lO the lerrestrial sludio. For inslance, County, Kansas, which is the exact cenlre oflhe United between the gallery exhibil and nature?
my frozen lake project in Maine involves plotting an 5tales. Smithson I Ihink we all see Ihe landscape as co-extensive
enlarged version oflhe Inlernalional Dale line inlo a Smithson I think that what Dennis is doing is taleing a site with the gallery. I don't Ihink we' re dealing wilh matter in
frozen lake and Iruncating an island in Ihe middle. I call from one part oflhe world and transferring the data aboul terms of a back·to·nature movemenl. For me Ihe work is a
Ihis island a time-pocket because I'm stopping the IDl it lo anolher site, which I would caU a dis·location. This is a museum. Photography makes natufe obsolete. My
there. So Ihis is an application of a theorelical framework very specific activily concerned with Ihe Iransference of Ihinking in lerms oflhe slte and Ihe non-site makes me
lo a physical situation -I'm actually cutting Ihis strip out information , nol at all a glib expressive gesture. He's in a feel Ihere's no need lo referlo nalure anymore.l ' m lotally
with chain saws. Sorne inleresting Ihings happen during sense transforming a lerreslrial sile inlo a map. Where I concerned wilh making art and this is mainly an act of
this process: you lend lo gel grandiose ideas when you look differ (rom Dennis is Ihal I'm dealing wilh an exterior and viewing, a mental activity Ihat zeroes in on discrete sites.
at la rge areas on ma ps, Ihen you find they' re difficull lo reach an interior as opposed lo two exterior situations. I'm not inleresled in presenling the medium for its own
50 you develop a strenuous relationship wilh the land, IfI Ava/onche Whydoyou slill find II necessary loexh¡bll In a sake. I Ihink thal's a weakness of a lot of contemporary
were asked by 01 g¡tlery lo show my Maine piece, obviously gallery> worle.
I wouldn 'l be ableto. So I would make a model ofit. Smirhson Ilike Ihe artificiallimits Ihal Ihe gallery Avo/anche Dennis, how do you see Ihe work of other New
Ava/anche Whal aboul a pholograph' presents. I would say my art exists in two realms - in my York sculptors, speclfically Morns, Judd, leWitt and
Oppenheim OK, or a pholograph. l' m nol really that ouldoor sites which can be visited only and which have no Andre?
¡ttuned to pholos lO Ihe extenl lo which Mike iS.1 don 't objects imposed on Ihem , and indoors, where objects do Oppenheim Andre at one point began lo question very
really show photos as such. At the momenl I'm quite exisl ... seriously the validity ofthe object. He began l o talle aboul
lackadaisical abouI Ihe presentalion of my work; it's Ayo/anche Isn't that a rather artifiCial dlchotomy> sculplure as place. And SolleWitt's concern wilh syslems,
almost like a scientific convenlion. Now Bob's doing Smithson Yes, because I Ihink art is concerned witn limits as opposed lo Ihe manual making and placement of object
something very differenl. His non-sile is an inlrinsic part and I'm interested in making arto You ca n cal! Ihis art can also be seen as a move against the object. lhese
ofhis activity on the sile, whereas my model is just an Iradilional if you like. Bul I have also Ihoughl aboul purely two artists have made an impact on me. They buill such
abstract of what h¡ppens oulside ¡nd I jusi can 'l get Ih¡l ouldoor pieces. My firsl e¡¡trth proposals were for sinks of damn goad sluffthat I realized an impasse had been
exciled aboul il. pulverized malerials. But then I gol interested in Ihe reached. Morris also gol lo Ihe poinl where ifhe'd made
Ava/an,he (ould you say somelhing, Bob. about the way indoor-ouldoor dialectic. I don 't think you're freer his pieces a little better, he wouldn't have had to make
In whlch you choose your Slles) artistically in Ihe desert than you are inside a room. them al all.1 fellthal veryslrongly and I knew Ihere musl
Smithson I very often travel lo a particular area; that's Ihe Ayo/an,he Do you agree wlth that. M¡ke> be another direction in which lO work.
primary phase.1 begin in a very primitive way by going Michael He izer I think you have just as many limitalions, Ayo/anche Are you referring to Mortis' minrmal work)
from one poinl lo anolher.1 started taking Irips lo specific if nol more, in a fresh air silu¡tion. Oppenheim Yes, nis polyhedrons. The earth movement
siles in 1965: certain sites would appeal lo me more - sites Aya /an,he But I don'l see howyou can equate Ihe four has derived some stimulus from M inimal Art, but I Ihink
Ihat had been in some way disrupled or pulverized. I was walls of a gallery, 5ay, wltn the Nevada mudf1ats. Aren 't Ihal now il's moved away from Iheir main preoccupalio ns.
rea lly looking for a denatur¡lizalion r¡lher Ihan built.up Ihere more spallal reslrictlons In a gallery) Heizer I don'l think that you ' re going lo be able lo say
scenic beauty. And when you take a Irip you nee<! a lot of Heizer I don't particularly want lo pursue the analogy what the source oflhis kind of art is. But one aspect of
precise data, so often I would use quadrangle maps; the between Ihe gallery and Ihe mudflats. Ilhink the only earth orienlation is Ihat the works circumvenl the gal1eries
mapping followed Ihe Iravelling. lhe tirsl non·sile Ihal I importanl limitalions on art are Ihe ones imposed or and Ihe artisl has no sense ofthe commercial or the
did was al Ihe Pine Barrens in soulhern New Jersey. This accepted by Ihe artist himself. utilitarian. Bul il's easy lo be hyperaesthelic, and nol so
place was in a state of equilibrium, il had a kind of Ava/anche Then why do you choose to work outdoors? easy to maintain il.
Iranquillity and il was d isconlinuous from Ihe surrounding Heizer I work outside because it's the only place where I Smithson If you 're inleresled in making art Ihen you can't
area because ofits stunled pine Irees. There was a can displace mass. II¡ke the scale - thal's certainly one take a kind offacile cop·out. Art isn 'l made thal way. II's a
hexagon aimeld Ihere which lenl itself very well lo Ihe difference between worleing in a gal!ery and working 101 more rigorous.
applicalion of certain crystalline slructures which had ouldoors. I'm nol Irying to compete in size wilh any Heizer Evenlually you develop some sense of
preoccupied me in my earlierwork. A crystal can be natural phenomena, because it's lechnically impossible. responsibility about Iransmitting your art by whalever
mapped oul, and in fact I think il was crystallography Aya/onche When Yves Klein signed Ihe world, would you mean s are available.
which led me to map.making.lnitially I went lo the Pine saythat was a way of overcommg hmlts> Ava/anche What do you nave 10 say aboul that. Dennrs?
Barrens lo sel up a system of outdoor pavements bul in 5mithson No, because then he slill has the limils oflhe Oppenheim I think we should discuss what's going lo
the process I became inlerested in the abslract aspects of world ... happen lo Earth Art, because the cultural reverberations
mapping. Al Ihe same t ime I was working with maps and Ava/anche Dennis, recently you have been doing really stimulated by some of our outdoor pieces are going lo be
aerial photography for an architectural company. I had large·scale ouldoor pleces. Whal propels you 10 work very differenl from those produced by a piece of ,igid

DOCUMENTS
 geological scale, ofthe great men! oftime which has gone there's no way offocusing on a particular place. One mighl
'"' indoor sculpture.
Avalanche Forone thong,l thmk a 101 of artlstswdl beglll lo into the sculpting of matter. Take an Anlhony Caro: Ihal even say thal the place has absconded or been 1051. This is
see ¡he enormous posslbdl tles ¡nheren! In working expresses a certain nostalgia for a Carden ofEden view of a map that will take you somewhere, but when you get
outdoors. 'Everythlng 15 beautlful bu! nol everylhmg 15 art', the world, whereas 1think in terms of millions of years, there you won't really know where you are. In a sense the
He iztr Do you mean something ought to be said about including times when humans weren't around. Anthony Non-site is the centre ofthe system, and Ihe site itselfis
the impartane!! of what's being done with earth? Caro never thought about Ihe ground his work stands on. the fringe or the edge. As II00k around the margin ofthis
Aya/anche Yeso In fact, t see his work as anlhropocenlric Cubismo He has map, I see a ranch, a place called the sulphur pond; falls,
HeiZf!r Well , look at it this way. Art usually becomes yet to discover the dreadful object. And then to leave il. He and a water tank; the word 'pumice'. But it's all very
•
another cornmodity. One ofthe implications ofEarth Art has a long way to go. elusive. The shorelines tell you nothing about the cinders
might be lo remove completely the commodity-statu5 of a 1I seems lo me Ihal Ihl5 con5ClOU5ness of on the shore. You're always caught between two worlds,
work of art and to allow a return to the idea of art as ... geologlcal process, of very gradual physical change. is a one Ihat is and one that isn't. 1could give you a few facts
Ava/anche Art as actlvity? posltlve feature, even an aes thetlc characte ns tic of some about Mono lake. Adually, 1made a movie about it with
Heizer No, ir you consider art as activity ¡hen il becomes oflhe more significant earth works. Mike Heizer. It's in a state of chaos, il's one ofthose things
like recreation. 1guess I'd like to see art become more of a Smithson 11'5 an art of uncertainly beca use instability in thal 1wouldn't want to show to morethan a few peopte.
religion. general has become very important. So the return to But Mono lake itselfis fascinating. Ceologists have found
Al/o/anche In what sen se? Mother Earth is a revival of a very archaic sentimenl. Any evidence oHive periods of glaciation in the Sierra. The first
Heizer In the sense that il wouldn 't have a utilitaria n kind of comprehension beyond this is essenlially artificial. began about half a mili ion years ago, the last ended less
function any more. It's OK for the artist lo say he doesn 'l GeologlCal thlnklng seems to play an than fift.een thousand years ago. The glaciers left
have any mercenary intentions, knowing full well that his importa nI role In your aesthellc. prominent marks upon Ihe landscape, they gouged out
art is used avariciously. Smithson 1don't think we're making an appeal to science canyons, broadening and deepening them into U-shaped
A",alanche So the artlst's responslbill ty extends beyond at all. There's no reason why science should have any valleys with steep headwalls and then advanced onto Ihe
the creatlve ael? priority. plain. They buill up high parallel ridges of stony debris
1
Heizer The artist is responsible for everything, forthe Heizer Scienlific theories could just as well be magic as called moraines. There are all sorts ofthingslike that. The
,11 work and for how it's used. Enough attacks have been
made on my work for me lo have considered protecting il,
far as I'm concerned. I don't agree with any ofthem.
Do you see Ihem as ficllon)
Mono craters are a chain of voleanic cones. Most oflhem
were formed after Lake Russell evaporated. That's why 1

:I like a dog burying a bone in the ground. Smithsotl Yeso like it, beca use in a sense the whole site tends to

I Oppenheim Oon 't you see art as involved wilh weather or

perhaps redirecting Iraffic?
Heizer Ilike your idea, Dennis, but it sounds as though
He izer Yes.llhink thalifwe have anyobjective in mind
it's to supplant science.
Smithson 1wrote an artide recently entitled 'Strala '
evaporate. The closer you Ihink you're getting lo il and the
more you circumscribe it, the more it evapora tes. It
becomes like a mirage and it just disappears. The sile is a
you want lo make a rain machine, which 1don 'llhink is covering the Precambrian lo Ihe Crelaceous periods. 1 place where a piece should be but ¡sn't. The piece thal
what you mean atall. dealt with that as a fiction. Science works, yes, but to what should be there is now somewhere else, usually in a room.
A",alanche Aren', you Ind Icatl ng pOSSI blltlles here thal purpose? Oislurbing the grit on Ihe moon with the help of Actual'y everything Ihal's of any importance takes place
other artlsls haven't rea"y explored? It seems to me that billions of dollars. I'm more inlerested in all aspects of outside the room. But the room reminds 1.15 ofthe
one ofthe principal functlons of artlsllC Involvemenl is lo time. And also in the experiences you get at the site, when limitations of our condition.
slretch Ihe Ilmlls ofwhal can be done and lo show olhers you're confronted by Ihe physicality of adual duration. Ava/anche Why do you bother wlth Non'Slte al all?
that art Isn'! just maklng ObjedS to pul In gallerles, bu! Take the Palisades Non-site: you find trolley tracks Smithsotl Why do I?
thal there can be an artlstlc relatlonshlp wllh thlngs embedded in the ground, vestiges ofsomething else. AII Why don'l you JusI deslgnale aSile?
oulslde Ihe gallery Ihat IS valuable to explore Mlke, what technology is matter built up into ideal structures. Science Smithson Because Ilike Ihe ponderousness ofthe
are you trying 10 achieve by worklng In nalure) is a shack in the lava f10w ofideas. It must all return lo material. Ilike the idea ofshipping back the rocks across
Heizer Well, the reason I go there is beca use il satisfies dust. Moondust, perhaps. the country. It gives me more of a weighty sensalion. In
my feeling for space. Ilike that space. That's why 1choose Why don't we lalk about one of your pleces. just thought about it and held il in my mind it would be a
to do my art there. Bob, Ihe oneon the Mono lake, forexample. manifestation ofidealistic reduction and I'm not really
Has your knowledge of archaeologlCal Smithson The Mono Lake Non-site, yes. Maps are very interested in thal. You spoke aboul evil: actually for a long
excavatlons had any bearlng on your work) elusive things. This map ofMono lake is a map Ihal lells time people thought mountains were evil because they
Heizer It might have affected my imagination because you how toget nowhere. Mono lake is in northern were so proud compared lO Ihe humble valleys.ll's true!
I've spenl some time recording lechnical excavations. My California and 1chose this site because it had a great Something called the mountain controversy. It started in
work is closely tied up with my own experiences; for abundance of cinders and pumice, a fine granular Iheeighteenth century.
instance, my personal associations with dirt are very real. I material. The lake itselfis a salt lake. lf you look at the map, How wouJd you characteflze your attitude lO
really like ¡I, 1real'y like to lie in the dirt. I don't feel close to you 'lI see il is in Ihe shape of a margin - il has no centre. na ture)
it in the farmer's sense ... And I've transcended the It's a frame , actually. The non-site itselfis a square channel Smithson Well, 1developed a dialectic between the mind-
mechanical, which was difficult. It wasn't a legitimate art that contains the pumice and Ihe cinders that coUected matter aspec15 of nature. My view became dualistic,
Iransition but it was psychologicaJly important because around the shores ofthe lake al a place called Blad Poi nI. moving back and forth between the two afeas. It's not
the work I'm doing now with earth satisfies some very This type of pum ice is indigenous to the whole area. involved with nature, in the classical sen se. There's no
basic desires. Avalanche Whal exaclly IS your concept of a Non,slle? anthropomorphic referenceto environment. But 1do have
So you're real'y happy dOlng 11. Sm ithson There's a central focus point which is the non· a slronger tendency towards the inorganic than to the
Heizer Right.l 'm nola purisl in any sense and in'm ataU site; the site is the unfocused fringe where your mind loses organic. The organic is closer lo the idea of nature: I'm
interested in Bob's or Dennis' work, it's because I sen se in ils boundaries and a sense ofthe oceanic pervades, as it more interested in denaturalization or in artifice Ihan 1am
it the same kind of divergence from a single ideal as in my were. Itike the idea of quiet catastrophes taking place ... in any kind of naturalism.
own . Thal's why t said earlier Ihat Earth Art is a very private The interesting thing about the site is that, unlike the non- Are there any elemenls of deslrucllon In your
thing. And of course I'm not at all concerned about style. site, it Ihrows you out lo the fringes. In other words, work?
Smithson 1think most of us are very aware oftime on a there's nothing to grasp onto except the cinders and Smilhson !t's already destroyed. It's a slow process of

INCEPTION
destruction. The world is slowly destroying itself. The slrange way, through a process oflogical queslioning by •
catastropKe comes suddenly, but slowly. artists. II hasn 't been like Ihese various looks which
Al'%l'!the Blg bang appear every Iwenty years or so; Ihey're ju sI minor
Sm ithson Well, that's for some. That's exciling. 1 prefer phenomena within the larger one that will be remembered.
the lava , the cinders that are completely cold and Al'olonche Do you approve o(lhls undermlnmg of eXIslmg
enlropically cooled o ff. They' ve been resting in a stale of art forrns)
delayed motion. 11 takes something like a rnillenn ium lo Heizer Ofcourse 1do, because then the artisl w ill realize
move Ihem . That's enough action for me. Actually that's thal only a real primitive would make somelhing as icon-
enough to knock rneout. like, as obviously pagan as a pai nting. 1worked all those
AI'tl /onche A mlllennlum o( gradua l flow years painting and now I' m critical oflhe fact that 1won' t
Smithson You know, one pebble moving one (oot in two allow myselflo do Ihose mindless things any more. 1I
million years is enough ilction lo keep me real ly exciled. looks as though the whole s piril of pa inling and sculpture
Bul sorne of us have lo sirnulale upheaval , slep up Ihe could be shrugged oR', in two years ' lime perhaps. II's
action. Somelimes we have to call on Bacchus. Excess. almost totally inconsequenlial. Of course it' ll never
Madness. The end ofthe World . Mass Carnage. Falling happen , bul il's conceivable, it could h3ppen.
, e""
'" ".
Empires. '"be ct
Al'a/a"chr: Mmmm. Whal would you S3y ¡¡bou! Ihe •• t y , ".'",
• • HI( h • N.·w (lrk.Aut .. mn
relatlonsl'up between your work ¡¡nd pholographs of 11) ,, , "
" e ". .•
n • ,
n
Sm ithstln Photographs sleal away the spirit ofthe work ...
Oppenheim One day the photograph is going lo become
even more importilnt thilt il is now-lhere'lI be a
... , ,,
'J on
• k J llJ Prp

heighlened respect for photographers. let's assume thal

art has moved awa)' from its manual phase and thal now
il's mOfe concerned wilh Ihe localion of milleriill ilnd wilh
speculation. So the work of art now has to be visiled o r
abslracted fro m a phologr;¡¡ph, ralher Ihan made. I don 'l
think Ihe pho tograph co u ld have had Ihe same richness o(
meaning in Ihe past as it has now. Bul I' m nol particularly
an advocale ofthe photograph.
Al'a/o"che It's somellmes d a lmed that the pholo 15 a
dlstortlon of sensory perceptlon _
Heizu Well, Ihe experience oflooking is constantly
altered by physical factors . I think certain pholographs
off"er a precise way o( seeing works. You can lake a
pholograph inlo a dean wh ite room, with no sound, no
noise. You can wait until you feelso indined before you
look at it and possibl)' experience lO a greater depth
whalever view you have been presented wilh .
Al'a/anche Whal are your pflmary concerns . Mlke. In
carrymg out one o( your DtprtSSlons)
Heizer I'm mainly concerned with ph)'sical properties,
wilh density, volume, mass and s pace . For instance, 1find
an 18-foo!' ( 1.7 m' l granite bouldet. That's mass. II's
alreadya piece ofs culplure. Bul as an artist it's not enough
(or me to say Ihat, so I mess with it. I defile ... ifyou 're a
naluralist )'ou'd say I defiled il, otherwise you'd sayl
responded in my own manner. And that was by pu"ing
some space under Ihe boulder. My work is in opposition lo
the kind of sculpture which invotves rigidly forming,
welding, seating, perfecting Ihe surface of a piece of
material. I also want my work to complele ils life-span
during mylifelime. Say Ihe work 13sls for ten minutes or
even six months, which isn'l really very long, il slill
satisfies Ihe basic requirements offact ... Everything is
beauti(ul, bul not everything is arto
Al'a/a"che Wj,al makeslt art)
Heizer I guess when )'OU insist on it long enough, when
you can convince someone else Ihal it is.1 Ihink thilt Ihe
look orart is broadening. The idea ofsculplure has been
deslroyed, subverted, pul down. And the idea of painting
has also been subverted. This has happened in a very

OOCU MENTS
 The synchronicity between social and cultural con-

ditions that characterised the 1960s was clearly evident in the decade's artmaking

and theory, Complex and complimentary impulses grew from a frustration with
,

the formal and economic frameworks of Modernism and a growing counter-

cultural ethos, driving early Land Artists like De Maria, Heizer, Smithson and

Oppenheim away from the city and into the desert, 'Processes of heavy

construction have a devastating kind of primordial grandeur [ ,,' 1The actual

- -
disruption of the earth's crust is at times very compelling '" The tools of art have
too long be en confined to the "studio", The city gives the illusion that the earth

does not exist', notes Smithson in his essay, 'Sedimentation of the Mind: Earth

Projects' , The essays collected in Integration begin to sketch out the

contemporary socio-cultural context of Land and Environmental Art: the rise of

anti-establishment critique: the celebration of the industrial. man made

environmenl: and the heroic posture of the 'artist-as-pioneer' in the open space of

a landscape subjected to repeated and variable forms of myth-making, symbolic

analysis and practical exploitation,

symphony in sculpture. lie yolume, tine. point, giving shape, distance, proportion.
Isamu NOGUCHI It is difficu lt l o visualize sculpture in words, especially Movement, light, and time itself are 01150 qualities ofspace.
that kind forwhich there are but few si miles. Sorne Space ¡s otherwise inconceivable. These are the essences
Artist's statement [1926] sculptors toclay appreciate the importance of matter, but ofsculpture ilnd as our concepts ofthem change 50 must
are too much engrossed with symbolism. Others who are our sculpture change.
It ¡s my desire lo yiew nature Ihrough nature's eyes, and to undoubtedly artists are ¡nterested onlr in the interpretation Since ourexperiences of space are, however, limited to
ignore man as an object for special veneration. There must ofstrictly human forms. May I therefore, beg to recognize momentary segments oftime, growth must be the core of
be unthought ofheights ofbeauty to whkh sculpture may no antecedents with Ih is deda ration existence. We are reborn, and so in art as in nature there is
be raised by Ihis reversal ofattitude. ,a '. t " tate t'. 1m I ".' r O growth, by which I mean change attuned to the living.
An unlimited field for abstraet sculptural expression Thus growth can only be ne w, for awareness is the
would then be rea lized in whkh Aowers and trees, rivers evercha nging adjustment oflhe human psyche to chaos.
and mountains, as well as birds, beasts and man , would be 1ft s ay that growth is the constant transfusion ofhuman
given th eir due place. Indeed, a fine balance of spiril with meaning into the encroaching void, then how great is our
maner can only concur when Ihe artist has so thoroughly Isamu NOGUCHI need today when our know ledge ofthe universe has fil1ed
submerged himselfin the study ofthe unity of nature as to space with energy, driving us toward a greater chaos and
truly become once more a part of nature - a part oflhe very Artist's statement [1946] newequilibriums.
earth, thus lo view the inner surfaces and the life element s. I say it is the sculptor who orders and animates space,
The material he works with would mean to him more than The essence of sculplure is for me the perception of space, gives it meaning.
mere plastic matter, but would act as a co-ordinant an d the continuum of our existence. AII d imensions are bul 1 •. .1' ;tdte ..ent·. ,ourteen
asset to his Iheme. In such a way may be gained a true measures ofit,as in the relative perspectiveofourvision ed. e, MIl 'r. of Madern Art. Ne ...

INTEGRATlON
 , , ., • •
" allernalive lo Ihe picture we have ofhow we know
ourselves. 1I causes us lo meditale on a knowledge of
Spiro/Jetty attempts lo historica1 formulas wilh
Ihe experience of a momenl-to·moment passage Ihrough
207

ourselves Ihal is formed by looking outward loward the space and time ( ... 1
responses of olhers as they lcok back at uso lt is a
Jack KEROUAC metaphor for the self as il is known Ihrough i15 appearance
lo Ihe olher.
On the Road ['959] The eR"ect ofthe Double Negotive is to declare Ihe
eccenlricity ofthe pos ilion we occupy relalive l o our
What IS that (eeling when you're driving away from people physical and psychological centres. Bul it goes even Thomas MCEVILLEY
and they re<:ede on the plai" till you see thei, specks further Ihan Ihal. Because we musl look across Ihe ravine
dispersing? - ¡t's the too-huge world vaulting us, and it's lo see Ihe mirror image ofthe space we occupy, Ihe The Rightness of
good·bye. But we lean forward to the "en (fazy venture expanse ofthe ravine ilself musl be incorporated inlo Ihe
beneath the sities ( ... 1 enclosure formed by Ihe sculpture. Heizer's image Wrongness: Modernism and
I wondered what the Spirit oflne Mountain was Iherefore depicts the inlervenlion ofthe ouler world inlo
thinking, and looked up and saw jackpines in the moon, Ihe body's inlernal being, taking up residence Ihere and its Alter Ego .. . [1992]
and saw ghosts of old miners, and wondered about it. In forming ils molivalions and ils meanings.
the whole eastern dark wall ofthe Divide this night there Bolh Ihe notion of eccenlricity and Ihe idea ofthe [ ... lln 1968 Earth Art was born in Ihe works ofOppenheim
was silence and the whisper ofthe wind, except in the invasion of a world inlo the closed space ofform reappears and a group of other young artists, such as Michael Heizer,
ravine where we roa red; and on the other side ofthe Divide in anolher earthwork, conceived contemporaneously wilh Waller De Maria, Robert Smilhson and others. Most of
was the great Western Slope, and the big plateau Ihat went Ihe Double Negotive bul execuled the following year in Ihe Ihese artisls were recenlly oul of art school and inspired by
to Steamboat Springs, and dropped , and led you to the Great Salt lake in Utah. Robert Smilhson's SpirolJetty the sense of mulliplying oplions in the airo Earth Art was a
western Colorado desert and the Utah desert¡ all in (1970) is a heaped runway ofbasalt rock and dirt, fifteen multifaceted slralegy lO redirect Ihe art energy. On the one
darkness now aswefumed and screamed inour mounlain feet wide, which corkscrews fifteen hundred feel oul into hand , il located Ihe artwork in Ihe real world oflhe
nook, mad drunken Americans in Ihe mighty land. We the red waler oflhe lake oR"Rozelle Point. like the Double landscape- indeed, often il made Ihe landscape the work,
were on the roof of America and all we could do was yell, I Nego!ive, Ihe SpirolJetty is physically meanl lo be enlered. but nol in Ihe sense ofthe Romantic reverence for scenery:
guess - across Ihe nighl, eastward over Ihe Plains, where One can only see the work by moving along it in narrowing it could be a scene of urban decay and desolalion, or a
somewhere an old man wilh while hair was probably ares lowatd ils terminus. strip-mined area thal was brought inlo Ihe expanded
walking lowards us wilh Ihe Word , and would arrive any As a spiral th is configuration does have a cenlre which realm of arto In Ihis sense Earth Art, like olhertendencies
m in uleand make us silent ( ... 1 we as spectators can actually occupy. Vet the experience of ofthe lime, was aboul demyslifying art by taking il oul of
the work is one of continually being de·cenlred within Ihe its sheltered milieu into the world. On Ihe other hand, for
great expanse oflake and sky. Smilhson himself, in writing some ofits practitioners Earth Art had certain ancienl
aboul his firsl conlact wilh the site oflhis work, evokes Ihe resonances, harking back lo the era of megaliths,
Rosalind KRAUSS vertíginal response lo perceiving himself as de-cenlred: pyramids, and other monumenlally scaled sacred objects
'As Ilooked at the site, il reverberaled out lo Ihe horizons sited in Ihe landscape. ln Ihis somewhat contrary sense il
Passages in Modern only lo suggest an immobile cyelone while flickering light soughl lo regain a pre-modern feeling oflhe extra-
made Ihe enlire landscape appear l o quake. A dormanl aeslhetic sacredness of art Ihrough a change of scale and
Sculpture [1977] earthquake spread into an immense roundness. from thal localion. Oppenheim's work was more ofthe firsl type
gyrati ng space emerged Ihe possibilily ofthe SpirolJetty. than Ihe second, but il had a theoretical focus Ihal was
[ ••• 1The Double Nego!ive, an earthwork sculplure by No idea, no concepts, no systems, no structures, no different from either: il involved dispassionately working
Michael Heizer, was made in 1969 in Ihe Nevada deser!. 1I abslractions could hold themselves together in Ihe out certain principies Ihat related primadly to a quasi-
consists oftwo slots, each 40 feel deep and lOO feel long, actuality oflhal phenomenological evidence'. scienlific melhodology for art making, rather Ihan to
dug into Ihe tops oftwo mesas, sited opposite one anolher The 'phenomenological evidence' oul of which aeslhelics, ideas ofsanctity, Or Ihe project of
and separated by a deep ravine. Because ofils enormous Smithson's idea for theJettycame, derived not only from demyslificalion.
size, and its localion, Ihe only means of experiencing Ihis the visual appearance ofthe lake, bul also from whal we Oppenheim's Londs/ide (1968), executed off
work is to be in il - to in ha bit it the way we think of mighl call ils mythological setting, which Smithson refers 52 ofthe l ong Island Expressway, was one ofthe first
ourselves as inhabiting the space of our bodies. Vel Ihe lO in his lerms 'immobile cyelone' and 'gyraling space'. earthworks Ihal was actually realized ralher than merely
image we have of our own relalion lo our bodies is Ihal we The occurrence of a huge interior salt lake had for conlemplaled or skelched out¡ it was used by bolh Time
•
are untred inside themj we have knowledge of ourselves cenluries seemed to be a freak of nature, and the early and Lije magazines in Ihal year lo indicale the beginning of
Ihal places us, 50 lo speak, al our own absolule core; we inhabitanls ofthe region soughl its explanalion in myth. Ihe trend. Almost didactic in ils dispassionale approach,
are wholly transparent to our own consciousness in a One such myth was Ihal the lake had originally been Lond5/ide involved angled boards arranged around a
manner Ihal seems lO permit us lO say, '1 know what I think connected lo the Pacific Ocean through a huge slope. 1I extended the idea of mínimal sculpture inlo
and feel but he does nol'. In Ih is sense Ihe Double underground walerway, Ihe presence of which caused nature with suggeslions oflongitude and lalilude lines,
Negot ive does not resemble the picture Ihat we have ofthe treacherous whirlpools lo form at the lake's cenlre. In while simultaneously evoking the idea of a bleacher or a
way we inhabil ourselves. fOT, allhough il is symmetrical using the fotm ofthe spi,al to imitale the settlers' mythic communal viewing plalform. Oppenheim thoughl ofit as
and has a centre (the mid-poinl ofthe ravine separating whirlpool, Smilhson incorporales Ihe existence ofthe 'activating' a pre.exisling area ofthe world. In so far as an
Ihe MO sIOIS), Ihe cenlre is one we cannol occupy. We can myth into Ihe space ofthe work. In doing so he expands on area oflhe world would be changed inlo an art area by Ihis
only stand in one slotted space and look across lo Ihe the nature oflhal external space localed at our bodies' activation, Ihe beginnings of'syslems art', named by Jack
other. Indeed, il is only by lcoking al the olherthat we can cenlres which had been part ofthe Double Negotive's Burnham in Ihe 1968 Arfforum artiele 'Real Systems Art',
form a picture ofthe space in which we sland. image. Smithson creates an image of our psychological can be seen. (Syslems art operaled by Iransferring an
By foreing on us this eccentric position relative to the response lo time and ofthe way we are determined lO object or site from one semantic syslem to anolher.)
centre ofthe work, the Double NegQtille suggests an control il by the creation ofhislorical fanlasies. But Ihe In Ihe spring Of1968 Oppenheim worked furiously al

OOCUMENTS
". these theoretical proposals, defining the parameters ofthe the autonomous artwork isolated in the gallery and the sign on a sheet of papero Cullure has co-opted nature. The
emerging genre ofEarth Art as he went along. Directed engaged artwork sited in the outside world. The Non·sites retenl ion ofthe wheat from processing and consumption
Seeding !1969) was a wheat field harvested along 'i"es pre- are simpler, however, Ihan the Ga/lery Transplants in that is again symbolically a subversion of aestheticism - a
set by the anist in 3n ollersize parody of action pajnti"g Ihey do not involve the ironic reversa!. denial thal the raw material oflife needs reshaping as art
and painterly composilio" in general. In Annua/ Rings, the Anothertransplant piece, done fo, the first Earth Art and presenling lo an audience. So nature re-engulfs
pattern of growth ,i"gs (rom a tree trunk was transferred show, which was organized by Wiltoughby Sharp for the culture again, but on culture's terms. There is little hinl of
to a huge scale and elched into the snow-covered ice of a Cornell University gallery in 1969, further complicated the Ihe flower child mood of affirmation of nature as a solution
w¡terway occupying the United States-Canada border and method. Oppenheim redrew the boundary lines ofthe to the problems o( culture.
•
crossing ¡ time lane line. Oppenheim's tactie of gallery in the snow of a bird sanctuary nearby. The gallery For Oppenheim, the commitment to the earth as a site
reconcei..,ing sornething by radically aftering ils scale space transplanted inlo nature was then randomly was part of a more general commitment lo Ihe site. Olher
(usualty by enlarging ji) was emergí"g in these pieces, as activated by flocks ofbirds alighting on it in different sited pieces located the artwork in urban ralherthan rural
well as his tendency to emphasize borders -temporal, compositions that were unaffected by the artist's matrices. In Sound Enclased Land Area (1969) four tape
spatial, behavioural - the breachi"g ofthem, the exchange intenlions. The piece involved another importanl anti- recorders were buried in cages at four points in Paris,
ofsystems and contexts, and so on. In Contour Unes modernist rule ortendency that was being articulated in delineating a rectangle of 500 :. 800 m . Each tape loop
Scribed in Swamp Grass (1968) a pattern of elevation lines Ihe works as they emerged. The modernist aeslhetic view projected a voice repealing i15 respective cardinal point:
from a topographical map was transferred to a swampy ofart promulgated a myth ofthe complete control North, Soulh, East or West. Here the solipsistic emphasis
field that lacked the indicated elevation and would be eKercised by the artist- in whose work, for eKample, it was of mueh early Conceptual Art was stressed. Joseph
submerged under water at certain times, the supposedly impossible to change anything without losing Kosulb's work showing a chair and a photograph ofthe
cartographer's sign was shifted both in scale and in aesthetic integrity. Duchamp had articulated the chair, or William Anastasi's picture of a wall hung on the
meamng. counterprinciple, Ihat of allowing chance to decide parts of same walt, and other works oflhe era, are related. In
The rules that emerged for these works involved a the work (again in J Standard Stappages), and that part of something oflhe spiril ofFrank Stella's famous remark
found or real world element, such as the map lines, as an h is artistic legacy was al so beari ng fru it now. In about minimal paintings, 'What you see is what you get',
ethical surrogate for the site. Oppenheim, like other Oppenheim's Cornell gallery Iransplanl, fo, eKample, Ihe works like these tend to emphasize the self-identicalness
elassical eonceptualists, felt eonstrained to work by intervention offligh15 ofbirds was an element outside Ihe oflhe real·world elements ofthe piece, in opposition to the
preconceived extra·aesthetic rules that go baek in form to artist's controL Increasingly Oppenheim wou ld come lo modern ist idea ofthe a Ichem ical trans(ormation of real·
Duchamp's quasi-scientific inslructions for J Standard feel that the artist should creale the circumstances for an world elements by the art-making process [ ... ]
Stoppages in '9'3-'4. Among otherthings, this served to artwork to occur in - or set going the chain of causes Ihoma< Mdv,lley. '1he of OIronqness: MOdern,s,"

deny the Iraditional aeslhetic view of art as an absolutely which would produce il - but not the work ¡tself, whieh a na It " 1 ter [q( '. Denn I $ Dppenfle;/1I: Se ren ed Io'ork S

free play ofintuitions - a view that seemed somewhat remains hidden or unknown tilt it appears out ofthe 196 90. P. • Museum. Ihe Inlt'tute for
irresponsible in ils disregard for edernal realities. The manipulated causal web. The concept resembles the Art/Harr)' N Abrams. .. 1992. pp. 16-21

romantic·modernist beliefthat art was opposed lo science modernist idea oflhe artwork as somelhing self·created or
was annulted by the introduction ofscientifie elements miraculous, but reverses the power hierarchy.ln the
into the vocabulary. At the same time art was to be modernist discourse the artwork, though in a sense sel(- Jan DIBBETS
relocated culturally in a n area of practica I ralher Iha n created, still sprang somehow from the artist as medium;
dreamy endeavour. What was emerging as a guiding in this approach the artwork springs (rom the world as Artist's statement [1972]
principie in Oppenheim's work was a requiremenl Ihat any medium, the artisl being more dislanced.
elemenl be justified by some external or found inde,,;; the Various works ofthe period investigaled siting the art I think ¡t's quite a good Ihing lo do, but it's stupid forother
lines, for eumple, ofAnnual Rings or Cantour Unes could event wilhin the agricultural and climalic time cycles of people lo do il, orto buy it from me. What matters is the
nol be drawn freehand by Ihe artist 0141 of an eKpressive nature. The Ga/lery Transplant in the bird sanctuary, for feeling. I discovered il's a great feeling lo pick out a point
impulse; tree rings, map signs, orwhatever, they had lo eKample, was done in the winter and disappeared when on the map and lo search for Ihe place for three days, and
have some real.world, semanlic conled from which Ihey the snow melted. It was like a part of nalUfe in otherwords, then lo find there are only two Irees standing there, and a
were being appropriated into the ' creative', or and passed with the ehanging ofthe seasons. In One Haur dog pissing against the tree. But someone who tried to buy
recontextual izi ng, acto Run (1968) Oppenheim parodied action painling by Ihat from you would be really stupid, becausethe work o(
Sometimes the real world indeK appears fleKible and cutting snowmobile tracks intuitively oreKpressively in the art is the feeling, and he couldn't buy thal from me ...
somewhat subjective. ln Salt Flat (1968) Oppenheim snow for one hour. Such pieces flaunted bolh their
spread rock salt over a rectangular area of earth on Sidh ephemeralily and their conditionality, operating agai nst I musl say I don't see how lo seU these kinds ofideas. I(
Avenue in Manhattan j the size ofthe area was dictated by the modernist crypto-religious beliefin the artwork as someone can use them he can take them. SeUing is not a
the amount ofthe material he could afford to buyoThe elernal and autonomous like a Platonic Idea. The work is partofart.
arbitrary, real-world indeK that served as limit for the piece subject to the conditions of nature like everything else, in
was the money in his pocket. For the most part, however, opposition to modernist work, which was conceived as I really believe in having projects which in fact can't be
Ihe method remained linked to a kind of objectivily outside outside of nature and not susceplibleto its rhythms of carried 0141, or which are so simple that anyone could work
oflhe artist while carrying forward the issues ofthe change and decay. them oul. I once made four spots on the map ofHolland,
moment, such as the critique oflhe relalion between the Oppenheim's work is characterized not only by Ihe without knowing where they were. Then I found out how lO
gallery and the outside world. In Ihe Gallery Transplant, for kind of clear analytical seeing oftheoretical issues that is gel there and went to Ihe place and took a snapshol. Quite
eumple , Oppenheim took the dimensions of a galtery, found , for eKilmple, in Smithson's work ofthe period too, stupid. Anybody can do thal.
then marked off a similarly bounded space ouldoors. A but also by a tendency lO compleKify melhods of Jan 01 bbet', • Art 1H' r Ar¡ . a

cognitive reversal is involved; the real·world ¡ndeK presentation through structural reversals.ln Cancelled Mpyer. t.P. l o., Ne .. Vork, 1972, p. III
ironically was derived from the gallery, and then Crap (1969)a crop was harvesled in the shape o( an X and
transposed lo Ihe outside world as a rejection oflhe realily the harvesled wheal was kepl from processing and never
ofthe gallery. Structurally, Smithson's Non·sites are consumed. A cultural sign, the X of cancellation, has been
s im ilar in mediating the ideologieal opposition between applied to a field ofwheat as it might be applied to another

INTEGRATIO N
 • • • •
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Jlfl DI8BEíS • . . .. .
". was inevitable; to pro pose a new type of art il was environment and the rigid standardized industrial units of
Diane WALDMAN necessary to re-examine the framework Ihal surrounded the minimalists to the very opposite extreme. In this shift
the art oflhe 19605. While rejection ofthe object, per se, is away from precise geometric forms, both the earthworkers
Holes without History [1971] a foil occompli, many ofthe artists working with earth and the process artists are giving currency to a type of
have been influenced by the minimalists, whose posilion expressionism that in some ways resembles 19505
fhe vast expanse oftne desert was matched by ils they rejected but who in fact were initially responsible for attitudes. This is best explained by Robert Morris, who
stillness, the arid heat and the wind. There were no signs the displacement ofthe object. In de.emphasizing the wrote, ' Random piling, loose slacking, hanging, giving
oflife except for the octasianal doud of dust r¡¡ised by an importance ofthe end-state, the minimalists predicted passing form to the material. Chance is accepted and
automobile offin the distance. 1I took two days to reach several subsequent developments: with Robert Morris, the indeterminacy is implied sinte replacing will result in
M¡,hael Heizer's Double Our first attempt failed focus of process/m¡terials was carried on by a group of another configuration. Disengagement with preconceived
when Ihe only road beca me impassable, Ihe cars bogged younger artists, who have chosen to retain, however enduring forms and orders for things is a positive
down, tyres spinning, and Ihe speclre of getting stuck or surreptitiously, the object o r some semblance ofit; with assertion. lt is part oflhe work's refusal to continue
miscakulating a turn and going offthe road over Ihe edge SolleWitt, whose early ideation has been extended by a aesthelicizing form by dealing with it as a prescribed end'.'
ofthe precipice was 0111 too real. We tried again the nen day, younger group ofConceptual Artists; and with Car! Andre, Ofthose artists currently using nature as
this time by avoiding Ihe road and cutting across Ihe mesa whose declaration ofsculpture as 'place' has provided form/medium/content/place, Michael Heizer is the most
looking for any signs oftyre tracks lo follow Ihal might some ofthe impetus lo earthworks. Andre's evidenl intransigenl. Born in Berkeley, California, in 1944, he
have been left by Ihe pick-up trucks orlhe cattle ranchers concern for situation, for allowing a specific location lo attended the San Francisco Art Instilute in 1963-64. Afier
in Ihe area. After two hours of gauging direction largely by determine in P¡rt the final d imensions of a work, is one a as a painter, he begun to work with earth in 1967.
•
intuition, we succeeded in Ihreading our way to Ihe edge that he sh¡res with Flavin; Andre himselfh¡s referred lo it Heizer's early projects indicate a concern for random
ofthe mes¡. In contr¡st lo the monotony ofthe p¡rched, as 'post sludio art'. For those artists engaged in order; in Dissipate , Number 8 of Nine Nevada Depressions
cracked e¡rth ofthe mesa ¡ flat landsc¡pe of rocks, e¡rthworks, Ihe minim¡list emphasis on environment (1968), five shal10w cuts, each 12 feet (366 cmllong and
tumbleweed ¡nd scrub brush drop offthe prompled ¡n ¡II but total removal lo the outdoors.lfthe spanning So So feet (15 " 15 m), in the Black Rock Desert,
escarpment unfolded ¡ vista ofh¡rsh beauty, wilh the simple basic sha pes, cuts or markings in or upon nature Nevada, were simply, in the artisl's own words,
work itself cut below Ihe shelf ofthe mesa, overlooking the ch¡r¡cteristic of m¡ny e¡rthworks appear to devolve from ' toothpicks Ihrown on a tablelop', The ironic, casual,
snaking ribbon ofthe Virgin River far below.ln its present the modular units ofthe minim¡lists, this resemblance is throwaway quality ofthis work was entirely at odds with
slate, Double Negative is imposing: measuring 1,600 x S0 ¡t besl superfici¡1. The signifiunt difference in ¡ttitude Ihe monumental severity and starkness ofthe deserto This
w30 feet (5,246 15 " 9 mI, wilh a displacement of 240,000 can perh¡ps besl be described by the lerm 'de- was all the more evidenl in that our frame of reference (Le.
tons (244,800 tonnes), il is considerably larger than ils differentiation', the 'revenion of specialized structures (as the canvas rectangle, the 10ft or g¡lIery) no longer exists.
first state; the original version (1969}, displaced 40,000 cells) lo ¡ more gener¡lized or primilive condition oRen ¡S The gesture was almost self-effacing
tons (40,800 tonnes) and measured 1, 100 42 feet a preliminary to major change'. in its acknowledgement of man's fundamentally
(335 13 x 9 mI. The work consists oftwo facing cuts; Wh¡l, then, ¡re earthworks? Remote, largely inconsequential efforts lo compete wilh the
from the air it is possible to see the entire configuration inaccessible, they are sites known to a larger public solely overwhelming scale and austere beauly of nature,
but you cannot apprehend the work itself. From the by me¡ns of phologr¡phs or occ¡sionally film. arrogant in the decision to tackle nature and urgent in
sheller ofthe walls, one can begin lo sense Ihe enormily Documenlation is fr¡gment¡ry, incomplete and ¡n its express ion ofthe need for catharsis to create anew.
ofthe structure, but beca use ofthe chasm Ihat separates inadequate surrogate forthe realily ofthe work, leaving Ihe Admitting as much , Heizer has said, ' Man wil1 never
Ihe easl and wesl faces , il is impossible lo view Ihe work viewer 101¡lIy unequipped lo do more Ihan b¡rely create anything really large in relalion to Ihe world - only
in ils enlirety from any one direction. At Ihe edge ofthe comprehend the experience. It is a common ¡ssumption, in relation to himselfand his size. The mosl formidable
mesa, one can gel another, but still fragmented , view of but ¡ misle¡ding one, that e¡rthworks only exist for the objects that m¡n has touched are the earth and the moan.
the work. It is the land, of course, that unifies Double photographs; but t o experience these sites at all, the The greatest scale he understands is Ihe distance between
Negotive. A hard I¡ndscape, Ihe sile neither enhances viewer is usually thrust back upon either the photographs them, and this is nothiog compared to what he suspects to
nor delracts from Ihe work itself. As a result, Double or residual experiences with nature, which, for the urban exist'.'
Negotive is nol only free of gratuitous decoration, a art audience, is unrewarding. Although the art is often vast From shallow culs, frankly linear in disposition, in such
characteristic th¡t unfortunately obt¡ins in much other in scale, it cannot be considered public; earthworks have, early works as Dissipate, Circular Suifoce Drowing and
recent environmental work, but the gr¡ndeur and in fact , disrupted the traditional relationsh ip between Loop Drawing, Heizer moved through a succession of
simplicity ofits form convey a sense ofits inevitabilily- scale and public monuments. Perversely illogieal in their displacements and depressions, Munich Depression
ofils being pul ofthe I¡nd. physical removal from their audience, such works are, (1969) and the more recent Double Negotive. Although
It had been difficult for me as a native New Yorker to none Ihe less, entirely aesthetic in their appropriation of Heizer's work requires much ofthe same type of physical
im¡gine Ihe change of context th¡t the work occ¡sions, for nature for the very reason that they impose the syslem of effort and activity as Richard Serra's lead prop-pieces, Ihe
not only does it place an entirely new sel of demands upon the individual artist upon the much larger and entirely traces ofsuch activity are unrecorded. The documentalion
Ihe object-oriented, studio/museum-going viewer, but it separate system ofthe earth. But ifthe gr¡tification forthe ofthe artist's process holds little interest for Heizer, and is
¡Iso presents a I¡ndsc¡pe and a frame of reference alien lo spectator denied access to the work is all but impossible, oflittle consequence to the viewer; one's apprehension of
convenlion¡1 expect¡tions of ¡rt and the art experience. Ihe gratification for the artist must be enormous. As and relationship lo the work, even vicariously, does not
This is true in p¡rticul¡r ofHeizer's work, but ¡Iso of other Heizer has said, ' In the desert,l can find that kind of depend upon either the angst ofthe creative act or its
recenl ¡rt, evolving as il has from conditions which many unraped, peaceful, religious space artists have always traces. Bul just as Heizer imposes his own aesthetic
younger artisls working in New York found il necessary to Iried to pul into thei, work. I don't want ¡ny indication I've vision on nature, he allows nature to act on a work. Time,
reject. Critics writing ¡boul so·called earthworks, which been here at all. My holes should have no history, they therefore, becomes an important condition ofhis work:
first came to their attention as a ' movement' in a Dwan should be ¡ndeterminate in time and inaccessible in erosion, changes of season, etc., become integral to his
Gallery show in October 1968, saw il ¡S ¡ concerted effort locale' : concepto In so far as Double Negative approximates a
to reject the more pervasive conventions of recent art - not In giving up the finile object,lhe artists making configuralion that achieves a precarious accommodation
only the discrete, finite object, but the gallery-museum earthworks have returned to a more direct contact wilh with bolh Ihe forces of nature and art, it is Heizer's most
complex thal harbours it. This uncompromising re¡clion their malerials, moving away from the urban mechanized brilliant work lo date.

INTEGRATlON
 In any comparison o!Heizer's work with that ofhis place. We are for flat forms bec.ause they destroy illusion Palace, 3885 regístered brands, keno, sulphur, mountain 211
•
contem¡:toraries , some striking differences emerge. This and reveal truth. lions, Showboat, tungsten, Frontier, cindercones, gold,
is partíally due to the circumstances ofhis early develop- 5. It is a widely accepted notion among painters Ihal il does tarantulas, diamondbacks, chapparal, silver ... pine,
mene as a teenager he accompanied his father, the not matter what one paints as long as it is well painted. 5tardust, OOillo, barite, Indian reservations, buckhorn,
anthropologist Robert Heizer, on numerous This is the essence of academism. There is no such th ing neon wedding chapels, F·111 's, prairie dogs, roulette,
archaeological expedít ions. Coming to New York in as good painting about nolhing. We assert that the subject Flamingo, vullures, Boulder Dam, roadrunners,
1966, Heizer had missed the evolution of min imal is crucial and only that subject·matler is valid which is International, geysers, pelicans, landmark, timber
sculpture, and expressed a decided preference for Iragic and limeless. This is why we profess spiritual rattlers, sand, titan ium , craps, javelina 5, cholla, bingo,
painting; he produced a large number of canvases most kinship with primitive and archak art'.' county-optioned prostitution, yucca, turtles, Circus·
of wh ich he subsequently desttoyed. His first earthworks, Myth offered the Abstract-Expressionist a way of Circus, tufa, blackjack, seagulls, basalt, nuclear munitions
whkh seem quasi·geometric in structure, have an element forcibly breaking with tradilion; Double Negotive, and the stockpile, Four Queens, six·week d ivorces, molybdenum,
ofthe itrational to them, readily d istinguishable from Ihe desert work in general, is also a rejection -Iargely ofthe Golden Nugget, drifl: shafts, las Vegas, jackrabbits, Sands,
pristine formality ofthe min imalists; this strain ofthe current situation ofthe arts. The troubled heritage ofthis bobeats, Harrahs, 1 member US House ofRepresentatives,
arbitnry or the capricious appears from time to time country - the splendid beauty ofthe land, the struggle Sierra Nevada (solid granitej, sink-holes, bats, sage,
both in his large works and in such minuscule pieces as between two alien cultures that is still very much a part of mudflats, Barney's, Mormon tea , Harvey's, silica, Folies
Windowsj Motchdrop (1969). Even more pronounced our consciousness - is exemplified in many ways in Bergeres, Aladdin, frogs , potenlial SST landingstrip, seven
is his predilection for an open-ended form, or a variety Double Negot ;ve. Double Negot;ve is the result ofthe mile tunnel, the Strip, mackinaw, juniper, kildeer, rodeo
offorms, a contrast to the basic un it-structure ofthe artist's awareness ofthe hislory oftaste, ofthe positive horses, cottonwoods, lizards, catlle, legalized gambling,
minimalists. In the area ofscale- such minimalists as conttibutions ofEuropean art, and of a basic only architecturally un iform US city, feldspar, bombing
Andre, Judd, Morris or leWitt were decidedly anti- understanding onts failure for th is time. As Barnett ranges, Sahara, wolves, Thunderbird, granodiorite,
monumental- and most particularly in the shifl: from Newmanwrote: Mapes , barate, lady luck, thorium , antelope ... "
studio to sile, Heizer's work takes a fundamentally 'The artist in America is, by comparison lo European , , , .,
d ifferent d irect ion from that ofthe sculpture ofthe early artists, like a barba dan. He does not have the super-fine , , e , ,
1960s.l n establishi ng his concept of'place', Andre was sensibility towards the object that dominates European
actually defin ing an environmental situation. Once a work feeting . He does not even have the objects. e' M r "-nt- for ' /lrt' r • 8, ..

ofhis was real ized, however, it could be moved lo another This is, then, our opportunily, free ofthe ancient 968.
context and another situation. In fact the min im alists paraphernalia , to come closer to the sources ofthe tragic
'" 4. oro
•
demonstrated that while a work could articulate a given emotion. Shall we not, as artists, search out the new IIbee 969. 6
situation, it also retained its autonomy as an object, and objects for its image?" lit N,,, ., •• - '"
despite any change in context/ location, the work itself The fact is, however, that there is titile in Double r fe. r ."1 .. 194 , p.

remained consistent. For Heizer, however, ' place' Negot ;ve specifically referenlial: the work is not "_Hemert 'r

presumes the virtual authority of a given site, to whkh the 'archaizing' - anything but. There is instead a sense ofthe _Ir t In rute " .... et Ce', ' 1 ,
work must adapllt is Ihe conclusive factor in determ ining unfamiliar, the unknown, a subliminal association • e,,'h.¡ , y·,ARne .. ·

the final outcome of a work. lo the extent that many ofthe perhaps with other forms , in a work that is thoroughly ¡ e U_41

other artists working with earth wete closely aligned with contemporary. Conventional forms , like monuments, can
Minimalis m, their work can be seen as a continuation of be appropriated without a need lo consider hierarchical
those ideas, as primarily a shifl: in medium, rather than the values, consequently the artist can retain the presence of Robert SMITHSON
radical shifl: in d irection ofHeizer's work. great scale withoul recourse lo legend or myth.lf any myth
Ifthe 1960s were witness to an art of pragmatism exists il is the myth of a new America, for which las Vegas ASedimentation ofthe Mind:
(there is no fundamental d ifference in this respect is Ihe symbol. By day Ihe mountains sutrounding las
between Pop Art, colour abstraction and Minimalism), Vegas turn the town into one long stretch ofdismal Earth Projects [1968)
which has resulted in a cul-de-sac, then it is nol difficult to houses, parking lots, cheap stores. The ranchers in the
understand why Heizer d id in fact react so violently.ln area carry rifles in the back oftheir pick-up trucks: eyes like The earth's surface and the figments ofthe mind have a
doing so, he found in so-called ' primitive' cultures not only slits, from squinting in the sun, gaze suspiciously at way of disintegrating into discrele regions of arto Various
a basic harmony belween their art and Ihe land (e.g. strangers from lealhery faces. At night, when the neons agents, both fictional and real, somehow trade places with
Central and South American Indian cultures) but an come on, the mountains disappear, the desert is forgotten , each other- one cannol avoid muddy thinking when it
identification wilh ceriain basic modes of visualization. the sound of slot machines, dice, flashy cars replace the comes lo earth projects, or what I will call'abstract
This fact in itselfis not unusual. One is reminded ofthe silence ofthe day. geology'. One's mind and the earth are in a constant state
Abstract-Expressionists' interest in the Jungian 'collective of erosion, mental rivers wear away abstract banks, brain
unconscious' and ofthe statement written lo The New ' ... coyotes, Silver Slipper, pumas, mesquite, scorpions, waves undermine cliffs ofthought, ideas decompose into
York Times in 1943 by Gottlieb and Rothko (with the AEC research and test cenlre, baccaral, natural pyramid, stones of unknowing and conceptual crystallizations break
editorial aid ofBarnett Newman): kangaroo rats, mescal , squirrels, cultural phototroposis, apart into deposits of gritty reason. Vast moving faculties
', . To us art is an adventure into an unknown world, which quail, Ruth pit, carp, Tropicana, faro wheel, 87% land occur in this geologkal miasma, and Ihey move in the
can be explored only by those willing to take the risks. government ownership, hot sp,ings, mule deer, most physical way. This movement seems motionless, yet
2. This world ofthe imagination is fancy-free and violently s idewinders, Great Basin, open speed limits, gila it crushes the landscape oflogic under glacial reveries.
opposed lo common sense. monsters, eagles, manganese, Wagon Wheel, creosote, This slow f10wage makes one conscious ofthe turbidity of
3- 1I is our function as artists to make the Spectator see our horned toads, rhyolite, wild horses, Yucca Flat, 5101 thinking. Slump, debris slides, avalanches all take place
way, not his way. machines, centipedes, herons, joshua, antimony, within the cracking limits ofthe brain. The entire body is
4. We favour the simple expression ofthe complex Hacienda, suicide table, Mint, hawks, greatest US slate pulled into the cerebral sediment, where particles and
thought. We are for the large shape because it has the transient poputation, Harold's Club, uranium , black fragments make Ihemselves known as solid conscious-
impact ofthe unequivocal. We wish lo re-assert Ihe picture widows, copper, diatomite, owls, petroglyphs, Caesar's ness. A bleached and fractured world surrounds the artist.

OOCUMENTS
'" To organize this meS5 of corrosion ¡"lO patterns, grids and
subdivisions is an aesthetic process that has scarcely been
own ror Pool ond Grove! Pit (1966) proposal makes one
conscious ofthe primal ooze. A molten substance is
Ehrenzweig calls the 'self and the non·selr. They are apt to
di smiss Malevich's Non·Objective Wor/d as poetic debris,
touched. poured into a square sin k that is surrounded by another or only referto the 'abyss' as a rational metaphor 'within
The manj(estations oftechnology are al times less square sin k of coarse gravel. The tar cools and flattens into narrow bounds '. The artist who is physically engulfed tries
'extensions' of mil" (Ma rs hall McLuhan's a sticky level depositoThis carbonaceous sediment brings to give evidence ofth is experience through a limited
anth ropomorphism ) than they are aggregates of elements. to mind a tertiary world of petroleum, asphalts, ozokerite, (mapped) revision ofthe original unbounded sta te. I agree
Even the mast advanced tool5 and machines are made of and bituminous agglomerations. with Fried that limits are not part ofthe primary process
the raw matter ofthe earth. Today's highly refined that Tony Smith was talking about. There is different
•
technological tools are not mueh differenl in this respect PRIMARY ENVElOPMENT experience before the physical abyss than before the
(rom those ofthe caveman. Mast ofthe better artisls At the low levels of consciousness the artist experiences mapped revision. Nevertheless, the quality ofFried'sfear
prefer proces ses that have nol been idealized, or undifferentiated or unbounded methods of procedure that (dread) is high, but his experience ofthe abyss is low-a
differentiated ¡nlo 'objective' meanings. Common break with the focused limits of rational technique. Here weak metaphor - 'Iike an infinite abyss'.
shovels, awkward·looking excavating devices, what tools are undifferentiated from the material they operate The bins or containers of my Non·sites gather in the
Michael Heizer calls 'dumb lools·. picks, pitchforks, the on, or they seem to sin k back into their primordial fragments that are experienced in Ihe physical abyss of
machine used by suburban conlractors, g,im tractors that condition . Robert Morris (Artforum, April1968) sees the raw matter. The tools oftechnology become a part ofthe
have the dumsiness of armoured dinosaurs and ploughs paint brush vanish into Pollock's 'stiek', and the stiek Earth 's geology as they sink back into their original sta le.
that simply push dirt around. Machines like Benjamin dissolve into 'poured paint' from a container used by Machines like dinosaurs must return to dust o r rust. One
Holt's steam tractor (invented in 188S) - ' It crawls over Morris louis. What then is one to do with the ,ontoine,? might SIIy a 'de-arc.nilecturing' takes place before the artist
mud like a caterpillar'. Digging engines and other crawlers This entropy oftechnique leaves one w;th an empty limit, sets his limits outside the studio or the room.
that can travel over rough terrain and steep grades. Dril1s or no limit at all. Al! differentiated technology becomes
and eKplosives that can produce shafts and earthquakes. meaningless to the artist who knows this state. 'What the BETIER HOMES ANO INDUSTRIES
Geometrical trenches could be dug with the help ofthe Nominalists call the grit in the machine', says T.E. Hulme 'Cre at sprays of greenery make the lambert live·in room
' ripper' - steel·toothed rakes mounted on tractors. With in Cinden , '1 call the fundamental element ofthe machine'. an oasis atop a eliff dwelling. In a lighted by
such equipment construction takes on the look of The rational critic of art cannot risk this abandonment into skylights and spotlights, an oil by Jack Bush.
destruction; perhaps that's why certain architects hate 'oceanic' undifferentiation, he can only deal with the limits AII planting by lambert landscape Company.'
bulldozers and steam shovels. They seem to turn the that come afterthis plunge into such a world of non· -Caption under a photograph, House and Carden, July
terrain into unfin ished cities of organized wreckage. A containment. ' 968
sense of chaotie planning engulfs site afier site. At this point I must retu," to what I think is an
Subdivisions are made - but to what purpose? important issue, namely Tony Smith's 'car ride' on the In Art in Americo, Sept-Oct '966, there is a Portrait of
Building takes on a singular wildness as loaders scoop and ' unfinished turnpike'. 'This drive was a revealing Anthony Caro, with photographs ofhis sculpture in
drag soil all over the place. Excavations form shapeless experience. The road and much ofthe landscape was settings and landscapes that suggest English gardening.
mounds ofdebris, miniature landslides of dust, mud , sand artificial, and yet it couldn't be called a work of art'. One work, Primo Luce '966, painted ye llow, matches the
and grave!. Dump trucks spill soil into an infinity ofheaps. ('Talking with Tony Smith' by Samuel Wagstaff, Jr., yellow daffodils peeking out behind ¡t, and it sits on a well
The dipper ofthe giant mining power shovel is I5 feet high Artforum, December 1966) He is talking about a cut lawn. I know, the sculptor prefers to see his art indoors,
and digs 140 cubic yards (ISO tons) in one bite. These sensation, not the finished work of art; this doesn'timply but the fact that this work ended up where it did is no
processes ofheavy construction have a devastating kind that he is anti·art. Smith is describing the slate ofhis mind excuse for thoughtlessness about installation. The more
of primordial grandeur and are in many ways more in the ' primary process' of making contact with matter. compelling artists today are concerned with 'place' or 'site'
astonishing than the finished project - be it a road or a This process is called by Anton Ehrenzweig Smith, De Maria, Andre, Heizer, Oppenheim, Huebler -
building. The actual disruption ofthe earth's crust is at 'dedifferentiation', and it involves a suspended question to name a few. Somehow, Caro's work pieks up its
times very compel1ing, and seems to confirm Heraditus' regarding ' Iimitlessness' (Freud's notion ofthe 'oceanic') surroundings, and gives one a sense of a contrived, but
Fragment '24, 'The most beautiful world is like a heap of that goes back to Civilizat ion ond Its Dis,ontents. Michael tamed, 'wildness' that echoes to the tradition ofEnglish
rubble tossed down in confusion'. The lools of art have loo Fried's shock at Smith's experiences shows that the gardening.
long been confined to ' the studio'. The city gives the critic's sense oflimit cannot risk the rhythm of Around 1710 the English invented the antiformal
¡llusion that earth does not eKist. Heizer calls his earth dedifferentiation that swings between 'oceanic' garden as protest against the French formal garden. The
projects, 'The alternative to the absolute city system'. fragmentation and strong determinants. Ehrenzweig says French use of geometrie forms was rejected as something
Recently, in Vancouver, lain Balder put on an exhibition that in modern art this rhythm is 'somewhat onesided'- ' unnatural'. This seems lo relate to today's deb¡te
ofPiles that were located at different points in the city; he toward the oceanic. Allan Kapro w's thinking is a good between so-called 'formalism' a nd 'anti-formalism'. The
also helped in the presentation of a Portfolio 0fPiles. example - ' Most humans, it seems, still put up fences traces of weak naturalism eling t o the background of
Dumping and pouring become interesting techniques. around their acts and thoughts'. (Artforum, June 1968.) Caro's Prima Lu,e. A leftover Arcadia with fl owery
Carl Andre's 'Brove site' - a tiny pile of sand , was d isplayed Fried thinks he knows who has the 'finest' fences around overtones gives the sculpture the look ofsome industrial ,
ruin. The brighUy painted surfaces cheerfully seem to O
under a stairway al the Museum ofContemporary Crafts Ihei r a rt. Fried ela ims he rejects the 'i nfi nlte' , but this is
last year. Andre, unlike Baxter, is m ore concerned with the
elemental in th ings. Andre's pile has no anthropomorphic
Fried writing in Artforum, February '967, on Morris louis,
' The dazzling blankness ofthe untouched canvas at once
avoid any suggestion ofthe 'romantic ruin', but they are on
closer investigation related to ¡ust thal. Caro's industrial
f•
overtone s¡ he gi ves it a darity that avoids the idea of repulses and engulfs the eye, lilce an infinite abyss, the ru;ns, or concatenations ofsteel and aluminium may be
temporal space . A serenification takes place. Dennis abyss tha! opens up behind the least mark that we make viewed as Kantian 'things-in.themselves', or be placed
Oppenheim has also considered the 'pi/e ' - 'the basic on a flat surface, or would open up ¡finnumerable into sorne syntax based on So and 50's theories, but at this
components o f concrete and gypsum ... devoid of manual conventions both of art and practicallife did not restrict point I willleave those notions to the Iceepers of
organization '. Sorn e ofOppenheim's propo sa ls s uggest the consequences of our act within narrow bounds', The 'modernity'. The English consciousness of art has always
desert physiography - mesas, buttes, mushroom ' innumerable conventions' do not exist for certain artists been best displayed in its ' Iandscape gardens'. 'Sculpture'
mounds, and other 'deflations' (the removal o f material who do eKist within a physieal 'abyss'. Most crilies cannot °
was used more to generate set of,ondirions.
fro m beac h and other land s urfaces by wind action) . My endure the suspension of boundaries between what Clement Greenberg's notion of'the landscape' reveals

t NTEGRATtO N
itselfwith shades ofT.S. Eliot in an artide, ' Poetry of extruded I-beams, aluminium channels, tubes, wire, pipe, by this order, ¡fhe belie'(es himselfto be creative, and Ihis
Vision' {Arifotum, ApriI1968J. Here 'Anglicizing tastes' are cold·rolled steel, iron bars, etc. I have often thought about allows for his servitude which is des igned by the vile laws
evoked in his descriptions ofthe lrish landscape. 'The non·resistant processes that would involve the actual ofCulture. Our culture has lost its sense of death , so it can
ruined castles and abbeys', says Greenberg, 'that strew the sedimentation of matter or what I called ' Pu lverizations' kili both mentally and physically, th inking all the time that
beautiful countryside are gray and dim', shows he takes back in 1966. Oxidation , hydration , carbonization, and it is establish ing the most ereative order possible.
' pleasure in ruins'. At any rate, the 'pastoral', it seems, is solulion (the major processes of roek and mineral
outmoded. The gardens ofhistory are being replaced by disinlegration) are four methods Ihal could be lurned THE oYINC LANCUACE
sitesoftime. toward the making of art. The smelting process Ihal goes The names of minerals and the minera ls themsel ves do
Memory traces oftranquil gardens as 'ideal natute' - inlo the making of steel and olher alloys separa tes not diR"er from each other, because al Ihe bottom ofbeth
jejune Edens that suggest an idea ofbanal'quality'- 'impurities' from an original ore, and extracts metal in the material and the print is the beginning of an abysmal
persist in popular magazines like HouSI! Beautiful and order to make a more 'ideal' productoBurnt-out ore or slag. number offissures. Words and rocks contain a language
Bettu Homes and Gardens. A kind of watered down like rust is as basic and primary as the material smelted that follows a syntax ofsplits and ruplures. look at any
Victorianism, an eleganl notion ofindustrialism in the from jt. Technologieal ideclogy has no sense oftime olher word long enough and you will see il open up into a series
woods¡ all this brings lo mind sorne kind of wasted charm. Ihan its immediate 'supply and demand', and its offaults, into a terrain of partides each containing its own
The decadence of'i nterior decoration' is fu 11 of appeals lo labaratorles function as blinders to Ihe rest ofthe world. void. This discomforting language oR"ers
'country manners' and liberal-democratic notions of like the refined 'paints' ofthe studio, the refined 'metals' no easy Gestalt solution ; the certainties of didactic
gentry. Many art magazines have gorgeous photographs ofthe laboratory exist wilhin an 'ideal system'. Such d iscourse are hurled into the erosion ofthe poetic
of artificial industrial ruin s (sculptureJ on their pages. The endosed ' pure' systems make it impossibleto perceive principIe. Poetry being forever 1051 must submit to its own
'gloomy' ruins of aristocracy ate Iransfotmed into the any other kinds of processes Ihan the ones of vacuity¡ it is somehow a product of exhaustion rather than
'happy' tuins ofthe humanist Could one say tha! art diR"erentiated technology. creation. Poetry is always a dying language but never a
degenerates as JI approaches gardening?' These 'garden. Refinement of matter from one state to anolher does dead language.
traces' seem part oftime and not history, they seem to be not mean Ihat so-called 'impurities' of sediment are ' bad' lournalism in the guise of art criticism fears the
involved in the dissolution of' progress'. tt was John - the earth is built on sedimentalion and disruption. A disrupt ion oflanguage, so it resorts to being 'educational'
Ruskin who spoke ofthe 'dreadful Hammers' ofthe refinement based on all the matter that has been discarded and ' historical '. Art crilics are generally poets who have
geologists, as they destroyed the dassical order. The by the technological ideal seems to be taking place. The betrayed their art, and instead nave Iried lo turn art into a
landscape reels back into the millions and millions of years coarse swathes oftar on Tony Smilh's plywood mock·ups matter of reasoned discourse, and, occasionally, when
of'geologic time'. are no more or less refined than the burnished or painted their 'trulh' breaks down, they resort to a poetic quote.
steel ofDavid Sm ith. Tony Smith's surfaces display more Wittgenstein has shown us what can happen when
FROM STEEl TO RUST of a sense ofthe ' prehisloric world' that is not reduced lO language is 'idealized', and that it is hopeless to try lo fit
As 'Iechnology' and 'i ndustry' began to become an ideals and pure Gestalts. The fact remains that the mind language into some absolule logie, whereby everything
ideclogy in the New York Art World in the late '950S and and things of certain artists are not 'unities', but things in a objective can be tested. We have to fabricate our rules as
early '9605, the private studio notions of'craft' collapsed. state of arrested disruplion. One might object lo ' hollow' we go along the avalanches oflanguage and over the
The products ofindustry and technology began lo have an volumes in favour of'solid materials', but no materials are terraces of criticismo
appeal to the artist who wanled lo work like a 'steel welder' solid, tney al1 contain caverns and fissures. Solids are Poe's Na"ative olA. Gordan Pym seems to me excel·
or a 'Iaboratory technician '. Th is valuation ofthe material partides built up around flux , Ihey are objective il1usions lent art crilicism and prolotype for rigorou5 'non-site'
products ofheavy industry, first developed by David Smith supporting grit, a collecti()n of surfaces ready lO be investigations. 'Nothing worth mentioning occurred
and later by Anthony CatO, led to a fetish for sleel and cracked. AII chaos is pul into the dark inside ofthe artoBy during the next twenly·four hours except that, in examin-
aluminium as a medium (painted or unpainted). Molded refusing 'technologieal mirades' the artist begins to know ing the ground to the eastward third chasm, we found two
steel and cast aluminjum are machine manufactured, and the corroded moments, Ihe carboniferous states of triangular holes of great depth, and al so with black granite
as a result Ihey be¡U the stamp oftechnological ideclogy. thought, the shrinkage of mental mud, in the geologic sides.' His deseriptions of cha5ms and holes seem to
Steel is a hard, tough metal, suggesting the permanence of chaos - in the strata of aesthetic consciousness. The verge on proposals for 'earthwords'. The shapes ofthe
technological values. II is composed ofiron alloyed with refuse between m¡nd and matter is a mine ofinformation. chasms themselves bec:ome 'verbal (0015 ' Ihal spell out
various small percentages of carbon; steel may be alloyed Ihe diR"erence between darkness and lighL Poe ends his
with other met.als, nickel, chromium, etc., to produce THE olSlOCATtON OFCRAFT -A ND FALLOFTHE mental maze with Ihe sentence - ' 1have graven it within
specific properties such as hardness and resistance to STUolO the hills and my vengeance upon the dust within the rock'.
rusting. Yet, the more I think about steel itself, devoid of plalo's Timoeus shows the demiurge or the artist creating
the technological refinements, the more rust becomes the a model order, with his eyes fixed on a non-visual order of THECLlMATEOF SIGHT
fundamental proper!y ofstee!. Rust itselfis a reddish Ideas, and seeking to give Ihe purest representalion of The dimate of 5ight changes from wet to dry and from dry
brown or reddish yellow coating that often appears on them . The 'dassical' notion ofthe artísl copying a perfect to wet according lo one's mental weather. The prevailing
'steel sculpture', and is caused by oxidation (an interesting mental model has been shown to be an error. The modern conditions of one's psyche aR"ect now he views arto We
non-technological condition), as during exposure to air or artist in his 'studio', working out an abstract grammar have already heard much about 'cool' or 'hot' art, but not
moisture¡ it consists almost entirely offerric oxide, Fe 2 0 within the limits ofhis 'craft', is trapped in but another much about ' wet' and 'dry' arto The viewer, be he an artisl
3
and feme hydroxide, Fe(O H)r In the technological mind snare. When Ihe fissures between mind and matter or a critic, is subject to a dimatology ofthe brain and eye.
rust evokes afear of disuse, inactivity, entropy, and ru in. multiply into an infinity of gaps, the studio begins to The wel mind enjoys ' pools and stains' of painl. ' Paint'
Why steel is valued over rust is a technological value, not crumble and falllike The House ofUsher, so that mind and ilself appears to be a kind ofliquefaction. Such wel eyes
an artistic one. matter get endlessly confounded. Oeliverance from the love lo look on melting, dissolving, soaking surfaces that
By exduding technological processes from the making confines ofthe studio frees the artist to a degree from the give the illu5ion at times oftending toward a gaseousness,
of art, we began to discover other processes of a more snares ofcraft and the bondage of creativity. Such a atomization or fogginess. This watery syntax as at times
fundamental order. The breakup or fragmentation of eondition exists wilhout any appeal lo ' nature'. Sadism is relaled to the 'canvas support'.
matter makes one aware oflhe sub·strata ofthe earth the end product of nature, when il is based on Ihe 'The world disintegrates around me.'
before it is overly refined by industry into sheet metal, biomorphic order of rational creation. The artist is fettered -Yvonne Rainer

ooeUMENTS
 'By Palm Desen springs ofien fun dry. '
'" -Van Dyke Parks, Song C."de
suggests faliguing, wasted effort; it is not a pleas an! idea
to consider and seems inslead the provisional solution,
surfaces ilnd turns sites inlo vast illusions. The ground
becomes a map.
until a better one comes along, of despair'. A sense oflhe The map of my Non·site#, (an indoo, earthwo,k) has
The following is a proposa1 for those who have leaky earth as a map undergoing disruption leads Ihe artist lO six vanishing points thal lose themselves in a pre.existent
minds. 1I (o uld be Ihougn! of as The Mind ofMud, or in the realization thal nothing is certai n orforma l. Language earth mound Ihal is at the centre of a hexagonal airfield in
later stages, The Mind orelay. itselfbecomes mOllntains of symbolic debris. Klein's IKB Ihe Pine Barren Plains in Soulh New Jersey. Six runways
globes belray a sense offutilily - a collapsed logic. G.E.M. radiale around a central axis. These runways anchor my
THE MUOPOOlPROJECT Anscombe writing on 'Negation' in An Introduction to Ihirty-one subdivisions. The actual Non-Sife is made up of
•
1. Dig up 100 R. sq. area of earth with a pitchfork. Witfgenstein's T,octotus says, ' Bul il is dearthen an 0111· Ihirty-one metal conlainers of painted blue alum inium ,
2. Gel local tire department to till the area with water. A fire while or all·black globe is nol a map'. 11 is also dear Ihat each containing sa nd from Ihe actual site.
hose may be used for this purpose. Klein 's all blue globe is not a map; rather it is an anti-map; De Maria's parallel chal k lines are 12 feet apart and run
3. The areil will be tinished when jt lurns to mudo a negation of'creation' and the 'crealor' Ihat is sup posed a hillf a mile illong the Dry lake ofEI Mirage in Ihe Mojave
4. Le! il dry under the sun un!il il lurns lo day. lo be in Ihe artist's 'selr. Desert. The dry mud underthese lines is cracking inlo an
5. Repeat proces!> al will. infinite variety of polygons, mainly six-sided. Under the
THE WRECK OF FORMER BOUNDARIES beating sun shrinkage is constantly going on, causing
'When dried underthe sun's fays for a sufficientl y long The stra ta ofthe earth is a jumbled museum. Embedded in irregular oullines. Rap id drying causes widely spaced
time, mud and clay shrink and crack in a network of the sediment is a tex! thal contains limits and boundaries cracks , while slow drying causes dosely spaced cracks.
fissures which endose polygonal areas.' which evade the rational order, and social structures which (See E.M. Kindle's Factors Affecting Ihe
-Fredric H. Lanee, F;eldGeology confine arto In order lo read the rocks we must become Development ofMud Cracks', Vol. 25, 1917, p. 136, Jaumal
conscious of geologic time, and ofthe layers of pre-historic ofCeologv) De Maria's lines make one conscious of a
The artisl or ed!ic with iI dan k brain is bo un d to end up material thal is entombed in the earth's crust. When one weilkening cohesion ! hal spreads out in all directions.
I
appredating anything Ihal suggesls saluralion, a kind of seans Ihe ruined sites of prehistory one sees a heap of Nevada is a good place for Ihe person who wants to study
I
walery effect, an overall seepage, discharges thal wrecked maps thal upsets our present art historical timits. cracks.

1
111 submerge perceplions in an onrush of dripping A rubble oflogic confronts the viewer as he looks into Ihe Heizer's Compression Une is made by the earth

II,I
observation. They are graleful for an art Ihal evokes levels ofthe sedimenlalions. The abstract grids containing pressing againsl the sides oftwo parallellengths of
generalliquid sta tes, and disdain the desiccalion of Ihe raw matter are observed as something incomplete, plywood, so Ihal Ihey converge in to two facing sunken
f1uidity. They prize anything Ihal looks drenched, be il broken and shattered. perspectives. The eart h s urrounding this double
canvas or steel. Deprecialion of aridity means that one In June1968, mywife Nancy, Virginia Dwan, Dan perspective is composed of'hardpan' (a hard impervious
would prefer lo see art in a dewy green setting, say Ihe hills Graham and I visited Ihe slale quarries in Bangor-Pen sediment tha! does no! become plastic, but can be
ofVermont, rather Ihan Ihe Painted Desert. Angyl, Pennsylvania. Banks ofsuspended slate hung over shatlered by explosives). A drainage layer exists under Ihe
Arislotle believed Ihal heat combined with dryness a greenish-blue pond at the bottom of a deep quarry. AII entire work.
resulted in fire: where else could Ihis feeling lake place boundaries and distinctions 1051 their meaning in !his
than in a desertorin Malevich 's head? 'No more ocean of slate and collapsed all notions ofGestal1 unity. THE VALUE OFTlME
of realily", no idealislic images, nOlhing bul a The present fell forward and backward into a tumult of'de- For too long Ihe artist has been estrilnged from his own
desert! ' says Malevich in The Non.Objectille \/Iorld. Walter differentiation ', lo use Anton Ehrenzweig's word for ' time'. Critics, by focusing on the 'art object', deprive the
De Maria and Michael Heizer have actually worked in the entropy. It was as though one was at the bottom of a artist of any existence in the world ofboth m ind and
Soulhweslern deserts. Says Heizer, in sorne seattered pelrified sea and gazing on countless stratographic matter. The menlal process ofthe ilrtist which takes place
notes, 'Earth liners inslalled in Sierras, and down on desert horizons thal had fallen inlo endless directions of in time is disowned, so Ihat a commodity value can be
floor in Carson-Reno area'. The desert is less 'nalure' Ihan steepness. Syndine (downward) and anlidine (upward) maintained by a syslem independent ofl he artisl. Art, in
a concept, a place Ihal swallows up boundaries. When the oUlcroppings and the asymmetrieal cave-ins caused Ihis sen se, is considered 'Iimeless' or a product of'no lime
artisl goes to the desert he enriches his absence and burns minor swoons and vertigos. The brittleness ofthe site at all'; this becomes a convenienl way lO exploit Ihe artist
offlhe water (painl) on his brain. The slush ofthe city seemed to swarm around one, causing a sense of oul ofhis rightful daim lo his temporal processes_ The
evaporates from the artist's mind as he insta lis his arto displacement. I collected a canvas bag full of slate chips for arguments for the contention that time is unreal is a fiction
Heizer's 'dry lakes' become mental maps Ihal contain Ihe a small Non·sile. oflanguage, and nol ofthe material oftime or arto
vacancy ofThanalos. A consciousness oftne desert Vet, if art is art il must have limits. How can one conlain Criticism, dependenl on rational illusions, appeals lo a
opera tes between craving and saliety. this 'oceanic ' site? I have developed the Non·site, which in society that values only commodily-type art separated
Jackson Pollock's art tends toward a torrential sense of a physical way conlains Ihe disruption ofthe site. The from the artist's mind. By sepa rating art from the 'primary
material thal makes his paintings look like splashes of container is in a sense a fragment ilself, something that process' , the artist is cheated in more ways thiln one.
marine sediments. Deposits of paint cause layers and could be called a three-dimensional map. Withoul appea l Separate 'things', 'forms', 'objects', 'shapes', e lc., with
crusls Ihat suggest nothing 'formal' bul rather a physieal lo 'Gestalts' or 'anli.form', it actually exists as a fragment beginnings and endings, are mere convenient fictions:
metaphor without realism or naturalism. FIII/ Fathom Filie ora greater fragmentation. 1I is a !hree-dimensional there is only an uncertain disintegrating order that
becomes a Sargasso Sea, a dense lagoon of pigmenl, a perspectille that has broken away from Ihe whole, while Iranscends the limits of ralional separalions. The fictions
logieal slale of an oceanic mind. Pollock's introduction of containing the lack ofits own containmenl. There are no erected in Ihe erodi ng time stream are apt lo be swamped
pebbles inlo his-privale topographies suggests an interesl mysleries in Ihese vestiges, no traces of an end or a al any momentoThe brain ilself resembles an eroded rock
in geological artifices. The rational idea of'painling' beginning. from which ideas and ideals leak.
begins to d isintegrate and decompose into so many When a th;ng is seen Ihrough the consciousness of
sedimentary concepts. Both Vves Klein and Jean Dubuffet CRACKING PERSPECTIVES ANDGRIT IN THE temporality, il is changed into somethi ng thal is noth ing.
hinted al global or topographic sedimentary notions in VANIS HIN G POINT This aH-engulfing sense provides Ihe mental ground for
Iheir works - both worked wilh ashes and cinders. Says Parallactic perspectives have introduced Ihemselves into the object, so Ihat it ceases being a mere object and
Dllbuffel, regarding the North and Sout h Poles, 'The the new eilrth projects in iI way Ihat is physiCill ilnd three- becomes art oThe object gels to be less and less but exists
revolulion of a being on its axis, reminiscenl of a dervish, dimensional. This kind ofconvergence subverts Gestillt as something clearer. Every object, ifil is art, is charged

INTEGRArlO N
with the rush oftime even though it is static, but .111 this universe¡ it is the fiercest note, it is the highest light, jt is passed through Corinne, then went on to Promontory. Just
•
the viewer. Nol everybody sees the art in the the place where the walls ofthis world of ours wearthe beyond the Golden Spike Monument, which
same way, only an artist viewing art knows the ecstasy or thinnest and something beyond burns through.' commemorates the meeling ofthe ra ils ofthe first
dread, and this viewing takes place in time. A great artist -G. K. Chesterton !ranscontinental ra il road, we went down a d irt toad in a
can make art by s¡mply casting a glance. A se! of glances wide valley. As we travelled , the valley spread inlo an
could be as solid as any thing or place, but the society My concern with salt lakes began with my work in 1963 on uncanny immensity un li ke the other landscapes we had
continues to cheat the artist out ofhis 'art oflooking', by the Mono Lake Site-Nonsile in California. later I read a seen. The roads on the map became a net of dashes, while
only valuing 'art objects'. The existence oflhe artist in time book called Vornishing Troi/s oIAtocomo by William in the far distance the Salt Lake existed as an interrupted
is worth as much as the finished product Any critic who Rudo lph which described salt lakes (salars) in Bolivia in .111 silver bandoHills took on the appearance of melting solids,
devaJues the t ime ofthe artist is the enemy of art and Ihe stages of desiccation , and filled with micro bacteria that and glowed under amber light. We followed roads Ihat
artist. The stronger and clearer the artist's v;ew oftime the give the water sumce a red colour. The pink Aamingoes glided away into dead ends. Sandy slopes turned into
more he will resenl any slander on this domain. By Ihat live around Ihe salan match the colour ofthe water. In viscous masses of perceptio n. Slowly, we drew near lo Ihe
desecrating th is domain, certain critics defraud the work The Use/ess Lond, John Aarons and Claudio Vita·Finzi lake, which resembled an impassive fa int violet sheet held
and mind ofthe artist. Artists with a weak view oftime are describe Laguna Colorada, fThe basalt (at the shores) is captive in a stoney matrix, upon which the sun poured
easilydeceived by this victimizing kind of criticism, and black , the volcances purple, and !heir exposed inleriors down lis crushing ligh!. An expanse of salt Aats bordered
are seduced into some trivial history. An artist is enslaved yellow and red. The beach i¡¡ grey and the lake pink, topped the lake, and caught in its sediments were countless bits of
by time only ¡fthe time is control1ed by someone 01 with the icing oficeberg-like masses of salts'.' Because of wreckage. Old piers were leR high and dry. The mere s ight
something other Ihan himself. The deeper an artist sinks the remoteness of Bolivia and beca use Mono lake lacked a ofthetrapped fragments ofjunk and waste transported
into the time stream the more it becomes o&/;loIio,,; reddish colour, I decided lO invesligate the Great Sall Lake one inlo a world of modern prehistory. The product.s of a
because ofthis, he must remain dose to the temporal in Utah. Devonian industry, the remains oh Silurian technology, .111
sumces. Many would like to forget time altogether, From New York City I called the Utah Park the machines ofthe Upper Carboniferous Period were lost
because it conceals the 'death principie' (every authentic Oevelopment and spoke to Ted Tuttle, who told me that in those expansive depos its of sand and mudo
artist knows this). Floating in this temporal ,iver are the water in the Great Salt Lake north oflhe lucin Cutoff, Two dilapidated shacks looked over a tired group of oil
remnants of art history, yet Ihe ' present' annot support which cuts Ihe lake in two, was Ihe colour oftomalo soup. rigs. A series of seeps ofheavy black oil more like asphal1
the cultures of Europe, or even the archaic or primitive That was enough of a reason to go out there and have a occur just south ofRozel Poin!. for forty or more years
civilizations; jt must ¡nstead explore the pre- and post· look. Tuttle lold my wife, Nancy Holt, and myself ofsome people have tried lo gel oil out ofthis natural tar pool.
historic mind; it must go into the places where remote people who knew the lake. First we visited Bin Holt who Pumps coated with black stickiness rusted in the corrosive
futures meet remote pam. lived in Syracuse. He was instrumental in building a salt airoA hut mounled on pilings could have been the
causewaythat connected Syracuse with Antelope Island in habitation of'the missing link'. A great pleasure arose
the southern part ofthe Creat Salt Lake. Although that site from seeing .111 those incoherent slructures. Th is s ile gave
was interesting, Ihe waler lacked the red colouralion I was evidence of a succession of man·made system5 mired in
looking for, 50 we continued our search . Nexl we went to abandoned hopes.
see lohn Silveron Silver Sands Beach near Magna. H is About one mile north oflhe oil seeps I selected my site.
sons showed uslhe only boal Ihal sailed the lake. Due lo Irregular beds oflimestone dip gently eastward, massive

• • the high salt content ofthe water it was impractical for deposits ofblack basalt are broken over Ihe peninsula,
• ordinary boats lo use Ihe lake, and no large boats al .111 giving the region a shattered appearance. It is one offew
could go beyond the lucin Cutoff on which the places on the lake where the water comes righl up to Ihe

• tr.Jnscontinental railroad crossed the lake. At Ihat pointl mainland. Under shallow pinkish water is a nelwork of
was still nolsure what shape my work of art would take. I mud cracks supporting the jigsaw puzzle that composes
thought of making an island with the help ofboats and the salt flats. As I looked al the sile, il reverberated out lo
barges, but in the end I would let the site determine what I Ihe horizons only to suggest an immobile cydone while
would build. We visited Charles Stoddard, who supposedly flickering light made the entire landscape appear to quake.
had the only barge on the north side ofthe cutoff. A dorman! earthquake spread ¡nlo the Auttering stillness,

• , Sloddard, a well-driller, was one oflhe lasl homesteaders into a spinning sensation without movemen!. This site
• • • in Utah. His attempt to develop Carrington Island in 1932 was a rotary that endosed itselfin an immense roundness.

• ended in failure because he couldn 't find fresh water. ','ve From that gyraling space emerged Ihe possibility ofthe
• • had the lake', he said. Yet, while he was living on the island Spirol)etty. No ideas, no concepts, no systems, no
• •• with his family he made many valuable observations ofthe structures, no abstractions could hold Ihemselves
lake. He was kind enough to take us to little Valley on the together in Ihe actuality oflhat evidence. My dialectics of
• , • East side oflhe lucin Cutoffto look for his barge - it had site and nonsite whirled into an indeterminale state,
• , 5unk. The abandoned man·made harbours oflittle VaUey where solid and liquid lost themselves in each olher.lt was
• • gave me my firsl view ofthe wine-red water, but Ihere were as ifthe mainland oscillated with waves and pulsations,
, ·. , • too many ' Keep Out' signs around to make that a practical and the lake temained rock still. The shore ofthe lake
•• • site for anything, and we were told to 'stay away' by two became the edge oflhe sun, a boiling curve, an explosion
angry ranchers. ARer fixing a gashed gas tank, we returned rising inlo a fiery prominence. Matter collapsing into the
lo Charles Sloddatd's house north ofSyracuse on the edge lake mirrored in the shape oh spiral. No sense wondering
Robert SMITHSON of some salt marshes. He showed us photographs he had about classificalions and categories, Ihere were none.
taken of'icebergs',' and Kit Carson 's cross carved on a rock ARer securing a twenty·year lease on the meandering
The Spiral Jetty [1972) on Fremont Island. We then de<:ided to leave and go to zone,' and finding a contractor in Ogden, I began building
Rozel Poinl. the jetty in April, 1970. Bob Phillips, the foreman , senl Iwo
' Red is the most joyful and dreadful thing in the physical Drivíng west on H ighway 83 late in the aRernoon, we dump trucks, a tractor and a large fronl loader out lo the

OOCUMENTS
 site. The lail oflhe spiral began as a diagonalline ofstahs opera tes in and out ofthe 'straight' abstractions ofthe Northeast by North- Mud, salt crystals, rocks, water
'" Ihal extended into the meandering l one. A s lring was then mind. The flowing mass of rock and earth ofthe Spiro/ Northeast by East- Mud, sall crystals, rocks, water
extended from a central stake in orderto gel the coils oflhe Jetty could be Irapped by a grid ofsegments, but the East by North- Mud, salt crystals, rocks, water
spiral. From the end ofthe diagonalto Ihe centre ofthe segments would exist only in Ihe mind or on paperoOf East- Mud, sall crystals, rocks, water
s piral, Ihree curves coiled to the left. Basalt and earth was course, jt is al so possible to Iranslate the mental spiral into fas1 by South- Mud, salt crystals, rocks, water
scooped up from the bea,h al the beginning orlhe jetty by a three·dimensional succession of measured lengths that Southeast by East- Mud, salt crystals, rocks, water
the fronl loader, Ihen deposite<! in Ihe trucks, whereupon would involve areas, volumes, masses, moments, Southeast by South- Mud, salt crystals, rocks, water
Ihe trucks backed up lo the outline of stakes and dumped pressures, forces, stresses and stains; bul in the Spiro/ South by Easl- Mud, salt crystals, rocks, water
the material. On Ihe edge oflhe water, ill the beginningof Jetty the surd takes over and leads one into a world thal South- Mud, salt crystals, rocks, water
the lail, the wheels ofthe Irucks san k into a quagmire of eannot be expressed by number or rationality. Ambiguilies South by West-Mud, salt crystals, rocks, water
sticky gumbo mudoA whole afternoon was spent filling in are admitted ,alher Ihan rejected, contradiction s are Southwest by South- Mud, sal! crystals, rocks, water
Ihis spot. Once the trucks passed Ihal problem, Ihere was ¡ncreased rather than decreased - the alogos undermines Southwest by West-M ud, salt crystals, rocks, water
always the ehance Ihal Ihe salt crust restillg on the mud the logos. Purily is pul in jeopardy.1 look mychances on a West by South- Mud, salt erystals, rocks, water
f1ats would break through. The Spira/Jetty was staked oul perilous path, along which my steps zigzagged, West- Mud , salt crystals, rocks, waler
in such a way as lo avoid the 50ft ml.lds Ihat broke up resembling a spirallighlning boll. 'We have found a West by North-M ud, salt crystals, rocks, water
throl.lgh the salt crust, nevertheless there were some ml.ld slrange footprinl on the shores ofthe unknown . We have Northwest by West- Mud , salt crystals, rocks, water
fissures that could nol be avoided. One could only hope devised profound theories, one after another, to account Northwest by North-M ud, salt crystals, rocks, water
that tension would hold the entire ¡eHy together, and itdid. for ils origino At last, we have succeeded in conslructing North by West-M sall crystals, rocks, water
Acameraman was sent by the Ace Gallery in Los Angeles the crealure Ihat made the foolprinl. And lo! it is our own'.·
to fi lm the process. For my film (a film is a spiral made up offrames)1 would The helicopter manoeuvred the sun's reflection through
The scale ofthe Spira /jetty tends to fluctuate dependo have myselffilmed from a helicopter (from the Greek he/ix, the SpiralJetty until it reached the centre. The water
ing on where the viewer happens to be. Size determines he/ileos meaning spiral) directly overhead in order lO gel funct ioned as a vast thermal mirror. From that positjon the
an object, but scale determines artoA crack in the wall i( Ihe seale in lerms o(erralic sleps. flaming reflection suggested the ion source of a eydotron
viewed in terms o( scale, not size, could be called the Chemically speaking, our blood is analogo us in that extended into a spiral ofcollapsed matter. AII sense of
Grand Canyon. A room could be made to take on the composition lo the primordial seas. Following the spiral energy acceleration expired ¡nto a rippling stillness of
immensity ofthe solar system. Scale depends on one's steps we return to our origins, back to sorne pulpy reflected heat. A withering light swallowed the rocky
capacity to be conscious ofthe actualities of perception. protoplasm, a floating eye adrift in an anlediluvian ocean. particles ofthe spiral, as the helicopter gained altitude. AII
I When one refuses to release scale (rom size, one is left On the slopes o(Rozel Point I dosed my eyes, and the sun existenee seemed tentative and stagnant. The sound of
with an object or language tha! appears to be certain. For burned crimson through the lids. I opened them and the the helicopter motor became a primal groan echoing into
me scale operates by uncertainty. To be in the scale ofthe Great Salt Lake was bleeding scadet streaks. My sight was tenuous aerial views. Was I but a shadow in a plastic
Sp ira/Jetty is to be oul ofit. On eye level, the tail leads one saturated by the colour of red algae circulating in the heart bubble hovering in a place outside mind and body? Et in
into an undifferentiated state of maHer. One's downward ofthe lake, pumping into ruby currents, no they were veins Utah ego. 1was slipping out of myself again , dissolving
gaze pitches from side to side, picking out random deposi· and arteries sucking up the obscure sediments. My eyes into a unicellular beginning, trying to locate the nudeus at
tions of salt crystals on the inner and outer edges, while became combustion chambers churning orbs ofblood Ihe end ofthe spiral. AII thal blood stirring makes one
the entire mass echoes the irregular horizons. And each blazing by the light ofthe sun. AII was enveloped in a aware of protoplasmic solutions, the essential matter
cubic salt crystal echces the Spira/Jetty in terms ofthe flaming chromosphere; 1thought ofJackson Pollock's Eyes between the formed and the unformed , masses of cells
crystal's molecular laHice. Growth in a crystal advances in the Heat (1964; Peggy Guggenheim Collection). consisting largely of water, proteins, lipoids,
around a dislocation point, in the manner o( a screw. The Swirling within the ineandescenee o( solar energy were carbohydrates and inorganic salts. Each drop that
SpiralJetty could be considered one layer within the sprays ofblood. My moviewould end in sunstroke. splashed onto the SpiralJetty coagulated ¡nto a crystal.
spiralling crystallaHice, magnified tritlions oftimes. Perception was heaving, the stomach turning, 1was on a Undulating waters spread millions upon millions of
This description echoes and reflects Brancusi 's skelch geologic fault that groaned within me. Between heat crystals over the basalt.
ofJames Joyce as a 'spiral ear' because it suggests both a lightning and heat exhaustion the spiral curled ¡nto The preceding paragraphs referlOa 'scale of centres'
visual and an aural scale, in other words il indicates a vaporization. I had the red heaves, while the sun vomited that could be disentangled as follows:
sense of scale that resonates in the eye and the ear al the its corpuscular radiations. Rays of glare hit my eyes wilh (a) ion source in cyclotron
same time. Here is a reinforcement and prolongation o( the frequency of a Geiger counter. Surely, the storm douds (b) a nucleus
spirals thal reverberates up and down space and time. So massingwould turn into a rain ofblood. Once, when I was (e) dislocation point
il is thal one ceases to consider art in terms of an 'object'. flying overthe lake, its surface seemed lo hold atl the (d) a wooden stake in the mud
The fluctuating resonances reject 'objective criticism', properties of an unbroken field o( raw meat with gristle (e) axis ofhelieopter propeller
because that would stifle Ihe generative power ofbolh (foam ); no doubt jt was due to some freak wind action . (f) James ¡oyce's ear channel
visual and auditory scate. Not to say that one resorts to Eyesight is often slaughtered by the other senses, and (g) the Sun
'subjective concepts', but rather that one apprehends when that happens jt becomes necessary to seek out (h) a hole in the film reeL
what is around one's eyes and ears, no maHer how dispassionale abstractions. The dizzying spiral yearns for Spinning off ofthis uncertain sule of centres would be
unstable or fugitive. One seizes the spiral, and the spiral the aSSurance of geometry. One wants to relreat into the an equally uncertain 'scale of edges':
becomes a seizure. cool rooms of reason. But no, there was Van Gogh with his (a) particles
After a poi ni, measurable steps ('Scale skal n. 11. or L; 11. easel on sorne sun·baked lagoon painting ferns ofthe (b) protoplasmic solutions
Sc% ; Lsc% usually sc%e pI., l. a. originally a ladder; a Carboniferous PeriodoThen the mirage faded into the (e) dizziness
flight of stairs; hence, b. a means of ascent") descend from burning atmosphere. (d) ripples
logic to the 'surd slate'. The ralionality of a grid on a map (e) flashes oflight
sinks into what it is supposed to define. Logical purity FROM THECENTER OFTH f SPIRALJ fTTY (f) sections
suddenly finds ilselfin a bog, and welcomes the North- Mud, salt crystals, rocks, water (g) footsteps
unexpected evento The 'curved' reality ofsense perceplion North by East- Mud, salt crystals, rocks, water (h) pink water.

INTEGRA TION
 The equation of my language remains unstable, a . . ... "
mlsslng follows delus ion. The ghostly cameraman slides o ver the
shifting ser of co-ordinates, an arrangement ofvariables glassed-in compounds. These fragments of a timeless
spilling into surds. My equation is as eleat as mud - a I wanted Nancy to shoot 'the earth's hislory' in one minute geology laugh without mirth at the time·fil led hopes of
muddy spiral. for the third section ofthe movie. I wanted to tteat the ec010gy. From the soundtrack Iheechoi ng metro nome
Back in N_York , the urban desert, I conbcted Bob aboye quote as a 'fact '. We drove out to the Creal Nolch van ishes inlo the wilderness ofbon es and glass. Trackmg
Fiore and Barbara Jarvis and asked them to help me put my Quarry in New Jersey, where I found a quarry fating about around a glass containing a 'd inosa ur mumm y', the words
movie together. The movie began as a set of twenty feet high. ! climbed lo the top and threw handfuls of ofThe UnnQmob le are heard. The camera shifts lo a
disconnections, a bramble ofstabilized &agments !aken ripped-up pages from books and magazinesovertheedge, specimen squeezed flat by the weight ofs ediments, then
from th ings obscure and flu id, ingredients trapped in a wh ile Nancy filmed it. Some ripped pages from an Old the film cuts lo the ro ad in Utah.
succession offrames, a strearn of viscosíties bolh still and Atlas blew across a dried out, cracked mud puddle_
movíng. And the movie editor, bending over such a chaos
of'takes' resembles a paleontologíst sorting out gl impses 'According lo all we know from foss il anatomy that beast
of a world not yet together, a land that has yet to come to was comparatively harmless. lis only weapons were its
completion, a span oftime unfinished, a spaceless limbo teelh and claws. 1don'l know what those obscene-looking
on sorne spiral reels. Film strips hung frorn the cutter's pouches mean - they don 't show in any foss il remains yet
rack, bits and pieces ofUtah, out-takes overexposed and found . Nor do Iknow whether red is their natural colour, or
underexposed, masses ofimpenetrable material. The sun, whelher it is due to faster decay owing to all the oil having • "
the spiral, the saft buried in lengths offootage. Everyth ing dr ipped down offthem. So much for its supposed
about movies and moviemaking is archaic and crude_One identity." •
is transporte<! by this Archeozoic medium into the earliest •
known geologica l eras. The movieola becornes a 'time The movie recapituates the su1e ofthe Sp;ro/jetty.
mach ine' that transforms truclc.s into d inosaurs. Fiore Disparate elements assume a coherence. Unl ikely places
pulled lengths offilm out ofthe movieola with the grace of and th ings were stuck between sections offilm that show a
a Neanderthal pulling intestines from a slaughtered stretch of d irt road rush ing lO and from the actual site in
mammoth. Outside his 13th StrH1loft window one Utah. A road that goes forward and backward between
expected to see Pleistocene faunas , glacial uplifts , living th ings and places thal are elsewhere. You migh! even say
foss ils and other prehistoric wonders. like two cavemen that the road is nowhere in particular. The disjunction
we ploned howtogettotheSp/1/lljettyfrom N_ York o perating between reality and film drives one into a sense
"
City. A geopolit ics of primordial return ensued. How to get of cosm ic rupture. Nevertheless, all the improbabilities
aaoss the geography ofCondwanaland, the Austral Sea would accommodate themselves to my cinemalic
and AtJantis be:ame a problem. Consciousness ofthe universe. Adrift am id scraps offilm, one is unable to infuse
d istant past absorbed the time that went into the making inlo them a ny mea ning, Ihey seem worn-out, oss ified views,
ofthe movie. ! needed a map that would show the prehis. degraded and pointless, yet they are powerful enough to
toric world as co-exlensive with the world I existed in. hurl one into a lucid vertigo. The road takes one from a
I found an oval map ofsuch a double world. The telescopic shot ofthe sun lo a quarry in Creat Notch New
continents ofthe jurassic Period merged with continents Jersey, to a map showing the 'deformed shorelines of •
oftoday. A microlens fitted to the end of a camera mounted anclent Lake BonneviUe', to The lost World, and tothe Hall , , ,
on a heavy tripod would trace the course of'absent ofLate Dinosaurs in American Museum ofNatural History.
images' in the blank spaces oftne map. The camera The hall was filmed Ihrough a red filler. The camera
panned from right 10 lefl One is liable to see Ihings in focuses on a Ornithominus Altus embedded in plaster
maps that are not there. One must be careful ofthe behind a glass case. A pan across the room picked up a
hypothetical monsters that lurk between the map's crimson ch iaroscuro tone. There are times when Ihe great
latitudes; they are des ignated on the map as black cireles outdoors shrinks phenomenological1y to the scale of a
(marine reptiles) and squares (land reptiles). !n the pan prison, and times when the indoors expands to the scale of
shot one doesn't see the flesh-eaters wa lking through the universe_So il is with the sequence from the Hall of
what today is called Indochina. There is no indication of Late Dinosaurs. An interior immensity spreads
Pterodactyls fly ing over Bombay. And where are the corals throughout Ihe hall, ttansforming Ihe lightbulbs into dy ing ,
and sponges covering southern Cermany? In the suns. The red filter d issolves the floor, ceiling and walls •
emptiness one sees no Stegosaurus. In the m iddle ofthe into ha1ations ofinfinite redness. Boundless desolation •

pan we see Europe completely underwater, but not a trace emerged from Ihe clnematic emulsions, red elouds, • • •
ofthe Brontosaurus. What line orcolour hides the burned from Ihe intangible light beyond the windows , •
Clobigerína Ooze? I don' t know. As the pan ends near visibility deepened into ruby dispersions. The bones, the
Utah, on the edge of Atlantis, a cut takes place, and we find glass cases, Ihe armatUtes brought forth a blood-drenched
outselves looking at a rectangular grid known as Location atmosphere. Blindly the camera stalked through the 5ullen •
NK 12-7 on the borderofa mapdrawn up the US ligllt. Classy reflections flashed inlo dissolutions like •
Ceological Survey showing the northern part ofthe Creat powdered blood. Under a burning window the skull of a •

Salt Lake without any reference lo the Jurassic Periodo Tyrannosaurus was mounted in a glass case with a mirror •
under skull. ln thislimitless scale one's mind imagines
' ... the earth 's history seems at times lilc.e a story recorded th¡ngs that are not there. The blood-soaked dropp ing of a , •
in a book each page of wh ich is lorn inlo small pieces. sick Duck-Billed Dinosaur, for insbnce. Roning monster
Many ofthe pages and some ofthe pieces of each page are flesh covered with millions of red spiders. Delusion

OOCUME N TS
'" 1 '1 - a hydraulic system for flushing waste. Since the
eompany required a new pond anyway, and s ince
lived there. The area is rich in flint , much prized by the
Indians, who so ught, worke<! and traded il widely. The
• , f m I t Ld'.e 01

nut!eee , tart Smithson's earthwork could cost very little more, his ideas remains of a pre-Columbian Irading kiva exist 12 miles
f r tn WMt t aroused their interesl. ln his proposal for Toilings Pond, (19 km) soulh ofthe Amorillo Romp on the bank ofthe
Smilhson envisaged a work that would continuously Canadian River ( ... ] The area was eo nsidered unsuitable
progress over twenly.five years or so. Sorne 9,000,000 for white seulement unlil the 1880s, when Ihe railway line

. "'
, "nq nI 'e dI'"' t nI fu) a

tons (9,180,000 tonnes) oftailings would complete Ihe was buil!. The opening ofthe area for ranching
ti "fi H nd T n earthwork, to have been approximalely 2,000 feet (610 m) immediately attracted speculative international capital,
•
in diameter. Smithson allowed for an overflow ifthe principally Englis h and ScoUish, and settlement ofthe
,.
1 w ti r O"flfig h wd I r

, • f, . ," projected quantity oflailings exceeded ex pectation s by area by whiles began in earnest.

'r'., •
. " r nene In ,
d; ny ,
extending the design lo accommadate the excess tailings
into another half·section ( ... ]
I'm told that when the first ranchers came, Ihe buffalo
grass sup ported a greater number of catlle. 1I is a natural
• 1)1 t ro 1 Afier Iwo years ofsite selections, fund raising, and s pecies ofthe dry plains easl ofthe Rocky Mountains, a
pd 'ured A! T e ti 1 ( b".n 00 ea fl eH inevitable cancellations, his proposal for the construction tender protein-rich grass, the foed ofthe great herds of
, ,
., "
•
ofToi'ings Pond realized al last Smithson's vision of an art
Iha! mediated between Ihe industrial technological
buffalo wandering the prairies, and requires no artificial
fertilization. Unlike other ranching operalions whieh must
Pamphlet ! H • r J. 11 'y, Q49 processes al work within the landscape. II confirmed his grow feed, the Amarillo ranchers were blessed wilh a

• "n p N ,t 'dflge Ii ¡ • idea that the artist could become a functional worker natural food sourceJor their catlle. Continual overgrazing
I the ,al a within society; and making an art that restored lo Ihe systematicall y depleted Ihe grass. Now the grass is
common man his sense of place in Ihe world. cropped short and laced with mesquite, yucca and olher
ttóndlj't The Amorillo Romp, however, came into existence by noxious weeds that got a toehold from seeds in the
BeQnngdt nt u h
"
theN'H"! f e ' on l. 8 N"'. chance. Smithson and his wife, Nancy Holt, visited Creede droppings ofthe first catlle driven into Ihe area.
lIe 1: II lo work out the final design for Toilings Pond, but actual Although at first it seems impossibly desolate, the
tu .1. T 6';1 f"et hen e', n" 4' El fec \nen e work on the project was delayed for a few more months. AII Amarillo area is a dynamic center of agribusiness, a
Ihe abortive attempts over the preceding two years to central geographic location where cattle, grain and rail
, , , ,
.
D rt f make a piece had lefl: Smithson wi lh a sense of repressed transportation come togelher. Now, only ninety years afier

" " t and contained energy that needed unleashing. While the opening ofthe Fort Worth and Denver City Railway,
passing time in New Mexico they met a friend, Tony what was formerly considered unusable desert has
r uy f t.- A r di nqu Shafrazi, who told of a raneh with desert lakes he was become one ofthe beeflockers ofthe world.

, ., dd
d ,

gl
wor
l[,)n
P

p
h

n N'lmDe
Q' ,

th
about lo visit in the Texas Panhandle. The Ihought of
desert lakes teased Smithson's imagination lo such an
The Marsh Ranch straddles a primeval watershed
(probably a lake or sea hottom at one time) covered by a

h d H. •
lO!. D ubledal"

, ., r
, ,
extent Ihat he and Holt decided to go along.
The Marsh Ranch is aboul 15 miles (24 km) northwesl
re<! rock of compressed elay. Nowadays, water flows down
through this watershed into Tecovas Creek, which feeds

8
/Iv
neo Toe

O
'O

,t
Ne" York, R

,
a

.. •

%3, ,
1
of Amarillo township, silualed near the rim ofthe Bush
Dome, a gianl underground cavem deep in Ihe earth, used
to supply Ihe Western world's readily available supply of
into Ihe Canadian River ahout 12 miles (19 km) north ofthe
ranch, and then inlo the Mississippi. At the flood point of
the Tecovas Creek, just beyond Tecovas Lake, which is a
Roben m ti o, ·TI r e,. IIr helium gas. The rich helium source, found in the Texas gas man-made dam, the action ofthe water has gouged a
n n. d. N , , lt,rr fields near Amarillo afl:er World War 1, was the first lapped deep, twisted rocky canyon.
on , " locally; then as other fields were opened in Ihe Texas The dam that forms Tecovas Lake was built in the early
.
p 14] ot>e

IIr' 1}5, d, •
, , ," Panhandle, Oklahoma, and Kansas, helium gas was piped sixties. Since then it has been sitted some thirty to forty per
lo Ihe Bush Dome, processed and stored there. Helium ¡s cent with fine red elay. Before Ihe dam was emplied for the
a ' noble' gas, one that will not react chemieally with other building of Amorjllo Romp, the water level was roughly
gases or bum, and one crucial to the space programme 8 feet (244 cm). The dam is part of a unique i"igation
John COPLANS since it is used to mainlain pressure in rocket fuellanks. system called Ihe Keyline, the first ofits kind buill in the
Other Ihan a small, heavily fence<!, and quite Westem hemisphere. Pioneered by a visionary Australian,
The Amarillo Ramp [1974) anonymous industrial processing unil nearby,lhere is P.A. Yeomans, Ihe system is based on the local control and
little evidence ofi15 presence near the ranch. U is typical of development ofland and water resources. Large dams can
[ ... ] Smithson's overriding (oncern , especially in the last the area Ihal until one has probed around, it is hard lo cost enormous sums of money, and the feeder canals and
two yeilrs ofhis life, was to propagate his art as 'a resource grasp Ihe extraordinary evolulionary process the pumping syslems necessary lo distribute the water can be
that mediates between ecology and industry'. He visited surrounding land has undergone, especially in recen! time equally expensive. By contrasl, Ihe Keyline system ulilizes
severalstrip mines, and negotiated for earthworks which - a qualily thal fascinaled Smithson . every drop of water where il falls. Rainwater usually runs
he argued would be ways of reclaiming the land in terms of This part ofTexas, east of a line drawn from Amarillo lo offthe land faster than Ihe soil can absorb ¡I, and is
arto He wrole lo numerous mining companies, especially New Mexico, appears on early maps as the Greal consequently wasted. Yeomans' plan doctors the land in
those engaged in strip mining, reminding them that 'the American Desert, and the Panhandle (which, in fact, is Ihe such a way that water is conserved as dose to Ihe water-
miner who cuts into the land can either cuhivale or northern part ofTexas) is still called West Texas, a re· shed as possible. At the Marsh Ranch Ihe water running
devastate it'. Through a Wall Street friend, he finally minder that geographically it was considere<! with in the down the watershed is dammed, pumped to a ridge 80 feet
contacted a receptive mining company. They were arid Western frontier. The Indians have in habite<! tfte area (24 m) ahove, fedthrough 5 miles (8 km) of ditch to a lake,
enthusiastic ahout his proposal for a 'tailings' earthwork at for thousands of years, beginning with the archaic Plains Ihen conducte<! by gravity downhill, point by point overthe
a mine in Creede, Colorado. At this mine, vast quantities of Indians. Until Ihe last quarter ofthe nineteenlh centu ry, surfaee ofthe 'ando The land is plowe<! to get an even
rock are broken up, subjected to a chemical process to when Ihey were eleared out by Ihe US Cavalry in one ofthe coverage from the water. The sparse rainfatl of zo inches
extract the ore, and the residue washed inlotailings ponds lasl aclions against Indians, the nomadic Comanches (SI cm) ayear is utilized tot he maximum.1 think whal

INTEGR ATlON
interested Smithson was the wonderful simplicity ofthe vertical feet (27 m) aboye the lowest level ofthe land , until '19
system. the manner in which it so e<:onomically employs you hit the edge ofthe bluffthat slopes firsl sharply, and James TURRELL
smaller and smaller systems lo overcome Ihe aridity ofthe then gently down to Tecovas lake. There below, beached
area. like something tnat has drifted in , is the earthwork. The Roden Crater [1993]
After Smilhson saw Tecovas Lake, he was abre to curve ofthe shape repeats the rhythm ofthe edges oflhe
convince Stanley Marsh lO lel him build an earthwork. lake and the surrounding low valley. As you walk down the [ ... ]Ifyou stand on an open plain you will not ice that Ihe
Marsh hired aplane 50 Smithson could take aerial slope toward it, there is a point - about three-quarters of sky is nol limitless and it has a definable shape and a sense
photographs lo chart Ihe lake's position and size. the way down - when the higher part ofthe ramp slices of enclosure, wh ich is referred lo as celestial vaulting. If
Smithson went up in the plane, photographed the lake across the horizon, after which the sides 100m up vertically you lie down the shape changes. Clearly, these limits are
and made sorne drawings. laler, he and Holl waded into to block the horizon. From Ihe lop oftne bluff(an upper mal1eable.1 looked for a hemispherically.shaped, d is hed
the lake and staked out a pie<:e, but Srnithson rejected this sighting platform) the earthwork is planar; it gradually space, between 400 and 1 ,000 feel aboye a plain, in order
plan and began aga in. A second proposal, for a work aboul becomes elevational on approach, but you don ' t really lo work with the limits oflhe space ofthe sky. The plain
250 feet (76 m) in diameter, was dismissed because he felt sense or grasp the verticatity ofthe pie<:e until you are would provide the opportun ity for celestial vaulting. The
it displaced too much oflhe area ofthe lake. He reduced it dose, at the very bottom ofthe indine and about to climb dish shape would effect changes in the perception ofthe
to 150 feet (46 m). Arter th is third proposal was staked out, the rampo size and shape ofthe sky. The height aboye the p la in was
Marsh hired Ihe same aircraft to view Ihe staked·oul piece Seen from aboye, it is a circle; as you climb, it becomes important so Ihal Ihe slight qual ity of concave curvature lo
from the airo On 20 July 1973, the plane was flying low over an indined roadway. Walking up the slope ofthe ramp, you the earth experienced by pilots at low altitudes would
the site when it stalled and dived into the ground, killing look up-valley, far offtoward low, flal hills; as you negotiate increase the sense of celestial vaulting after you emerged
everyone on board. the curve and reach the topmosl part, you look down· from the crater space. I also wanted a high.altitude site so
Soon aRer Smithson's death Holt thoughl Ihal the valley, across Ihe dike, to the land below Ihal gathers into tha! Ihe sky would be a deeper blue, which would ¡ncrease
piece should be built. Shortly after her return to New York, the canyon beyond. The top is also a sighting platform a sen se of close·in celestial vaulting from the bottom ofthe
she saw Richard Serra, who had witnessed part ofthe from which lo view Ihe whole landscape 360 degrees. crater.
construction ofSpira/Jetty. He broughl up the subject of Return ing down the earthwork, you retrace your footsteps , r f1ew all the Weslern sta les looking for asile [ ... 11 did
finishing Amarillo Ramp and volunteered his help. After going past your own past, and at the same lime you see the not want the work to be a mark upon nature, bul 1wanted
the funeral, he reminded Holt ofhis offer, and she made makings ofthe earthwork, the construction ofthe the work lo be enfolded in nature in such a way that lighl
the de<:ision lo return immedialely and finish the construction: Ihe quarry in the nearby hillside from which from the sun , moon and stars empowered the spaces .
earthwo,k with Serra and Tony Shaf,azi. the rocks were excavated; Ihe roadway lO the earthwork Usually art is taken from nature by painting or
1I took about three weeks for the Amarillo Ramp lo be along which Ihey were transported ; the tracks oflhe earth· photography and then brought back lo culture through the
built.1 know objections will be voiced as to whether it moving equipment; the tops of wooden stakes with museum. I wanted to bring culture to the natural surround
really is a pie<:e by Smithson, and whether during the orange·painted tips Ihal delineated the shape still slicking as if one was designing a garden or tend ing a landscape. 1
process ofbuilding, Sm ithson would not have altered his out here and there; and Ihe slope ofthe ramp shaped by wanled an area where you had a sense of standing on the
plan. Bul HolI attended all Ihe initial planning. She worked the piled red shale and white caliche rack. An acute sense planet. 1wanled an area of exposed geology like the Crand
with him on many ofhis projects , and Smithson discussed oftemporality, a chronometric experience of movemenl Canyon or the Painted Desert, where you could feel
wilh her Ihe final shape oflhe Amarilla Ramp in great and time, pervades one's expe,ience ofthe interior ofthe geologic time. Then in this stage set of geologic time, 1
deUil, induding the use and piling ofthe rack from the earthwork. And something else, too, in walking back and wanted to make spaces that engaged celestial events in
nearby quarry, from which he had decided to draw looking down loward Ihe inside, you are intensely aware of lighl so thal Ihe spaces performed a ' music oflhe spheres'
material. Smithson leA: specific drawings giving the size, the concentric shape thal holds its form by compression, in lighl. The sequence of spaces, leading up to the final
gradation oflhe slope, and the staked-out shape ofthe heavy rock densely piled and impacted. Stepping offthe large space at Ihe top oflhe craler, magnifies events. The
pie<:e in the water. lt musl be remembered, loo, Ihal earthwork, one has a sense of relieffrom pressure, work I do intensifie s the experience oflight by isolating jt
Smithson never visualized the final design of any work as stepping back inlo the norma l world's time and space, and ocduding !lghl from events not looked al. 1 have
completely predetermined. The workers who built the and even a sense ofloss . The piece then , is not jusi aboul selected different portions of sky and a limited number of
SpiralJetty were not just hired hands; they offered their centring Ihe viewer in a specific place, but also about events for each ofthe spaces. This is the reason for the
own suggestions as 10 how the machines and materials elevaling and sharpening perceplion through locomotion. la rge number of spaces. Each space essenlially looks lO a
could be employed to realize Smithson's temperament. The Amorillo Ramp is mule until enlered. And it is only differenl portion of sky and accepts a limited number of
When Holt, Serra and Shafrazi a"ived in Texas, they later, when you return to the top ofthe bluff, and look events [ ... ]
found that the water level oflhe Te<:ovas lake had ,isen, back, thal you realize how carefully it has been sited,
and the stakes were almost covered. Their first problem how on firsl seeing Ihe earthwork from aboye, in plan,
was how to begin 10 work. They could not find the drain lo everything is revealed by predestination . Once on the
the dam which they knew existed, even though they bluff again, you are rem inded Ihal even if you think you
searched for hours in the muddy water. To pump the lake know the patter ofthe world , you slill have to move James TURRELL
dry would have taken three weeks, so they cut the dike and through it to experience life. Thus to think ofthe Amarillo
emptied the lake, accord ing lO Serra's report, completely Ramp in traditional terms, as an object or sculplure Mapping Spaces [1987]
changing the place. The mud lay several feel deep, like a dislocaled from its surroundings, is lo view it abstractly,
quagmire. The lake bed quickly became covered with to strip it oflhe existential qualities wilh which it is light is a powerful substance. We have a primal
crabs, crayfish, and sand·dabs dy ing in the sun. endowed [ ... [ connection to il. Bul, for something so powerful ,
situations for its felt presence are fragile. 1form il as much
You come across the Amarillo Ramp suddenly. You drive , as the material allows. llike to work with il so that you feel
across the ranch following a track that meanders jI physically, so you feel the presence oflight inhabiting a
according to slight changes in the topography for the space. Ilike the quality offeeling that is felt not only with
landscape, which is rolling, yucca,sludded prairie. You Ihe eyes . It's always a little bil suspect to look al something
don't realize that you are on a plateau , about 90 or so really beautifullike an experience in nature and want to

OOCUMENTS
220 make il arto My desire i5 lo se! up a situalion lo which 1take ! am drawn to wildness but do not have to be in a upon . Dialogue is thus nol an ideological concept. It is a
you and let you see. 1I Decomes your experience. I am wilderness to find it. If much of my work appears to be concept which belongs to the f10wing and uncompleted
doing Ihal al Roden Crater. It's nol taking {rom nature as made in such places it is because 1find wildness in what is life and as such is on the side of openness and freedom .
mueh as pladng you in contact with ¡l. often considered commonplace. Going to othercountries People are moved by dimension, they are brought
Jam . 'Roden rater', T"rre . , The is interesting but not essential to my arto Most (if not 0111) together by something which seemslarger than
that I need can be found within walking distance of my themselves, even incomprehensible. It is precisely this
home. When travelling ! regret the loss of a sense of kind of movement which precisely land Art has the
change. 1seedifferences not changes. Change is best capacity to create as geme, ifone can use the word. Land
Andy GOLDSWORTHY eJO:perienced by staying in one place. 1travel because 1am
•
Art lifts the work out ofthe realm ofthe personal and out of
invited and accept this just as ! do ice when it's freezing the magic circle ofthe individual artist·destiny and turns it
Stone [1994] and leaves in autumn. The choice of where to work;s never into a space, a context, a wOrld which one cannot say is the
entirely within my control. private individual's inner sphere. Land Art js to a radical
Fixed ideas prevent me from seeing clearly. My art makes degree an art of exteriority. It marks the world as an
me see again what is Ihere, and in Ihi5 respect I am also I am not a great traveller and when abroad 1willsettle into extended field expending its energies in the marking ofthe
rediscovering the child within me. In the past 1have felt a daily routine of going back and forth to work in the same world rather than in the communication of a personal or
uncomfortable when my work has been ilssociated with place. Even in the vast Australian outback 1worked mainly private truth.ln the simple sense ofthe word, Land Art
children because oflhe implication Ihal what I do is merely in one afea of a small hill. I returned there on my second brings our attention back to the world.
play. Since having children of my own, however, and visit and would be happy to go there for a third. The two Land A,rt projects, Heart and Gate, can be seen
seeing the intensity with which Ihey discover through play, in photographic representation. They are a kind of
I have to acknowledge this in my work as weU. I revisit sorne stones, 0151 do places, many times over. Each documentation of ceremonial beginning and serve to
work teaches me a new aspect ofthe stone's character. A dramatise the meeting oftwo artists.
I had lo forget my idea of nature and learn again that stone stone is one and many stones at the same time - jt Don Bloom W\ll Kentridge. '/Iurt GHe· .
is hard and in so doing found that it is 01150 soft. ! tore changes from day to day, season to season. arthts'

leaves, broke stones, cut feathers ... in orderto go beyond

appearances and touch on something ofthe essence. ! Ido not simply cover rocks. I need to understand the
would often start by clearing a space in which to work and nature that is in 0111 things. Stone is wood, water, earth, Sidney TILLlM
put things - place was as closely cropped as the material. grass ... 1am interested in the binding oftime in materials
and places that reveals the stone in a f10wer and the f10wer Earthworks and the New
I cannot disconnect materials as 1used to. My strongest in a stone.
work now is so rooted in place that jt cannot be separated Picturesque [1968]
from where it is mOlde - the work is the place. Atmosphere It is difficult for a sculptor to work with petals, f10wers and
and feeling now direct me more than the picking up of a leaves because oftheir decorative associations. 1can not In 1964 Oonald )udd wrote that conventional media and
leaf, stick, stone ... understand nature without knowing both the stone and the canvas rectangle were no longer adequate for a
the Aower. I work with each as they are - powerful in their contemporary expression and called for an art with 'the
1nevita bly materials a nd places gather associations a nd own ways - the f1esh and bones of nature. specificity and power of actual materials, actual colour,
meanings as my work develops, but in ways that draw me actual space'. The recently concluded exhibition of
deeper into nature rather than distracting me from it. What 1feel the Sol me about colour. Colour for me is not pretty or earthworks at the Dwan Gallery in New York brings to a
1could previously see only by working close up is now also decorative - it is raw with energy. Nor does it rest on the climaJO: the subsequent involvement with 'actual' media in
visibleto me from a distance. ! now want to understand surface. I eJO:plore the colour within and around arock - recent arto The earthworks were just that - works made
the untorn leaf, the unbroken stone, the uncut feather, the colour is form and space. It does not lie passively or flat. At either with actual soil or by marking lines, digging holes
uncleared space ... and to perceive all materials as the best it reaches deep into nature - drawing on the unseen- and cutting rings on and into selected portions ofthe
same energy revealed differently. touching the living rock - revealing the energy inside. earth's surface (il1ustrated in the exhibition by
Andy G ·5tonp·. ;¡one. Abrams. Ne .. Vor_; photographs ofthe various sites). Never has it been
1am no longercontent simply to make objectsj instead of clearer that anything can be an artistic medium, as long as
placing works upon a stone, I am drawn to the stone itself. it is used literally ratherthan symbolically. At the same
t want to eJO:plore the space within and around the stone time, in the light of all th is, rarely has the future of
through a touch that is a brief moment in its rife. A long Doris BLOOM and William Modernism seemed more problematical.
resting stone is not an object in the landscape but a deeply Earthworks represent a speciat and conceptual
ingrained witness to time and a focus of energy for its KENTRIDGE involvement with literal nature and it is not an accident
surroundings. that almost every artist in the show exhibited 'mini mal' 3rt
Heart and Gate [1995] in seasons pasto Either passages oflandscape are turned
My work does not lay claim to the stone and is soon shed into art, or object.art is turned into a kind oflandscape, or
like a fall of snow, becoming another layer in the many The manifestation ofthe project sets off a dialogue which object and landscape are combined in a way that is both
layers of rain, snow, leaves and animals that have mOlde a is the very content ofthe work. It is a dialogue which is not aesthetic and atavistic. Dennis Oppenheim proposes to
stone rich in the place where it sits. about anything specific, not about any special common mow rings up to ten miles wide in the wheat fields
past although there are of course myriads of references surrounding an active volcano in Ecuador next July,
Although I occasionally work in wildernesses, it is the everywhere to the artists' origins and life trajectories. To whereas Robert Morris assembtes, in a gallery, and for one
areas where people live and work that draw me mostoI do their childhood and growing up, from smells to values, time, a compost ofdark soll, a profusion of pipes, lengths
not need to be the first oronly per50n in a place. That no- from habits to momentous eJO:periences. 1I is a dialogue offelt and a gelatinous mass ofthick industrial grease.
one has gone before me would be a reason for me not to go alone as a mOl rker of a kind oflife principal, a n apoliticallife Othervarieties ofthe literalist landscape experience,
there and I usually feel such places are best left. principie with political consequences. Especially iftread either illustrilted or actually shown in the exhibition,

INTE GRATl ON
 ,
THEN,ARRIVEATAMOMENTWHEN

IS ATTHE LOWEST ESS IN ITS

OF MODERNISM AS A WHOLE.
 m ¡ndude Ihe vas! parallellines drawn across a Western olher media which interpolate a correspond ing landscape best modernist abstraction is nol immune from the
wasteland by Walter De Maria, and a gallery in Munich oftactility. And mueh ofit combines both soft and hard delieacy th¡t is robbing Modernism ofits power.
with wall-to-wall dirt, also by De Maria. Rough-hewn componenls to recapitulate the basie formal dichotomy Earthworks, then, arrive at a moment when Modernism is
blocks of wood by Carl Andre were illuslrated snaking (edge versus mass) at the root of aU art since the very at the lowest ebb in its history, and is therefore implicated
through rores! underbrush; Michael Heizer dug sli! moment, in fact, when the cult ofthe p icturesque began to in, indeed signals, the weakness ofModernism as a whole.
trenches in forests and sun-baked mud f1ats. (raes tlourish. Consequently, it is further confirmation of my An extreme is too much, and that by definition . It is
Oldenburg showed sorne dirt in a plastic container; the analogy that Minimalism has resulted in a body of possible only through an oversimplication of alternalives
dirt was said lo be seeded with worms. rhe hole he had theoretical wriling comparable to that produced by Ihe and an utterdependenceon the oneth¡1 is chosen. This is
•
dug and filled up again behind the Melropolitan Museum proselytizers and theorists ofthe original picturesque. necessary in revolution, bul when evolution has
of Art was presented on film. Bul the picturesque was more than just a theory of assimilated revolulion, extremism becomes a form of
Whall think is ¡nvolved in Earth Art in particularand landscape in nature and arto It was a cruci¡1 episode in Ihe sentimentalily. ln minima!ist sculpture, this h¡s led lo an
actual media art in general is a twentieth-century lIersion history oftaste. Less than s ublime, yel seeking a surrogate exaggeration ofbeliefin one aspect of art - the medium-
ofthe picturesque. The picturesque was a theory of for Ihe ideal, it signalled, by v¡rtue ofits resultant and il furthermore holds Ihat every medium has inherent
landscape tha! emerged in the late eighteenth and early sentimenlality, Ihe end ofthe ideals ofhigh arto II properties which determine the s hape ofthe entire work.
nineteenth centuries, especially in England. As the word substituted the sentimenlal for nobility offeeling and Yet it is impossible not to impose on a medium. Ifwe do
itselfimplies, the picturesque referred lo landscape seen developed the cult of nature as an antidote to the excessive not attempt lo conlrol it through, say, s hape, we still say
in an essentially pictorial way. Landscapes were judged for sophislication of cultivaled society. Al Ihe same time it where the shape will happen. Thus Minimalism affects an
Iheir pictorial beauties and the same effects in painting was an affectation ofculti vated taste at its most refined. Its abseneeof conlrivanee when in practice it is all
•
were highly praised.ln other wo rds il was a way of seeing ineipient morbidity matured finaUy with the complete conlrivance, brutal and exquisite at the same time.
nalure and the setting was very importanl. An extensive failure of scale in the early nineleenlh cenlury (nol even On the other hand, the sentimental is a solution and
body oflilerature descri bin g and illustrating pictu resque Romanticism could save monumentality; realism was has it s pleasures.lt is the only way lo solve ¡ certain kind of
loun carne inlo being. inimical to it and lo the rise ofVictorianism). problem. Minimalists seek a complex lack of complexity, a
I
Minimalist art is likewise dependent on setting. As the twenlieth-century form ofthe picturesque, monumentality without parts and a 'natural' selection of
IS
Whether ofthe technological and hard.edged sort, or the earthworks signify an analogous degree ofover-cultivation forms . Thus, from the didactic side ofMinimalism we can
geological and much softer kind, minimalist art is a form of oflhe modernist idiom. And il implements the condition of learn a great deal about the problem of shape, colour and
man·made nature or nature made over by manoIt does not over-refinement in the course ofseeking to renew seale in post·colour arto From its unconscious orconscious
present objects with art on them but useless artifacts thal Modernism by ¡ direct involvement with 'actual' media , an ¡ffinity with ¡rchitecture - and the landscapists among
create a setting rather than a space. The relationship, then, involvement that has fun the gamut from wood, metal, the minimalists are neo-Gothlc type visionaries - we learn
belween an observer of minimalist art, or a minimalisl plastics, the enlire industrial process and now eommon of an exeeptional des ire for a consanguinity of art and
object·scape, call it, is analogous to the relationship dirt. II thus I¡nks up with Pop Art as a kind of precious architecture, of architecture and nature, a desire that is not
between the cultivated man oftaste and his picturesque primitivism seeking revitalization through willful banality. only social, but ultimately moral . In any event, it is
view. It was this qua lity which provoked Michael Fried lo And like Pop Art, il is effective only in so far as il confirms significantly mysterious, involved somehow in a yearning
describe mi nimalist or, a s he called it, literalist, scu Ipture, the stylistic att(ition it seeks to re verse. for a ritual impulse which whole societies once
pejoralively as ' Ihealrical'. For in Ihe Ihealrical work the We can understand now why formalists restrict Ihe experieneed in common. But recovery is imposs ible
observer is no longer outside ofthe work of art but is possibility of qualily to an increasingly narrow sector of arto unless one has models to remind one of what has been
instead a part ofits setting. The work thus ' performs' for As more and more art defects from what formalists lost. Because Minimalism rejects the past, it can only
theobserver. Sorne minimalist sites can only be consider rigorous historical self-criticism, as more and illustrale Ihe impulse through a medium which becomes a
appreciated from the ai roOn the other hand, Robert more artists substitute their own historieal·theoretical surrogate for representation.
Smilhson virtually parodied the modern picturesque when definitions of modernist art hislOry, Ihe fewer the oplions •
he visited the ' monuments' ofPassaic, carrying his for a preponderantly formalist solution to problems of
Inslamalic camera like Ihe older connoisseur carried a conlemporary slyle. Thus Ihe intensity ofthe formalist everyning e Out )f th
sketchbook, perhaps. And like him, Smithson wrote up his position increases to the degree that its conception of d' y T '''. 'Earlhor, and lhe P, 'uresQüe·.
tour and illustrated it with photographs - of a factory quality is isolated in an art culture that has turned to other
building, sand pits, drainage pipes and the eIDuvia of means, including the extravagant ones in earthworks, for
industrialism generally. solutions to problems of contemporary style. Clement
As in the earlier and original picturesque, the values of Greenberg, Ihe principal form¡list critic of modern limes,
judging and choosing 'sites', or 'Non·sites' (as Smithson was aware ofthe signific¡nce of growing unrest in
calls his gallery objects), or the style in wh ich a landscape Modernism when he concluded something of a defense of
is made over, derive enlirely from arto A thorough abstract art in 1964 in an article, 'The of Abstract
knowledge of modernist art' is therefore a prerequisite for Art', in euriously eautious, even anticipatory terms.
the refinement actually involved in the literalisl Rejecting nolions of a 'crisis', he claimed colour painling
picturesque. For instance, qualities of shape and as the successor to painterly abstraction. Then he
composition or non-composition derive from specifieally terminated his article as follows:
abstract precedents. Thus some are purely planar and/or 'An unexplored realm of picture.making is being
linear (Heizer's earth rings, De Maria's lines) , sorne are opened up - in a quarter where young apes cannot
Pop (Smithson's bins of rocks and photographs, his trip to follow - that promises to be large enough to
Passaic, 01denburg's hole in Cenlral Park), olhers are accommodate at least one more generalion of major
virtually abstract expressionist in a conceptualized way painters.'
(Morris' dirt pile). Earthworks were limited lo works 'Al le¡st one more generalion': a modest, almost
involving the earth, bul Ihe media aesthetic is not limited chastened claim, as ifGreenberg here senses thal the
to a geological palette and other artists are working in fabrie ofModernism is wearing thin. And now, even the

I NTEGR ATt ON
 The texts included here expa nd on ea rly investi ga-

tions of the landscape , often dovetailing larger philosophical questions with

specific analyses of artistic practice. 'Certain art is now using as its beginning and

as its means. stuff, substances in many states - from chunks. to pa rticles, to

slime. to whatever - and pre-thought images are neither necessa ry nor possible'.

writes Robert Morris in his 'Notes on Sculpture' . 'Alongsi de this approach is

change. contingency, indeterminacy', he continues, 'in short, the entire area of

process. Ends and means are brought together in a way that never exi sted before

in art'. Whether orchestrating existing elements in a landscape , introduci ng new

non-indigenous products into il. or taking elements from the land into th e gallery.

the kinds of art-making described and implied by the texts in this groupi ng are

involved in exploring altitudes to formo material and process. They rep resent a

radical opening out of the object of art and its relation to both vi ewer and space.

differences between Ihem , links artisls like Bladen and seemed Ihat there had been a reality there which had nol
Michael FRIED Grosvenor, both of whom have allowed ' gigantic scale [to had any express ion in art.
become) the 10adOO term' (Morris), with olher, more 'The experience on the road was something mapped
Art and Objeclhood [1967] restrained figures like Judd, Morris, Andre, McCracken, out bul nol socially recognized. I thoughl lo myself, il
LeWitt and - despile the size of some ofhis pieces - Tony ought to be clear Ihat's the end of art. Most painting looks
( ... ) I am suggesting, then, that a kind oflatent or hidden Smith : And il is in the interest, Ihough nol explicitl y in Ihe pretty pictorial after Ihal. There is no way you can frame it,
naturilllism , indeed anthropomorphism, líes at the core of nome , oftheatre that lileralist ideology rejects bolh you just have to experience il. Later, 1discovered some
literalist theory and practice. The concept of presence al! modernist painting and, al leasl in the hands ofits mos! abandoned airstrips in Europe - abandoned works,
bu! says as mueh, though rarely so nakedly as in Tony distinguished recent practitioners, modernist sculpture. surrealist landscapes, something that had nolhing lo do
Smith's statement, '1didn't think ofthem [Le., the In Ihis conneetion Tony Smilh's description of a ca, wi th any funetion , crealed worlds wilhoul tradition.
sculplures he made) as sculptures but as ride taken at night on the New Jersey Turnpike before it Artificial landscape wilhout cultural precedent began to
presences of iI son'. The latency or hiddenness ofthe was finished makes compelling reading: dawn on me. There is adrill ground in Nuremberg large
anthropomorphism has been such that the literalists 'When I was leaching al Cooper Union in Ihe firsl year enough to accommodale two million men. The entire field
themselves have, as we have seen, felt free lo characterize or Iwo ofthe 1950s, someone told me how 1could get on to is enclosed with high embankmenls and lowers. The
the modernist art they oppose, e.g" the sculpture ofOavid Ihe unfinished New Jersey Turnpike. 1took three sludents concrete approach is Ihree 16·inch (41 cm) steps, one
Smith and Anlhony Caro, as anthropomorphic - a and drove from somewhere in the Meadows lo New above the olher, stretching for a mile or so'.
characterization whose leelh, imaginary lo begin with, Brunswick. It was a dark nighl and Ihere were no lights or Whal seems to have been revealed to Smith Ihal night
have just been putloo. By the same token, however, what is shoulder ma rke rs, lines, railings or anything al all excepl was Ihe pictorial nalure of painling -even, one might say,
wrong with literalist work is not that it is anthropomorphic the dark pavement moving through the landscape ofthe the conventional nature of art. And th ;s Smilh seems to
bu! tha! the meaning and, equally, t he hiddenness ofits fla ts, rimmed by hills in Ihe distance, but punctuated by have understood, not as laying bare Ihe essence of art, but
anthropomorphism are incurably theatrical. (Not all stacks, towers, fumes and coloured lighls. This drive was a as announcing ils end.ln comparison with the unmarked ,
literalist art hides or m asks its anthropomorp hism; the revealing experience. The road and much ofthe landscape unlit, all but unstructured turnpike - more precisely, wilh
work oflesserfigures like Stei ner wears it on its sleeve.) was artificial, and yel il couldn't be callOO a work of art. On the turnpike as experienced from wilhin the car, travelling
The cruciol distinction thot 10m propos;ng so for is the other hand, il did something for me Ihal art had never on il - art appears to have struck Smith as almost absurdly
between wo rk rh ot isfundomen to/ly t heot rico/ ond work d one. Al firsl I didn't know what it was, but its effect was to small ('AII art loday is an art of poslage slamps', he has
t hot is not. It is t heatrica lity which, whateverth e liberate me from many oft he views I had had about art. It said), circumscribed, conventional ... There was, he seems

OOCUMENTS
 differenl terms lo work with.' excess ille CU Itu ra l so phl sllca tlon .
'" to have felt, no way to 'frame' his experience on the Toad ,
thal ¡s, no way to make sense ofit in terms of art, to make Unless the pieces are sel down in a wholly natural Dennis Oppenheim Wetl, this nolion oflhe artist
art ofit, al least as art then was. Rather, 'you jusi nave to conlext , and Morris does not seem lo be adllocaling thi s, immersing himselfin nalure - Ihe theory ofthe
experience it' - as il hopplms, as il merely ;s. (The some sort of artificial but not quite archilectural setting picturesque - was nol part ofthe recipe of entry that
experience %nl! is what matters.) There i5 no suggestion mus! be conslructed. Whal Smith's remarks seem to concerned atl Earth Artists. Only a few ofthem have had a
Ihal this is probJematic in any way. The experience is suggest is thal Ihe more effective - meaning effectille as dialogue with this idea, perhaps Richard Long and some
clearly regarded by Smith as wholly accessible to everyone, theat,e - the setting is made, the more superfluo us Ihe other English artisls. My use of quasi·scientific nuance or
nol jusI in principie bUI in (act, and the question of works Ihemsellles become [ ... J notalion was meant to oppose abstract gestures on the
whether or nol ane has really hod il does nOI arise. That land, lines that only meant tnemselves and didn 'l refer lo
this appeals to Smith can be seen (rom his praise of anything else. 1 believed applying abstract gesture onlo Ihe
Corbusier as ' more available' Ihan Michaelangelo, ' The land was carrying a studio ideology thal referred t o
direct ilnd primitive experience ofthe High (oun Building painting, out of doors. 1I was retrograde. If you were going
al (handigahr is like the Pueblos ofthe Southwest under a , "e 'o, pt f re "' lo use land, you should make il part of a holistic,
(antastí, overhanging cliff. It's something everyone can ecological, geological, anlhropological continuum.
understand'. 1I is, 1Ihink, hardly necessary to add that the So when 1d id lines on the snow, lines which came from
availabilily of modernisl art is not ofthis kind, and that the a map, 1referred to them as information lines. They may
rightness or relevance of one's conviction about specific have looked like abstract gestures, even abstract
modernist works, a conviction that begins and ends in expressionist but the intent was lo suture the
one's experience ofthe work itself, i5 always open to 0-. ArtforUfII. .. . work with lines or notations Iha! had larger fields of
question. association. Unes could mean rainfall ortemperature.1
But what was Smilh's experience on the turnp ike? Or was not paying attention to the picturesque as a
to put the same question anolher way, ifthe turnpike, possibility. 1 used terms like 'sludio organism', quasi.
airstrips and driJI ground are not works of art, whal are CarlANDRE ecological terms that were meant lo contrast studio habils
they? Whal, indeed, if not empty, or ' abandoned', with exterior habils or habitats. Ilook my ctues from
I ,' situations? And what was Smith 's experience if nol the Artist's statement [1970] ecology, pushing towards whal the critic Jack Burnham
11 experience of what 1 have been calling theotre? It is as called 'real time systems'. A sculptor in real time syslems
1 though the lurnpike, airstrips and drill ground re vea l the My idea of a piece of sculpture is a road. That is, a road wouldn't wanl studio references to bleed inlo the land. He
theatrical character or literalist art, only without the object, doesn't reveal itself at any particular poinl or from any would want to halle a new dialogue with the external site.
that is, without the ort itself- as though the object is particular point. Roads appear and di sap pear. We either Heiss So, if you weren't searchlng out locatlons because
needed only within a room' (or, perhaps, in any halle lo Iravel on them or beside them. Bul we don't halle a they were beautiful or Inleresling to you, how would you
circumstances less extreme than thesel.ln each ofthe single point of lIiew for a road al all, except a moving one, delermine where you would do an Earth Art piece, for
above cases Ihe object is, so lo speak, reploced by moving along il. Most of my works -certainly the example? Why choose exil52 on the Long Island
something: for example, on the turnpike by the constan! successful ones - have been ones Ihal are in a way Expressway for Londslide)
onrusl1 ofthe road, the simullaneous recession of new causeways - they cause you to make yo ur way along them Oppenheim 1was drawn to rallaged siles. When 1wanted
reaches of dark pavement illumined by the onrushing or around Ihem or move lO the spectalor oller Ihem. lo undertake a piece, 1would go to New Jersey and stomp
headlights, the sense ofthe turnpike itself as something They're like roads, bul certainly not fixed point lIistas. 1 around chemical dumps. This was one ofthe reasons why
enormous, abandoned, derelict, existing for Smith alone Ihink sculpture should halle an infinile point of view. There it was difficult lo do earthworks under Ihe jurisdiction of a
and for Ihose in the car with him ... This last point is should be no one place, nor ellen a group of places where planned exhibition. Sites were places tnat had not been
important. On the one hand, Ihe lurnpike, airslrips and you should be. incorporated into a system - dumps, borders of countries,
drill ground belong to no one; on the other, !he situation deserts and wasle lands - peripheries. Iflhe land wasn'l
established by Smith's presence is in each case felt by him degenerate enough for me, I'd write words like 'diphtheria'
to be hif. Moreover, in each case being able lo go on and on
• on Ihe hiltside. The idea was a sellere disjuncture from the
indefinitely is ofthe essence. What replaces the object- pastoral [ ... ]
what does the same job of distancing or isolating Ihe He;ss But Tillim al so implied Ihal you guys were alt
beholder, of making him a subject, that the object did in Dennis OPPENHEIM kidding. Instead of staring al the sunset and sighing, you
the closed room - is aboye all the endlessness, or were takmga chalnsawand cultlnga hole In the ground
objectlessness, ofthe approach or onrush or perspective. Another Poi nt of Entry: and looklng allhe sunset and sighing. So you were doing
It is the explicitness, that is to say, the sheer persistence, basically Ihe same Ihlng.
with which Ihe experience presenls ilself as directed al Interview with Alanna Heiss Oppenheim Well, one has to come to grips with what
him from outside (o n the turnpike from outside Ihe car) amount ofthe gesture went lowards the site and what
that simultaneously makes him a subject - makes him [1992] amount didn'l have anything lo do wilh il. A good part of
subject - and estabtishes Ihe experience itself as the Ihinking could have been supplanled to objects or non·
something like that of an obiect, or rather, of objecthood. [ ... 1Alonno H/!;ss Let's tal k about yOUf early pleces, where objects or dematerialized slales, nol localions. There are
No wonder Morris' speculalions aboul how lo pul literalist ideas were more Imporlanllhan seduction, more vllal Earth Artists who have only focused on a lIery specific
work ouldoors remain slrangely inconclusille: than IIlsuals . Annual Rings (1968) and Londslide (1968) formal treatmenl for Iwenty.fille years. Clearly, a large
'Why not put the work outdoors and further change the halle a quasi-sclenllfic quallty lo them, whlch seems lo be percentage oftheir momentum was already
terms? A real need exists lo allow th is nex! slep to become al odds with whal feels like the old·fashioned nolion of the monomaniacal at the time.
practicaL Archilecturally designed sculpture courts are nol artlst ImmerSlng hlmself In nature. In a 1968 artlele on For me, Earth Art was already decompartmentatized
the answer nor is the placemenl of work outside cubic earthworks, Sldney Tilhm speculaled aboul Earth Art and splitting apart as I was doing il. 1I quickly whiplas hed
architectural forms. Ideally, il is a space wilhout 'plcturesque quest', as a subslllution of sentimentalily for into what was diametrically opposed lO it - Body Art. 1
architecture as background and reference, thal would gille nobillly offeeling. the cult of nature as an anecdote for knew Ihal 1could have gotten another ten years out of

INTERRUPTlON
 •

•
THEM
OR BESIDE THEM.BUTWE DON'T
HAVE A SINGLE POINT OF VIEW FOR A ROAD
Al ALL, EXCEPT A MOVING ONE,MOVING ALONGIT.
 making inscriptio ns in the gro und before they wo uld start recognized the importance of documentation, and even if and scars on my body in works like Land Indsion (1968)
to wea rth in. 1also knew I wo uld have trouble justifying 1foeused on it lo the point where it fed my ideas Ihrough and Art O{W¡,e (1969). Then in 1969, I got video
s uch a m ono-d irectional purs u i1. I wasn't looking for the paranoia, I eouldn't make the obsession stick. The next equipment, and I began to record activities. Earth Art
Ea rth Art to gi ve wa y, and Bady Art to lake over; I was day I was offdoing another piece, earing even less abaut quickly evolved inlo Bady and Performance Art (or me [ ... )
looking (or a kind ofh ybrid u nbeknownst to me. II was like the way it would be seen. This is the truth ¡ ... ) AlaMa Hel ' . P lnt ) f En\rj An !nter.,p" ..
m ixi ng your own che m istry as you' re th inking. Mi xing You can 't understand how strange it was to be a )"nnl lppenh ... ,m ·. _MI lIor'

liqu ids in yo ur own syste m , not knowingthe exact seulptor who exhibited photographs. You operated on '96' 9( . P.S 1 Museum The for .. porarj
outcome. trulya large sea le, but when photographs represented the Art,IIHrjll Abra,.,. Yor ' . 199<' . pp. 138
•
Heiss Wasyour Earth and Body Art an extension. ora work everything closed down into a pictorial configura.
denunClallon, ofthe Influence ofMlnlmalism on art In the tion. You were always making excuses for poor docu-
late 1960s and 1970S? mentation, saying what you were doing was an advanced
Oppenheim Conceptual Art, by and large, was in a art, and there were only a few ways to communicate it. But CHRISTO and JEANNE-
dialogue with Min imalism, and was literally descended in reality the work was gone, and there was nothing to see.
from Minimalis m thro ugh its practitioners_They retain a That was the way I wanted it l ... ) CLAUDE
d ialogueto th is day_In (act, the earthworks yo u see now Heiss But, what wos the plece? In your mind, dld those
that are done by the elassic practitioners areeither a early pleces eXlst beyond your original realizallon thmugh Project Notes [1969-91]
continuation ofthis original posilio n o r a degeneration documenlalion, however modest) For example. In my
rising out of sheer (atigue from the distance they've gone. mind. Smilhson's Spiraljeuy 15 Jusi two pholographs. WRAPP.,fD COAST, UTTLE BAY, ONE MILLION SQUARE
•
That's one ofthe problems with formalism; a fatigue factor Oppenheim That's certainly what Baudrillard would sayo FEET, SYDN EY, AUSTRAUA, 1969
registers in the work. Heiss 11'5 a memory to me . aided by two pholographs. Not Little Bay, property ofP,ince Henry Hospital, islocated
Heiss Was your work an extenslon or a denuncia tion? many people saw 11. By Ihe way, I have no problem wl lh 9 miles 114.5 km) south-east ofthe centre ofSydney. The
I Oppenheim The urge was to go beyond Minimalism. lt ephemeral arto Mosl art eXlsIs in memory aided by cliff-lined shore area that was wr3pped is approximately
I,
was elear, even to the minimalists, that their idea was photographs. After all, how many limes do you check In al 1.5 miles 12km) long, 150--800 feet (46-2.44 m) wide, 85
", reaching ground zero. That's why phenomeno logy Ihe Prado? How many limes do you aClually see Boseh's feet (26 m) high at the northern cliffs, and was at sea level
became a way of expanding the domain - and a valid way pamlmgs? at the southern s3ndy beach.
at that. We know that Minimalism quickly liRed offinto Oppenheim There's another point here, Alanna, another One million square feet (93,000 m' ) of eros ion control
phenomenology via the work ofBruce Nauman and Turrell consideration about SpiTa/Jettv and the early Earth Art fabrie (synthetic woven libre usually manufactured for
and the writings ofRobert Monis. pieces.ln terms of pereentages, they didn't have 3 high 3gricultural purposes), were used (or the wrapping.
Heiss Dennis, how does II feel lo look back on Earth and visual quality. SpiTa/Jetty is 75 per eent mental. It doesn't 35 miles (56 km) of polypropylene rope, 1·5 (4 cm), tied
Body Art pieces thal you made twenty years ago, Ihal do need pictorial differenliations. It's basiully the idea of the fabrie to the rocks.
not eXlst , exce plln docum enlallon tha l seems so limlted earthworks, the ¡de3 ofthe salt flats. There are millions of Ramset guns fired 25,000 eharges offasteners,
and In some cases Inferior? spi,al configurations. In other words, it's abaut the salt, threaded studs and clips to seeure the rope to the rocks.
Oppenheim In 1968and 196911ived in an apartment.1 submersions, the jetty, what is around the salt flats . In the Mr. Ninian MelviUe, a retired major in Ihe Army Corps
didn 't need a studio. Everything thal I had done as an artíst end, it's about mental eonfigurations. ofEngineers, was in charge ofthe workers at the site.
was contained in one small case ofslides. And it So me of my pieces, like the snow pieces, were about 17,000 manpower hours, over a periad offour weeks,
accounted for two ofthe most strenuous years of work in temperature, the (act that it was freezing. When you do a were expended by fifteen professional mountain elimbers,
my whole life. 1distinctly remember realizing this while drawing ofthe piece, and it's freezing wlth a ehiU factor as 110 labourers, architecture and art students from the
sitting and looking at virtually everything I had done [ ... ) you m ove 3 pencil across the paper, that's the idea. The University ofSydney and East Sydney Technical College, as
Heiss Over the years plclures documen llng your early visual quotient is not as strenuous as you think. What am I weU as a number of Australian artisls and teachers.
work have beeome ieonic, bul whal do they really supposed to do ? Carry around ice eubes, asking people to The project was finaneed by Christo and Jeanne-Claude
communlcate aboul those works or about the experlence put their hand inside the bag? through the sale of original preparatory drawings and
o f making those workslo us twenty years laler? Heiss Relative lo painllng and sculplure. It took a 101 of eollages.
Oppenheim As pictures age, they remove thems elves money 10 make Earth Art. lo gel everythlng (lghl ¡... J The The coast remained wrapped for a periad often weeks
(rom the instant; certain th ings happen to the informatio n artlsl was glven a chanee to do somethlng on a seale Ihal from 28 October, 1969. Then aU materials were removed
in them. I've always admitted that it was neces sary t o was no t only beyond a gallery or a museum. but beyond and the site returned to its original condillon.
make photogr3ph ic documentation. 1I was a na ivete th at n allon allty [ ... )
co·existed with the outdoor work. Oppenheim II was radical, if you consider lale 1967 or CHRISTOAND )EANNE.CLAUDE, VALLEY CURTAIN ,
Heiss In a 1968article In Newsweek. Ihere IS a plcture of 1968 as the time whe n most ofthese huge pieces were RIFLE, COLORADO,1970--72
Landslide. taken from Ihe lop oflhe hdl, and you're done. I defend the approach of radicality, the (¡¡ct that On August lO, 1972, in Rifle, Colorado, between Crand
standing al Ihe boltom. 1looked al il and sald . 'Wail a outd oor works invited a dialogue with real time in ways lunction and Clenwood Spring in the Crand Hogback
minu te. This makes the piece complelely dlfferent (rom that art had nol done be(ore. They were a strenuous Mount3in Range, at 11 am, a group ofthirty-five
Ihe way I know II from olher pictures ·. What reaUy was the departure from Ihe traditional art settings and contexts. construction workers and sixty·fourtemporary helpers,
pleee? [ ... ) Unfortunately, the work qu ickly became postured, a art sehools, eollege studenls and itinerant art workers
Oppenheim The photographer who took the p icture for recycling o( abstract sculptural idiom. In otherwords, it tled down the last oftwenty·seven ropes that secured the
Newsweelc ass umed a strange positi on on the bank. After just didn 't go Ihe full nine yards. 1ehose a eourse, a 142,000 square feet 112,780 m' ) of woven nylon fabric
looking Ih rough Ihe lens he s3id , ' 1eould destroy you with d iabal ical act, to circumvent i1. I found this other 3gitation, orange Curtain to lis moorings at Rifle Cap, seven miles (11
this s hot'. I real ized the n that we had problems. On one the body, and I felt thal unless I have myselfthe chance lo km) north ofRifle, on Highway 325.
hand, I kn ew virtuaU y nobody was go ing t o see Lands/ide, pursue lt, 1was going to be forever disappolnted. I couldn't Vallev Curta;n was designed by Dimiter Zagoroff and
exeept the phol ogr3 pher. But once he die ked the s hutter, help but slretch myselfinto it. lohn Thomson ofUnipolycon ofLynn, Massachusetts, and
m iUions of peo ple we re going to s ee the p iece. So I realized Heiss You undertook the body art as a para llel acl ivlty? Dr. Ernest C. Harris ofKen R. White Company, Denver,
the photogr3ph was important. As muc h as I may have Oppenheim I slarted a d ialogue between 'Iand wounds' Colorado. It was buílt by A and H Builders Ine. ofBoulder,

INTERRUPTlON
Color.ldo.lt built by A H Suilders Ine. ofBoulder, no I/isible evidenceof Running Frnce remains on the hills reflected the al/ailability Qfthe land in each valley, creating
Color.ldo,i>resident, Theodore Oougherty, under the site ofSonoma and Marin Counties. As. it had been agreed with an ¡nl/itational ¡nner s pace, as houses without walls, o r
supervision ofHenry S.leininger. the ranchers and with County, Sbte and Federal Agencies, temporary settlements and relate<! to the ephemeral
By suspending the Curtain width Ofl,2S0 feet (381 the removal ofRunning Fence surted fourteen days aRer character ofthe work of art. In the precious and limite<!
m) and a height curving from 365 feet (111 m) at end to its completion and all materials were given to the space ofjapan , The Umbrellas were positioned intimately,
182 feet (55.5 m) at the centre, the Curtain remained dear r.lnchers. Running Frnee crossed fourteen roads and the dose together and sometimes following the geometry of
ofthe slopes the Valley bottom. A '00-foot (3 m) skirt town orvalley Ford, leal/ing passage forcars , cattle and the rice fields. In the lulturiant vegetation enriched by water
attached to the Iower ofthe Curtain visually wildlife, and was designed to be viewed by following 40 year round , the umbrellas were blue.ln the california
completed the between the thimbles and the ground. miles (65 km) of public roads, in Sonoma and Marin I/astness of uncultil/ated grazing land , the configuration
An outer cocoon endosed the fully fitted Curtain for Counties. ofthe umbrellas was whimsical and s preading in every
protection during tr.lnsit and at the time ofits r.lising into direction. The brown hills are covered by blond grass,
position and securingto the eleven cable damp CHRISTOANO jEANNE-CLAUOE, THE UMBREllAS, and in that dry landsc.ape, Thr Umbre/las were yellow.
connections at the four main upper cables. The cables IAPAN . USA, 1984-91 From October 9, 1991 for a period ofeighteen days, the
spanned 1,368 feet (417 m), weighed 110,000 lbs (49,895 At sunrise, on October 9, 1991 , Chri$lo and jeanne- umbrellas were seen, approached and enjoyed bythe
kg) were anchored to 792 tons (720 tonnes) of Claude's 1,880 workers began toopen the 3,100 umbrellas public, either by car from a distance and d oser as they
concrete fou ndation 5. in Ibar.lki and california, in the presence ofthe artists. bordered the ro ads , or by under Thr Umbrdlas in
An inner cocoon, integr.ll to the Curtain, provided This lapan-US tempor.lry work of art reflected the their luminous shadows.
added insurance. The bottom ofthe Curtain was laced to similaríties and differences in the ways oflife and the use
3·inch (7.5 cm) Dacron rope from which the ofthe land in two inland I/alleys, one 12 miles (19 km) long
control and tie-down lines r.ln to the twenty·seven in japan , and the other 18 miles (29 km) long in the USo '1 rence ,-,
anchors. In japan, the valley is located north ofHibchiota and
The Va/ley Curtain project took twenty-eight months to south ofSatomi, 75 miles (120 km) north ofTokyo, around
complete. Route 349 and the Sato River, in the Prefecture oflbar.lki,
Christo tempor.lry work of art was on the properties of 459 private landowners and
financed by the Va/ley Curtain Corporation governmenbl agencies. NancyHOLT
Christo-javacheff, president) through the sale ofthe $ludies, In the US, the I/alley is located 60 miles (96.5 km) north
drawings and collages, scale models, early oflos Angeles, along Intersbte S and the Tejon Pass , Sun Tunnels [1977] [revised 1995]
worlu and between south ofCorman and Gr.lpel/ine, on the
On August 11 , 1972, twenty-eight hours after complet· properties ofTejon Ranch, twenty.fil/e private landowners Sun Tunne/s is in north-we$lern Utah on land I bought
ion ofthe Curtain, a gale estimated in excess of60 as well as gOl/ernmenbl agencies. specifically as a s ite for the work. The forty acres are in
mph (100 kmph) made it necessary to the remol/a!. Eleven manufacturers in lapan, US , Germany and large, flat valley with sa1ine soil and I/ery little vegetation.
canada prepared the various elements ofThe Umbrdlas: It's land worn down by lake Bonneville, an ancient lake
CHRISTO ANO jEANNE-CLAUOE, RUNNING FENCE, fabric, aluminium super·structure, steel trame bases, that gradually receded over thousands of years - the Great
SONOMAANO MARI N COUNTlES, CAlIFORN lA, anchors, wooden basesupports, bags and moulded base Salt lake is what remains ofthe originallake today. From
1972-7 6 covers. A1I3,100 umbrellas were assembled in Bakersfield, my site you can see mounbins with horizontallines where
Runn ing Frner, 18 feet (5.5 m) h igh, 24.5 miles (39 km) california, from where the' ,340 blue umbrellas were the old lake bit into the rock as it was going down. The
long, extending east-west near Freeway 101 , north ofSan shipped to la pan. mirages are extraordinary; you can see whole mounbins
Fr.lncisco, on the pril/ate properties offifty-nine r.lnchers, Startíng in December '990, with a total work force of hovering over the Earth, reflected upside down in the heat.
following the rolling hills and dropping down to the Pacific 500, MutoCon$lruction Co. ud. in Ibar.lki, and A. L Huber The feeHng oftimelessness is overwhelming.
Ocean at Bodega Bay, was complete<! on September 10, & Son in California insulled the earth anchors and $leel Time is not just a mental concept or a mathematical
'976 . bases. The sitting platform/base covers were placed abstraction in Ubh's Creat Basin Desert. Time bkes on a
The art project consisted of. forty.two months of during Augu$l and September 1991 . physical presence. The rocks in the distance are ageless;
collabor.ltive efforts, the ranchers' participation, eighteen From September '9 to October7, '99', an additional they have been deposited in la yers over hundreds of
Public. Hearings, three sessions at the Superior Courts of con$lruction work force began transporting the umbrellas thousands of years. Only ten miles south ofthe Sun
california, the drafting of Environmenbl to their assigned bases, bolted them to the receiving Tunnds site are the Bonneville Salt Flats, one ofthefew
Impact Report and the temporary use ofthe hills, the sky sleel/es, and elevated the umbrellas to an upright dosed areas in the world where you can actually seethe curvature
and the Ocean. position. On October 4, $luden15, agricultural workers ofthe Earth. Being part ofthat kind oflandscape and
AlI expenses for the tempor.lry work of art were paid by friends, 960 in US and 920 in lapan, ¡oined the work force walking on earth that has never been walked on before
Chri$lo and jeanne-Claude through the sale of $ludies, to complete the insullation ofThe Umbrdlas . evokes a sense ofbeing on this planet, robting in space, in
preparatory dr.lwings collages , scale models The Christos' twenty.six million dollartemporary work universal time.
originallithographs. of art was entirely financed by the artists through The Sy marking the yearly extreme positions ofthe sun on
Running Fence was made of 2..40,000 square yards Umbrellas, Joint Project for Japan and USA Corporation the horizon, Sun Tunnels indicates the cydical time ofthe
(200,000 m') ofheavy woven white nylon fabric, hung Oean ne·Claude Ch risto-Iavacheff, president). Previous solar year. The tunnels are aligned with each other and
from a $leel cable strung between 2,050 steel poles projects by the artists have 4111 been financed in a similar with the angles ofthe rising and setting ofthe sun on the
21 feet (6 mI long, Hinches (9 cml in diameter) embedded manner through the sale ofthe $ludies, preparatory days ofthe solstices, around june 21 and December21 . On
3 feet (1 m) into the ground , using no concrete and br.lced dr.lwings, collages, scale models, early works and original these days the sun is seen on the horizon centred through
laterally with guy wires (90 miles 1'45 km] of $leel cable) lithogr.lphs. The artists do not accept any sponsorship. tunnels. Actually, around the Summer Solstice the sun
and '4,000 anchors. The top and bottom edges of The removal surted on October 27 and the land be seen through the tunnels for many days, the sunlight
the 2,OSO hbric panels were secured to the upper and restored to i15 original condition. The Umbrellas were glowing bright gold on thetunnel walls.
lower cables by 350,000 hooks. AlI parts ofRunning taken apart and all elements were recyded. The four concrete tunnels are laid out on the desert in
Frner's $lructure were designed forcomplete removal and The umbrellas, free-sunding dynamic modules, an open X configur.ltion, 86-feet (26 m) long on the

OOCUt.4ENTS
 larger and less crystalline in form oThere is no sense of
'" diagonal. Eac h tunnel is 18·feet (5.5 mi long and has an
outside diameterof9 feet, 2.5 inches (3 mi, and an inside Michael HEIZER order that doesn't exist in nalure. You won't find the exact
diameter of8 feet (2 m). shape of an airplane in nature, but 1don't mean that, 1
The configuration orhales in the upper half of eaeh Interview with Julia Brown mean basic forms, as opposed to designed forms .
tunnel corresponds with a constellation, either Capricorn, Brown Is composit¡on importantlo you?
Columbia, Oraca or Perseus. The rour diameters oflhe [1984] Heizer Very; whalever can be found and used to stimulale
holes va'1 from 7 lo 10 inches (18-25 cm), relative to the cognitive response is important.
magnitude oflhe stars lo which they correspondo During Julio Brown (ould you elaborale on your Ideas aboul Brown There seems to be a difference m those works thal
•
the day, the sun, a star among stars, shines through the materials) are cut inlo the earth like Oouble Negatille and those works
holes, casting a changing pattern of painted ellipses and Michoel Heizer My obligalion as a sculplor is lo work with thal take malerials out oflhe earth such as Adjocenl.
circles oflight on the bottom half of eaeh tunnel. Toe anything Ihat is tangible and physical.1 realize there is Against, Upon, and place them in a different contextoThls
shapes and positions orthe areas oflight differfrom hour expressive potential in materials, but ,'m more interested diffe rence seems as much in content and process as in
to hour, day to day, alld season to season, relative to Ihe in the structural characteristics of materials Ihan their resultant formo
positions ortne sun. The spots ofwarm light in the cool, beauty.1 think earth is the material with the mosl potential Heizer 1I m ig ht appear to be regressive lo restate physical
shady tunnels are like stars cast down to Earth, inverting because il is the original source material. volume after the negative works. From my poinl of view,
the sky, turning day into night. And on many desert nigh15. Brown Whal is ¡nvolved In your choice of malerials? Ihe totally negative works are phenomenological. There is
moonlighl shines through the holes, casting i15 own paler He;zer The first object sculplure 1 built was no indication ofwhy they are there, or whal happened 10
pattern. Disploced¡Reploced Moss , which used granite blocks se! the voided material. The Double Negotille, due to gravity,
Since the two gran15 I re<eived from the National inside three depressions in Ihe ground which were lined was made using i15 own substance, leaving a full visual
Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council wilh concrete. These materials were close lo Ihe existing stalement and an explanation ofhow it was made. In
forthe Arts covered only one-third ofthe total cost for malerials ofthe region. The rock was grey, the concrete Double Negotille there is the implicalion of an object or
making Sun Tunnels , 1 had to finance the rest with my own was grey, the entire work was colourless. The materials form that is actually not there. In orderto create this
money. This meant making business deals to keep the cost were chosen fortheir nature and application. What it sculpture material was removed rather than accumulaled.
down, whicn did nOlcome easily to me and was often would 'ook like was nol the issue. 1 hope to find this as a The sculpture is nol a traditional object sculplure. The two
exasperating. 1don't nave any roman!ic notions about surprise at Ihe end ofthe work ratner Ihan use known cu15 are so large thal there is an implication that they are
teslingthe edges oflhe world that way. 11'5 jusI a necessily. factors in a calculated manner to achieve predictable joined as one single form oThe tide Double Negotille is a
1I doesn't lead to anything except Ihe work. resu l15. literal descript ion oftwo cu15 but has metaphysical
I wanled to bring the vast space ofthe desert back Brown Do you dlfferenllale between man-made malerials implications because a double negative is impossible.
down to human scale. 1had no desire to make a megalithic and natural material s? There is nothing Ihere, ye! it is slill a sculpture.
monumento The panoramic view ofthe landscape is too Heizer Yes, synthetics are intensificalions oflhe organic This work was followed by Complex One, an attempt to
overwhelming to take in without visual reference poin15. sources. build an object sculpture based on architectural size and
The view blurs out ratherthan sharpens. When you stand Brown 1n what way do you mean intensificatlOn? What IS concep15 and using natural malerials from that place. The
al the centre oflhe work, Ihe tunnels draw your vision into more intense than something in lIs natural slale as It is? idea was to restate Ihe sand and gravels Ihal existed under
the landscape, opening up the perceived space. But once Heizer 1Ihink you mean 'being' as opposed lo matter. 1 Ihe silt overburden. 1p iled Ihe alluvial to form the
you're inside one ofthe tunnels, the work encloses and only mean the material. Steel is an inlensificalion ofiron mas taba, washed Ihe sand and gravel, m ixed it with
surrounds you, and the landscape is framed through the ore through a process of additives and temperature. cement and reinforcing bar, put it in wooden forms. 1
ends ofthe tunnels and through the star holes. Aluminium is bauxite, combining addilives and a refining ended with a surprisingly primilive and independent work
The material and colo ur oflhe tunnels is the same as process. Bronze is an alloy of copper and tino These are that was actually te<h"ologically, socially dependenl. It
the soil in the landscape they are a part of. The inner chemical manipulalions ofbasic minerals Ihat casI off interested me to think about building Complex One on the
subslanceofthe concrete-the solidified sand and slone- impurilies and introduce strengthening minerals tha! edge of a nucleartest site in Nevada, and hav ing the front
can be seen on the insides ofthe holes where the core dril! inlensify the original malerial. wall be a blasl shield. We had specifications for seismic
cut through and exposed il. Brown (ould you dlScuss your work process? Regardless conditions for the strength ofconcrete Ihat were Ihe
The local people and I differ on one point: ifthe land oflhe scale ofthe prOlect you seem very much involved highest specifications Ihat could be achieved. We
isn't suitable for grazing, or ifil doesn't have water, or wlth maklng your work yourself wlth dlrect physlcallabour. measured all our water, we washed all our sand, we mixec!
minerals, o r shade, or inleresling vegetalion, Ihen they Heizer There are several reasons 1work this way: cost, my carefully and had laboratory sheartes15 that surpassed
think it's not muen good. They find it strange when I camp ability 10 produce wilhout fabricators , and Ihe way Ihe whal the engineer said wewere required to have.
out al my site, although Ihey say they're glad 1found a use value of work is affected ifit is, or is not, made by the artist. Brown Your land m Nevada is next lo a nuclear lesling site?
forlhe land. Many ofthe area residenls who came to my Brown What is Ihe dlfferentlatlon between your control in Heizer Yes, it's a highly charged area. but I'm reluctanl lo
Summer Solstice camp·out had never been in thal vaUey your work process and Ihe mfluence ofthe forces such as discuss-it that much.
befo re. So by putting Sun Tunnels in the middle ofthe gravlty and welght? Brown But it's part ofyour plannmg?
desert, 1 have nol put il in Ihe middle ofthe res iden15' He;zer When I began lo build sculpture I always made it Heizer Part of my art is based on an awareness Ihal we
regular surroundings. The work paradoxically makes outdoors. I immediately encounlered large amounls of live in a nuclear era. We're probably living al the end of
available, or fecuses on, a part oflhe environmenl Ihal material and eventually Iried lo incorporale gravity as a civilization.
mosl oflhe peo'ple who live nearby wouldn't normally have free and nalural source of energy. Brown Whal are you plannlng after Complex One? Are you
paid much attenlion lo.' Brown Is the luxtaposition ofthe geometric and organic building Complex Two?
an Issue foryou as In Adjactnt. Against, Upon in Seattle? Heizer I'm building Complex Two, Three and Four righl
" " '"
He;zer Geometry is organic. The sludy of crystallography now. They will all be separate works. Complex Two is

" , , "
demonstrates thal Ihere is more geometry in nature than basically completed, Three and Four are under way.

•• • uMe . ,. 1 man could ever develop. ll's all organic in the firsl place so Complex Two is already as big as the Double Negotille; il's
pp there is no reason why a crystal form which exists can'l over a quarter of a mile (26 m) long.
expand and then ullimately be a part of an ama lgam that is Brown Is II a form above the ground?

INTERRUPTION
Heizer It's half aboye the ground and halfbelow the POLleE SlATE IN AMERJCA SPYGOVERNMEN1. ' In Ihis
ground. I didn't want to repeat the idea of putting an object Robert SMITHSON book you willlearn .. . what an Infinity lransmitter is.'
on lhe surface oflhe ground; Comple:t Two is halfway lhe bus turned offHighway 3, down Orient Way in
aboye and halfway under lhe ground. What "ve done is The Monuments of Passaic: Rutnerford.
taken the area in front ofComplex One and lowered it 20 I read the blurbs and skimmed through Eorthworh.
feet 176 m). I removed it, so now when you approach Has Passaic replaced Rome lhe firsl sentence read, 'lhe dead man drifted along in the
Complt:t One you're 20 feet 176 m) underground and you breeze'. It seemed Ihe book was about a soil snortage, and
look up at i1. lhe ground level has been dropped, it's like a as the eternal city? [1967] the Earthworlrs referred to the manufacture of artificial
plaza. lhe sculpture will be endosed on all four sides. lhe soi!' lhe sky over Rulherford was a dear cobalt blue, a
plaza Roor drops again making it multi-Ieve!. lhe plaza wiU ' He laughed softly. "1 know. lhere's no way out. Not perfect Indian summer day, but the sky in Eorthworks was
be the only place to see these works because aU four face through the Barrier. Maybe that isn't what 1want, afier aU. a 'great black and brown shield on which moisture
onto it; they are aU frontal. But this - this - He stared at the Monument. seems gleamed' .
Brown What 15 the funct lo n ofthe p laza) all wrong sometimes. 1just can't explain it. It's the whole lhe bus passed over the first monumento I pulled Ihe
Hf!izef It is a reversal ofissues; since the earth itselfis city. It makes me feel haywire. lhen I get these flashes -", buzzer-cord and got off at the corner ofUnion Avenue and
thought to be stable and obvious as 'ground', 1 have - Henry Kuttner,jesting Pilor River Orive. lhe monumenl was a bridge over thO! Passaic
attempted lo subvert or at least question this_ l o remove River that connected Bergen County witn Passatc County.
and lower the grade around an object made of earth and , ... today our unsophisticated cameras record in their Noonday sunshine cinema·ized the site, lurning the
placed on the earth, would possibly make the remaining own way OUT hastily assembled and painted world.' bridge and the river into an oller.exposed picture.
surrounding earth a pedestal, visuaUy, at least from ceruin - Vtadimir Nabokov, Invitarion to a Beheoding Pholographing it with my Instamatic 400 was like
viewpoints_ You can walk around Ihe back of each photographing a photograph. lhe sun became a
individual work but you won't see much other than the On Saturday, September 30, 1967, I went to the Port monstrous tight bulb tnat projected a detached series of
back of apile of dirt. You have lO go inside to see it.l1's a Authority Building on 41st Street and 8th Avenue. 1 bought 'stills' through my Instamatic into my eye. When I walked
complex that faces itself, there'5 only one way to 5ee it and a copy ofthe New York Times and a Signet paperback on the bridge, it was as though I was walkingon an
that's from inside. called Eorthworlrs by Brian W. Aldiss. Next I went to ticket enormous photograph that was made of wood and steel,
Brown 15 Compfe:t Ofle re laled ( O yo ur pa ifl tm gs ) booth 21 and purchased a one-way ticket to Passaic. After and underneath the dver existed as an enormous movie
Heizer My idea with Complex One was to create an object that I went up to the upper bus lellel (platform 173) and film that showed nOlhing bu! a continuous blank.
that was essentially frontal. 1thought about paintings and boarded the number 30 bus ofthe Inter-City lhe steel road that passed over the water was in part an
sculpture simultaneously. Oue to Ihe size ofthe facades 1 lransportation Co. open grating flanked by wooden sidewalks, held up by a
also thought about billboards and the big casino signs in I sat down and opened the Times. I glanced over the art heavy set ofbeams, while aboye, a ramshackle network
Vegas. My feelings was that if you create a sculpture section: a 'Collectors', Cfitics', Curators' Choice' at A.M. hung in the airo A rusty sign glared in the sharp
weighing in excess of 9,000 tons (9,180 tonnes), il would Sacns Gallery (a letter I got in themail tnat morning invited atmosphere, making it hard to read. A date tlashed in the
indisputably be a sculpture even though the frontal area me 'to play the game before the show doses October 4'), sunshine ... 1899 ... No .. . 1896 ... maybe (at thebottom of
was the only 'treated' area. 1 based components of Walter Schatzki was selling 'Prints, Drawings. the rus! and glare was the na me Oean & Westbrook
Complt:t One on paintingsj three or four paintings indude Watercolours' at '33 1/3% off', Elinor jenkins, the Contractors, N. Y.). 1was completely controlled by the
most ofthe elements in that sculpture. Complex Two has a 'Romantic Realist', was showing at Barzansky GaUeries, Instamatic (or what the rationalists can a camera). lhe
relationship to my paintings from the mid 19705. XVIII·XIX Century English Furniture on sale at Parke· glassy air ofNew jersey detined the structural parts ofthe
1decided to make the City visible only from the inside. Bernet, 'New Oirections in German Grapnics' at Goethe monument as I took snapshot afier snapshot afier
len years ago the valley was remote, the work was isolated House, and on page 29 was jonn Canaday's column. He snapshot. A barge seemed fixed to the surface ofthe water
and could be in the open. Since then, there has been the was writing on 'lhemes and the Usual Variations' .llooked as it ca me toward the bridge, and caused the bridgekeeper
threat ofthe MX missile being built there and now at a blurry reproduction ofSamuel F. B. Morse's Allegorica/ to dose the gates. From the banks ofPassatc I watched Ihe
powerlines are coming in through the vaUey. I want lo cut Londscape at the top ofCanaday's column; the sky was a bridge rolate on a central axis in order lo allow an inert
offthe view ofthose things. 1also want to enforce the idea subtle newsprint grey, and the douds resembled sensitive rectangular shape to pass with its unknown cargo. lhe
that it's nol landscape arto stains of sweat reminiscent of a famous Yugoslav Passaic (west) end ofthe bridge rotated south, while the
Bro wn How are you dOlng that ) watercolourist whose na me I halle forgotten. A little statue Rutherford (east) end ofthe bridge rotated north; such
Heizer Ifyou walk down into the plaza you either see the with right arm held hign faced a pond (orwas il thesea?). rotations suggested the limited movements ofan
sky or the seul plu re bul you don 'Isee any mountains or la nd. 'Gothic' buildings in the aUegory had a faded look, while an oulmoded world. 'North' and 'south' hung over the static
Brown So Ihe approach lo lhe 5cul pture IS less Importa nl unnecessary tree (or was it a doud ofsmoke?) seemed to Tiver in a bi·polar manner. One could refer to this bridge as
to you than what happens when yo u are actually In It. puff up on the left side ofthe landscape. Canaday referred the 'Monumenl ofDistocated Directions'.
Heizer It's like making a room; the sculpture makes its to tne picture as 'standing confidently along with other Along Ihe Passaic River banks were many minor
own area, ¡t's completely isolated. lhe only thing you can allegorical represenlatives ofthe arts, sciences and high monuments such as concrete abutments tnat supported
see is the sky. It stops the idea that this is a form of ideals tnat universities foster'. My eyes stumbled over the the shoulders of a new highway in the process ofbeing
landscape art, to be seen in some beautiful part ofthe Ihe newsprint, over sucn headlines as 'Seasonal Upswing', 'A built. River Orive was in part bulldozed and in part intact.lt
world. It becomes more effective visually because you 5huffie 5ervice', and 'Moving a 1,000 Pound Sculpture was hard to tell the new highway from the old road; Ihey
don't see a tree, you don't see a hiU, you don't see a cow Can Be a Fine Work of Art, l oo'. Other gems ofCanaday's were both confounded into a unitary chaos. Since il was
walking around. You see nothing el!cept the arto It's a way dazzled my mind as I passed through Secaucus. 'Realistic 5alurday, many machines were nol working, and this
to enhance and concenlrate visiono In sorne ways il is waxworks of raw meat beset by vermin' (Paul lhek), 'Mr caused them lO resemble prehistoric creatures trapped in
similar to the intent of a museum or gallery [ ... J Bush and his colleagues are wasting their time' (jack the mud, or, better, extinct machines - mechanical
" . •• ,, Bush) , 'a book, an appleon a saucer, a rumpleddoth' dinosaurs stripped oftheir skin. On Ihe edge ofthis

...
" " ." (Thyra Oavidson). Outside the bus window a Howard
johnson's Motor lodge flew by - a symphony in orange
prehistoric Machine Age were pre· and post-World War 11
suburban houses. lhe houses mirrored themselves inlo
and blue. On page31 in Big letters: lHE EMERGING colourlessness. A group of children were throwing rocks at
no eaen other "ear a dileh. 'From now on you're nol going to Executive, Bonneville, Tempest, Grand Prix, Firebirds, into things, and stacks them up in cold rooms, or places
come to our hide-out. And I mean ¡t!', said a little blonde GTO, Catalina and LeMans - Ihal visual incantalion them in the celestial playgrounds ofthe suburbs.
girl who had lJeen hit with a rock. marked the end oflhe highway construction. Has Passaic replaced Rome as The Eternal City? If
As I walked north along what 'ollas left ofRiver Orive, I Nen I descended into a set of used car 10ts.1 musl say certain cities oflhe world were placed end to end in a
saw a monument in the middle orthe river- it was a the situalion seemed like a change. Was I in a new straight line according to size, starting with Rome, where
pumping derrick with a long pipe attached lo ¡l. The pipe terrilory? (An English artist, Michael Baldwin, says, 'It would Passaic be in thal impossible progression? Each city
'ollas supported in pan by a set of pontoons, while the rest could be asked iflhe country does in fact change - il does would be a three-dimensional mirror that would reflect the
ont extended about three blocks along the ,iver bank t ilt il nol in Ihe sense a traffielight does'.) Perhaps I had slipped nen dty into existence. The limits of eternity seem to
•
disappeared into theearth. One could hear debris r¡¡ttling inlo a lower slage offulurity -did Ileave the real future contain such nefarious ideas.
in the waterthat passed through the great pipe. behind in order lo advance into a false fulure? Yes, I did. The last monument was a sandbox or a model deserto
Nearby, on the ,iver bank, was an artificial erater tha t Realily was behind me al that point in my suburban Underthe dead light oflhe Passaic afternoon the desert
contained a pale limpid pond of water, and from the side of Odyssey. became a map ofinfinite disintegration and forgetfulness.
the crater protruded six large pipes thal gushed the water Passaic centre loomed like a dull adjective. Each 'slore' This monument of minute particles blazed under a bleakly
ofthe pond into the riller. This constituted a monumental in it was an adjective unto the nen, a chain of adjectives glowing sun, and suggested the sullen dissolution of
fountain thal suggested si){ horizonlal smokeslacks Ihal disguised as slores. 1began to run out offilm, and 1was entire continents, the drying up of oceans - no longer were
seemed lo be flooding Ihe river wilh liquid smoke. The getting hungry. Actually, Passaic cenlre was no cenlre - it there green forests and high mounlains - all that existed
greal pipe was in some enigmalic way connected wilh the was inslead a typical abyss or an ordi nary void. What a were millions of grains of sand, a vast deposit ofbones and
infernal fountain. 1I was as Ihough Ihe pipe was secretly greal place for a gallery! Or maybe an 'outdoor sculpture stones polverized into dust. Every grain of sand was a dead
sodomizing some hidden technological oriftce, and show' would pep that place up. metaphorthal equalled timelessness, and lo decipher
causing a monslrous se){ual organ (Ihe founlain) to have Al Ihe Golden Coach Diner (11 Central Avenue) 1had such melaphors would take one through the false mirror
an orgasmo A psychoanalyst mighl say thal Ihe landscape my lunch, and loaded my Instamatic.1 looked atthe of eternity. This sandbox somehow doubled as an open
displayed 'homose){ual tendencies', but 1will nol draw orange-yellow box ofKodak Verichrome Pan, and read a grave - a grave Ihat children cheerfully play in.
such a crass anthropomorphic conclusion. I will merely notice that said:
say, '11 was Ihere'. READTHIS NOTICE: ' ... all sense of reality was gone. In its place had come deep-
Across the river in Rutherford one could hear the fainl This film will be replaced if defective in manufacture, sealed illusions, absence of pupillary reaction to light,
voice of a P.A. syslem and the weak cheers of a crowd at a labelling or packaging, even though caused by our absence ofknee reaction - symptoms of all progressive
football game. Actually, the landscape was no landscape, negligence or other fault. Except for such replacement, Ihe cerebral meningitis: the blanketing ofthe brain .. .'
but 'a particular kind ofheliotypy' (Nabokov), a kind ofself· sale or any subsequent handling ofthis film is withoul - Louis Sullivan, 'one ofthe greatest of all architects',
deslroying postcard world offailed immortality and other wa rranly or lia bility. quoted in Michel Bulor's Mobile
oppressive grandeur. 1had been wandering in a moving EASTMAN KOOAK COMPANY DO NOTOPEN THIS
picture that I couldn't quite picture, but just as 1became CARTRIOGEOR YOUR PICTURES MAY BE SPOllEO-12 I should now like to prove the irreversibility of eternity by
perple){ed,1 saw a green sign Ihal e){plained everything: EXPOSURES - SAFETY FILM - ASA 125 22 DI N. usi ng a jejune experimenl for proving entropy. Picture in
YOUR HIGHWAY TAXES 21 Afterlhal I returned to Passaic, or was il the hereofter- your mind's eye the sandbo){ divided in half with black
ATWOf(K for alll know that unimaginative suburb could have been a sand on one side and white sand on the other. We take a
Federal Highway US Oepl. ofCommerce clumsy eternity, a cheap copy ofThe City ofthe Immortals. child and have him run hundreds oftimes clockwise in the
Trusl Funds Bureau ofPublic Roads But who am 1to entertain such a Ihough!? I walked down a box unlil the sand gets mi){ed and begins to lurn grey; after
2867000 Stale Highway Funds parking 101 thal covered the old railroad tracks which at thal we have him run anti-dockwise, but the resull will not
2867000 one time ran Ihrough the middle ofPassaic. That be restoralion ofthe original division bul a greaterdegree
New Jersey Stale Highway Oept. monumental parking lot divided the dly in half, turning il or greyness and an increase of entropy.
That 2ero panorama seemed lo contain ruins in reverse, into a mirror and a reflection - bul the mirror kept Ofcourse, if we filmed such an experiment we could
that is - all the new construction thal would eventually be changing places with the reflection. One never knew what prove the reversibility ofelernity by showing the film
bui1t. This is Ihe opposile oflhe 'romanlic ruin' because side oflhe mirror one was on. There was nothing backwards, but then sooner or later the film itself would
Ihe buildings don'tfoll inlo ruin ofterthey are built but interesting or even strange aboul Ihat flat monument, yet crumble or get losl and enterthe state ofirreversibility.
rather rise into ruin before they are built. Th is anti· it echoed a kind ofcliché idea ofinfinily: perhaps the Somehow this suggests that the cinema offers an illusive
romantic mise-en-mine suggests the discrediled idea of 'secrets ofthe universe' are juSI as pedestrian - not lO say ortemporary escape from physical dissolution. The false
time and many olher 'out·of-date' things. But the suburbs dreary. Everything about the sile remained wrapped in immortality oflhe film gives the viewer an iIIusion of
e){ist withoul a rational past and without the 'big evenls' of blandness and littered with shiny cars - one after anolher control over eternity - bul 'the superstars' are fading.
history. Oh, maybe there are a few statues, a legend and a Ihey enended inlo a sunny nebulosity. The indifferenl
couple of curios, bul no past - just what passes for a backs ofthe cars flashed and reflected the stale afternoon 'eplacea RO"le", 'Iy'·. Robert

future. A Utopia minus a bottom, a place where Ihe sun. 1took a few listless, entropic snapshols ofthal
machines are idle, and the sun has lurned to glass, and a lustrous monumenl. Ifthe future is 'out-of-date' and 'old- 94

place where the Passaic Concrele Planl (253 River Drive) fashioned', then 1had been in Ihe future. 1had been on a Ar,rorlJ"'. •.. " Yor". Jece,.b," 967

does a good business in STONE, BITUMINOUS, SAND planet Ihal had a map ofPassaic drawn over it, and a rather
and CEM ENT. Passaic seems full of'holes' compared to imperfect map at Ihal. A sidereal map marked up with
New York Cily, which seems lightly packed and solid, and 'Iines' the size ofslreets, and 'squares' and 'blocks' the Robert MORRIS
Ihose holes in a sense are Ihe monumental vacancies Ihal size ofbuildings. Al any momenl my feet were apt to fall
define, without Irying, the memory·traces of an Ihrough the cardboard ground. 1am convinced that the Notes on Sculpture Part 4:
abandoned seloffutures. Such futures are found in grade· future is 1051 somewhere in the dumps ofthe non-
B Utopian films, and then imitated by the suburbanite. The historical past, it is in yesterday's newspapers, in the Beyond Objects [1969]
windows ofCity Motors auto sales proclaim the exislence jejum: advertisements ofscience fiction movies, in the
ofUtopia Ihrough 1968 WIDE TRACK PONTlACS- false mirror of our rejected dreams. Time turns metaphors [ ... ) 'Then, the field of vision assumes a peculiar structure.

INT ERRU PT IO N
In the centre there is the f.avoured object, fixed by our gaze¡ is a secondary feature often established only by the lim i15 proceeded , something strange and wonderful happened
its form seems dear, perfectly defined in all i15 deu ils. ofthe 1oom. lt is onl)' with this type of recent work that to th is 'SUndard' - it sprouted u il fin s, and the)' grew each
Around the object, as f.ar as the limits ohhe field of vision, heterogeneity of material has become a possibility again; year, until b), 1959 the)' stood 42 inches (107 cm) offth e
there is a zonewe do not Ioole at, but which , nevertheless, now any substances or m ixtures of subsunces and the ground.
we seewith an indirect, vague, inattentive vision ••. Ifit is forms or states these might uke- rods, p.lrticJes, dust, As kids growing up in .... metica during th is decade, we
not something to which we are accustomed, we cannot sa)' pulp)', wet, dry, etc. - are potentiaUy usable. Previously, it were aculel)' awa re ofthe cJass sym bolism a nd s tyli ng
what it is , exactl)', thal we see in th is indirect vis ion.' was one 01 two materials and a single or relatiye form to trends that the Cadill.lc represented. Genera l Moto rs used
- Orteg"a)' Gasset conuin them. Any more and the work began to engage in Cadillac to introduce the lail fin beca use they believed the
part·to-part and part·to-whole relationships. Even so, prestige ofCad illac would ma ke the rad ical styli ng idea ,
'Our attempt al focus ing must give wa)' to the vacanl all· Min imal Art, with two or three substances, gets caught in Ihe u il fin , .lccepuble lo all cons umers. This
embracing sUre ...' p l.l)'s of relationships between transparencies and solids, consciousness was something s hared by the members of
- .... nton Ehrenzweig voids and shadows , and the parts separate and the work Ant Farm, so when Stanle)' M.lrsh invited us to make a
ends in a kind of demure and unadm itted composition. proposal for a site specific art work in 1973, we proposed
Ifone notices one's immediate visual field , what is seen? Besides lateral spread, mixing of materia!s and the Cadilloc Ranch.
Neither order nordisorder. where does lhe field terminate? irregul.lrity of substances , a reading other than a critical The piece was bu ilt in June ' 974, after several months
In an indeterminate periphefill zone, none the less actual part·to-part o r part·to-whole is emphasized b), the of prel im inary wo rk acqu iri ng Cadillacs.1t W.lS constructed
or unexperienced for its indeterm inacy, thal shifts w ith ¡ndeterminate aspect of work which has physicaU)' over fourda)'s using a m otorized back·hoe and primitive
each movement ofthe eyes. What are lhe contents of .ln)' separate parts or is loose or flex ible. lmplications of surveying tools. On Ihe fifth da)', Marsh hosted a party to
given sector ofone's visual field? A heterogeneous conS"tant change .lre in such work. Previously, celebrate the unvei li ng. lt sUnds 300 )'ards (274 m ) from
collKtion ofsubsunces and sh.lpes, neither ¡ncomplete indeterminacy was a characteristic of perception in the Interstate 40, the highwa)' that replaced Route 66 in 1965.
nor especiaJly complete (except for lhe singular tou lity of presence of regulatized objects - i.e., each point of view Like the best read)'·mades, it accumulates power from the
figures or moving th ings ). Sorne new art now seems to pve a d ifferent read ing due lo perspective. In the work in f.act ofits mass.produced component parts and the
take the conditions oflhe visual fie ld i15elf (figures quest ion indeterm inacy of arrangement of parts is a literal cultural history they bring with them to Ihe work. Also, it
exduded) and uses these as a structuraJ basis forthe art. aspect ofthe physic.ll existence ohhe th ing. was bu ilt just after the 'Arab O il Embargo', an international
Recent past.lrt took lhe condit ions within ind ividu.ll lhe art under d iscussion relates to a mode ofvision action by the oil cartel that demonstrated to .... metica i15
th ings - specific extension and shape and wholeness of wh ich Enrenzweig terms v.lriousl)'.ls scanning, dependence on fossil fuel and the absurd ity ofthe cars its
one malerial- for lhe project of reconstituting objects as syncretistic or ded ifferentiated - a purposeful detachment auto industry was producing. Almost immediatel)', it
.lr1.. The d ifference .lmounts tO.l shift from a figure-ground from hol istic readings in terms ofCestalt·bound forms . beg.ln garnering media attention.
perceptual set 10 thal ofthe yisual fie ld. Ph)'sically, il Th is perceptual mode seeks s ignificant clues out of which ••
• •
amounts to a shift from d iscrete, homogeneous objects to wholeness i5 sensed rather than perceived as an image
.lccumulations oflhings or stuff, sometimes yery .lnd ne ither randomness, heterogeneity of content, nor
heterogeneous. lt is a shift that is on the one hand doser lo indeterminacy are sources of confusion forth is mode. It
the phenomen.ll f.act of seeing lhe yisual field .lnd on the m ight be 5.lid thal the work in question does nol so much Alice AYCOCK
otner is allied lo \he heterogeneous spread of substances acknowledge this mode as a wa)' of seeing as it
tnat make up lhat field. In another era, one m ight have said h)'postatizes it into a structural fealure ofthe work itself. Project for a Simple Network
that lhe d ifference was between a figur.ltiye and l.lndscape By doing this, it has used a perceptual accommodation to
mode. Fields of stuff which nave no central conuined rep lace specific form or image control and projection. This of Underground Wells and
focus and extend into or be)'ond lhe periphefill visio n offer is behind the sudden release of materia ls th.ll are 50ft or
a kind of' landscape' mode as opposed to a self-conuined indeterm inate Or in p ieces wh ich heretofore would not Tunnels [1975]
type of organization offered by the specific object. nave met the Cesta lt-orientated demand for an imagistic
Most ofthe new woric under d iscussion is still .l spread whole . It is an example of art's restructuring of perceptual ElIcavate an area approx imately 20 x 40 feet (6 x 12 mI.
of subsunces or things thal is cleart)' m.lrked offfrom the relevance wh ich subsequentl)' results in an almost Build a series of six concrete block weUs, 4 feet , 4 inches
rest oftne environmenl and there is nOl any confusion effortless re lease of a flood of energetic work [ oo. ) squ.lre (39.5 m ' ), connected by tunnels. Three ofthe wells
.lboul where the woric stops. In this sense, it is d iscrete but are open entry wells, 7 feet (2 mI deep. Three ofthe wells, 7
nOI object·like. It is still separate ffom the enyironment so feet, 8 inches (2 m) deep, are ind icated aboye ground but
in lhe broadest sense is figure upon a ground. Except for capped w ith permanent covers and a la)'er of earth. One
sorne outside work which removes even lhe ffilme ofthe can crawl from entry well to entry well through narrow
room itself, here the 'figure ' is !iterall)' lhe ' ground'. But Chip LORD tunnels , 32 inches (81 cm) wide and 28 inches (71 cm) high ,
woric thal extends to the peripheral vision cannot be taken interrupted b), vertical ' rel ieving' we lls wh ich are cJosed
in as a distinct whole and in this way has a different kind of Automerica [1976] and completel)' 5urrounded by e.lrth. lhe underground
discreleness from objects. The lateral spread of sorne of structure is demarcated b), a 12·inch (30.5 cm) wall, 28 x 50
the woric subyerts either a profile or plan view read ing. (In A Cad iUac m.lgazine ad from 1949 proclaimed ' Regardless feet(8 ·sx 15 mJ.
the past 1 have spread objects 01 structures into a 25 to 30 oflhe price cJass from which )'ou expect to select )'our next A subterrane.ln network of pass.lges set up for the
foot [762-915 cm) squ.lre .lrea and the work was low car, you are cordiall)' invited to inspect the new Cadillac in purpose o foperating below the surface ofthe earth j
enough to haye liWe Or no profile and no plan view was yoor Dealer's showroom ', .lnd.lt the bottom ofthe page: Gaston Bachelard's reference to ' underground
possible even when one was in the midst ofthe work. But 'Codilloc: The Standard ofthe wo,Id'. During the 1950'5 manoeuvres' and childhood fears ofthe cellar and attic.
in these instances, the regularity ofthe sh.lpe and CadiUac reall)' was the 'SUnd.lrd ofthe Wortd', in (See Bachelard, Gaston, The Poeties ofSpoce, 'The house,
homogeneity ofthe material held the work together as a engineering, ' ride', safety and dependability. It was also a from cellar to attic, the s ignificance ofthe hut')
single chunk.) Recent work with a marked lateral spre.ld status s)'mbol, something to aspire to own, a symbol that a The circu lar p its ofthe Matmatis people who live
.lnd no regulari2ed units 01 symmettical intervals tends to person had arrived.lt a comfortable leve! or beneath the lunis ian desertj square courtyards extending
fracture into a continuity of deuils. An)' overall wholeness accomplishment oflife. But as the decade ofthe 19505 30 feet (9 m ) below lhe earth which are I¡ght wells for

DOCU MEN TS
 •
232 underground dwellings in the loess belt o(China¡ burial see out. [ ... ] Sorne tunnel e ntrances are allhe bottom of Iheir physical appeal, for the;r ability to define space, and
holes now ¡nhabite<! by the living in Siwa, Egypt¡ tunnels lo the wells - o ne crawls under Ihe slructure¡ through the forthe emolional force oftheir configurations. References
underground bunkers (Mal1ory, Keith, and Arvid Otrar, The centre ofthe mass. are progressively milled, distilled and transformed within
A"hitecture ofWor, p. 118); The Federal Reserve Bank of The concrete wa lls ofthelunnels a nd wells are her wo rk to yield Ihe inherent power oftheir forms . In her
New York -subterranean vaults five storeys deep; dug- basically retaining wa lls. They hold back earth,like cellar work the relations of means and ends, reference and form
outs, ceUars. sarcophagi. walls. The project as an idea evokes anx iely in people - and, indeed, sculplure and architecture are interwoven lo
The 12 ¡neh (30.5 cm) high outside wall designates tha! anticipatory calegorizing. Bachelard links Ihe space ofthe produce a co ncise reAection on space.
a specific area of earth can be penetrated - that a solid cellar with feelings of'exaggerated fear' and 'b uried ' er. 1'1 • • , Art & Arc."'tenure . IrH tute ,f
•
mass is pocketed with empty spaces, like the caves ofKor ma d ness'. ,temporar"J.rt. mdM. 1983. p 1(8
which were a 'honeycomb ofsepulchres'. The covered Vincenl Scully's reference lo Greek mystery cults
wells indicated on the surface are visual elues. Something whose architectural s ites generally 'invoke interior, cave
is under there. Once underground a persan crawls in the experience' e.g., the underground chambers ded icaled lo Walter DE MARIA
dark (rom light source lO light source. The structure is Ihe goddess Rhea where caslralion rites were celebrated¡
underslood by physically e¡,:ploring it while remembering Ridet Haggard's character, She, who lived for 2,000 years The Lightning Field [1970]
the surface configuration. att ended by deaf mutes with her dead lover in the caves of
The lumpenprolelarians jumping out oftheir barreis. Kor, a charnel house containing the embalmed bodies of a SOME FACTS, NOTES, DATA, INFORMATION,
a slill from Eisenstein's film, Stri/t.e mysteriou s civil izalion. STATtSTICS ANO STATEMENTS
At the inlersection ofthe tun nels and the closed The Ligbtning is a permanent work.
Second Hag: vertical wells Ihere is a drop·off where o ne reaches out into The land is nol the setti ng for the wo rk but a part ofthe
Come hither. dark empty space: work.
She (to the young womon): ' ... my chin rested upon Ihe floor ofthe prison, but my lips,
O my darling don', stand by, and and the upper portion of my head, alth oug h seemi ngly at a The work is located in Wesl Cenlral New Mexico.
I see this creature drag me ¡down]! less elevation Ihan the chin, touched nothing ... 1 pul The stales ofCalifornia, Nevada, Utah, Arizona and Texas
Second Hog: forwa rd my arm, and shuddered ... ' were searched by Iruck over a five.year period before the
'Tis the law drags you. - Edgar Allen Poe, The Pit ond the Pendu/um. location in New Mexico was seleeted.
She: A Ay', .. , , ¡ tor J , .. t Net,,¡rI. '1 Underground Des irable qual ities ofthe locatio n included Aatness, high
'lis a hellish vampire, clothed all ""n '. 'r lightning activity and isolallon. The reg io n is located 7,200
about with blood, and boils and
" •n ! tn l/ .• ' r . t v•

feet (2.196 m ) aboye sea leve!. The lightning Field is 1"5

"" r<lr "

blislers. m iles (12 km) east ofthe Continental Divide.

- adapled from Aristophanes, Ecc/esiozusoe The earliesl man ifestali on ofLand Art was represented in
the drawings and plans for the Mi/e-Long Poral/eI Walls in
The Hopi/Anasazi Indian kivo - a ceremonial chamber Kate LlNKER the Desert, 1961-63-
sunk in Ihe earth, roofed wi lh limber and earth. II Th e lightning Fie/d began in the form of a note, following
developed from pilhouses, corn slorage cislerns and Mary Miss [1983] the co mp le tio n ofThe Sed ofSpikes in 1969.
burial pits. (limbing down inside a building is a The scul pture was com pleted in ils physical form on
sign ifica nlly differenl experience tha n enterin g from Ihe Mary Miss' enterprise is directed towards a viable public Novemben ,1977·
side. It involves a greater expenditure of energy. !t's harder art - towards an art in which the viewer is more than the The work was commissioned and is mainlained by the Dia
lo gel out. neulral percipient ofits processes. Ir. a period marked by Center for the Arts, New York.
Troglodyte -liletally, one who creeps into holes; from overwhelming dissension and by the increasing reduction
trogle - a gnawed hole. of experience, her work represents an attempl lo compose In Ju ly '974, a smalllightning Fie/d was conslructed . This
Monlague Summers' reference to inslances in which a common language - to use vernacular elements and served as th e prolotype for the 1977 lightning Fie/d. It had
exhumed corpses were found to have swallowed their images within the everyday environment, to draw th irty.five sta inless steel poles wilh pointed tips, each 18
shrouds and eaten their own Aesh on archetypal sensalions ofspace and lo create, againsl a feel (5.5 m) tall a nd 200feet (61 mI apart, arranged in a five·
-See Summers, Montague, The Vampire ín Europe background ofshimmering signs, dense perceptual row by seven-row grid.lt was located in Northern Arilona.
expertence. The la nd was loaned by Mr. and Mrs. Burton Tremaine. The
'A hundred or so irregular niches, analogous to mine, Miss has composed one ofthe most complex work now is in Ihe collection ofVirginia Dwan. It remained
furrowed the mountain and the val ley. In the sand Ihere meditalions on space in the art ofthe last two decades, in place from 1974 Ihrough 1976 and i5 presently
were shallow pits; from Ihese miserable holes (and from both Ihrough herexploralion ofits multiple dimensions, dismantled, prior to an in slallation in a new location .
Ihe niches) naked, grey·skinned, scraggly-bearded men by which space moves us perceptually and allusively in The sum ofthe facts does noí constituíe the work or
emerged. I thoughl I recognized Ihem¡ they belonged lo time, and Ihrough her altention lo the Iransilion from determine ¡ts oesthetics.
Ihe beslial breed ofthe Iroglodytes, who infest the shores private to public site. During Ihe late 1960s, prior lo
ofthe Arabian Gulf and the caverns ofElhiopia¡ I was nol widespread minimalist discontent, Miss was already The ligh tn ing Field meas ures 1 mile x 1 km and 6 m (5,280
amaled that Ihey could nol speak and Ihallhey devoured involved in herown, contenl-oriented production, feet x 3,300 feet).
serpenls ... To leave the barbarous village, I chose the mosl foreshadowing a broad redirection of concerns. Yet Miss' There are 400 highly polis hed stainless steel poles with
public hours, the coming of evening, when almost all the work also puts into reliefcertain questions common 10 solid , poin ted tips.
men emerge from thei, crevices and pits and look al the 'architeclural sculplure'. She has repealedly disclaimed The poles are arranged in a rectangular grid array (16 to the
setting sun, wilhoul seeing it.' interest in specific reference to archi leeture and in the width, 25 to the length) and are spaced 220feet (67 mI apart o
- Jorge Luis Borges, The Immorto/ precise natu re ofthe constructed form, 'The ex perience A si mple walk around the perimeler ofthe poles lakes
you can have with a co nstruction in a landscape in a approxi mately two hours.
The entry wells are deep enough so thal once inside a particular situation interests me more than just what the The primary ex perience lakes place within The lightning
person is completely surrounded by concrete and cannot structure ;s'. Built forms, among others, are employed fo r Fíe/d.

INTE RRUPTlON
Each mile-Iong row contains twenty·five poles and runs The originallog cabin lacaled 200 yards (18] m) beyond
east·west. the mid·point ofthe northern most row has been restored
the Klein group the -¡eute! l erm ofthe not·/ondscope plus
the not·Qrchiteeture, there is no reason not to imagine an
'"
Each kilometre-Iong row contains sixteen poles and runs to accommodate visitors' needs. oppositelerm -one that would be both londscope and
north·south. A permanent caretaker and administrator will reside near o,ch rtecture-which within this schema is c.alled the
Because the sky·ground relationship is central to the work, the lacallon for continuous maintenance, protection and complex. But to think the complex is to admil into tile
viewing The Ughtning Field from the air is of no value. assistance. realm of art two terms that had formerly been prohibited
Part ofthe essential content ofthe work is the ratio of A visil may be reserved only through written correspondence. from il: /ondscope and orehrlecture - terms tha t could
people to the space: a smaJl number of people to a large The cabin serves as a shelter during extreme weather function to define the sculptural (as Ihey had begun to do
amount ofspace. conditions or storms. in Modernism) only in the;r negative or neuter condition.
InstaJlation was carried out from June through October, The dimate is semi·arid¡ 11 inches (28 cm) of rain is the Because il was ideologically prohibited, the eomplex had
19n· yearlyaverage. rema ined excluded hom what might be called the closure
The principal associates in construction, Robert Fosdick Sometimes in winter, the Lightning Fie/d is seen in ligM of posl.Renaissance art. Our culture had not before been
and Helen Winkler, have worked with the sculpture snow. able to think the complex, although other cultures have
continuously forthe last three years. Occasionally in spring, ]0, to 5o-mi1e-an·hour (48. to 80' thought this term with gfeal ease.labyrinths and mazes
An aerial survey, combined wit h computer analysis, km·an·hour) winds blow steadily for days. are both landscape and architecture; Japanese gardens are
determined Ihe positioning ofthe rectangular grid and the The light is as important as the lightning. both land·landscape and architecture¡ Ihe rilual playing
elevatlon ofthe terrain. The period of primary lightning activity is from late May fields and processionals of ancient civilizations were all in
A land survey determined four elevation points through early September. th is sense the unquest io ned occupants ofthe complex.
surrounding each pole positlo n to insure the perfect There are approximalely sixty days per year when thunder Which is not to say that they were an early, or a degenera te,
placement and exact he ight of each element. and lightning activity can be witnessed from The Lig htning or a varianl form ofsculpture. They were part of a universe
II took five months to complete both the aerial and the land Fie/d. or cullural spaee in which seulpture was simply another
surveys. part- not somehow, as our historicist minds would have
Each measuremenl relevant to foundation pos ilion, TH E I NVISI BlE IS REAL it, the Sol me. Their purpose and p leasure is exactly that
installation procedure and pole al ignment was triple. The observed ratio oflightning storms which pass over the they are opposite and differenl.
checked for accuracy. sculpture has been approximately three per th irty days The expanded field is thus generated by problematizing
The poles's concrete foundations, set one foot below the during the lightning season. the set of oppositions between which the modernist cate·
surface ofthe land, are 3 feet (91.5 cm) deep and 1 foot (JO.5 Only afier a lightning strike has advanced lo an area of gory seu/pture is suspended. And once this has happened,
cm) in diameter. about 200-feet (61 cm) aboye the Lightning Field can it once one is able to think one's way into this expansion,
Engineering studies indicated that these foundat ions will sense the poles. there are -Iogically -three other eategories that one can
hold poles to a vertical position in winds of up to 110 miles Several distinct thunderstorms can be observed al one envisio n , all ofthem a eondition ofthe field itself, and none
(176km) perhour. time from The Ughtning Fie/d. ofthem assimilable to seu/pture. Because as we can see,
Heavy carbon steel p ipes extend from the foundation Traditional grounding cable and grounding rod protect the seu/pture is no longer the privileged middle term between
cement and rise through the lightning poles to give extra foundations by diverting lightning current into the earth. two things that it is n' l. Seu/pture is rather only one lerm on
strength. lightning strikes have nol been observed lo jump or are Ihe periphery of a field in which there are other, differently
The poles were constructed oftype 304 stainless steel from pole to pole. strudured possibilities. And one has thereby gained the
tubing with an outside d iameler of 2 inches (5 cm). lightning strikes have done no pereeptible damage lo the ' permission' lo think these olher forms ( ... J
Each pole was cut, with in an accuracy of 0.002 of a poles. It seems fairly clearthat Ihis permission (or pressure)
centimetres (.001 ohn inch). to its own ind ividuallength. On very rare occasions when there is a strong electrical to th ink the expanded field was fell by a number of artists
The average pole he ight is 20 feet 7.5 inches (627 cm) . current in thea ir, a glow known as '5t. Elmo's Fire' may be at about the same time, roughly between the years 1968
The shortest pole height is 15 feet (458 cm) . emitted from the tips ofthe poles. and 1970. For, one after another, Robert Mortis, Robert
The tallest pole height is 26 feet 9 inches (815 cm). Photography oflightning in the dayt ime was made Smithson, Michael Heizer, Ric hard Serra, Walter De Maria,
The solid, stainless steel t ips were lurned to match an are possible by the use of camera triggering devices newly Robertlrwin, SolleWitt, Bruce Nauman ... had entered a
having a rad ius of6 feet (18] cm). developed by Dr. Richard Orville, Dr. Bernard Vonnegut situation the logical conditions of whieh can no longer be
The tips were welded to Ihe poles , Ihen ground and and Robert Zeh, ofthe State University ofNew York at described as medernist. In order to name this historieal
polished, creating a continuous unit. Albany. rupture and the structural transformalion ofthe cultural
The total weight ofthe sleel used is approximately ]8,000 Photography ofThe Lightning Fie/d requ ired the use of field that characterizes it, one must have recou rse to a nother
lbs (17,252 kg). medium· and large·formal cameras. termo The one already in use in other areas of criticism is
Al! poles are parallel and the spaces between them are No photograph, group of photographs or olher recorded Postmodernism. There seems no reason not to use it.
accurale to within .25 ofan inch (0.5 cm). images can complelely represenl The l ightn ing Fie/d. But whatever term one uses, the evidence is already in.
Diagonal d istance between any two contiguous poles is Is%tion is the euenee ofLond Art. By 1970, with the Portio/ly Bu,ied Woodshed at Kent State
]1 1 feet (95 m I. , . , University, in Ohio, Robert Smithson had begun to occupy
tflaid end to end the poles would stretch over 8,240 feel the complex axis, which for ease of reference I am calling
(25 km) (1.5 m iles). site eonstruetion. In 1971 with the observatory he buill in
The plane ofthe tips would evenly support an imaginary wood and sed in Holland , Robert Morris had joined him.
sheet of glass. Rosalind KRAUSS Since that time, many other artists - Robert Irwin , Alice
Ouring Ihe m id.po rtion ofthe day seventy to ninety per Aycock, John Mason, Michael Heizer, Mary Miss, Charles
cent ofthe poles become virtually invisible due to the high Sculpture in the Expanded 5 imonds - have operated within this new set of
angleofthesun. possibilities.
It is intended that the work be viewed alone, or in the como Field [1979] Similarly, Ihe possible combination of/andseope and
pany of a very small number of people, over at least a not./ondseope began to be explored in the late 1960s. The
twenty.four·hour period. [ ... J Even though scu/pture may be reduced lo what is in term mQrked sites is used to identify work like Smithson's

DOCU MENTS
 constructed in response lo the surrounding landscape.
'" Spiro/jetly (1970) and Heizer's Double Negariv/! (1969).
as it also describes sorne orthe work in the 19705 by Serra, Two triangular steel walls that serve as retaining walls
there's a eertain kind ofcentr ifugal push into the side of
the hill. ln fact the people at the Kroller-Müller wanted lo
Morris, Car! Andre, Dennis Oppenheim, Nancy Halt, from a s lrongly sculptural entryway to Ihe in ter ior oflhe call the piece 'Centrifugaal ' in Dutch. They talked a lot
George Trakis, and many others. But in addition 10 actual piece and establish a ceremonial nexus belween its aboul vorticism. And Ihen when you walk aboye it, Ihere's
physical manipulations ofsites, this term also refers to interior and exterior. The terraced inlerior ofG/en is anolher path which connects the two sides oflhe valley.
otherforms of marking. These might operate through tlle planted with carefully arranged flowering plants. The There's a ridge which encircles the whole space at
application ofimpermanent marks - Heizer's Depressions, overal! effect is like a poi ntillist canvas: the varicoloured aboul 150 feel. When you walk on the ridge, Ihere's a
Oppenheim's Time Lines, or De Maria's Mi/e Long f10wers are like dots of paint Ihat merge lo create an .111· conlraction and the space becomes elliptically
•
Orowing, for example -or through the use of photography. over surface. Webster's 'canvas', however, is rich with compartmentalized, which you ean't see as you walk
Smithson's Mirror Displo,ements in tlle Yuca ton were texture and scent. through lt, and it's a d ifferenl way of understanding your
probably the first widely known instances ofthis, but sinee Webster's environmental structures are distinguished relation lo the place: you're overhead looking down. The
then the work ofRichard Long and Hamish Fulton has by their strong spatial quality and the way in which they plates were laid out at twelve, four and eight o'dock in an
(ocused on the photographi, experience of marking. enhance a sense of place by surrounding the viewer. f or elliptical valley, and Ihe s pace in between them forms an
Christo's Running Fence might be Sol id to be an such earth Slructures, she prefers a circular form because isosceles triangle, 152 feet (46 m) o n the long side, 78 and
impermanent, photographic and political instance of it is primary and enclosing, like embracing arms. Webster 78 feet (24 m) on Ihe legs. Each plate is 10 feet (3 m) high by
marking a site ( ... ] has 01150 characterized her planted works as womanly and 40 feel (12 mJ long by 1·5 inches (4 cm) Ihick hol rolled

.' ,
sexual, not only because oflheir womb·like quality and Ihe sleel sunk inlo the incline al an equal elevation. Now 0111 of
nurturing attention required to maintain them, but also those Ihings could I?e talked abouI, and those in part were
38- 41 because the works must be penetrated in order to be fully the intentions [ ... )
experienced. In spring, especially, the pieces are alive with When you imply Ihat there's some sort of specific
possibility; procreation occurs over and over by insects inlentions, Ihat someone's going lO learn somelhingfrom
Donna HARKAVY pollinating the flowers, investing her work with the spirit a work, or Ihat it's goal-oriented in Ihal way, or Ihal il's
ofbirth and regeneration. going to teach somelhing ... I don't even know iflhal's Irue
Meg Webster [1988] Although Webster, by her own accoun!, never actively or val id any more. I Ihink Ihat art's about a certain kind of
participated in the rhetorie ofMinimalism, she activitythat burns ilself oul and Ihen Ihere's something
Evídent as herdebt lo minimalist sculpture is, the sources nevertheless believes her work 'continues the dialogue' else, and it burns itself out as you finish each piece.
ofher imagery are equally in the Earth Art movement ofthe with ils aesthetic principies. In expressing her relationship The focus ofthe art for me is Ihe e){perience ofliving
19705. The relalionship ofWebster's work lo Ihe Earth to Minimalism, she says, ' I'm eoming al il because ofthe Ihrough Ihe p ieces, and Ihal experience may have very
projects ofRobert Smithson, Nancy Holt, Robert Morris geometry ... and the need to present an idea or coneept'. By little lo do with physical facts oflhe work of art, very little to
and Michael Heizer, whom Webster worked for in 1983, is her use of organie materials such as earth, hay and plants do with Ihal. But when you're talking about intentions, all
mosl evidenl in her ouldoor sculplure. Her first major in combinalion wilh the cool vocabulary of minimalisl you're lelling people about is the relalion of physical facts.
ouldoorcommission was Hollow, a packed earth structure seulplure, Webster ereales sensuous animale forms. And I think an artwork is nol merely correctly predicting all
which she compleled in 1985 on a sile al Ihe Nassau ,, , , qunH' fee"" Ihe relalions you can measure ( ... )
, "
Counly Museum ofFine Art in Roslyn Harbor, New Vork. an"erl ", L I ,Iy 19a Sorne people think il is, so Ihey sel up a construct and
From Ihe outside, Hollow resembled alarge cylinder, • ,. . "eQ Io.,k t pr' • 11'1"" eO,,!'
". tell people their inlentions, and then Ihe construct verifies
gently tapering al the top and partially submerged in the WdH.rA,t 1ter. MTn' 1985 . , n. the intenlions. Everybody has Iheir own language
ground. Archilectural in scale - ils interior walls measured
" structure that they pul in it - they run it on a tape loop in
10 feet (305 cm) high - it vaguely suggested Ihe dwelling of Iheir head - and what Ihal does, Ihose kinds ofintentions,
sorne primitive society. From the exterior, its severe Richard SERRA is to preclude people from experiencing Ihe work. And
geometry and relatively uninflected surface gave no hint of righl now my pieces are m ostly involved with walking and
what lay inside. The visitor approached the piece by Spin- Out '72-'73 for Bob looking. Bul I can'l tell someone how lo walk and look. The
walking down a 90 foot (27.5 m) long, gently sloping dirt piecein Holland takes up ... 1 mean, there isn'lany
path. Civen the length ofthe walkway and lis gradual Smithson [1973] definillon ofboundary ... il takes up the whole valley. Vou
descent below ground, approaching and penetrating the can walk through it in as many ways as you can
work assumed ritual significance. Entering the sculplure What I've decided is thal whal I'm doing in my work right conceivably think of walkinglhrough il [ ... J
through its slot-like portal, one encountered a lush inlerior now has nolhing lo do with the specific inlentions ( ... J R :Mrd ,erra, ' Sp\n "t' '73forSobSmith lnI9B ·.

- a great mass ofbrightly coloured f10wering planls. Ifl define a work and sum il up wilhin the boundary of a
Two rock seats were provided from wbich visitors definition, given my inlentions, Ihal seems lo be a
could contemplate this rich profusion of planls. In Ihe limitation on me and an imposition on other people ofhow l'Iuseum. 981. pp. 36 31

Nassau piece, as in her olher outdoor works, Webster lO think about the work. Finally, it has absolulely nOlhing
wanls to intensify the viewer's perceplion of nature. ' I'm lo do with my activity or art. I think Ihe significance oflhe
not making nature, surely', she has said, 'bul I'm pulling work is in its effort nol in ils intentions. And Ihat effort is a
[Ihe viewer] to il'.' A viewer able to return several times state of mind, an activity, an interaction with the world [ ... J
over a period of months to this meditative environment Vou can lalk about them. Vou can talk aboul defining
could not help bul focus on nature's processes. As the the lopology ofthe place, and the assessment oflhe
seasons changed, so did Webster's sculpture. characterislics oflhe place, through locomotion. Vou can
CIen (1g88), anolher large·scale enclosed sculpture, talk aboul Ihe palh through Ihe place which defines Ihe
commissioned for the Minneapolis Sculpture Carden, is two boundaries as you walk Ihrough the p iece. There is a
Webster's most site-specific outdoor work lO date. It certai n ki nd of para lIax [ ... J
consists of a circular depression carved into the slope that Firsl you see Ihe plales as parallel; when you walk leh,
forms the eastern border ofthe Carden, and it was they move righl. As you walk inlo them, Ihey open up, and

INTERRUPTION
 n,

Along with the development of aggressively

interventionist strategies in the land came competing theoretical approaches and a

growing emphasis on the individual as subject in the landscape. There was a

feeling that art need not be a production líne of more objects to fill the world',

Richard Long writes: 'My interest was in a more thoughtful view of art and nature, 1

was for an art made on common lands, by simple means, on a human scale. It was

the antithesis of so-called American Land Art, where the artist needed money to be

an artist. to buy real estate, to claim possession ofthe land and wield machinery',

Long's stated desire to be 'a custodian of nature, not an explorer of il', characterizes

both the practica 1and philosophical drift of this section. Increasingly reflective of

the broader social and polítical specifics ofthe times - the rise of 'Body Art', the

impact of feminism, situationism and interest in different belíef systems - these

texts also reference elements of a cultural past. The works to which they

correspond bring these arguments into a context of more subjective meanings and

activities, sometimes combining the personal with the política!.

indeed mere idlers and vagabonds j but they who do go send back our emb¡lImed hearts only as relics to our
Henry David TH OREAU there are saunterers in lhe good sense, such as I mean. desolate kingdoms. Ifyou are ready to leave father and

. 'a ' ' nq' lE ' Sorne, however, would derive the word from sonslerre,
without land ar ahorne, which, therefore, in the good
sense, will mean , having no particular hame, but equally at
motller, and brother and sjster, and wife and child and
friends , and never see them again - ¡fyou have paid your
debts, and made your will , and settled all your affairs , and
I wish to speak a word for Nature, for absolute freedom home everywhere. For this 15 the secret ofsuccessful are a free man - then you are ready for a walk ( ... J
and wildness, as contrasted with a freedom and culture sauntering. He who sits still in a house all the time may be '".'\¡" • e

merely civil- to regard milln as an ¡"habitant, or a part and the greatest vagrant of all; but the saunterer, in the good e , ,;. ",-,
parcel ofNature, rather than a member of society. 1wish to sense, is no more vagrant than the meandering river, e 8

make an extreme statement, if so 1may make an emphatic which is aH the while sedulously seeking the shortest
one, for there are enough champions of civitization: the course to the sea. But 1prefer the first, which, indeed, is
minister and the school committee and every one of you the most probable derivation. For every walk is a sort of S gmund FREUD
will take care ofthat crusade, preached by some Peter the Hermit in us, to go
I have met with but one ortwo persons in the course of forth and reconquer this Holy Land from the hands ofthe Mases and Monathelsm
my life who understood the art ofWalking, that is, oftaking Infidels.
walks - who had a genius, so to speak, for sauntering, It is true, we are but faint·hearted crusaders, even the
---,
which word is beautifully derived 'from id le people who walkers, nowadays, who undertake no persevering, nevero
roved about the country, in the Middle Ages, and asked ending enterprises. Our expeditions are but tourS, and Man found that he was faced with the acceptance of
charity, under pretence of going ti la Saint Terre', to the come round again at evening to the old hearthside from 'spiritual' forces , that is to say such forces as cannot be
Holy Land, till the children exclaimed, 'There goes a which we set out. Halfthe walk is but retracing our steps. apprehended by the senses, particularly not by s ight, and
Sainte· Terre,', a Saunterer, a Holy.Lander. They who never We should go forth on the shortest walk, perchance, in the yet having undoubted , even extremely strong, effects.lf
go to the Holy land in their walks, as they pretend, are spi,it of undying adventure, never to return, prepared to we maytrust to language, it was the movement ofthe air

DO CUM ENTS
 •

I
l'

•
, , --
that provided the image of spirituality, since the spirit major lava flows . Afte r it the lava lay from 10 to SO 2J7
borrows its name from the breath ofwind (Qnimus, Fujiko SHIRAGA feet thick, completely impassable. The surface was very
spiritus, Hebrew: fua,h = smoke). The idea ofthe soul was rough, composed oflarge often loose cinder blocks which
thus born as the spiritual principie in the individual ... Now About Myself and the were sharp and treacherous, often weak enough to break
the realm of spiri15 had opened for man, and he was ready under a person's weight. We rounded promontory after
to endow everything in nature with the soul he had Outdoor Exhibition [1955] promontory ofthe lava, indented with deep bays of
discovered in himself. blackened flat ground [ ... J
,
qm d I "
• Around the time ofthe outdoor exhibition, 1was searching Ilooked into the crater. It was about 300 feet deep, a

.' pany. B .t, , jI! P intensely for an existence beyond my own. I was
determined to express, as a human being, an immense
double inverted cone, with one point about twenty feet
below the other. The sides were steep and much eroded.
force - a force so great that it would defy any human The grit and ash was slowly filling in the bottom which
control. contained these materials. Across from us were cliffs of
GuyDEBORD 1want tocreate an enormous gash in an empty sky. red lava rock. About fifty feet below the edge on the side
No material or skill will be visible, but it will arouse where we stood was a magnificent depos it of sulphur -
Theoryofthe Dérive ['9'61 awe in the viewer's mind and unhinge his m ind. lt has yellow, red, green, black and gold (perhaps sulphur.oxides,
nOlhing to do with a natural phenomenon: it is a product carbon and ores of various kinds that were deposited by
Among the various Situationist methods is the dérille of my own mind. I do not want to turn my impression of the steam o r gas). Cases stil1 ca me from this area in some
'drifting1, a technique oftransient passage natural phenomena into any kinds offorms -even quantity ( ... ]
through varied ambiances. The derive entails playful- abstract ones. The volcano 'ooked perfect for my project. 1could use
constructive behaviour and awareness of psycho- t aM . theedge (as I had projected in a model in my March 1969
, "' .
> H

geographical effects j which completely distinguishes jt

" '
, , ,> ,
'" show), or possibly the inside ofthe crater, though this
from the dassical notions ofthe journey and the strol!. • " Agd'
" \. \ . oO. seemed somewhat impractical because ofthe steep
In a derive one or more persons during a certain period
" "" . . r " ... .
" ,. eroding ash sides and the presence of probably poisonous
drop their usual motives for movement and action, their gases( ... ]
relations, theirwork and leisure activities, and let At the top 1told everyone that I didn't want to be
themselves be drawn by Ihe attractions ofthe terrain and PeterHUTCHINSON rushed. We went about feeling the rocks for temperature
the encounterS they find there. The element of chance is differences and looking for steam patches. There was
less determinant than one might think: from the derive Paricutin Volcano Project enough steam coming from the cinders on the flattish
point of view cities have a psychogeographical relief, wilh ledge by the crater. In one clert, though, there was gas
constant curren15, fixed poin15 and vortexes which [ 1970] which had built up thin orange deposits of crystals. We
strongly discourage entry into or exit from certajn zones. became used to spotting the dangerous emissions and
Bul the derive indudes both this letting go and its Jay and Ileft New York City by jet and arrived in Mexico City holding our breath near them. Steam was whitish while
necessary contró1ldiction : the dom ination of the afternoon ofTuesday, January 6, 1970. We stayed at the the gases were bluish or brownish.
psychogeographical variations by the knowledge and Hotel Genéve. The nen morning we contacted Bernard at Ilaid out a line ofbread as marker, using the natural
calculation oftheir possibilities. In th is latter regard, h is oftice and explained the project ( ... ] fault lines for my s hapes. The bread was mostly wet from
ecological science- des pite the apparently narrow social I wanted a dormant but live volca no, with bare rock, the steam from its overnight storage. The Indians and
space to which it limits itself - provides psychogeography ground heat and steam. The only way to find out was to go. Bernard started tearing open the bread packages and
with abundant data [ ... J I knew that the volcano had burst out of a field in 1943. In fiUing in the shapes 1had marked [ ... ]
Chance plays an important role in derives precisely nine years it had grown to 1,400 feet (a bout 9,000 feet My project was to lay the bread, wet it once and let the
because the methodology of psycho geographical aboye sea level) , making it the mosl recent growth of an steam and the heat ofthe rocks and sun d o the rest. 1
observation is still in i15 infancy. But the action of chance is entire volcano (1 believe the only growth of an entire large expected mould to grow in large quantities and I hoped in
naturally conservative and in a new setting tends to reduce volcano in living memory). patches large enough to show in the photographs 1would
everything to an alternation between a limited number of From Uruapan wetook a taxi to an Indian village, ten take. I would cover the bread with plastic in the interim
varian15, and to ha bit. Progress is nothing other than miles away. The roads were very bad. The trip took well which would condense the water on its surface and make a
breaking through a field where chance holds sway by over an hour. The countryside was dotted with old super-saturated environment, in which mould likes to
creating new conditions more favourable to our purposes. volcanoes, typically flat on top, mostly overgrown by trees. grow. This, in effect, would make a greenhouse
We can say, then , that the randomness ofthe derive is It was easy to see the different ages ofthese old volcanoes, environment in surroundings which hitherto had been
fundamentally different from that ofthe stroll, but also in fact, by judging how erosion had altered their shape and practically sterile and certainly unable to support moulds
that the first psychogeographical attractions discovered by the thickness ofthe vegetation on the slopes ( ... ] or even lichens ( ... ] I wanted an amorphous effect that
run the risk offixating the dériving individual or group The path was steep and first led downhill through pine would change colour as mould grew. The only shapes
around new habitual axes, to which they will constantly be forest and across sharp sloped but dry arroyos ( ... ] After a involved were dictated by the nature ofthe faults that
drawn back ( ... J mile or two we entered a grassy field and saw the volcano were splitting up the edge into segments that would
several miles away.lt was a rounded cone, halflightish eventually crumble and fall into the crater. The result
ash , halfblack cinder. The second peak (at the other crater was a kind oftripartite line with uneven edges and
1'100 ,991! An AnU'" '11 f hdng'ng ed rlm) was not at first visible from this, the north-west side. thickness, becoming in part both line and shape.
Harr, an Paul W" a. Bla, ... 11 P"bl Then we saw the jet black edge ofthe lava flow. It had Now 1 photographed the piece from various places
destroyed two viUages. The second village- Paric utin - around the crater edge. ln 1958 (according to the National
was completely covered by many feet oflava but the Geographic Society) the width ofthe craterwas 875 feet
church tower survived and still stands. The lava shield (26,687 cm). I estimated the width as much greater - due
surrounded the volcano on almost all sides, except for a 1suppose to erosion ofthe edges and thus a constant
narrow approach from the south. There had been three widening effect. My piece was roughly 250 feet (7,625 cm)

OOCU MENTS
 2" in length and using this as a yardstick I estimated (from they are first colonized by bacteria, moulds and algae. The too. For some this syndrome is irrelevant, partofone
aerial pholographs taken liilter) Ihal the crater was very conditions of early history are continually duplicated. 'movemen!' or another, or 'making it'; for others it has
roughly,,.4oo feet (42.700 cm) in diameter. However, l"Iut,h,n n. 'P.,. uton Project·. 1969. been an eye·opener, a consciousness-raiser, a way forthe
accurate measurements were nOI taken since this was nol audience and ils life concerns to enter and directly affect
my purpose for being Ihere. The crater appears almos! Art<, 1994. pp. the art being made.
circular 1... 1 Ofthosewho have tried to replace society's passive
The spores ofthese yeasts and moulds Ihal I ex pected expectations of art with a more active model, many have
lO grow were lo come (rom the air - 1didn'l seed them. Lucy R. LlPPARD chosen lo call their activities 'rituaJs'. The word is used
They might be rarer al ¡¡Itilude bul there are few places on very broadly, but its use indic'ates a concern with that
this planet where they are nol found - perhaps in the Overlay: Contemporary Art balance between individual and collective, theory and
deepest seas or al the poles. These spores are incredibly practice, object and action that is at the core of any belief
hardy in Iheir non·active spore stage and can exist for lo ng and the Art of Prehistory system . Durkheim's division of religious phenomena tnto
periods without dilmage. Sorne can withsland OOiling beliefs and rites is applicable to aesthetics. 'The first', he
temperatures and o °F or below. Bul most need the range [ 1983] says, 'are states or opinions and consist in representations;
from 33"F to around 9SoF before they can grow, sporulate the second are determined modes of action'.'
and reproduce. I was aiming forthe fastest growth RITUAL Any discussion of ritual in recent art raises the
condition and planned to allow only five or si¡¡: days forthis Discussing or even exploring the prehistoric sites today is important question ofthe relationship ofbeliefto the
project. Some spores can reac h sporulation in thirty.si¡¡: like visiting a museum, or peering around a church as a forms that convey it, or at least suggest ils structure in a
hours or less if conditions are right ( ... ] tourist. For aU the formal beauties that are accessible, the general way. Images and activities borrowed from ancient
I found myself growing stronger but getting more cut essence oflife is elusive. Contemporary artisls are looking or foreign cultures are use fui as talismans for self-
up every day from falling in the hard cinders and basalt. to ancient forms both to restore that breath and also to development, as containers. But they become ritual in the
This new landscape is nol yet eroded into the 50ft shapes take it for themselves. The animating element is often true sense only when filled by a communal impulse that
we aU e¡¡:pect.jay and I counted the ravens. I see si¡¡:, he ritual- private or public, newly created or recreated connects the past (the last time we performed this act) and
sees ten,l twelve, he fourteen. They f10at like vultures. through research and imagination (in itselfa breath oflife) . the present (the ritual we are performing now) and the
Would they eat the bread? I saw an ant, a seedli ng, a spider Artmaking is a ritual, perhaps the most valid - ifelitist - future (will we ever perform it again?).
web, a dead bee near a 2oo°F+ smoke hole. 1never saw red one left to th is society. tt is, however, in danger of When a ritual doesn 't work, it becomes an empty, self-
grass before. It was incredibly quiet there. No insect hum, becoming as disengaged as institution alized religion. conscious act, an e¡¡:clusive object involving only the
even the few birds were siJent. I saw a cricket or grasshopper I::mile Durkheim's conclusion that 'religion is something performer, and it is often embarrassing for anyone else to
I
on Ihe highest peak. The sky was very clear and blue - eminently social' should also apply to arto 'Collective witness. When a ritual does work, it is inclusive, and lea ves
beautiful conditions for photography ( ... ] representation accum ulated over vast spans of space and the viewerwith a need to participate again _At this point,
Si¡¡: days later I went back to the Indian viUage ( ... ) ti me are resul ts of a special intellectual activity ... which is ritual becomes propaganda in the religious sense in which
The bread had grown mould as I hoped. Thesteam had inflnitely richer and more complex tha n Ihat ofthe the word origin ated - the sense that evolved from the
heated and wetted it and near ideal growing conditions individual." rituafs ofthe Catholíc Church, the sense of'spreading the
must have been attained night and day because the mould The do mina nt alienation of maker from what is made, word' (or the seed, as in propagation) . Today, as Dennis
was growing in large patches. Only in the one section and the afienation of art and work from life, has Jed some Oppenheim has put it, 'ritual is an injected ingredient ...
where we had wet the bread once but where Ihere was nOI contemporary artisls to a conscious restoration of severed It's an objectively placed idiom necessary to move the
steam, was there no mould. Here Ihe bread had dried and connections. Over the last flfteen to twenty years there has work away from certain kinds ofsterility'.' But the concept
bleached even whiter from the sun. In the mould-growing been a move to reconnect 'medium and message', 'subject ofkn owi ng through doing and communicatingthrough
areas there were large patches (about two to three inches and object', in the course of which some artists have participating continues, whether it is applíed to daily
in diameter) ofblack bread mould (white in this stage] , red become quite literaUy e/oser to their arto They have become routines or mystical mtes ofenlightenment.
bread mould (pinkish orange) and a dark red species Ihat I more necessary to its perception - not only as the actors in The active, orformal, element of repetition which
do nol know. I brought some ofthe moulds back with me body art or performance art, but also as the major characterizes 50 much and such diverse American art from
in a film can. 1took them to Columbia University for protagonisls oftheir individual aesthetic ideas in lectures the last three decades can be seen as an acknowledgement
analysis. Unfortunately, in my sample the red bread mould and writing. The result has been an increased dialogue ofthe need for ritual. Art that is called ritual but is never
had killed offthe other molds. There were also live bacteria between them and their specialized art audiences. Too repealed is finally an isolated gesture ratherthan a
and dead round worms present ] ... ) often, however, a broader audience remain s out of reach, communal process. Repetition is necessary to ritual, and
It is not eKtraordinary to grow mould on bread. I was even to those artists most resistanl lo the eros ion of art's repetition was a major component ofthe work ofthose
not doing so in any scientiflc sense. 1was attempting communicative functions , because available forms are not artists in the lale 19605 who were adapting a deadpan
several other things - to juKtapose a micro-organism easily understood. minimal style to an often sensuaUy obsessive contento
I aga inst a macrocosmic landscape, yet in such amount that Immateriality and impermanence, for instance, though (Freud compared culture to neurosis, equating phitosophy
I the results would be ptainly visible through colour sometimes valid strategies against commodification, have with paranoia, religion or ritual with compulsion, and art
changes. I also chose an environment that, although often backfired , leading to the same ki nd ofisolation and with hysteria.) It seems probable that in the New Stone
having the necessary elemenls for growth, needed a subtle inaccessibility the artisls hoped to overcome. Although Age, ritualization oftasks and 'Iearning by heart' were the
alteration on utilization to make growth possible. Volcanic the form has changed - for e¡¡:ample, from e¡¡:penstve steel prime manner of perpetuating belief and history.
ground in a sense is new material, sterilized and to ine¡¡:pensive ¡¡:erox, or from object to action - the content Eventually oral history was handed down only by Iravelling
reorganized then thrown out from the deepercrust ofthe is still meaningless to many people. In an ambivalent bards and minstrels, who were 'homeless', as artists are in
earth. It is similar to the earliest earth landscapes and antidote tothis situation, many artisls have found this society. Eva Hesse said she used repetition in her
related to the early geological periods such as the pre- themselves drawn more directly into aU aspects of making, sculpture because it recalled 'the absurdity oflife', 'If
Cambrian when moulds and algae played the dominant e¡¡:plaining and distributing, even promoti ng and seUing something is absurd , it's much more euggerated, more
I role on dry land that today belongs to the higher mammals their arto In the process, they become public figures and absurd ifit's repeated ... Repetition does enlarge or

I and insects. Today, when volcanoes appear from the sea, their art, almost accidentally, has to become more public increase or e¡¡:aggerate an idea or purpose in a statement'.'

I INVOlV EME NT
 Yvonne Rainer has said ofherchoreography, 'Ifsomething oppositions to the status quo. Visual artists' interest in
is comp\e.¡(, repetition gives people more time to uke it in'.' dance coincided with the politic.al need to ' dematerialize' •
The feminist development of ritual in art c.ame in art objects. Dance is also experience ritualized , and Mircea
response lo a genuine need on both the personallevel (for Eliade has observed that ' reality is acquired solely through
identity) and the communallevel (for a revised history and repetition or participation'. ' No form ofdance is Charles SIMONDS
j a bfoaderrrameworkinwhich lo make art). Mary Beth permanent', wrote cmic John Martin . 'Only the basic
• Edelson, who sees hersetf as creating a 'Iiturgy' for \he principie ofdance is enduring, and out ofit, like the cycle of Microcosm lo Macrocosm .
feminist movement, introduced the function of ritual to nature i1$elf, rises an endless succession of new springs
het children in the early 1970s: out of old winters'." FanlasyWorld lo Real World:
'1'NaS setting aside a particular time, saying to them, "This Dance is considered the oldest art, and certainly the
activity thilt we do now is speciill. This time ilnd these most socialized . with singing and music, it is the art most Inlerview wilh Lucy R.
gestures I hope witl make a lasting impression on you . So rooted in a continuing present, ' Myths are th ings which
we are going to act it out. We are going to ritualise our never h¡ppen but always are'.'} Ritual takes place in the Lippard [1974]
behaviour and document oursefve.s with photographs. temperal framework of myth, in that Celtic 'time between
The photographs wiU sbnd as a record ofthe unity and times' oftwiligh1$, mists and hybrids which John Sharkey Lucy R. lIppard What do you do)
wonder that we expeñenced-." has compared to the ' entrelacs' ofCeltic visual arts, the Chorles 5imonds 1) Sirth: In 1970 I buried myselfin the
intertwining knots and puns and curves - repetitive earth and was reborn from it. This exists as a 16mm film and
At t:he same time, women notlCed correspondences images arising from tasks set the contemplative m ind.'" a double series oftwenty.four time-Iapse colour photographs.
with traditional female work and arts. Artists began to see Also Jesus was worshipped as 'the dancers' master' 2) Landscape·Bodv·Owel/ing: (First done 1971 ). Ilie down
utilitiirian activities with aesthetic eyes, sometimes ilS the (and the mosaic labyrinths set in the floors of med ieval nude on the earth, cover myself with day, remodel and
counterparts of mantras - social formulas for copingwith churches were surely vestiges ofdances as well as transform my body into a landscape with clay, and then
oppression, for surviving. 'The cumulative power of pilgrimage metaphors) , 'Christianity has lost i1$ dances '" build a fantasy dwelling.place on my body on the earth .
infinite repetition' was manifested, for instance, in the and consequentJy i1$ spiral, growing motion, the natural There are two films ofthis (1971, 1973).
masonry techniques ofthe women who built the immense cirding around the spindle/axis. AII that rema ins is the 3) Dwelfings: Since 1970, most of my time has been spent
PuebJo Bonito in Chaco únyon, a complex layering of linear procession. A sixth-century Cnostic hymn warned, going around the streets ofNew 'fork bu ilding day
small stone fragmen1$. Vincent Scully has remarked how 'who danceth not, knoweth not what cometh to pass'. A dweUing·places for an im¡ginary civilization ofLittle
the ritual dances there were performed 'tight up aga inst more recent version is Emma Goldman 's 'Ifthere's no People who are migrating through the city.
the bui\dings .•• and t:he beat ofthose dances is built into dancing at the revolution, I'm not coming'. (A revolution 4) Project Uphil/: Forthe last year I h¡ve been working with
t:he architecture, which thus dances too'.' Artist Judith ¡s, by definition, a cirde dance.) In contemperary art, ritual the Lower East Side Coalition for Human Housing and the
Todd has observed how the puebJo was laid out in clusters is not just a passive repetition but the acting out of community on East 2nd Street, designing a p¡rk.playlot-
resembling matrilocalliving patterns, and how the collective needs ( ... ) a hilly landscape between Houston and 2nd Streets,
concentric aJr.l.ngement and obsessive Iilyering ofthe Avenues B and Ci construction begins in the spring.
"¡vos, ordomed underground chambers, also symbo[ized • lIppord How do a ll lhese Ih ings relate 10 each olner?
protection, the way t:he earth enfolds the sou[, in a 5imonds I' m interested in the earth and myself, or my
[ilbynnthine pattem.' body and the earth , what happens when they become
The rituals of modem artists evoke primitive muals, entangled with each other and all the th ings they indude
especially those ofthe agrarian cyde ofthe birth , growth, emblematically or metaphoricallYi like my body being
sacrifKe and rebirth ofthe year god j the cirde dance everyone's body and the earth belng where everybody
encouraging sun and moon to turn; the Troy dances oflife lives. The complexities work 01,11 from this juncture. One of
and death. Michelle Stuart has written about her earth-on· the original connections between the earth and my body is
paper scrolls, ' Move the body repeatedly and you will sbrt sexual. This infuses everything Ido, both the forms and
Itnowing yourselfbec.ause you no longer Itnow anything at the activities. In my own personal mythology I was born
3011. When I pound roclts or rub over layers and I¡yers ofdirt from the earth, and many ofthe things I do are aimed at
and move my body in dance, I don 't want to stop ... refreshing and art iculat ing that awareness for myself and
Destroying lO create a new sbte ofbeing. It's like a murder others. Landscape·Sody-Dwel/jng is a prccess of
- the destructiveness of creating'.' 'fet the forms do not transformation ofland into body, body into I¡nd. I c.an feel
survive without the beliefs, as Jamake Highwater, a myselflocated between the earth beneath me (which bears
Blackfoot¡ Cheroltee who is both a participant in and the imprint of my body contour) and the clay landscilpe on
articulate criti< of avant·garde culture, says in his book top of me (Ihe unders ide of which bears the other contour
Rituo/s ofExperience. Describing the labyrinthine of my body). Both S ;rth and Landscope·Sody.Dwelling are
patterns ofthe farandole in southern France - a snaltelike rituals the Little People would engage in. Their dwellings
winding dance which is still executed but has lost its in the stree1$ are part ofthat sequence. It's the origin myth
signifiance - he observes that when expressive form is - the origin ofthe world and of man and ofthe people. This
abandoned, 'what rem¡ ins is neither art nor ritual but progression establishes beliefs and relationsh ips at the
something else ... decorative entertainment'.lO very centre, at the very begin ning, in a physical way. Then I
In \he 1960s, experimental dance broke away from the am free to go and spread these beliefs into the world as a
theatfe wond and became more dosely associated with fantasy through the little People, and into the world ¡S a
t:he visu¡1 arts, infl uencing them, in turn, to incorporate reality through the park.
body and movement. Repetition suggests not only Llppord Doesn't II bother yOIl Ihat there isn't anything
eroticism, but action and ' revolution'. Process and people can [ook back to f,om a greate, dlstance'
performance and ritual art are all to a degree restJess Simonds Well, some ofthe effect ofthe. th ings I do is

OOCU ... ENTS

 lO" strengthened bythe fact In3t they're ephemeraL Ir you amount of e nergy and earth-moving actually employed, displacement. Her art is an elemental force, divorced from
leave thoughts behind you Ih3t olher people can develop, and at the same time, ways he could restructure Ihe strip accidents onndividuality, spealcing oflife and death,
you've had an effect on how the world looks or how ¡t's miners' thoughts to inelude other values not strictly growth and decay, offragility yet indomitable will. It is an
thought about. I don't see any reason lo teave behind capitalistic. [ ... JVacant space on the lower East Side intense, unified oeuvre, encompassingthe violent fire
'things' which lose their meaning in time, or ellen exist as a represenls a kind of devastation ofthe earth similarto a pieces and the quietly Iyrical works in which she lay on the
symbol of meaning al a given time pasto The few objects I strip mine. Poor planning has made that land ground covered with leaves orflowers, observing
do make each rear, al 50 landscapes with life ilrchitectures unproductive, Le., unprofitable. A raped piece ofland has the transmutalion of matter and spirit that marks the rites
on them, are mueh more conceptualized - ane thought no tife lefl: in it, anracts no lifeto ¡t . last week a dead dog of nature and of nature's rec!amation. If one ofher
brought lo ane place in one form ( ... ] was found in the lot where the park will be. sculptures were sent to a distanl planet or were kepl
Formyself, Ilhink ofthem in terms of making. Their Llppard Does 15 have lo be art Ihal resta res tha! sealed for thousands of years on earth, it would still convey
nign point for me is the momen! when I finish them, when deva sla tio n > the imagery, strength, mystery and sexuality ofthe female
the ciar i5 sliU wet and I'm in control of.lit the textures of Simonds That's just it. Seeing it as on is 10lally irrelevant human form - woman's body and spirit inscribed.
the sand and the colours, when earth is sprinkled on the in terms of whal we know art's relationship lo the real Walking around Washington Square Park, Isometimes
clay and it' s 50ft ilnd velvety, very rich. As Ihey dry, they world to be right now. You wanl lo affect the think t see Ana Tunning, circling the park as she used lo.
fade, and cease to be as vivid for me. Actually, I'm consciousness Ihal's actually chewing up the earth. What We would wave to one anolher and conlinue on our
constructing a little world of my own, allowing part of me those people end up doing to the earth is what we will individual routines.
to make a place to be.lt's a very calm feeling. Even when ultimately experience the earth to be. That great gash in Nancy ,pe re , ' Tta, ing Al!. Art foru m. Ne w Yor k.

I'm 5urrounded by lots ofactivity, my focus is on this very the middle ofthe counlry is whal comes back lo us as a Aprl Ul 9': , PP. 75.7' . n ' publ, ,n IIdncy Spero . PM I don
•
small world. The Little People, as they in ha bit that space, visual image, a gesture, a concept [ ... J Prro ndon . 1996. p. 139

take on their own energy and draw me along ( ... J

The dwellings have a past as ruins and they are the past
ofthe human race, a migration. They throw into reliefthe Atan SONFIST
I scale and history ofthe city. You have Ihal feeling offalling

I'
into a small and distan! place which, when entered, Autobiography [1975]
I"
becomes big and real- a dislocation which gives jI a NancySPERO
I dreamlike quality. 1946 May 26 at 10:10 p.m.: myfirst ekperience was airo

I:
I
To look at one dwelling on a formal, art-informational
level is a mistake. It's more fruitful to relate them to the
Tracing Ana Mendieta [1992] 1948 Firsl major project was to build a tower in a hole-
which I covered.
American Indian image they recall because, like the Ana Mendieta carved and incised in the earth and stone, '949 conected coconuls - and made pyramids.
Indians, the little People's lives centre around belief, and, in July 1981, on Ihe almost inaccessible walls of caves 1950 Planted my firsl seeds in a pickle jar and observed
anitudes towards nature, towards the land; because of in Jasuco Parle in Cuba: always the symOOI ofthe female thegrowth.
theirvulnerability but persistence taken against a body, the brealhing woman's body melding wilh the earth 1951 Sal on an anthill and was covered with ants; sticks
capitalist New York City ( ... J or stone ortrees or grass, in a transformative trailed me.
The city has to do with a concept of nature that represenlation ofthe living body mutating into another '952 planted seeds from the fTuil I ale in Ihe Bronx Park;
ekploits, pictorializes, steps outside of nature and tries to substance. This repelilive ritual, never the same, always my orange seeds did sprout.
superimpose on it OOth an abstract ideal of'good design' the same, was in sum a constellation oftiny planets -the 1953 Upon tightroping on a waterfall, I woke up in a
and/or a short-sighted capitalism. By working on land female mark, the vulva, fealureless, sexual, dug intothe hospital with my face bandaged.
that's already ruined, you're hopefully preventing what ground. '954-59 Visited all the museums in New York City; I went
could happen in the fulure by working wilh whal did Alone with her special lools and gear, she would hike lo lo Museum ofNalural History al least once a month lo
happen in Ihe pasto Right now, given the state ofthe city, a chosen site, lie down and mark her body on the ground, observe the stuffed animals; at this period I was going lo
the parle's undulating hills are a superimposition, the dig trenches, filling Ihem wilh gunpowder and sening Bronx Zoo and looking at caged animals.
same way the little landscapes are drawn onlo the them alight lo blaze madly. Celebraling Ihe small earthen 1954 Set my righl arm on fire; discovered a dead dog Ihat
architecture. The park can be seen as a montage of shape of an abstracted female formo A violenl ritual, yet had fallen from the fa lis - went back severa! times.
horizontallandscape on the vertical axis ofthe city, but this contained. The land evenlually covered up the traces ofthe 1955 Grew cryslals; watked off a cliff- fToze my lefl: hand.
site is mosl important to me because pedestrians can also performance as her art eroded and the earth returned to its 1956 Upon the death of my great.grandmolher, I was told
walk through it _lt's a passageway of real earth forms , a previous state. The only records are pholographs and that I am a great artist; created animals and talked; woke
respite from the city, not like those vest.pocleet parks videos made by the artist. up under my bed.
which are like stage backdrops, or dead ends. To bring the Ana did nol rampage Ihe earth to control or dominate 1957 Summer rock turning; rolled down a hill - Iost
relationship of city to land form more into balance, many or lo create grandiose monuments of power and aulhority. consciousness.
vacant lots and odd pieces could be landscaped to create a She sought ¡ntimate, recessed spaces, protective habitats, 1958 Swam a mile within a triangle.
meandering web ofhills f10wing throughout the city, a signalling a temporary respile of comfort and meditation. '959 Sat with an antelope in its cage.
continuous reminder ofthe earth' s contours beneath the The imprinl of a woman's passage eroding and 1960 Started a freshwater aquarium with two guppies
asphalt. disappearing, the regrowth of grass o r the shiAing and five snails.
Robert Smit hson' s idea ofdealing with mining of sands or a carved fragmenlary relief, a timeless cycle 1961 My brother shot a bird and I cried; brother and I built
companies, wilh the real world that is visually and momentari!y interrupled, receiving the shape of a woman a OOx we lived in forthe summer.
conceptually and economicaUy concerned wilh the earth, - a trace, such as Ihe s mudged OOdy-print a victim offire 1962-65 Joined mysubconscious underself-induced
focuses on the relationship between an aesthetic mighl lea ve, or a shadow, Ihe recessive mark lefl: by a hypnosis; played with animals ofthe pasto
consciousness and reality. Strip mining is based on what is victim ofthe OOmb in Hiroshima or Nagasaki ... 1963 Constructed a fuel cell; sun paintings.
the quicleest and least expensive way of ripping up the Ana's angerfed her desire t o create works of 1964 Collected dead animals; collected neslings of
earth and taking oul ont what is wanted. Smithson was endurance, works made lo exorcise - with blood, with fire , animals; made sounds of animals.
trying to find ways that his work could profit from the with rock, with earth, with stress - her profound sense of 1965 Land exchange - Macomb, IlIinois, to levinown,

INVOlVE MENT
long Island¡ 'Observations' - Verbal to visual translation¡ Altamira Cave; North Star plotting - international project;
produced. spiritual production called 'lifening' that talking bird -talking people; taped earth sounds from 20
Ilike common materials, y.'hatever is to hand,
but especially stones. Ilike the idea that stones
'"
showed the essence oftife¡ ran untill was out ofbreath, feet (610cm) to 200 feet (6,100 cm) over New York and are what the world is mOlde of.
then ran twice as faro Milan; earth core o to 30 feet (91 5 cm) in New York City and
1967 Ended painting by stretching rubberthat decayed Akron, Ohio; droppings - Akron, Ohio; founded I Jike common mean s g¡ven the si mple twist of art.
into powder in 1970; glass block flowing to a plate. corporation Conditions, Inc. : identified trees by touch and
1968 Started growing micro.organism as an entity; water smell; lived in darkness for a day; tracking a cat, at the I like sensibility without technique.
falls in midair; weather change in my body. Sol me time beingtracked by the cat; turned over areas with
1969 lIIusion of dominance - snails dominated a the Andover Forest; dreams with Asher B. Dura nd; theatre Ilike the way the degree of visibility
freshwater aquarium; skydiving began and ended; walking of characteristics; patterns and structures; line offire; and accessibility of my art is controlled
through the dark, I became onewith an animal; white landscapes (elements selection) from Tarrytown, New by circumstance, and also the degree to which
powders - minerals - vegeta bies - anima 15; took samples York, re-created from Macomb, IIlinois, '965; earth liftings it can be either public or private,
ofNew York City air - posted the analysis w ith the samples o n four sides; created the animals of my past; possessed or not possessed.
on loations samples were taken from ; placed a mound of 'Observations' - People with different characteristics were
seeds in the centre ofCentral Park, New York City, atlowing asked in the local newspaper to go to museum (Akron) Ilike to use the symmet'1 of patterns between tilT'e,
displacement by wind ; 'Observations' - Made graphic each day; recording ofhigh and low days; sculpture dusted places and time, between distance and time,
patterns Of1oo people through the Wh itney Museum, for fingerprints; erosion casting; three weeks tracking between stones and d istance, between t ime and stones.
New York City; ecological environment - time landscape¡ army ants in Central American jungle; watked into my
land exchange- Bronx, New York, to Fallsburg, New York; shadow. I choose lines and cireles because they
seed d istribution. 1973 landscapes (elements selection) from Orange, do the jobo
'970 Planted plastic and real flowers in Central Park, New Newark, and Montdair, New Jersey; trees of Andover;
York City; floated in the ocean facing down for s ix hours; cydical timing ofexistence; marsh reconstitution-
'Observations' - Physical media reaction; 'Observations' Cambridge, Massachusetts; land exchange - Central Park, My art is about working in the wide
- Avoid - Enler; placed a thorn in my heel to become aWilre New York City, to Mount Ber'1, Georgia¡ after death body world, wherever, on the surface ofthe earth.
of my foot; 'Observations' - Spatial energy, Milan, Italy; becomes work ofart in Museum ofModern Art, NewYork
loop-listen ; nonmovingmovie and nonmoving movie - City; lived in darkness for a week; smell of death coming My art has the themes of materials, ideas,
moving; presentation of natural phenomena des ignated forth from endosures; impressive - artistic; movement, time. The beauty of objects, thoughts, places
as 'scenic' by Kodak; beans - sprouts - flowers - beans; 'Observations' - Cher'1 blossoms - Natural-artistic at the and actions.
natural vanations; movie: accumulation movie collects Coreoran Museum Art School , Washington OC; spat ial
dust; motion into line; 'Observations' - Visitors' physicat energy - Cincinnati, Ohio; tracked a deer over its path that My work is about my senses, my instinct, my own scale
characteristics; posted s ign ' look at the sky - we are at the existed two days earlier in Mount Ber'1, Georgia; revisited and my own physical commitment.
end ofthe spiral ofthe Milky Way'; seed distribution - the animals ofBronx Zoo; sun burnt a hole through a eloud
international project; printed la beis 'Please recyde this - 1sat within; watched the earth move-looking at a My work is real, not illusory or conceptual.
can' to be put on metal containers and relurned to the square inch; became one with my shadow; ball into plate; It is about real stones, real time, real actions.
president ofContinental Can Corporation; posted sign battlingtrees.
'Send to your Congressman a pollutant or a piece of 1974 listened to a square i'lch of ground; two birds called, My work is not urban , nor is it romantic.
pollution and send the documentation to the gallery'; 1joined; sun rose five times during a day; dropped 100 feet It is the laying down of modern ideas in
'Observations' - Star plotting: people were asked to 'go in about thirty seconds; looked at the star - felt a web the only practical places to take them.
right ten stars from the North Star'; water, earth, air, outer surround me; revisited Charles - Iooking at a tree; carne to The natural world sustains the industrial world.
space sounds; an imal markings; dosed an eye fur a day; a beginning or a rainbow; left side of my body became I use the world as 1find it.
dark and light collections¡ memory maps; 'Observations' - numb; as the sun opened and dosed, I followed ; lay in the
Natural- Artistic; living myth . nesting ofthe deer. My art can be remote or very public,
1971 Animal hole diggings - piles of mud; collected 0111 the work and 0111 the places being equal.
breaths of air; visitors ' reaction box; Jived on island
surrounded by floating isles of oil; tracked a deer by the p. My work is visible or invisible. It can be an
signs ofthe forest; land exchange - Montdair, New Jersey, object (to possess) or an idea carried out and equally
to Panama to Carl Shuhz Park; nature theatre - twenty· shared by anyone who knows ahout it.
four (hour]life cyde; fish in suspension - released; snail Richard LONG
excrement patterns; nest building - selection of artificial My photographs are facts which bring the
and natural material; bird exchange; occupation- Five. six. pick Up sticks right access ibility to remote, tonely
posilion; 'Observations ' - Visitor reaction endosure; o r otherwise unrecognisable works. Some sculptures
'Observations' - After seeing this exhibilion, what type of Seven. eight.lay them are seen by few people, but can be known about by many.
project would you create; victim·victor room; rock into
sand - water into air; movies: energy build-up, perceptuat straight [1980] My outdoor sculptures and walking locations
micro-chimges, moving rock, consummation , nature's are not subject to possessio n and ownership. Ilike the fact
time; through the dark I killed an animal; experienced the Ilike simple, practical, emotional, that roads and mountains are common, public land.
sea in five different languages; movements oftime; filled a quiet, vigorous arto
room with nitrous oxide gas to slow down perception; My outdoor sculptures are places.
danced in the cut ofthe earth. Ilike the simplicity of walking, The material and the idea are ofthe place;
1972 Area earth mound; bird m igratio n patterns; rubber the simplicity ofstones. sculpture and place are one and the same.
maze forming a channel ; experienced and lived the The place is as far as the eye can see from the

OOCUMENTS
 I have in general been interested in usingthe
'" sculpture. The place for a sculpture is found
by walking. Sorne works are a succession landscape in differenl ways from
not all, of my walks have been made alone. when walking
alone, nothing is deflected. A walk has alife ofits own, and
of particular places along a walk, e.g. Iraditional representation and the lixed view. does not need to be made into a work of art oFew of my
Mi/estones. In this work the walking, Walking, ideas, statements and maps are some means to photographs show people, but my art should not be
the places and the stones alt have equal importance. this end. thoughtofas anti·people. On my walks I have met many
inspiring human beings and on one walk I encountered a
My talenl as 3n artist is lo walk across I have Iried 10 add something of my own view as an family ofthree grizzly bears. My art has been influenced by
a moor, or place a stone on the ground. artist to the wonderful and undisputed Iraditions a variety offriends. lo na me but a few: Marina Abramovié,
of walking, journeying and climbing. Thus, some Roger Ackling, Richard long and Nancy Wilson - by the
My stones are I¡lce grains ofsand in of my walks have been formal (slraight, walking peoples ofthe world from all periods ofhistory,
Ihe space oflhe la ndscape. circular) almost ritualised. lhe patterns of native American culture, Tibetan religious art,
my walks are un ique and original; they mountaineers a nd Japanese Haiku poets. My art
are not like following well-trodden routes acknowledges the element oftime, the time of my life.
A true understanding oflhe land requires taking travellers from one place to another. (One distance in the mountains, another distance down
more Ihan the building of objects. 1 have sometimes elimbed around m ountains the road.) The artwork cannot re·present the experience
instead ofto the top. 1 have used riverbeds of a walk. The flow ofinfluences shou/d be from nature to
The sticlcs a nd stones I find on the land, as footpaths. 1have made walks about slowness, walks me, nol from meto nature.1 do notdirectly rearrange,
I am the first to toueh them. about stones and water. I have made walks within remov(l" sell and nOI return, dig into, wrap or cut up with
a place as opposed to a linear journey; loud machinery any elements ofthe natural environment.
Awalk expresses space and rreedom walking without travelling. AII my artworks are made from commercially available
and the knowledge ofil can live materials (wooden frames and photographic chemicals). 1
in the imagination of ¡¡nrone, ilnd Ihal Words after the fact. do not use found-natural-objects like animal bones and
is analher space too. ri ver st ones. However, the difference between these two
. .' ."
. -, . ,, . ways is symbolic, nol ecological. Some technology has
A walk is jusi one more layer, a mark, laid greally enhanced human life but often il forms a barrier
upon the thousands of olher layers ofhuman between us and nature. Divisions. Some human abilities
and geographic history on the surface ofthe based on a elose relationship with nature have been lost,
land. Maps help to show this. Hamish FULTON broken lineage. Most of my text works are in the English
language. I respect the existence of alllanguages. Both
A walk traces the surface ofthe land, Into a Walk into Nature [1995] sides ofthe river. As an ' arm-chair mountaineer', my art
it follows an idea, il follows Ihe day has been influenced by the British Himalayan climber,
and the night. The physical involvement of walking creates a Doug Scott, not by the Romantics Turner and Wordsworth.
receptiveness to the landscape. I walk on the land to be 1grew up in the ship-building city ofNewcastle-upon.
A road is the site of many journeys. woven ¡nto nature. Vertical trees and horizontal hills. The Tyne. Through art·making I feel a continuity with my
lhe place of a walk is there before the characler of a walk cannot be predicted. A walk is practical childhood and always carry a mental image ofthe
walk and after it. not theorelical. A c rosscountry walk ineluding camping Northumbrian landscape. (In cold weather, packing the
allows a continuity oftime influenced by the weather. A rucksack for a hot weather walk. In warm weather, packing
Apile ofSlones or a walk, bOlh road walk can Iransform the everyday world and give a the rucksack for a cold weather walk.) I am not a world
have equal physical reality, though heightened sense ofhuman history, but in Ihe end all travener and have only visited a few cou nlries. In itself,
Ihe walk is invisible. Some of my avenues point to the ' wílderness'. I drive a car but do nol transport (sitting) is oflittle interest lo me. I would prefer
Slone works can be seen, but nOI use it to go to or from a walk. I make art in Ihe capitalist to walk for a week ratherthan r¡de around in a vehicle for
recognised as arto system which in itselfis a political statement (selling art six months. lhe world gets bigger the more I travel. For
for the next walk). 1do not ¡¡ve in the Highlands ofScotland me, staying in one place and 'travelling' are of equal
lhe creation in my art is not in the common but in the heavily lrafficked rural suburbia ofsouth·east importance. Far away and long ago. (No meaning in
forms -cireles, lines - 1 use, but the England. I am nol a studio artíst. There is no one syslem by distant places, conversations ofthe here and now.) In the
places I choose t o pul them in. which I choose to make all my walks. I have no plans for valley, dreaming ofthe hill. On the hill, wishing forlhe
making walks indoors but I imagine it could be possible. valley. Lying, s itting, standing, walking. (Walking,
Mountains and galleries are both (Absent - lhe landscape is nOI in the gallery.) A physically standing, sitting, lying.) MOllement is an important
in their own ways extreme, neutral , uncluttered; demand ing walk is more rewarding than a wa lk not about dimension in my arto Movement exists in relation to its
good places to work. exertion and both are of equal importance. AII my walks apparent opposite, stillness. The designed city exists in
are related, from the lirst to the last. When I am not relation to its opposite, Ihe landscape. Natural, but less
A good work is the right thing in the rig hl walking I eat and drink too much oWhen I walk and camp I wild.lnterrelated borderline. Vin and Vang. Mountain high,
place al Ihe right time. A crossing place. carry all my food therefore I eat less, which is the preferred river deep. Nothing stays the same. Everything is
sta te. Weaker but lighter, but the rucksack ' heavier'. On a changing. One things leads t o another. Here we go again.
road walk Ihe availability of drink and food keeps the AII my walk texts are true. Ifthey were not, the only person
Fo,ding a ,iver. Have a good look, sil down, lake off boots energy levels high. Pelrol - food as fuel, nOl a stimulant. I could cheat would be myself. I have chosen to record the
and socks, lie socks on to rucksack, put on boots, wade Occasionally I make route.finding mistakes. 1 have 10Sl walks out of respect for their existence. lhe texts are facts
across, sil down, empty boots, pul on socks and boots. It's two tenis on s eparate occasions both in gusting winds; forlhe walker and liction for everyone else. Walking inlo
a new walk again. both were mistakes, nOI accidents. 1once made the error the distance beyond imagination. For years I only made
offalling into a small crevasse, in retros pect, not an framed photo-text works, now in addition I can see the
experience to have missed. Walking the dog oMost, though purpose ofinvestigating a variety ofideas. Plans stored on

INVOLVEt-4HH
paper, a wall paioting could be repainled one hundred
years later. (Weighl form colour. Framed art works are
the map is used lo reproduce, and at the same time to
aulhenticale, the artist's journey, as in the distinctive con·
which the map does not ¡ hare. In the Bargrave miniature,
Bolognini Ihe artist, responding to a specific commission,
'"
objects, nol sculptures.) Walking is the consta ni, Ihe art temporary form of expression which gces by the name of has abdicated his authorial role in favour ofthe
medium is Ihe variable. Numbers are both ofsignificance land Art. However, Ishall bearguinglhalthiscontemporary enunciative presence assumed by the three travellers. My
and 00 significance. The total oumber ofleaves on one tree art movement is not unprecedented in the way it utilizes subject is the recent phenomenon ofland Art, and I
exists whether counted or noto (Counled, nol estimated.) I the map. Indeed the map's role of authenticating travel cannot remain for much longer in the seventeenth century
am curious aboul Ihe number seven. Erosion. Mounlain can be seen as a perennial possibility, depending on the without seeming irrelevant. But I will emphasize, before
skylines are the meeting place ofheaven and earth. The precise conditions which the cartographic sign is designed vaulting over the centuries and landing in the present, that
outline of a small, roadside stone can be drawn around to fulfil . My inlroduction lo land Art will Ihus ¡ndude a there seems to me to be as good a reason for scrutinizing
immediately. An unrecognizable shape of an indescribable specific reference to the representation of a seventeenth· the art ofthe seventeenth century for signs ofthe
colour is something nol easily calegorized. 1see the century map which works in this way. duplication ofthe authorial and the enunciative role as
landscape not in terms ofjust materials but of I shall, however, begin with a morefamous seventeenth- there is for drawing attention to its presence in
environments with a diversity oflife forms, snakes, century example which could well be used to demonstrate contemporary art. In other words, in its use of maps, land
spiders, worms aod lice. Trekking through jungles and Ihe many-Iayered possibilities ofthe map within repre- Art dces not di savow the ioheritance oflandscape art
across ice caps would be genuine adventures, but they seotatioo. Jan Vermeer's Art ofPointing incorporates a which most art historians agree commenced its
01150 imply money, jet travel, too much travel. It is good lo splendid map ofthe United Provinces, displayed on Ihe development in the early seventeenlh century. Precisely
walk tTom my doorslep starting al sunset and ending at back wall of an artist's studio.' The map is rendered with the reverse, it is the very disposition ofland artists to seek
sunrise. Walking without a map in an unspectacular aSlonishing precision, so mucn so that it has become 'a a fuller register of semiotic possibilities, including that of
laodscape. In 1973 after compleling a 1,022·mile (1,644 source for our knowledge of cartographic history'.' Bul it the map, which denotes their kinship with the sevenleenth
km) walk, I made the commilment to only make art is more than thal. lit dramatically from the side, with its cenlury as opposed to the latercenturies oflandscape
resulting from the experience ofindividual walks. IfI do intricately painted folds and crinkles deooting its status painting with whose precedent the land artists often
not walk, 1cannol make a work ofart. To dale, I have as an object, the map becomes an index ofVermeer's appear to be m aking a decisive break ( ... J
'spenl' more time involved in making artworks and exceptional skill in describing the infinite particularities of The recent display at the Tate Gallery, london,
exhibitions than walking. (Exhibition administration takes the visible world. Both an objeet ofknowledge, marking featuring Richard long among other Land Artists, reflects
away loo much energy from walking.) A work of art may be real relationships and distances, and a represented object the roles ofthosedifferent elements in Ihe very
purchased but a walk cannot be sold. Over the years I have caught in the glancing light, it funetions as an eloquent heterogeneity ofits installation. Photographs show us
consistently made walks Ihough I would describe Ihem as internal metaphor ofVermeer's art ( ... ) Richard long's A Squorf! ofCround (1966) and, on the wall
short: this is a queslion of scale and standards. let me juxtapose witn Vermeer's work a painting ofthe in the background, the same artist's Cerne Abbos Wolk
Observations are not objects, walking is active. My same perlod but with virtually nothing else in common: (1975). lel us treal the map, forthe moment, rather like the
orientation to words and drawings results from the ease of the miniature oflohn Bargrave and his two travelling map in Vermeer's Art ofPainting, as something waiting in
carrying pen and paper, not chiser (hammer) and stone. companions painted by Matteo Bolognini at Siena in 1647. the background to be incorporated into the total field of
Imposed order on paper, not the land. II shourd be possible In Vermeer's painting, the map serves as the ullimate long's art, while we look more carefully at the object in the
for me lo make art with no words. Talking and no talking index ofhistory rather than discoune: it is what pre·exists foreground. which may be as deceptive as the easel
are of equal importance. 'Too much talking' with mind and the work of representation and what can aet as a paradigm painting in the foreground oflhe Vermeer. This foreground
voice can deflect nalure so Ihal 1 no longer see Ihe drifting for the 'Art ofOescribing', though only in so far as it object is a cube in section, visibly made of plaster and
douds or hear the birds sing. As an artist, ' cannot imagine manifests a system of relations which diagrammatically painted on the upper surface. But it is also quite clearly a
making only walks and no works of arto I am an artist who reproduces those in the real world.ln Bologoini's painliog, derivative of a certain kind oflandscape.
walks, nol a walker who makes arto Irony results from the map serves instead to say, this is where we are, and Svetlana Alpers writes well about a type ofOutch
being wet and cold and seeing it's going to happen all over this is where we are going. The ¡ndex finger oflohn seventeenth-century landscape painting, of which Philips
again very soon. Humour is an important part oflife. Bargrave, the leader ofthe little expedition, designales Koninck was a weU·known exponent, where the frame
Ir, 1M .IU1 , ¡ ,rty ne their place oftemporary residence and the direction which delimits what would otherwise be a seemingly endless
they will take on proceeding to the goal oflheir joumey, the stretch offlat Dutch counlrysideseen from a high viewpoinl
city ofRome ( ... ) under a sullen sky.l long's work is reminiscent ofthis, but
This representation of a map is there to perform, it has proceeded through an intermediale stage, incorpo-
5tephen BANN through enunciation, an indexical function . The bottom raling the technical innovations of ourown periodojust as
edge ofthe map exaetly corresponds to the bottom edge of Koninck used the inventions ofhis own.1 would suggest
The Map as Index ofthe Real: the image¡ the written information corresponds to the that long's landscape can be read through Ihe medium of
main towns fealured in the trio's expedilion; moreover, aerial photography, since it is not a square of ground in the
Land Art and the they are featured in such a way that we, the observers, can literal sense, but a section of an aerial prospect of ground,
read thelr names. When Bargrave established his Cabinet delimiled by an implicil grid in the way a map grid delimits.
Authentication ofTravel [1994] ofCuriosities in his canon'slodgings at Canlerbury in the Positioned at a low height in relation to our viewpoint, it
16605, and when he arranged to hang hislittle painting on produces the structural features ofthe aerial view, with the
Maps can mean many things, and oRen their meanings a ribbon from one ofthe wooden knobs, he was simply effect that its smooth green surfaces become fields, its
change over the centuries oftheir existence. Maps which fulfilling the project which had been ioherent in the rough green forests and its crannies rushing streams. This
al first had a way-finding purpose read very differeotly commission from the start. ' Here we are, and this is where very early work by long thus posilions the spectator, and
when their direc\ions can no longer be relied on. They we are going' was converted into 'This is where we were, Ihrough invoking the technical feature of a specific mode
become icons tTom the distant pasto An equally and this is where we went next'. of viewing, opens up the object to a landscape reading. In a
pronounced varialion of meaning occurs when the map It may weU seem that 1 have made a kind ofelision in sen se, he has nol ceased to do this, although sincethen he
enters the regime of representation: that is to say, when it passing from Vermeer to the Bargrave miniature in this has kept his feet on the ground as weU as venturing a view
is annexed lo, or induded in, a work of arto way. For in Vermeer's work, play is being made with the from the upper airo
This artide is about the special circumstances in which notion ofenunciation as an authorial funetion, a function Cerne Abbos Wa/k is a good example ofthe complex

DOCUMENTS
 and hete rogenous elements Ihal combine to form Long's colleilgues were effectillely renewing the ilrt oflilndscape Manhattan and New Jersey which he ineludes to mark the
'" discourse. There are two framed prospects, one a after their training in the 5culpture 5chool of5t. Martin's urban site ofth e salt installalion has no function otherthan
landscape photograph which does nol !>ea, a caplion, and College of Art. But what they were renewing was the use of to act as a pointer. lndeed the square within a cirele which
the olher a montage, whose ground ¡s the Ordnance iconic, symbolic and indeKical elements in combination, indicales the gallery site on the Allenue oflhe Americas
Survey map of a part of central Darset. The photograph ratherthan the mimetic tradition acelaimed by Ruskin and looks suspiciously like a gun·sight, as ifsorne airborne
needs no caplion. tt ¡s a view oflhe Darset countryside, lit by Clark. In artistic terms, Long's model is not the weapon were targeting the work for destruction.
obliquely perhaps by a setting sun; as iI photograph, it is seamless web ofthe mimetic prospect, carried to its Richard Long's map pieces from the 19705 manageto
before al! else indexical, denoting Inat the artist has ultimate degree offinesse by Turner, but the collage preseflle the features which had been established by the
•
stopped for iI while in Ihal precise location. The framed practice ofthe cubists, jurtaposing and superimposing pioneering work ofthe 1960s, ellen Ihough no photographic
map, however, needs lo be captioned; a pasted piece of separate registers of meaning within the lIisual field. 50 an image supports the landscape lIision.lt is interesting to
paper !>ears the legend 'A sil( day walk oller all roads lanes official, numbered imageofthe phallic giant is pasted oller followthe mental operations which we perform when
and double tracks ¡nside a six mile wide cirde centred on the map, not indeed where it belongs in topographical looking at works from this period, like Eight Wo/h or A
the Ciant oreerne Abbas'. This explains the formal terms, but just below the prehistoric encampment of Hundred Mi/e Wa/Ic %ng o Line in County Mayo, ¡,e/and.
features orthe drawn lines which occupy the centre ofthe Maiden Castle. The infinite particularity ofthe map's detail, Essential to our interpretation is an awareness that Long's
map; an imptied cirde with its centre at Cerne Abbas has its palimpsest of names, places and physical features, is engagement with landscape has a history and has taken
been outlined, and the different tracks which tie within the obliterated by the image's presence, and by the authorial many different forms: this helps tocrealethe contract,
cirde halle been emphasized because they - untike the sign which marks the date ofLong's intefllention: Dorset without which we shoutd noteven be willingto acceptthe
conceptual cirde - halle been tramped oller exhaustillety '975· elaims \hatare being implicitly made.
in the course ofthe six days. 1should stress at this point that Long does not always In Ejght Wa/h, Long superimposes the squared grid of
I am reminded here ofthe work ofPatrick Wright, who use maps in his work; indeed the constant factor is not any the Ordnance 5uflley on a delailed map ofthe Dartmoor
has been inllestigating a curious phenomenon resembting one mode oftranscribing the landscape but his insistence area but it is up lO 1.15 to interpret his 'walks' - the eight,

, the boy·scout mOllement which delleloped in a Dorset

estate during the 1930s.· ln retrospect, this para.political
on more than one mode operating simultaneously. This is
what 1halle called the semiotic dimension, meaning that
thickly·drawn, straight lines of equallength - as real tracks
in time and space, in the same way as the map offers 1.15
, group has come to seem both fascinating and slightly the representation draws attention to tts signifying lellel at potential tracks in time and space which we could take if
sinister, by lIirtue ofthe similarity onts guiding ideas with tne same time as it offers an icon or prospect ofthe real we had the leisure. Long's tracks are not the conllenlional
I
some ofthe headier ideologies ofthe periodo In the same world. One oflong's most celebrated pieces, dating from paths that we would take ifwe were walking on Dartmoor.
way, Ican imagine that a few decades from now, the lIery 1967 (the year after his 5quare ofCround) is A Line Made They represent an order that is only comprehensible if we
idea of an artist walking systematically through the by Wa/lcing. Here the 'Iine' both makes the picture, in a imagine the map as a physical projection seen from a great
countryside will halle come to halle an archaic, perhaps compositional sense, and seflles as an indeK ofthe artist's height. The contour lines and the numerous map.signs
ellen quaint significance. Just ¡S a person on fool in a rich mOllement through the landscape. Hubert Damisch has which characterize the terrain conlley lo 1.15, as map·
American suburb is a focus ofimmediate suspicion, it is drawn attention to the Roman institution of repetifio readers, what we ofien lie ofthe land'. Long's
conceillable that a person who walks oller all roads, lanes rerum, when the Roman army would pause at the frontier stfaight lines, as walks, halle lo espouse the irregularities
and double tracks may soon appeareccentric, ifthe public of a territory to be inlladed, and rehearse its capture in a ofthe land, and consequently their measured symmetry is
pressure protecting rights of way is not maintained. symbolic sense before proceeding to mareh in.' Long's offset by the lIaded times that each single track has taken
This is just speculation, but it links up with the point work also is a repditio rerum, but in rellerse, in that he to complete, ranging between silCly and sellenty minutes.
that I halle tried to make about the landscape lIision of flattens the meadow grasses with his boots before The Hundred Mi/e Wa/Ic in Ireland is more mysterious.
Wals, or the expedition ofJohn Bargralle, which resulted in recording the prospect with his camera. The two Indeed I am not entirely sure how the distance gillen on the
the publication ofthe first English guide to Italy (1648).' At operations coincide in the spectator's reaction: 1, too, can map (a distance presumably greal enough to Irallerse the
the beginning of a practice which will be later sanctioned imagine myselfwalking that line. whole country from east to west) has here been como
by culture, its elements are no doubt in suspension (Iike It is worth making a rapid comparison with the pressed into a single county. Perhaps the terrain requires
atoms in a molecule) and particularly accessible to American pioneers ofLand Art, also featured in the Tate additional miles up and down , perhaps the lIarious rillers
knowledge. Thus retrospectillely, the Bargr¡lIe I,io seem to display, since their works make use ofthe same composite had to be side·tracked and forded , perhaps the mileage
halle been embarked on a Crand Tour, but it was a Crand elements ellen iftneir olleralt effect tends to be rather indicates bolh an outward and a return journey. The
Tour in the days before such a practice had acquired its different. Dennis Oppenheim's Solt Flot (1968) interest ofthe work depends on the expectation that there
later, conllentional characteristics and when the etymology documents a massille transfer of salt from one place to will be a reasonable answer to these issues, and that we
of a term derilling from 'Tour' or 'Cirele' was still so fresh another - a contemporary lIersion ofthe prollerb about can reach it simply by the inspection ofthe work - that is,
that the tralleller might well imagine himselfindeed to be sending coals to Newcastle. A thousand pounds ofbaker's the map with superimposed line and caption. In th is case,
inscribing a cirde on the map. Much more work remains to salt are laid out on an asphalt surface 50 x 100 feet (15 x 30 the credit gillen to the Irish Ordnance SUflley puts 1.15 in no
be done, in my lIiew, on what might be called the 'self· m) and, as the inscription puts it, ' identical dimensions are doubt that this is an official, copyrighted map such as we
image' ofthe tralleller: indeed, at a time when trallel has to be transferred in 1 x 1 X 2 foot (30 x 30 x 6ocm) salt might oursellles use if we were in the area. But, as the title
been largely reduced to a uniform, accelerated process to lines' to 5alt lake Desert, Utah, where they will Ordnance 5uflley recalls, the origíns of mapping lie in
which ellen the sea cannot be allowed to interpose a presumably rellert to inllisibility. In this case, as in so many practical, ofien military, purposes, where the challenge is
barrier, the genealogy ofthe practice, in a Nietzschean the sheer sule ofthe American landscape precisely to domi nate the lIagaries ofla ndscape through
sense, still rem'ains to be written. determines that the American Land Artist should be the planning of roads, canals and lines ofcommunication.
We can see Richard long and a handful of other, mainly engaged in large·scale feats ofinstallation or long aestheticizes the map but his walking project, done lo
British artists, as contributing to this process ofhistorical trilnsposition. As with Walter De Maria's The Lightning time and most often in a straight line, repeats the regulatory
reconstruction. I halle been struck for some time by the Fit:ld, a desert has to be sought out and the work strategy ofthe engineer - except that on this occasion what
coincidence that Kenneth Clark's influential book, abandoned in solitary splendour, seemingly infinilely is being organized is not thefreeflow ofcommereeor
Londscapt: into Art,' with its bleak forecasts for the future remote and sublime, like Ihe summit ofEllerest orthe military supplies but thestructure ofa personal perforo
oflandscilpe painting, went into a second edition at the surface ofthe Moon.'In comparison, Oppenheim is mance. This performance is indeed gratuitous except in so
lIery moment in the mid 19705 when Richard Long and his conducting a fairly modest operalion, but the map of far as it mobilizes our own pereeptions oflandscape.

INIIOLVE MENT
 , ,
I have assumed up to this point that the different
semiotivegisters which converge in one oflong's
landscape worlcs are identifiiJble and distJnct.ln the Cerne
of retrieving a type ofsensibility most appropriate to it at
a time when landscape has become the stake of 50 many
competing agencies and interests. ln this respect, the use "v"
• •
,
, ... es • qUi
'"
AbbQS piece, for example, there is a cleardisc,imination ofthe map seems to me to h¡lIYe an exemplary purpose. I • • ••
between the icon as ¡mage - the giant - and the ican as For the map to be appropriated as a vehicle of personal fr.-'
diagram - the map. The indexical element is present expression and as a mode of enunciation , assumptions t • .. _ ., "a, •
beause photographs are used and, principally, beca use have to be made. One assumption is that this diagram. ro.lll(' "r : de
the tr"acks within the órde are the record ofthe artist's matic, essentially non·sensuous type of artefact can
walk. An artistic practice which works through these condense within itself cultural ideas of a rich not to say
particular means does so to a large extent by multiplying over-prodigal interest. I have quoted in an earlier paper on R d 9 R dqe.
" f¡

•
f

.t E n. I
•

the possibilitie.s of additional readings and by the ilmbi· aspects of mapping the extraordinary passage where the p, ,32: 3 a s ,te er
guities ¡nhetent in the proce.ss. Fer instance, the pladng of
a photograph ofthe Oorset cou ntryside ¡n doseconju nction
wTth a map and a title referring to iI walk invites us to make
American poet H. D. considers the map ofGreece:

' Look at the map ofGreece. Then go away and come back 1
.,
Frarf' au
o

an indexical read ing ofthe icon offered by the photograph: and look and look and lcok at it. The jagged contours stir ,ijn1 lb d. Q

where on his travels did the artist obtaio this particular and inflame the imagination ... Look at the map ofGreeceo
view? Equally, the imaginary cirele which occurs on the It is a hieroglyph oo. That leafhanging a pendant to the
map, the result of numerous wa lks term inated at a pre- whole ofEurope seems to indicate the living strength and orary. o 194.pp091l1,T e M

arranged poin\, becomes a symbolic construct giving un ity sap ofthe thing it derives from 'o "
aod completioo to the whole enterprise. In t 'tut!' o '1930

Both Long and his close colleague the Land artist Here the poet swerves iconically in the course ofher
Hamish Fulton in fact achieve some oftheir most reflections and invites 1.15 to see th is hieroglyph as a leaf "
memolOlble eff"ects through simplifying the ir graphic form , because she is in the business of using words. The Christian Philipp MULLER
means and concentlOlting their express ion in a s ingle trace challenge is still one of discovering an existential content
which condenses a whole signifying process. Long's The in the seemingly arbitrary form ofthe map. Green Border [1993]
Ctoning Place ofRoQd Qnd River (19n) involves two Hamish Fulton's Coon to Coon Wo/ks (1987) is spare
adjacent panels. On the left is a photoglOlph indicating the and at first s ight uninsp iring by comparison ." But in the [ ... ] ' In view ofthe tensions and m isunderstandings that
well-worn track wh ich crosses the infant river. On the d imensionality ofthe listed years - each ofwhich marks a had arisen w ith regard to the ¡ntegration of Austria n artists
(ight, however, is - at first sight - a purely graphic track made according to a preconeeived plan - we are in international exhibition halls, the Austrian government
configulOltion oflines. The legend requ ired to interpret it offered a kind ofsymbolic time, or historyoThis history is in decided in the autumn of 1912 to build a separate Austrian
reads: 'A Walk ofthe same length as the River Avon: A 26 turn linked to a more profound, more extensive history. We pa\/ilion on the premises ofthe Siennale in Ven ice."
Mile Northward Walk along the Foss Way Roman Road '. are aU fam iliar with those historical atlases that show
Consciously or not, Long has used the same device as the battlefields, often indicated with crossed swords, and their Because ofthe outbreak ofthe First World War it pro\/ed
Swiss concrete arust MilX Bitl, who catled a work from the dates. These are both like and unlike Fulton 's tracks, in impossibJe to realize the plans des igned by Josef
immediate post·war period Six Unes ofEqua/ Length,' the that Fulton's marks are not punctual and confl ictual but Hoffmann in October 191]0 It was only on January 5, 1934,
point being that the common property ofthe coiled and labile and harmonious. He not only signals, in the course that Vienna decided to build an Austrian pavilion in Veniceo
uncoiled lines is fin from being perceptuatly obvious and of a walk, the abraded stone on the Dover Road which Aftet lengthy political controversies about who was to be
has to be conceived by the m ind, almost in the teeth ofthe evokes a vanished age of pedestrian travel but also, in the the architect, JosefHoffmann emerged as the winner. Only
visual evidence. Likewise, Long chatlenges us mentally to Coost to Coast Wo/ks, communicates an almost filial one month later he presented his first drawings. The
stretch out atl the crinkles ofthe River Avon and line it up attention to the land and its outlineoIt is as if, while implementation ofthe project was, howe\/er, left to the
- beside \he Foss Way which, being aRoman road, is a railways and motorways sur and sear the sumee, the pro-government architect Kramre iter, whose own project
byword for stlOlightness. '" tread ofthe artist's foot, in his preordained labour of many had been rejected [.00 1
1want here to re iterate the genelOll proposit ion about years, could b ind it up again. The slightly modified plans of 1938 did not indude the
I Land Art which has been implicit in my argument. This is rO Ac!,fl'.'. rprucd park designed by the Venetian arch itect ArtusooHis
that the break which has evidently occurred with the great A intention had been to plant rap idly growing poplar trees in
mimetic trad ition oflandsupe paint ing acelaimed by everrteel!th 'Iury. nn 1983, Z order to ereate a green belt between the boundary ofthe
Ruskin and Clane, un be seen as a return to the genealogy III<Ip. p. 12 ; Biennale premises and the pa\/ilionoHoffmann enelosed
oflandscape representation ; more specifkally, it can be d. D. ¡ the eourtyard ilnd its sculptures with a h igh wall and by
interpreted as a revers ion to the more open semiotic ,bd .. PI 1445 means ofthis horizontal structure, which also
register ofthe seventeenth century, when issues of characterizes the rest ofthe pavilion, he del ineated
description and tlOlnscription, enunciation and effacement Austrian territoryoBy the time ofthe 21st Siennale,
ofthe authorial presence, were being worked out across a however, Austria had disappeared from the milp of
IOInge of differing practices, one of which waslandscape '" e1y. no ·,,1648 Europe. The documents that were supposed to be used to
painting and another the compitation oftravel guides. invite Austrian artists to the '938 Biennale, duly signed by
Since practices like these h ad not become conventionalized, the President and the Secretary General ofthe Biennale,
they were, to sorne extent, experiments in signification ¡ I Huberl, Da", du louJge Pou'- un H;<!or e a, are still kept in the Sienna!e archives at Canale Grandeo 'As
and this is how we can most fruitfully regard them , rather la Pelo"re. Le Seu1 • Parlso 197 , p, IS8 you rightly assume, Berl in has informed 1.15 that the art ists
\han as the precursory stages of a cultural phenomenon For a descr1pt n ¡ 0' "'ana' from the Ostmark will be presented in the German
whose later development we know only too well. ;nce ',¡ ": ,', SQudre 111 , paviliono" The 'Austrian' landscape was, however, present
But Land Art is not simply or primarily a reversion. It Age. at the 21st Biennale in the main Ital ian pavilion in the form
is a confrontation with the contemporary wortd, and a way tnalllf'S and la ,aon, 1993 of paintings by the artists ofthe eighteenth and n ineteenth

DOCU tolE NTS

". centuries. Hofmilnn's pavilion remained empty unli11948.
ti was ooly Ihen and until his dealh in 1956 Ihal losef
find thousands of drawings and watercolours depicting
landscapes. These works of art, reminiscent offormer y

Hoffmann, in his capacity as Commissioner, was Austrian possessions, are however subject lo s uch slrict
enlrusted wilh the selection of Austrian artists [ ... J rules and regulalions Ihal prevented me from getting the
When I visited the site for the fin! time in August 1992, permission lo exhibit Ihem in Hoffmann's open pavilion.' GuyBREIT
I was struck by the overgrown inner courtyard and <In Together with the drawings we will exhibil eighl trees
emergenq e){it in the left corner oflhe courtyard. Through thal will represenl the different landsca pes ofthe border eildo Meireles: Through [1989]
the double door you enter a 50rt of no·man's land. A few regions.' Planted into old lerrilcottil pols from the almosl
metres behind you can see the waU topped wilh barbed Forgotten Orangerie belonging lo Ihe Administration of The work ofCildo Meireles gives one the feeling thal it is
wire, which surrounds the Biennale premises.1 Municipal Parks in Ven ice, Ihese trees create Ihe locate<! simultaneousl)' in two worlds: in a quiet
immediately decided lo integrate Ihis piece ofland, which impression of an Orangerie ofthe North.1 do nol want lo classroom where questions of perception and Ihe
had been forgotten and preserved for almos! forty years, evoke Ihe dream of classicalltaly in Venice, but rather philosophy oF meaning are teased out - and in the slreet,
into the exhibition area. First of 3111 wanted to elear the show non-exotic trees from an Austrian Iree nursery. In or in the forest ( ... ]
sickle-shaped green space towards the Austrian pavilion. order to conserve the exhibits over the four m onths' At the end ofthe 19605 and in Ihe early 19705, Cildo's
In Venice, where every single tree is subject to nature exhibilion period, we try to limil the temperalure to 20·C med italions on space and on dimension were poetically
protection, this was not an easy task. We finally succeeded and reduce air humidity. The inner courtyard ofthe and paradoxicall)' encapsulated in boxes and similar
in removing the undergrowth but forlhe plants foreseen in Hofmann pavilion situ ated belween thetwo wings with devices. After conduction a reductio ad absurdum of
the plans of 19S4. We had to fulfil certain requirements but their glass windows reminds me ofthe parks ofthe classicaLEuclidian and perspectival space b), constructing
slill gOl the permission from the authorities responsible classicalsuburban mansions. 'Gli hOríi, a(i giordini - oltre a sor! oF portable indoor corner, a blind Irap ofthe
for the protection of monuments in Venice to remove a al comodo - rendono uno certo magnijicienza, e bou rgeois' 'own fOUT walls', which was shown in various
section ofthe rounded par! ofthe courtyard wall. From the grondezza olla casa.' The dassical Renaissance villa ofthe places, incl ud ing the beach on one occasion, Cildo moved
spacious inner cour!)'ard we can now look onto a land- Veneto dominates the landscape. There is a garden in front to invesligate space in its mulliple connotalions: as
scape. The visitor stands on Austrian Biennale territory ofthe buildings and behind them there is an open space ' ph)'sical geomelric, h istorical, ps)'chologica 1, topolog ica I
and has a Free view t owards an open border. (Unti11866 withou! an)' walls. Owners do nol need fences. JoseF and anthropological'. One box in his Arte Fisica series
Ven ice belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Monarch)'.}ln Hoffmann wanted to design the space in fron! ofhis (1969} contained a map and a bundle oF 30 kilomelres of
m)' contribution to the Biennale this 'open border' stands pavilion along these lines, but was denied lo do so by the string which had been stretched along a section ofthe
for Ihe presenl geographical borders of Austria. Biennale management. The courtyard 1o pened in 1993 coast in the stale ofRio de Janeiro. Anolher box, this time a
Neutral countries such as Austria Or Switzerland are permits a view ofthe garden ( ... ] leather case in his series Geogrophical Mutations (1969),
now trying lo redefine their position in Eu rope. The I used more than 300 plants grown by proFessional recorded an action he undert ook at the frontie r between
European Communities have done away with man), Venetian tree nurseries lo redesign the rear par! oFthe the states ofRio de Janeiro and 530 Pauto. The nature oF
barriersj membership is, however, still controversia!. courtyard. A slightly sweeping line ofbricks separales Ihe frontiers as mental co nstructs was indicaled by digging a
Austria's neighbours in the East , on the other hand, are earthy ground from the square.shaped ti les. Garden hole on either side and transferring earth, plants, etc. from
redefining their borders and find themselves confronted mould from Austria and Veneto ensures the opulent one hole to the other. The lealher case was mOlde as a
with a process oF growing disintegration. Austria has growth ofthe plants arranged in a wa)' that is reminiscent portable version oFthe evento In a beauliful extension of
become a sort oftunnel between the former Eastern bloc oF Engl ish horticulturalla nd sca p ing. this p lay on dimensions, Cildo mOlde two exquisile finger·
and Western Europe, through which professional I transferred the lotal width ofthe central entrance lo rings in '970. One, pyramidical in form and mOlde of gold
organizations smuggle potitical and economic refugees the diameter of a garden table. This round garden table is had a single grain of sand inside visible through a tin)'
across the border against payment of vas! amounts of place<! in the left corner ofthe inner courtyard and turns sapphire 'window' (Desert}; the other was a version ofthe
mone)'. 1wanted to find out myselfhow easy it is to cross around a new centre, a tree. The table lop is made ofthe Geographic Mutations: Rio - Sao Paulo Front ier in silver,
the Austrian borders now. Disguised as a hiker Ileft most popular Austrian limber varieties.' There )'ou can buy sapphire, onyx and ameth)'st. These perceptions of space
Austria unnoticed and wenl t o eight neighbouring Ihis publication ( ... ] elearly inform Cildo's more overtly political work which he
cou nlries: ltal)', Switzerla nd, the Principality of " .
"" • began around 1970. Here must be recognized not onl)' the
liechtenslein, Germany, Czechia, Slovakia, Hu ngary and
"" "
• artist's personal cou rage in producing this work at the
Slovenia.1 used maps produced in Austria (scale: height ofBrazil 's military dictatorship (1970 was perhaps
" " ,
1:50000) and trie<! to find wooded areas near the borders. • •, , • Ihe mosl terrible )'ear ofthe regime), bul also his artistic
In Czechia my Polish assistant and I experience<! the
difference between the border as an artistic concept and • ,
"
, , "
'"
••
· "
"na, audacity ( ... ]
The fact that the passage oftime, political changes and
" 11' .

,
'"
political reality. For more than two hours nobod)' prevented • ." • fashion, have tr ied to institutionalize such work, or mOlde
us from laking phologrilphs and walking around freely. , • fun ofits hopes ofintervention in the real world (as had
" "
'" •
Suddenly, however, we were seized b), frontier patrolmen
'" • • • .- • intended lo happen wilh 0111 twentieth century movements
and gol a stamp in our passports that forbids us to re-enter
- "'en - •
, ,
which have broken the barrier between art and lifej, does
the counlry within the nex! three years ( ... J • • • •
,.
not make the iss ues jt raised, of contextualization and
For each ofthese eight border regionsl have chosen • ,- efficacy, any less pressing. One ofits legacies must
, ,-, "
,. ., .
one page from th is publication, which is now kept in Ihe precisel)' be imagination and flexibility in the use of
,
archives oflhe Austrian Nalional Library in Vienna. They
will be exhibited in the right wing ofthe pavilion, which
JosefHoffmann had intended forthe presentation of
."
•
• •
"
, - Yl'ne
" •
different 'place/times'.
o, ", "" '" ,. , .. "' o- ," .

graphic arts. We can see landscape paintings showing ., Pr 1{ e e u '} • "

regions no longer belonging to Austria, such as Merano " "
and BrnO.ln the archives ofthe Vienna Albertina and the • w .,
Kupferstichkabinett ofthe Academ)' ofFi ne Arts we can • • Au
•

INVOLVE MENT
 [ ... JThe opening shols ofWeslern movies signal Ihe
Octavío ZAYA importance oflhe landscape, of matteroverwords. The
buckskin shirt, seas onec! by s un, rain and sweal, smelled
stale and old. His jeans had long since faded lo a neulral
'"
faet ofthe land put out front, before the slory proper colour Ihat losl ¡Iselfagainst the desert.'
Caí Guo Qíang [1996] begins, has a message ofits own lO send. This scene, The first thing l 'Amour mentions is iI man·made thing,
composed ofsolids rising from alevel plain bathed in a Ihe cigarette, but it is quickly resolved inlo a sensory effect,
( ... ) Since the mid 19805, Ca; Guo Qiang has been creating pri sti ne li ghl, declares Ihe irrefraga bilily of Ihe phys ical Ihe lasle, and ils organic substance, the lobacco, and bolh
complex events and 3rt projects throughout the world, world and celebra tes ils hardness. Bul Ihe opening give way, via the hero's eyes, lo 'the su n glare'. lhe enlire
projects which emphasize Ihe cosmic laws of opposition landscape shot, dearly intended to frame the aetion, is passage melds ils heterogenous elements - man-made
between creation and destruction, yin and yang. By itself silenl. tls power Iies in ils tacilurnity. N atu re 's silence objects (cigaretle, sh irt), nillu ral su bsta nces (Iobaeco,
selecting specific sites for his intervention and action, in gua rOl nlees i15 value and makes a n existential dai m . This buckskin) , parts oflhe body (Iips, eyes), bodily effiuv¡a
mueh the same way as an acupuncture doctor selects alone is real, il says, this abides. (sweat, smell), nalural phenomena (sun, wind, rain,
specific spots on the body, úi has been using the leeh- The first sighl we see is usually a desert or prairie, desert) - inlo a single continuum. Everything blends
"iques ofChinese geomancy In making a punetualed by buttes and sagebrush, or sometimes by imperceplibly ¡nlo the deserto
comprehen sive study ofthe cond itions oflhe 5íte, i nclud i ng cattle, s mall hi lis or a wagon Irai n. N 01 infreq uenlly, a rider
geography, history and industry, he diagnoses and heals appears in the opening shot, but more often, the human ' He wore nolhing thal gleamed. lhe lineback's dun
the land. Gunpowder is the main ingredient or material in figures enlerlhe pieture laler. lhe desert offers itself as colour shaded inlo Ihe desert as d id his own clothing.'
these adions thal culminate in a momentary phenomenon, the white sheet on which to trace a figure , make an
'a momentary eternity' in which, as Cai says, ' all forms of im pression. 1I is a la bula rasa on wh ich mOl n ca n write, '(His face) had alllhe charaeteristics ofthe range rider's-
existence, heaven, earth and human beings, lose aware- as iffor Ihe first time, the slory he wants to live. Thal is the leanness, the red burn ofthe sun, and Ihe sel
ness. Time and space are suspended, or ralher, Ihey return why Ihe firsl momenl of weslern movies, in which the changelessness Ihal came from years of silence and
to Iheir starting poinl. They are in harmony wilh Ihe ch'i landscape is empty, is so full of promise. II is Ihe New sotitude.'
(Ihe vilal force , the energy,) oflhe universe.' World, represenled here, not for Ihe firsl time, as a void.
In 1993, Ihe fire which Cai carefully arranged to extend The scene's austerity, Ihe sense ofits dryness and 'He was a big man , wide.shouldered, wilh Ihe lean, hard·
along Ihe Creal WaU ofChina ran len kilomelres in Ihe exposure, translale into acode of asceticism thal founds boned face ofthe desert rider. There was no softness in
Cobi Desert and then d isa ppeared. In Dragon Meridian, our experience of weslern slories from Ihe slart. ti is an him. His loughness was ingrained and deep.'
Ihe exhibilion which mapped this aetion in Japan, Cai environment inimical 10 human beings, alandscape
mOlde medicine from plan15 grown in the Cobi Desert, and defined by absence: absence oflrees, of greenery, of 'He had plainly come many miles ffom somewhere across
fed it 10 people who were going lO China, in connection houses , ofthe signs of civilizalion, above all absence Ihe vast horizon, as the dust upon him showed. His boots
wilh his próject in Ihal localion . This was a prevenlive of waler and shade. Here a person is exposed, Ihe sun were white wilh il. His overalls were grey with il. lhe
measure 10 help people gel used to an unknown land by beats down, Ihere is no place lo hide. lhe landscape of wealher·beaten bloom ofhis face shone Ihrough it
becoming as one wilh il beforehand. In Ihe project he the western challenges the body to endure hardship - that duskily.'
presented in 1995 al the first Johannesburg Biennale, is ils fundamenlal message at Ihe physicallevel. II says:
Restrained Vialence. Rainbow, an abandoned construction this is a hard place to be, you will have 10 do withoul here. These quotations, from three different novels (Hondo,
(facing Ihe Power Planl building which housed Ihe liS spirilual message is Ihe same, a nd equally irresisl ible: Riders ofrhe Purple Sage, and The Virginian) , are 0111
inslallations of mOl ny poI rtici poI nt cou ntries), suddenly come and suffer. The negations ofthe physical setling- describing Ihe same man, a man, as l'Amourwriles in Ihe
exploded before our eyes (momentarily). Inside the Power no shelter, no water, no res t, no comfort - are its siren foreword lO Hondo, 'bleak as Ihe land over which he rode',
Plant building, Cai showed an inslallalion Ihat emphasized songo Be brave, be slrong enough lo endure Ihis and you and described on the cover of Heller with a Gun as
the healing power offire. will become like Ihis - hard , austere, sublime. 'merciless as Ihe frontier Ihal bred him'. Perhaps Zane
In Ihe exhibilion ofThe Century wirh Mushroom Clouds The American Wesl as imagined in Ihese narratives Grey sums il up besl in his description ofthe quintes-
project that Cai opened in Mayal P.S. 1, Ihe photographs ¡ncarnales Ihe European sublime. Men may dominate or senlial cowboy, NeIs, in The Light ofWestern StOfS (1913): -
ofthe small mushroom douds Ihal he created with simply ignore women in Westerns, Ihey may break horses 'He's jusI come lo be part ofthe desert, you mighl say
gunpowder al Ihe Nevada Tesl Sile are not Ihe only and drive catlle, kili game and kick dogs and beal one he's slone an' fire an' silence an' caetus an' force' .
mushrooms on display. eai is also presenting drawings of anolherlo a pulp, bul Ihey never lord it over nature. Nalure The qualilies needed lo survive on Ihe land are Ihe
mushrooms, produced by controlled explosions on paper, is Ihe one transcendent thing, Ihe one Ihing larger than qualilies the land itself possesses. And these qualities are
and Ihe real eh¡nese healing mushrooms which conlribule men in Ihis world. Nalure is Ihe ideal towards which nol regarded as merely necessary lo survival, they are the
to Ihe regulalion ofthe body from within. Again, Ihis human nature slrives. Not imitatio Christi for the Western acme ofhuman moral perfection. lhe ethical syslem Ihe
project emerges ffom Ihe Ihree basic Taoist concepts hero, Ihen, bUI imirario naturae. Whal is imitaled is a Weslern pro poses, and the social and political hierarchy it
which organize each ofhis ' riluals': grasp¡ng Ihe whole, physical Ihing, not a spiritual ideaj a solid slate ofbeing, creates, never appearto reflect the interesls or beliefs of
going beyond Ihe surface lo find the essence ofthings and not a process ofbecomingj a malerial entily, not a person; any particular group, or ofhuman beings al 0111. They seem
maintai n¡ng balance. a condilion of objecthood, nol a form of consciousness. lo have been dietated, primordially, by nature itself. lhe

• , Acl. M, The landscape's final invitalion - death as merger - sage-dotled plains, Ihe butles, Ihe infinite sky lell more
'"
promises absolule materialization. Meanwhile, the plainly than any words whal is necessary in aman. Thus
'" qualilies Ihal nature implicitly possesses - power, Ihe landscape sets up, by implied conlrast, an image ofthe
endurance, rugged majesty - are the only ones that men effele life Ihat Ihe genre never tires of criticizing, Ihe 'fancy
Jane TOMKINS can aspire lO while Ihey I¡ve. words and pretty aetions'l'Amourdismissed in Radigan.
lhe validity and primacy of nature are echoed in the We know Ihal the people who get offthe slage wearing
Language and Landscape: hero's looks. He must be an emanalion oflhe land; as far suits and top ha15 and carrying valises are doomed, nol
as possible, indislinguishable from il. Here is the lide beca use of anything anyone says abouI Ihem but because
An Ontology for the Western charaeter ofHondo, in l'Amour's opening description: oflhe mounlains in the background and Ihe desert
'He rolled Ihe cigaretle in his lips, liking Ihe lasle oflhe underfool Ihal is conlinuous with the main Slreel oftown.
[ 1990] tobacco, squinting his eyes against Ihe sun glare. His li is, of course, an interpretation of nature Ihat does the

OOCUMENTS
 ". work J am referring tooThe various kinds ofhardness been passing from the clergy into the hands of popular The bulk ofToshikatsu Endo's works consist ofcircles,
western "ature seems to inculcate are projected onto Ihe women authors, whose power the Western genre is squares, cubes and rectangles. These simple forms are
landscape by men and read back offit by thern. lhe contesting. And so when the hero rides out ofthe desert at reminiscentof minimalist artoHowever, tkis likeness does
emptines s we see there, Ihe sense of a hostile the beginning oftne story, and back into the desert at the not extend to his materials. Nordoes formal analysis
environment, i5 3n effect of a certain way oflife and of end, his existence and journey are an assertion that provide us with an understanding ofhis works. They are
mental habitude. ontological purity resides in the masculine body, in based on an inner ideology bound up with history,
For Ihe desert is no more bJank or empty than lhe masculine action, in a masculine vision ofthe world [ ... ) mythology and human existence.
northeastern forests were when the Puritans arrived there. Many ofEndo's works are burnt and scorched black.
It is full of growing things and inhabited by animals and Burning makes wood more resilient, hinting that the work
people, just as Massachusetts was before the English will actually last longer than ordinary wood sculptures. On
carne - though they called il a lfocuum domici/ium . An the symholic level, it seems that they last fOr halfof
empty space. When European man walks or rides into a Toshikatsu ENDO eternity.ln this way, one can think oftheirexisting beyond
rorest, however, he is losl among Ihe trees, he can'l see time. At the same time, black, which as a colour is the
ahead , he doesn 't know whal might be lurking there. On Fire [1991] ultimate and absolute, imposes on Ihe works a serious
Strategically, he is al a disadvantage. And visually, the spiritual tension devoid of embellishment.
forest doesn't provide a fl attering contrast to the human The imagination offire should not be limited to the The burning ofthe works is usually done out in nature.
figure. It sunounds it, tends even to obscure it, lite rally consciousness offire as an independent phenomenon. Sometimes on a lake, in a forest , or on top of a mound of
with shadows and structurally by its similarity of From a structural viewpoi nt one ofthe primary elements earth. Tbis ceremo,:!ial event is never public; it is not
composition (vertical trees and the vertical human form) that compose the universe, fire exis15 on a continuum with directed at an audience. Endo performs this alone. But it is
and by i15 competitive detail . But when a lone horseman those other material phenomena: earth, water, air and s un. possible for us to follow the working process in our
appears on the desert plain, he dominates it instantly, his Most important is thefollowing: it is within the imagination as photographs are taken on site. Apart from
view extends as fa r as the eye can see, enemies are cosmological relation - where human tife becomes linked the wooden works, fire is also often used and contrasted
exposed to his gaze. Strategically, he has an even chanceo with fire, eartk , water, air, sun and other physical elements with water in earth works which consist ofhollows in soil .
'1
Visually, he conquers¡ he is the most salient point in the ofthe universe - that the material imagination can It looks as ifflames are rising from the bowels ofthe earth ,
I
picture, dark agai nst I¡ght, vertical against horizontal, solid become manifest and bring meaning. as in a volcano. The swaying, image-evoking f1ames are
agai nst plane, detail against blankness. In my early work, 1began to use water with increasing not controlled by man but by part ofthe immensity of
Thus the blankness ofthe plain serves a political frequency. At that time, through sheer mental exhaustion 1 nature.
function that remains below the level of consciousness. lt was attracted to the most modera te, flexible and neutral of On the other hand, water is much more crucial to
implies - without ever stating - that this is a field where a materials. But perhaps most im portantly, I felt that Endo's works than fire. f or instance, the work shown at
certain kind of mastery is possible, where a person can materials such as water could be considered within a the Indian Triennale in 1986 and at the Venice Biennale in
re main completely autonomous, alone and in control of somewhat expanded concept ofMinimal Art, where words 1988 con sists oftwenty.two black cylinders the tops of
himself, while controlling the external world through brute are reduced to a minimum. which are filled with water. This is also a feature of a work
strength and sheer force of will. The Western situates itself 1soon realized that 1had been mistaken. Before long, consisting of a round block of wood which has i15 hollow
characteristically in the desert, because the desert seems water began to tell its many stories and from behind its parts filled with water. The work Allegory 11. Coffin ofSeele
by its very existence to affirm Ihat life must be seen from transparent surface emerged strange and uncertain ('985), which is made of a rectangular, coffin·like box, has
the point of view of death, that physical stamina and signals. They were the words, the meanings given to water water in it, even though it is not visible fur the viewer. In his
strength arethe sine qua non of personal distinction, that throughout the history ofhumanity. Water was no longer Land Art works, too, water is used in circular shapes.
matter and physical force are the substance of ultimate simply a liquid contained, but an endless spring of Besides wood, Endo uses stone, iron and bronze. ln his
reality, and that sensory experience, the history ofthe meaning wetling up from the depths ofthe earth. stone works some ofthe stones in cirdes have been burnt.
body's contact with the world, is the repository of all Then arose the idea of retu rn ing water to the earth: And some ofthe stones are actually made ofbronze c.ast
significant knowledge. using a shovel to dig a hole in the ground and fi lling its inlo stone forms.ln one ofhis bronze works Endo has very
It is the power ofthe Western that when we are reading centre with water. 1understood the duality - that by my carefully etched the surface. ( ... )
the novel or watching the movie these truths seem to be action water was simultaneously removed from the earth. What then is important to Endo? It is important to
self·evident. But of course they do not simply emanate Th is gesture, a secret rite for the release of repressed search for the archetypes within manoWater, for instance,
from nature itself, as the desert landscape would have us desires - was also a requiem for the water. has, from the beginning, had a special attraction for him
believe; they are dictated by the very things the Western is Water passed through my body, circulating within and due to ils close links with human existence, history and
pitting i15elf so strenuously against: language, book- finally breaking out through some inner fractu re. life. It is impossible to bind the use ofwater to just one
learning, laws, abstract systems of exchange, big Suddenly, the water, that which had been returned to the incident, orto just one meaning. Water relates to a variety
corporations, social hierarchies, fancy clothes, plush earth and that which had been taken from the earth, ofstories and symhols connected with human life. lt is
interiors, temperance, the way ladies are taught to behave metamorpkosed into fire and burst into flames. difficu It to limit its significance.
in society. The opposition the Western sets up between These acts seemed to touch some place where We can, however, experience many aspects of water
landscape and language, nature and culture, matter and seductive memories tinged with madness have been just by letting il keep i15 manifold features . We can
representation, itselfbelongs to a particular mode of concealed within us, memories of destruction, burial and experience the precise, refined aspect ofwater when we
representing the world. Therefore, the story the Western prayer[ ... ) see it on top ofthe cylinders, as they are filled to the brim,
tells, which seems to be about the struggle between a the surface tension raising Ihe water ahoye the edge
pristine natufe and a decadent cultu re, is really ahout who An. 1991. O.p. without running over. We meet another similar aspect
will have the right to dictate the terms according to which when the water in a circular earthen pit reflects the sky.
the culture opera tes, to say what the true oppositions are, Here we get a feeling ofexperiencing a peaceful effect
or, to put it somewhat differently, it is about who will have FumioNANJO which is only one ofits innumerable modes of existen ce.
the rigkt to name God. Thus, water in Endo's work relates to fundamental sta tes
That rigkt, in the course ofthe nineteentk century, kad Toshikatsu Endo [1989] of mind without the need for specific interpretation.

INVOLVE MENT
 The same can be said offire. like water, throughout ".
history fice has been both man's servant and enemy. The
control offire has been not only a technical problem but
also a feature of civilization. Today we have forgotten how
natural and wild fire actuaUy is. Originally, firewas one of
the most devastating forces in nature, at the same time as
being a visihle form of energy. when we see the fire in
these woru we feef struck to the heart and experience a
mysterious sense of excitement l··· J
When contemponry Japanese art is shown in the west,
it has a fundamental disadvantage compared with western
arto l(jt rejies on I!lIpressive means similar 10 those of
western art, it is looked upon as a kind ofimitation. On the
other hand, i(jt possesses profoundly Japanese qualities,
the only response it arouses is an interest in the exotic.
Japanese artists oftoday seem lo need to find a new kind of
orientation that is neither lapanese nor western. In this
sense, we can say that Endo's works are neither western
nor are they superficially Japanese, based on worn-out
concepts. He has a world ofhis own which integrates both
the Japanese and the western ( ... J
f".'0 •• nJO 'TOSh"HU [n40'

I ruCfntrf.llf1,,"I,' 1989. pp. u-u.

DOCUIoIENTS
2"

Political topicality and the idea of environ-

mental stewardship as a lyric device in the production of aesthetic experience are

matched here by a rise in pragmatismo The grass roots social movements ofthe
•
times demonstrated the potential for transforming personal philosophical

concerns into practical action . The evolution of theoretical critique gave rise to

functional activity: poetic interventions found parallels in science and politics.

The diversification and democratization of the social world was reflected in the
•
artworld. As Helen Mayer Harrison and Newton Harrison note. ' Ourwork causes

the conversation to drift in another direction . We take up the cultural and political.

the aesthetic and the ecological. all at once' . Cleaning. planting. remedial work.

conservation : all of these conventional pursuits. traditionally outside the purview of

artmaking. are brought together in the appraisals of and statements by the artists

included in Implementation . As Mierle Laderman Ukeles said in a 1991 interview,

'1I's not just artists decorating landfills. r m talking about artists sitting at the

decision-making table - [creating projectsl that will save our earth, our air, our

water. lfwe survive people willlook back and say, "Thal's the great design ofour age".'

the abundance and variety ofits bird He, and whe n t he On t he farm s the he ns brooded, but no chicles hatched.
Rachel CARSON flood of migrants was pouring t hrough in spring and The fa rmers complained that they were unable to raise any
il utum n people travelled from gre at dis tances to obse rve p igs ( ... J The apple trees were coming into bloom but no
t ":ablp' rTomorrow', 12' t hem. Others carne to fish the streams, which flowed elear bees droned a mong the blos soms, so there was no
ilnd cold out ofthe hills and contai ned s had y pools whe re pollinat ion and t here wo uld be no fruit .
There was o nce a town in the heart of America where all life trout lay [ ... 1 The ro ads ides , o nce so attractive, were now lined with
seem ed to live in harmo ny wit h its s urro und ings. The town Then a stra nge blight ( rept over the area and browned and withe red vegetation as though s wept by tire.
lay in the m idst of a checleerboard of prospero us fa rms, everythi ng bega n to eha nge. Sorne evil spell had settled o n These, too, were silent, deserted by a lt living things. Even
wil h fields of grain and hillsides of orchards where, in the commu nity: mysterlou5 maladies swept t he f10cks of the s treams were now lifeles s [ ... J
s p ring, whit e clouds ofbloom d rifted aboye the green chickensj t he cattle and s heep sickened ilnd died. In the gutters under the eaves and between the
tields. ln autum n, oak and ma p leand birch sel up a blaze Everyw here was a shadow of deat h. The fa rmers s poke of s hingles ofthe roofs, a white granular powder stilt showed
of colour t ha t f1a m ed and f1ickered across a backdrop of m ue h iIIness a mong t heir fa milies. In the town the docto rs a few patc hes; some weeles before jt had falten lilee snow
pines[ ... ] had become mo re il nd more puzzled by new kinds of upo n the roofs and the lawns, the tields and streams.
Along the roads, laurel, vibu rn um and alder, great fe rns sicle ness appearing amo ng their patients. There had been No wi tchcraft, no enemy actio n had silenced Ihe
and wildflowers delighted Ihe Iravetle r's eye Ihroug h several s udden and unel(plained deat hs, nol o nl y among rebirth of new life in Ihis stricleen world. The people had
muc h ofthe year. Even in win ter the roa d sides were p laces adu lts but even amon g c hildren, w ho wo uld be striclcen do ne it Ihemselves l ... [
ofbeauty, where counlles s birds came lo feed on the s udde nly white at play a nd d ie wi thin a few hours.
berries and on t he s eed head s ofthe dried weeds rising There was a stra nge st itlness [ ... ] o nly sile nce lay over
aboye the snow. The countryside was, in fact , famous for t he fiel d s and woods a nd m a rsh.

A TIO N
 Simon SCHAMA
winding through the tal! grass, lenl itself perfectl)' to this
vis ion of a democratic terrestrial paradise. And the fact • '"
•
Ihat visitors had lo descendto the valle)' floor onl)' •
Landscape and Memory emphasized the religious sensation of enlering a walled
sanctuary.
[. 9q5] like all gardens, Yosemile ptesupposed barriers
against the beastl)'. But its prolectots reversed RobertSMITHSON
[ ••• J Ir a ch¡ld's vision of natufe can already be loade<! with conventions b), keeping the animals in and Ihe humans
complicating memories, myths and meanings, how muen out. So both the mining companies who had first Untitled (Across the
more elaborately wrought is the "ame through which OUt penetrated this area oflhe Sierra Nevada and the expelled
adult eyes survey the landscape. Far although we ilre Ahwahneechee Indians were carefull)' and forcibl)' ediled Country .. . ) [1979]
ilccustomed to separate natufe ilnd human perception out ofthe id)'II.U was John Muir, the prophet of wilderness,
into two realms, they are, in fact, indivisible. Befare it can who actuall)' characterized Yosemile as a 'park valle)" and ACROSSTHE COUNTRY THEREARE MANY MINING
ever be a repose forthe senses, landscape is the work of celebrated ils resemblance lo an 'artificial landscape- AREAS, DISUSEDQUARRIES, AND POLLUTED LAKES
the mind. tu scenery is huift up as mueh from strata of garden ... with charming groves and meadows and AND RIVERS. ONE PRACTICAL SOLUTION FOR THE
memory as from layers of rock. thickels ofblooming bushes'. The mountains that rose UTlLIZATION OFSUCH DEVASTATED PLACES WOULD
Objectively, of course, the various e<:osystems that above the 'park' had 'feet set in pine.groves and ga)' BE LANDAND WATER RE-CYCLlNG IN TERMS OF'Earth
sustain life on the planet proceed independently ofhuman emerald meadows, Ihe;r brows in the sky¡ balhed in lighl, Art'. RECENTLY, WHEN I WAS IN HOLLAND, I WORKED
agency, just as they operated befare the hedie ascendancy bathed in floods of singing water, while snow·douds IN A SANO QUARRYTHATWAS S LATE D FOR
of Horno sopjens. But it is also tfue that it is difficult to avalanche and Ihe winds shine and surge and wreathe REOEVELOPMENT. THE DUTCH ARE ESPE(lALLY
think of a single such natural system thal has not, for about them as the )'ears go b)', as ifinto these mountain AWAREOFTHE PHYSICAL LANDSCAPE. A DIALECTIC
better or worse, been substantiall)' modified b), human mansions Nature had taken pains to galher her choicest BETWEEN LAND RECLAMATION ANO MINING USAGE
culture. Nor is this simpl), the work ofthe industrial treasures lo draw her lovers into dose and confiding MUST BE ESTABLlSHED. THE ARTIST AND THE MINER
centuries. II has been happening since the da)'s of ancient communion with her': MUST BECOM ECONSCIOUS OF THEMSELVES AS
Mesopotamia. It is coeval with wtiting, with the entirety of But of course nature does no such thing. We do. Ansel NATURAL AGENTS.I N EFFECT, THIS EXTENDSTOALL
OUt social existence. And jt is thjs irreversibl)' modified Adams, who admired and qUOled Muir, and did his best to KINOS OF MINING ANO BUILDING. WHEN THE
world , from Ihe polar caps to the equatorial forests, Ihat is translale his reverence into spectacular nalure-icons, MINEROR BUILDER LOSES SIGHTOFWHAT HE 15
al! Ihe nature we nave. explained to the director ofthe Natíonal Park Service, in DOING THROUGH THEABSTRACTIONS OFTECH·
The founding fathers of modern environmentalis m, 1952, Ihat he pholographed Yosemite in the wa)' he did lo NOLOGYHECANNOTPRACTlCALLYCOPEWITH
Henry David Thoreau and John Muir, promised Ihal 'i n sanctify 'a religious idea' and lo 'inquire of m)' own soul NECESSITY. THE WORLD NEEDS COALAND HIGH·
wildness is the preservation ofthe world'. The juSI what Ihe primevalscene reall), signifies'. ' In the lasl WAYS, BUTWE DO NOT NEED THE RESULTS OF STRIP·
presumption was Ihat Ihe wilderness was out there, anal)'sis', he wrole, ' HalfOome is jusI a piece of rock ... MINING OR HIGHWAYTRUSTS. ECONOMICS, WHEN
somewhere, in the western heart of America , awaiting There is some deep personal distillation ofspiril and ABSTRACTED FROM THE WORlD, 15 BLlND TO
discovery, and Ihat it would be Ihe anlidote for the poisons concepl which moulds Ihese earthl)' facts into some NATURALP'RO EW 5 ARTCAN BECOMEA RESOURCE ••
o
ofindustrial society. But of course the healing wilderness transcendental emotional and spirilual experience'. To THAT MEDIATES BElWEEN THE ECOLOGIST AN D TH E ¡
•"•
was as much the product of cullure's craving and culture's ptolect Yosemile's 'spirilual potential ', he believed, meant INDUSTRIALlST. ECOLOGY AND INDUSTRY ARE NOT
j fram ing as an)' olher imagined garden. Take the first and keeping the wilderness pure¡ ' unfortunalel)', in orderto ONE-WAYSTREfTS, RATHERTHEYSHOULDBECROSS. o

_"_ mostfamous American Eden; Yosemite. Though the keep il pure we have to occup)' it'.' ROADS. ARTCAN HELPTO PROVIDETHE NEEDED ••
8
parking is almost as big as the park and there are bears There is nothing inherentl)' shameful about Ihal DIALECTIC BETWEEN THEM . A LESSON CAN BE -•
rooting among the McDonald 's cartons, we still imagine occupation. Even Ihe landscapes that we suppose lo be LEARNED FROM THE INDIAN CLlFF DWElLINGS ANO
__ Yosemite the wa)' Albert Bierstadt painted it or Carleton mos! free of our culture ma)' turn out, on closer inspection , EARTHWORKS MOUNDS. HERE WE SEE NATURE ANO

) Walkins and Ansel Adams photographed it: wilh no trace

ofhuman presence. But of course the very act of
lo be ils product. And it is the argumenl ofLondscope ond
Memory Ihal this is a cause nol for guill and sorrow but
NECESSITY IN CONSORT.
• •
] identifying (not to mention photographing) Ihe place celebration. Would we ralher Ihal Yosemite, for all ils over-
• presupposes our presence, and along with us all the heavy population and over-representation, had nelle, been •
-" cultural backpacks thal we lug with us on the trail. identified , mapped , emparked? The brillianl meadow-f1oor
The wilderness, after all , does nol locale itself, does not which suggested to its first eulogisls a pristine Eden was in
na me itself.11 was an act ofCongress in 1864 thal fact the result of regular fire·clearances b), ils Ahwah- Jack BURNHAM
established Yosemite Valle), as a place of sacred neechee Indian occupants. So while we acknowledge (as
significance for the nation, during the war which marked we must) Ihal the impact ofhumanity ofthe earth's Hans Haacke - Wind and
the moment ofFaIl in Ihe American Garden. Nor could Ihe ecology has nol been an unmixed blessing, neilher has the
wilderness venerate itself It needed hallowing visitations long relationship between nature and culture been an WaterSculpture [1967]
from New England preachers like Thomas Starr King, unrelieved and predetermined calamit)'. Al the very leasl, it
photogtaphers like Leander Weed, Eadwaerd Mu)'bridge, seems right lo acknowledge Ihat it is OUt shaping HAACKE'5 USE OF NATURAL MEDIUMS
and Carlelon Watkins, painters in oillike Bierstadt and perception that makes the difference between raw matter Haacke's water boxes have a kind of maddening ambi-
Thomas Moran, and painters in prose like John Muir lo and landscape( ... ) guit)'o On the one hand he fusses with Iheir shapes, de-
represent it as the hol)' part ofthe West; the site of a new , mandi ng both very precise proportions and
birth; a redemption for the national agon)'; an American re· A r • r• lechnical perfection, while on the olher he encourages Ihe
creation. The strangel)' unearthl)' topograph)' oflhe place, 'ee ' ., semi·random activit)' that pervades the boxes' inside
with brilliant meadows carpeling the valle)' flush to the activity. How can an artist demand so much and at the
sheer cliff walls ofCathedral Rock, the Merced River • , same time be contenl with the inevitable? II is t)'pical that

DOCUMENTS
he refuses to use screws, stainless steel braces or gaskets drops. Another container divided water into converging ... make something that cannot 'perform' without Ihe
to put his plastic boxes logether, bul at the same time he zigzag slreams (unning along transparenl sides oflhe box. assistance ofits environment ...
con stantly searches for new degrees offreedom. In some cases, not just form and partilioning, but ... make something sensitive lo light and lemperalure
1can remember when Haacke took me to see an physical principies determine Ihe dynamics ofthe water changes, that is subject to air currents and depends, in its
example ofhis first water boxes (spring 1962), then in the boxes. As one cylindrical vessej is ¡nverted, coloured funetioning, on the forces of gravity ...
rental collection ofThe Museum ofModern Art in New solutions merge, flatten and distend against each other, as ... make something the spectalor handles, an object to be
York. A secretary commenled that museum personnel had Haacke's wife, linda, remarked, like a Sam Francis played wilh and thus animaled ...
been playing with it for days - it seemed lo have caused painli ng in slow molion.Later, this idea was incorporated ... make something that lives in time and makes the
more joyful curiosity than any number of'sculptures '- into a series offlat, panel-like construetions having partial experience time .:.
and forthat reas on the museum neverthought seriously of plastic walls. Coloured liquids would partition inlo bubble ... articulate somelhing natural .. .'
buying it as a 'work of art'. Forthose who watched the struetures on Iheir jouroey to the top oflhe piece, slowly - Hans Haacke, Cologne, January 1965
water box, the aggregate emotion was that of delight and forming and re-formíng as they rose upward.
perplexity. More and more I began to sensethat the quality that Haacke's statemenl brought lo mind the closing efforts of
Mos! saw the water box as essenlially frivolous, lacking unified these construetions was their ability to transcend Leonardo da Vinci and his thousands of notations on the
Ihe mystery, restraint, impaet, technical bravura, cruelty, merely mechanical operalion and lo assume sorne ofthe nalure and substance of air and water¡ ofhis lust lo
wit and optical salience that went into the games of olher pattero inherent in jife processes. In the translational comprehend the currents, whorls and eddies; ofhis plans
currently successful artists. Here was an art of essential motion of regular water currents, say through a pipe, the in old age for miniature experimental water works; ofhis
phenomenalism where the obligation lo !in was passed on water remains unchanged at each segment oflhe pipe. In sketches, which sought to link up relalionships
to the spectalor. The artist had struetured the events - take contrast, liquids moving through an organic system or
-
between the circulation of water in the earth, in Ihe cells of
it or leave it - the rest was up to the dimmed memory ofthe digestive traet conslantly change in chemical slrueture as plants, and the blood pumpingthrough the arteries ofthe
viewer: to remember what he had forgotten since they move in space. Ideally, Haacke would I¡ke somelhing human body, of an instinet that anticipated Ihe statistical
childhood about Ihe ¡ntimate effects of wind and water. like that ifit were feasible. The partitions and other mechanics of modern physics by four centuries, and not
In this respect, Haacke has spoken several times ofthe de!errents in his constructions are the closesl thal he can least of all, the great Deluge drawings that tried to capture
Japanese mode of making precise but informal art and come in this direction. the violent patteros ofwind and water as they destroyed al1
gave me some examples from Ihe seventeen.syllable Through Ihe anonymity ofPlexiglas with liquid passing man· made aetivity / ... 1
haiku poems: short, terse fragments that are really liny from level to level, he is Irying perhaps lo gel al Ihe lt is Ihis sensi bility, still scientifically aCCurate in its
universes of sensibility. The water boxes in their own way clockwork oflhe human body's own chemistry. There is a broader respecls, thal speaks lo an artist such as Haacke
are encapsulated forms oflhe poetic condition. sense ofimmanent completion with the further knowledge and permits him tosay, '1 am doingwhat artists have
'Spring rain that the cycle will begin all over again. One apparatus always done - Ihat ¡s, e.rtendingthe boundaries of visual
Conveyed underthe trees could be said to simulate cell duplication¡ with the aid of a awareness'.
Indrops.' small hand pump a chemical engenders overflowing Gradually Haacke has moved from the water pieces to
Just as within the Plexiglas container, th is poem makes the m ounds offoam. Soap particles dissolve as Ihey spread a mOre encompassing determination ofthe full scope of
discovery thal the same source of water, \IIhen altered by out. Nol alllhe aetion is so apparent. Al one window oflhe his work. AII usable, flexible forces have become Ihe
an obstacle, can change in consistency and texture. Large sludio a large transparent box stood in the sunlight means for remakingtiny bits ofthe wortd into boundless,
irregular drops ffom Ihe branches of a tree fall on the haiku regenerating cycle i1fter cycle ofcondensation. With slow, playful systems. These feats with air drafts and blower
poet as he stands underneath peering al the fine fabr¡c of endless varialion Ihe Iranspilrent s¡des oflhe box were systems could be termed weather events.ln this respect
spring rain. This is precisely the condition oflhe gravity. patteroed with beads of moisture only to turn into rivulets some ofHaacke's recent 50;1 (1965) construetions were
controlled water boxes, where water becomes one thing, of waler as Ihey became too heilvy to remain drops. ln Ihe accompanied by a statement Ihal echoed familiarly of
then another - always varied lo the senses and changing sun a fine haze of vapour appears near the top oflhe Leonardo.
form as il meets new forms of material opposition. Haacke construetion, then drops in tiny trickles along the sides,
cited anotherexample: wilh pools ofwaler along the bottom. ' Ifwind blows into a lighl piece of malerial, il flutters like a
'The dew oflhe rouge-flower Haacke had some interesting comments about this flag or it swells like a sall, depending on the way in whkh it
When spilled lasl piece. This is one work Ihal did nol need to be turned is suspended. The direction oflhe stream of air as well as
Is simply water. ' over by the viewer, yet in exhibitions its subtle aetion is nol its intensity also determine the movements. None oflhese
We see only what we want to see and the hardest th ing to enough for some people and they wont lo set it on ils top o movements 15 without an influence from all Ihe others. A
see is what is non.literary in origin, in faet, whal is wilh us Of course, Ihis jusi erases Ihe pattero eslablished on Ihe common pulse goes through Ihe membrane. The swelling
from the moment we first open our eyes. Thousands of plaslic, and the slow process ofbuilding up condensation on one side makes the other s,de recede; lensions ar¡se
limes' have discharged the contents of a washbasin or must begin again. Haacke claims that only the mos! and decrease. The sensitive fabric reacts to the slightest
have swallowed liquid with Ihe purpose of removing the perceplive and sensilive viewers ever like his changes of air conditions. A gentle draft makes it swing
contents fro m the cavity ofthe glass into the cavity created condensalion box. For mosl observers its rate of change is lightly, a strong air current makes il swell almost to the
by my digestive system. Few limes have I exerted what loo slow lo sustain any atlenlion. AII ofwhich suggests to bursting point or pulls so that it furiously twists ¡tself
Husserl calls ' reduetion' in isolating either Ihe molions of Haacke that the quieter and simpler phenomena of nalure aboul. Since many faetors are involved, no movement can
my body in receiving the water or the aetions ofthe water are no match loday for what people expect out oflife. For be precisely predieted. The wind·driven fabric behaves like
leaving the glass. Th is last is what Haacke is about, and its Ihe sensitive kinetic artisl time scales are an importanl a living organism, all parts of which are constantly
full import only carne to me alter my visit lo his studio in elemenl - and particularly as they are junaposed in influencing one anolher. The unfolding oflhe organism in
Cologne. mechanical and organic systems. a harmonious manner depends on the intuitiveness and
AII the containers strewn about his studio may have In relalion to this he gave me his own short manifesto. skill oflhe player". His means to reach the essential
looked si milar, but were in essential ways differenl from ' ... make something which experiences, reacts lo lts character ofthe material are man1pulations ofthe wind
each olher. In a typ ical one water f10wed from an environment, changes, is nonstable ... sources and the shape and melhod of suspending the
uppermost level Ihrough a partition with tiny holes to the ... make something indetermínate, thal always looks fabrico His malerials are wind and flexible fabric, his tools
bottom, creating as il fell a lapestry ofsmall whirlpools and different, the shape ofwhich canoot be predieted precisely are the laws of nature. The sensilivity ofthe wind player

IMPLEMENTATlON
determines whether the fabric i5 given tife and breathes.' 'Halh the rain a father? Or who hath the drops of dew?' I could picture Thoreau Iying on his stomach on the
• '"
• reads the 8ible. Still, similar question s can be formed western slopes aboye Walden Pond watching the surface
Today in the engineering of complex systems the problem abaut the origins ofthe wind. The Earth i15elf can be disturbances on the water: birds, fish, grass, breezes,
is to make the man-machine relationship as smoothly looked on as a greal wind.making device, forming patterns water bugs - almost like a fireworks display. Here, I
functional as possible. The more variables present and the of evaporation, rain and humidity over i15 surface as a kind remember, was aman who harboured no wishful iIIusions
fasterthe machine componen15 must make decisions and of enormous condensation container. Haacke's interest in about the deadening effects oftechnology, who knew what
transmit aruons the tess opportunity remains for the the invisible me<:hanics of nature is like 0111 meaningful art; he was afler. At that, a passage from Thoreau'sjoutno/
human operator to assert his own degree of autonomous it is a re-evocation of what was always known about ca me lo mind, 'A long soaking rain, the drops trickling
control. For this reason - and for more practical ones- existence, but forgotten at one time or another. down the stubble ... To watch this crystal globe just sent
Haacke's devices are purposely kept simple and The water constructions are less easy to describe in from heaven lo associate with me (a raindropl, white these
technically unetaborate. He is not after the usual passive words beca use they embody a 'programme' directed by clouds and this sombre drizzting weather shut all in, we
knob-pressing kinetic art, neither is the viewer in complete gravity and composed of a numberof parts. II was two draw nearer and know one another.'
control ofthe s ituation; instead, at best, a mutual originally the discoverythat water is the most living of There is a kind of pantheistic union between living and
interaction between viewer and sail system is encouraged. inorganic substances thal brought Haacke lo his personal non·living matter in which both assume an organic
This is a level of authentic sensual involvement thal work. 1talked to him about Ihis problem oftrying to rapport. I asked Haacke about this in a letter and his
Haacke senses the world has less time for today. Art is describe what is in fact only moving reflection . literary answerwas something of a shock.
natural medicine. illusion and hyperbole seemed lo fade in Ihe face of 'Cood old Thoreau', was his reply, 'romanticism is not
This was apparent the summer before last (1963) when something so completely phenomenal. His retort was that really my cup oftea, although 1don't denythat there's
Gerd Winkler ofthe Hessische Rundfunk, a television even pholographs give a very incomplete impression and some ofit in me. However, 1hate the nineteenlh.century
station in Franlcfurt, made a film in Haacke's studio. One that, al Ihe risk ofboredom, accurate, eJrtensive idyllic nature.loving act.l 'm for what the 'arge cities have
sequencewas devoted to the unin hibited play of several descriptions have to be made 'Iike a police report'. to offer, the possibilities ofte<:hnology and the urban
children around a group ofballoons suspended on a So then, process is the word that describes the mentality. Plexiglas, on the other hand, is artificial and
column of air - the children understood the point perfectly procession ofhydrodynamical events that permit water to strongly resis15 eitherlactile sensuality or the
ofknocking the balloons offthe column of air, whereas move in one ofthese boxes from a higher to a lower level. touch n. Plexiglas, mass-production - Thoreau - they don't
grown·ups photographed doing Ihe same thing usually In the simpler containers this i5 a matter of about five really fit together.'
felt a bit self-conscious. Certainly Haacke's minutes. Each sequence of even15 ¡s, in effect, a unified For sorne, ineluding myself, there seems lo be a tug.of-
experimentation begins with the same playful intensity as visual statement. war, a tremendous ambiguity in Haacke's efforts. It is as if
the early Dadais15, although in spirit it is less attuned to At the inception ofthese hydrodynamic activities the he is willing to accept the phenomenal forces of nature,
alienation and therapeutic destruction. water dimples as the first set of drops begins to pass but only as long as they are hermetically sealed in a kind of
One sen ses an innate distrust by Haacke of through the tiny drilled openings ofthe interior partilion . artificiallaboratory - not lake water, but the chemist's
complicated machines and electronic equipment, From that point onward animation ¡ncreases with the distilled H,O [ ... ]
basically on the grounds that they are non·visual and tend more rapid passage of water. Soon the surface ofthe upper During the spring of 1966 Haacke felt that a prime
lo break down. 'The simpler the better' is his sentiment, body of water tightens into a relatively stabte pattern or opportunity for a monumental undertaking was at hand. A
'Iike the standing egg ofColumbus. It is best to get along vortices. Light reAected fi-om the ridges ofthe wavelets on 'Zero on the Sea' festival, all expenses paid, was to be
with unmechanical sources of energy.' On a monumental the surface becomes Ihe visual means by which liquid flow sponsored at Scheveningen, Holland, by Ihe local tourist
scale he would invent new forms of windmilts and sail and drop agitation are observed. Th is resul15 in a kind of agency. In a letter from just befare the trip Haacke wrole in
constructions - 'driven and blown by naturally existing loose network of reflections, seemingly random bul great excitement ofsome ofhis proposed undertakings
winds'. statistically determinale. A secondary webbing oflight out on Ihe Scheveningen pier:
In his January 1966 show two 'air even15' were set up: a lines is brought lo focus on the pedestal surface beneath ' 1plan to have 6o·foot nylon strips, white, being blown out
7 x 7-fOOI (2 x 2 m) chiffon sa;1 suspended loosely parallel the water box i15elf This is the result of convergent light over the sea from flagpoles on the pier - which are closely
lo the floor and kept swinging aboye an oscillating fan, and rays through the lens.si mulaling contours oflhe waves grouped together so Ihat a constant flicker can be created.
the olher a large, while rubber balloon balanced on an air aboye. With exquisite precision the water-drop and i15 And a 150-foot plastic hose, tightly inAated with helium,
jet. A number oftimes I've questioned Haacke on Ihe sheath, repealed countless times over the entire surface of will fly high aboye the beach or sea ... And also, I would like
saleability ofsuch works; after all they are fi-agile systems the partitions, become a field of repeating miniature to lure 1,000 seagulls to a certain spot (in the air) by sorne
not stable objects. His reply is Ihal he is fortunale lo have a founlains in conjunction with the body of water below. delicious food so as to construct an air sculpture from their
gallerythat can understand the importance of non- Seen from outside the box, these layers of activity combined mass.'
saleable works, and Ihal they have lo be made in spite of superimpose and assume an interwoven complexity. To Haacke felt that the entire undertaking was too good to be
what happens to Ihem laler. the casual observer Ihis description may belabour the true, and rightly enough, two weeks before it was to
More basic Ihan the category ofkineticism or actual occurrence - with so much happening so quickly. commence, the sponsors called it offfor rack offunds.
mechanics is the fact Ihat the artist is trying to man ipulate But Haacke's intention is nol lo catch each action Nevertheless, he feels Ihat with the elements ofhis
purely invisible forces , a strictly non-palpable art, in which discretely and pre<:isely asl have describe<! it, it is geared work -wind and water-Iarge scale is an inevitability,
effects and interaction count for more than physicar instead lowards a mode of relaxed observation. Th is is a although a self.perpetuating source offrustration. Survival
durability. This outlook is somehow remin iscenl oflhat of kind ofletting-go process in which phenomena become in art, as in aH other realms oflife, is contingent on material
Roger Ascham, tutor to Elizabeth I ofEngland, who wrote secondary lo an intuition about the nature of sequential adjustment. One begins to embrace, if nol see as a
in his Toxophi/us: The Sehole o/Shoot;ng, 'To see the wind even15. positive advantage, those limitations that currently define
wilh aman his eyes il is impossible, Ihe nature ofit is so Actually, after watching one ofthe water boKes, or saleable gallery arto In a letter Haacke wrote, ' ... in spite of
fine and subtile'. After this Ascham proceeds to deduce the 'drippers' as Haacke calls them, on a mal, stark white all my environmental and monumental thinking I 3m still
consistency ofthe wind fi-om the effects thal it has on plastic tabletop, I thought I had Ihe answer to what he was fascinated by the nearly magie, self-contained quality of
certain lighl and flexible objects - grass, snow, dust and aiming at: an extremely old and visceral form ofbeauty, objects. My water levels, waves and condensation boxes
other carriers oflhe invisibleforces ofhot and cold in something, perhaps, fading from contemporary are unth inkable without th is physical separation from
reaction lo each olher. conSClousness. their surroundings.'

DOCUMENTS
". Mechanization is anolher problem for an artist in supplies of coal and oi! over the nex! hundred years
Haacke's pasillon. With all ofhis espousal ofthe cily and Helen Mayer HARRISON multiplies the ca. lonnage oflhe air 18 times increasing
Ihe values of mechanization, there is a deep underlying Ihe speed oflhe greenhouse effect,
suspicion ofthe active effect of machines on his arto This is and Newton HARRISON Then by the lime the ocean-atmosphere ca. cycle
nol a rejection of machines pe, se, bul oftheir tendency lo returns to equilibrium , the ca, contenl oflhe air will be 10
dominate in any relationship with man or the elements. Ir IfThis Then That (The First times greater than it is today. The mean temperature ofthe
he has an aversion lo the use of motors lO pump liquids or earth will be 22° higher, ice pack and glacial melt will raise
to keep one ofhis systems in motion, il has much lo do Four): San Diego as the the ocean levels twenty to Ihirty feet, many coastal areas
•
with the proportional size ofthe molor lo the construction and Ihe tropics will be uninhabitable.
and ofthe quality ofthe motian generaled. In a 5m311 Centre ofthe World [1974] Then the land mass al/ailable will be X, Ihe populations
construction mas! motors would be disproportionately it can support, etc.
large, and electric wiring would deprive the piece ofi1$ UF If only proposition 111 is true, begín long-range planning.
autonorny and power as a self·sufficient abjert. There is we are in an interglacial epoch and we are going into a If only proposition IV is true, begin short.range planning.
¡¡Iso the visual irrationality of power apparatus and the period ofheavy glaciation then within the nex! 10,000
lifeless motion that it usually generates. 'Forced' motlon years the mean annual temperalures will drop, the polar Ifit cannol be determined whieh ofthese proposilions is
has none oflhe give-and-take and inevitability that caps will enlarge, new glacial mas ses will form on true or it cannot be determined which combinalion of
characterizes Haacke's method. No such inhibitions exist mountain ranges that do not presently have snow cover these propositions is true or it cannot be determined
for a work installed in a large architectural setting. Here and the lel/el of permanent snow cover will expand which ofthese propositions is false either singly or in
the scale 'naluralizes' motor-driven motion. Being downward, the oceans will recede to the continental shelf combination then begin short· and long-range planning.
incorporated into Ihe architecture, there is no need for
isolation as in a small, freestanding work. Of course, with
Ihe smaller constructions, Ihe observer is the prime
and the habitable zones will be reduced lo the land
between the tropies ofCancer and Capricorn.
Then the land mass available will be x, the populations
, .
source of power- pushing, shaking and turning the box it can support will be X, the salinity ofthe oceans will be X,
overo Haacke considers this role ofthe observer as a the mean temperature ofthe oceans will be X, the mean
motive force to be of prime importance, no casual push- lemperature ofthe air will be X, the resulting ecologieal Robert MORRIS
button affair. He has also commented that because this transformations will be X, the resulting human social and
relationship is a physically sensitive one, there are 'good' political syslem will be X. Notes on Art as/and Land
and 'bad' generators among spectators.
510wly the line between slable objects Ihal sil passil/ely 11. IF Reclamation [1980]
wailing lo be wrapped up and shipped offto some accordingto Bryce, the increase in the atmosphere of
customer's home and Ihe new projects demanding particulate malter from volcanic actil/ity and smog screens [ ... ] '11 was rel/ealed to me that those things are good
participation and unlimited space seems lo be forming. out more ofthe heat from the sun, which yet are corrupted which neither ifthey were
The sense of ownership seems lo I/aporize from such Then within the nex! several hundred years the mean supremely good nor unless Ihey were good could be
conceptions as Haacke presents, instead they present the annual temperatures will drop, the polar caps will enlarge, corrupted.'
urge lo mOl/e out into space like so much smoke. What new glaciation will begin on mountain ranges that do not james ¡oyce, Ulysses
Haacke is doing implies both great economic and material presently hal/e snow COl/er, the level of permanent snow
disruptions in the handling of arto But as Takis, the Greek cover will expand downward. The oceans will begin to The production of art works in Ihis late industrial age has
kineticist, has said about the economic fallibillties of recede, the continental shelf will begín lo be exposed and for Ihe mosl part been circumscribed and slructured by Ihe
artists, '50, unconsciously perhaps, they establish one of the habitable zones will decrease. commodity markel. Beyond this, most artistic careers
their discoveries, and then become known. Now that they Then the land mass al/ailable will be X, the populations follow the contours of a consumer-oriented market: a style
are known, they are afraid to continue Iheir search into the it can support will be X, the salinity ofthe oceans will be X, is eslablished within which yearly variations occur. These
unknown for fear of dis-establishing their known work - all the mean temperature ofthe oceans will be X, the mean variations do not threaten the style's identity bul change
this perhaps unconsciously.' temperature ofthe air will be X, etc. subsequenl production enough to make il identifiably
50 far, Haacke has al/oided Ihis pitfall and his creations If only proposition I is true, begin long·range planning. new. 5uch a pallern then comes to De seen as natural and
hal/e been el/ent-oriented, nol object-directed. Whatever If only proposition 1I is true, begin short-range value·free ralherlhan a condilion of art distribution and
direction he now chooses to travel, his momentum has not planning. sales. 5trictures for change underdifferent social
abated. He seems to be entering more dangerous altitudes conditions mighl emphasize disjunctive change, or no
as he flies straighl for the douds, but perhaps, more lucky III.IF change at all. The modes for all change, or non-change, in
Ihan lcarus, he will al/oid the sun. we are in an intergtacial epoch and we are emerging from a production, ¡nduding art, may be limited lo three: stalic,

• perlod ofheavy glaciation then within the nex! 10,000 incremental and disjunctive. But that one or more do in
•• years the mean annual temperatures will increase, the (act exisl in every culture seems apparent. A given rate
,. ocean ice will melt, the polar caps will melt, all glaciation change for art production prol/ides a contex! and
..'
• will disappear, Ihe ocean level will rise up to 300 feet, all coherence beyond a strictly economic rereren!: it prol/ides
the low-Iying coastal cilies and some ofthe inland ones the infrastructure for Ihe culture's art hislory. Beyond this,
will be submerged, vast parts of continental U5, 50ulh Ihe mode of art paralleling commodily production with ils
America, India, Asia, Australia and China will again be the basic slyle/yearly variation yields good as well as bad arto
sile of shallow inland seas. While this has proven obviously more economically sound
Then the land mass available will be X, etc. for artisls than either Ihe static or disjunctive modes, it is
probably safe to say that the disjunctive, when effectil/e,
IV. IF forwhatever reasons, has been granted greater cultural
according to Plass , Ihe burning ofthe currently known value, either in terms ofindividuals or mOl/ements. (It has

IMPL EM ENTA TlON

been suggested that there may be something genetic in mine is essentia' and therefore worthy of reelamation. It redolent with form:¡1 power and social threat, that no 255
•
both risk.uking and i15 approval.) Tne disjunctive might then seem that to practice art as land reclamation is e)(isting earthwork should even be compared to it? It
condition i15elf ofien ushers in tne mode of commodity to promote the continuing acceleration ofthe resouree· should stand unregenerate as a powerful monument to a
production in wnich incremental variations are practiced energy-commodity.eonsumption cycle, since reclamation one.day nonexistent resource. Other sites come to mind
by 'second.generation ' artists. Today the descr iption of - defined aesthetically, economica"y, geophysically - as well: those in Butte, Montana; the abandoned quarry at
tnis phenomenon often polarizes 'innovators' into one functions to make aeeeptable original acts of resouree Marble, Colorado; some ofthe Vermon t granite quarries;
camp and those wno produce 'quality' items into tne otner. extraction. and a few ofthe deep·shafi eoal and diamond mines
It is interesting to examine site-speeific works in the In so fa, as site works participate in art as land qualify as significant monuments ofthe twentieth eentury.
light oftnese modes. As they have been produeed for the reclamation, they would seem to have no choice but to Are their implications any less sinister than those ofthe
last ten to fifteen years, wnatever disjunctive thresnold serve a publ;c relations function for mining ;nterests;n Creat Pyramids? AU great monuments celebrate the
tney might once nave had has long s;nee been passed. On particu la r a nd the acceleratin g teeh nologieaJ.consu merist leading failh ofthe age- or, in retroSpect, the prevailing
tne other hand, site-specific works can nardly be described programme in general. Participation , however, would idiocy. In one fOrm or another teehnology has produced
as commodity production items. Tney to assume the seem to be no d ifferent from exhibition in any art gallery, the monuments ofthe twentieth century: the mines, the
role of a service function rather tnan tnat of object which ¡pso facto participates in the commodity structure. rocket assembly buildings so vast Ihat weather forms
production . Yet the majority ofthose a rt ists showing a None ofthe historieal monumental works known today inside, the Four Corners Power Comptex, the dams ofthe
sustained ¡nterest in site.spedfic work - in eitner realized would have been made ifthe artists had refused to work '930s, the linear and circular accelerators ofthe '9505 and
or proposed projects - eonform to tne 'established (many, of course, had no option to refuse) because of '960s, the rad iotelescope arrays oflhe '960s and 1970s,
stylelvariation ' mode characteristic of commodity object either question able sponsors hip or disagreement with the and soon, the tunne t complex for the new MX missile. AU
production. This is not surprising: the eonstra ining ends to which the art was used. It is an illusion that artists these structures are testimony to faith in scienee and
parameter for change mediates cultural production in have ever had anything to say about the functions ofthe;, technology, the practiee of whieh has brought the world to
general. works. a point of crisis which nobody knows how to resolve. Art's
While s ite-specifie works have been produced now for While my project at Johnson Pit no. 30 in King County, greatest efforts are by comparison very definitely
over a decade, their sponsorship has erratic and the Washington is to my knowledge the first instance ofthe epiphenomena. Until now there could be no comparison.
budge15 generally below what is required fOr tru ly hiring of an artist to produce art billed as land reclamation, But the terms change when the US Bureau ofMines
ambitio us works. There has certainly been no one source the idea is far from new. • The coal induslry has in fact contributes lo an artist's re<:laiming the land. ' Art mus!
of sponsorship: various museums, private individua ls, given the aesthetics of reelamation some attention , 'While then stand accused of contributing i15 energy to forces
international exhibitions, loca l communities - these and aestheties is a frequent subject of discussion among which are patently, cumulatively destructive.
others have from time to time made site works possible, reclamation officials, regulatory agencies and Or is art beyond good and evil? It can and does f10urish
but often just barely. The works sponsored have more environmentalists, aesthetie quality and the criteria and in the worst moral climates. Perhaps beca use it is amoral it
olten than not been temporary. But now on the horizon standards by which it is evalualed seem to be one ofthe can deal with aU mannerof social extremes. 1I is an
there is potenti¡¡¡J for widespread sponsorship of outdoor least understood facets of surface min ing. '. The Coa/ Age enterprise whose nature invites the investigation of
earth and site.specifie works. local, state, federal and Operoting Handbook ofSurfo,e Mining notes a research extremes. Art erodes whatever seeks to eontain and use jt
industrial funding is on tapoThe key thal fi15 the 'ock to the effort (so urce offunding not given) centred at Ihe and inevitably seeps into the most contrary recesses ,
bank is 'Iand reclamation'. Art functioning as land Un iversity ofMassaehusetts involving the engi neering touches the mosl repressed nerve, finds and suslains the
reclamation has a potential sponsorship in millions of firm ofSkelly and loy and two faculty members, Robert contradictory without effort. Art has always been a very
dollars and a possible location over hundreds of MaUary, a designer and sculptor, and Ervin Zube, who destructive force, the best example being its capacity
thousands of acres throughout the eountry. deals with the ' psyehology oflandscape assessment'.' constanlly to self·destruct, as in the sinking ofModernism
A number ofissues, or perhaps pseudo· o r non·;ssues, While the overwhelming local feeling regarding once it beca me a set of established rules that rationalized a
.¡re raised by this possible ménage Q trois art, reelamation, according to this research effort, is to ' return procedure, a life.style. Art has always been dependent
government and industry. One ofthese is not an issue, and it lo the previous contour', in Appalachia one ofthe upon and serve<! one set offorces or anotherwith little
that is the objection to art's 'serving' as land reclamation, prevaili ng surface mining techniques involves the removal regard for the mora lit y ofthose forces (pharaoh , pope,
that it would somehow lose i15 'freedom ' in so doing. Art ofthe tops of mountains. The major thrust ofthe group's nob ility, capitalism). 1I makes little differenee what forces
has always serve<!. Sometimes the serviee has been mOre 'systems approach' is aimed at dealing with rec lamation make use of arto Art is always propaganda - for someone.
visible- service to a palron, or to a governmental which retains the f1attened mountains ofsuch sites. The History, which is always someone's history, invariably
propaganda eampaign. Sometlmes the service is less researeh group notes with no trace ofirony that 'operators attempts to neutral ize art (according to someone's history,
visible, as when art meshes with and reinforces at mountain top removal mine sites are tending to favour Speer was a better artist than Gericault). Artists who
commodity consumption or remains 'abstract' while this f1at.top approach '.' (Why wouldn't they, since it woutd deeply believe in social causes most ofien make the wOrst
fu lfilling a government eommission. Context can a lso be be virtually impossible to rebui ld the tops of mountains?) .rt.
read as service; it binds the politicalload of any work of arto The group has proposed such striking aesthetic Ifthe only rule is that art must use what uses il, then
In a deeper way, however, context is contentoThe issue of formulations as ( ... 1: ' leav(ingl a few strategically located one should not be put offby the generally high level of
art as land reclamation is of course blurred by appeals by portions ofthe site untouched and unmined'" Such idiocy. politics and propaganda attached lo public
industry to the ' pubtic need ' for more natural resources, approaches are obviously nothing but coal.mining public monuments - espeeia"y if one is in the business of
and thus more mines and environmental entropy whieh relations. erecting them. Should the government/industry
need deaning up. While minerals have been mined and What would na! function as public relations, since any sponsorship of art as land reclamation be enthusiastically
used sinee the end ofthe Stone Age, the present.day aesthetie effort mOlde during or afier mining operations welcomed by artists? Every large strip mine could support
esealation of mineral requirements and the energy needed functions to make the operalions more aceeptable to the an artist in residence . • Flattened mountain tops await the
for accelerating production is not so much an index of pubtie? Such aesthetic efforts are incapable of signalling aesthetic touch. oank and nox ious acres of spoil piles cry
public need as of corporate administration. In a complex any protest against the esealating use of non·renewable out fOr some redeeming sculptural shape. Bottomless
society, where everything is interconnected, it is not minerals and energy sources. What, one wonders, could industrial pits yawn for creative fill ing - or deepening.
possible to decide which commodity, therefore whieh be done fOr the Kenne<:ott Bingham site, the ultimate site· There must be crews out there, straining and lense in the
technology, therefore which resource, therefore which specific work of such raging, ambiguous energy, so seats oftheir 0 ·8 caterpillars, waiting for that confident

OOCUMENTS
". artist to stride over the ravaged ground and give the and instant forms ofknowledge; rejection of mediating several weeks in preparation for a series of ritual mea!s.
command, 'Gentlemen, start yotlr erlgines, and let us institutions, rejection of any tendency to allow habit to The fish were harvested and prepared for frying and stews.
definitivelyconclude the twentieth century'. provide the basis for a new symbolic system. In its extreme The faet that this was done at a publie opening of an art
forms anti·ritualism is an attempt to abolish exhibition caused enormous controversy. Harrison was
'le ... )". 1/9. P. S9 communieation by means of complex symbolic systems." anacked as a publicity-seeking sadist and the Arts Council
One ofthe truisms of ecolo81 is that the only test of N atu re was accused ofwasting publk funds. Though obviously,
is the ability to remain. Two hundred years oftechnological as a few critics insisted, not only does the killing of animal
domination has given us an illusionary sense of our own life go on as a daily aspect of modern survival, but
" ve" '1 P,., lor< .• 979. PI> 220-1 permanence. One ofthe basic principies ofNature is Harrison took pains to kili his fish as humanely as
concerned with asymmetries that develop between possible. The real focus should hal/e been on the faet that
bordering ecological subsystems. Given two bordering humans feeding on lesser-developed life forms remains a
subsystems (either natural orcultural or a mixture of fundamental aspect of ritual arto Ratherthan suppressing
4 I j. both), the less-organized sub-system releases energy to the faet in the unconscious mind - as modern mechanized
5 the more-organized, and in the process the less.organized existence allows us to do - the artist wanted to rel/eal the
6 lb d . p. 281 sub-system loses information while the more-organized most critical aspects ofthe tife-chain.
gains some.' Over a period oftime this produces Harrison believes that effeetil/e ritual stems from
imbalances between neighbouring ecosystems homage to our life-support systems, which in turn give
precipitating crises within the more-organized system. As sustenYlce and coherence to each social group that
•
a culture builds up its urban areas, mechanizes and participates. Ritual behaviour aHaches itselfto specific
simplifies its foed chains, cuts down its diversity of and visible outputs ofthe system. This homage becomes
relations with Nature, it assumes the form of a more ritual as people invotve themsell/es with compulsil/e
organized ecosystem drawing on the surpluses of energy regularity, and their behaviour assumes the
from the simpler ecosystems around it [ ... J complementary qualities of a natural event. In the artist's
It is not surprising that a very few artists are beginning eyes, it is this mOl/ement towards ornamentation and
to become involved with growth and harvest cydes of formalization that makes the whole aetivity creatil/e and
nature. Newton Harrison is one ofthe most intuitive and lends the group a sense of oneness, identifying it with a
'" perceptive artists to move beyond the concerns of recent unity greater than itself.
ecological art. His career in this respect is revealing. In the This is true ofthe simplest task. For instance, there is
" '9505 Harrison began as a sculptor, turned to painting in an enormous difference between 'making earth' and
the 1960s and by the late '9605 moved into technological simply composting manure to enrieh the soi!. Harrison
91 JO? art with a series of glow discharge tubes. These provoked associates all ofhis mixing with an earlier- yet still
several proposa!s d irected towards creating atmospheric important - mixing of paint, day and plaster, which he
effects at high altitudes. Two years ago Harrison produced now sees as a surrogate for mixing earth and water.
Jack BURNHAM a compost-earth pasture for the Boston Museum's Harrison goes on to state thai;
' Elements of Art' exhibition and a Brine Shrimp Farm for 'Our most important pre-ritual aetil/íties so far are making
Contemporary Ritual: the Los Angeles County Museum's 'Art and Technolo81' earth and water, where, in an alchemical fashion we mix
project. sterile and separately hostile elements, wherethe mixture
ASearch for Meaning in The notion ofecologieal art was well established before combines with time and our touch, becoming lite rally a
these projects. What distinguishes Harrison's attempts is living element, a medium for growth. Sorne ofthis is
Post-Historical Terms [1973] a desire to question and record his own interactions and to prívate and dces not bear publicity as yet. For instance,
construet systems involving complex hierarchies of el/ery morning I turn earth for one-halfhour. I spend ten
( ... ] We tend to think of seriou$ ritual as being terribly organisms. While Harrison, aeting out ofthe long tradition minutes of my time with a shovel, ten with a hce, ten with
primitive and embarrassingly sensual. Quite possibly it ¡s, of gallery art, has made strenuous efforts to place his my hands - and one minute with a hose. Two weeks ago
at least in i15 purerforms. On its m ast integral level ritual 'Survival Ecosystems' in gallery and museum contexts, he this mixture smelled I/ile since 30 per cent ont was sewage
is the interface between Nature and Culture. To pursue has been forced to rethink the direction and meaning of waste. This morning it smelled neutral- by next week it
this comparison further, one could say that ir ecology is the such large-scale programmes. It seems dear that the will smell fresh and go into one ofthe indoor pastures and
Sr"tax ofNature, then ritual is its daity, procedural relationship between a painter or sculptor and his work is I will start the process over again. In the abstraet I
counterpart in Culture. While ecology is simply the way of fundamentally different from that of an artist making understand that I make the condition for life and that my
Nature, ritual has to be learned and adhered to. Given the sophisticated ecosystems. The psychological growth of a aetivity is homage to that life and feeds back into my body
non·connectedness ofthe institutions ofWestern Culture, studio artist rarely depends upon the success or failure of both the food that will come from it and the physical
and with anti-ritual as a way oflife, it is probably difficult to his arto Though according to Harrison, one cannot work strength that comes from slow rhythmk work.1 notice that
envision any fundamental connection between ritual and successfully with natural systems without undergoing I breathe in when I pick up a shovel full ofearth and
Nature.ln ways rarely understood by social scientists fundamental personality changes - as slow as these may breathe out when emptying it.1 noticethat I make three
'magical' and organic are synonymous.' Yet as we be. The more a synthesized ecological system depends hoe strokes on inward breathing and three strokes on
withdraw from the acausal essence ofthe organic, we upon the interaetion ofits human provider, the more that outward breathing.ln the beginning when the mixture
progressively diminish the syntax ofliving interactions person must attune himselfto its rhythms. Being drawn smells I/ile I take very deep breaths, drawing in air slowly,
and replace it with property and abstraet values. In the into an integral, on.going, natural system gradually alters but lening it out quickly. At that point my behaviour is
anthropologist Mary Douglas' words this constitutes 'a the artist's anitude towards self and the world. almost gluttonous. t become very possessil/e, running my
denunciation not only ofirrelevant rituals, but of ritualism In the fall of '97', Harrison set up a fish-farm at an hands through the earth to break up smalllumps. This
as such; exaltation ofthe inner experience and denigration American exhibition under the sponsorship ofthe British behal/iour seems compulsive to me. Yet it is I/ery necessary
onts standardized expressions; preference for intuitive Arts Council in London. Fish were grown in tanks for that I touch the soil all over, as a form of ornamentation."

l loolP l EMENl AH ON
 Harrison's wife Helen has been an instrumental force
in many ofthese projects. She takes over the planting and
art is progressively Irivialized inlo Ihe shape of consumer
goeds. Tentative as it is, Harrison's art poses a most
York City's nalural pasto \T.!hen the first European settlers
arrived they saw the natural paradise ofthe Native
'"
nurturing ofthe pastures. Harrison speaks of walching her compleK but fundamental queslion: namely, can we really Americans:
wash and inspect every leaf of some plan15 attacked by sever ourselves from our food and material resources so
cabbage worms. The female-male division oftasks that there is no tonger a magical interface (ritual·art) '( ... 1The region in which they lived, which has now
between Helen and Newton seems lo be a natural detail between the two? In Harrison's mind, such institutio ns become Ihe area ofthe greater City, was a paradise of
oftheirwork together. Each has his strengths. Helen as the supermarket represent mass cultural defocusing nature, teeming with i15 products, and rich in natural
commen15, '1 talk to plan15, lell them what 1expect ofthem mechanisms, the means of disintegrating the bonds beauty of woods and waters. 115 varied d imate, as o ne old·
and what 1will give them - warmth, attention , food , water between natural micro.syslems and human micro· time writer described ¡t, was a Sweet and Wholesome
and companionship. They respond well. It's not thall'm syslems (read home or family uni!). And in closing i15 "u plands covered with berries, rOO15,
urging or pushing, it's that this behaviour is in some deep Harrison writes, '11 is nol the supermarket as a centre cheslnuts and walnu15, beach and oak Birds sang
sense right and usually works. I treal the f10wers and oflrade, which is i15 legitimate cultural function, that in the branches, the deer and elk roamed the grassy
ptan15 as 1would an imals or children, the words are there disrup15 man's inluitive contaet wilh his biological meadows, the waters swarmed with fish , the woods were
bul ofien the relationship occun; wilhout them." sources, but the supermarket as a utopían simplifier and redolent with the scent ofthe wild grape and of many
Logoon is one ofHarrison's more recent projects. This developer of artificial needs that eventually erodes our flowers. Oak trees grew 70 feet (2,135 cm) h igh.'
is an indoor micro-system, a lank 8 x 10 X 3 feet (244 x 305 inner sense of discrimination and our ability to relate - Reginald Bolton , ¡ndions ofLong Ago
x 91.5 cm) deep containing 1,500 gallons (6,825Itr) of magically lo the environment." During the laler phases of
water. Logoon is a body ofwalerorganized to simulate an historical art, the role ofthe artíst, historian and critic was In a city, public art can be a reminder Ihat Ihecity was once
estuariat pool on or near the equator. H igh.intensity lamps to indoctrinate the public into the aesthetic mystique, thus a forest or a marsh. Just as some stree15 are named afier
run in twelve hour cydes like the sun. The entire bottom facilitating 'art appreciation'. Presently, in this post- trees, street names could be extended lo olher ptan15,
forms a gravel filter, and the water temperature varies historical period, we can begin by rediscovering art's animals and birds. Meas ofthe city could be renamed afier
Ihree degrees day and night. While Pacific Ocean water is quintessential roo15. By understanding our lives we can the p red ominant natural phenomena that eKisled there.
used, weekly evaporation and the necessary addition of begin to restore art to i15 rightful funetion. For eKample, Manhattan's Lower East Side could be
fresh water sets up a condition in part similar to rain , in •• t dt 'tUd' r Burnndm. ,rea[ 111,' ,ter, It renamed by its previous marsh charaeterislics lo create
part like estuarial flow. Within Ihe animal hierarchy, crabs "- ¡y 'Art. another symbolic identity and unification within the urban
are the end produet oflhis lagoon. Harriso n concedes that • '; r l er. l/e. Yor'. 1914 area. An educational force wilhin the community, it would
ifhe were creating Logoon in the southern Cal ifornia Mdq Sy"'b . , 81 ,He" Yor\.. enable the community to gel an overallview ofthe ecology
desert, as he eventuaUy hopes to do, he would introduce a , , that once eKisted.
natural foed-cha in to support the crabs. Thus organic life • I propose lo create a 'Time Landscape"", a restoration
could and would take care ofi15elf. As it is, human energy . \1 (1 a<¡¡ Pr, nd 1J ofthe natural environment before Colonialsettlement, for
and processed foed complete the ecosystem . Harrison I the Metropolitan Museum in the north-easl corner ofthe
and his wife feed the crabs because their natural foeds are p' er y the .tl ,t ,at, Oc ber lU. 19/ grounds. I have a broad plan that could afF'ect the whole
"
not availabte. Thus the human transaetion substitutes and city, for which the sculpture at the Metropolitan would be a
becomes a metaphorfor nature. model: the museum would be a neKUS for the art of
The feeding procedures simulate conditions, in part, •
., historical ecology. Throughout the compteK urban city I
both like estuarial and tida! input. As the crabs are ,, , 1 PrIO propose to create a series ofhistoricaJ 'Time
introduced lo the tank, their faeces activate the bottom Landscapes"". I plan lo reintroduce a beech grove, oak
filter. They kili, attack and eat each olher untit the ' P s ! r r .. 1". OH. and maple Irees that no tonger eKist in the city. Each
population is reduced to a reasonable number for the ; 16 landscape will roll back the dock and show the layers of
space - about eight square feet per crab; in such a way time before the concrete ofthe city. On Canal Street I
territories are established for each animal. Afier territories propose to create a marshland and a stream; on Spring
are recognized , cannibalism ceases, pecking orders are Alan SONFIST Slreet I propose to restore the natural spring¡ in fronl of
arranged , and mating and moulting proceed . Harrison and City Hall I propose to restore the historicat lake. There are a
his wife have been particularly successful in getting their Natural Phenomena as series offifty proposals I have made for Ihe City ofNew
crabs to mate and produce larvae. Crabs almost never York.
produce ofF'spring under artificial conditions. Public Monuments [1968] The public art in urban centres throughout the world
Part ofHarrison's time is spent in minutely observing could indude the history oftheir natural environment.
the crabs and mimicking Iheir behaviour. This may not be Public monuments tradilionally have celebraled events in ' Time Landscapes"" renew the city's nalural environment
proper zoological procedure, but this little piece of ritual is human history - acts ofheroism important to the human just as architects renew i15 architecture. This is a pilot
one ofthe best ways to learn the crab's ha bits. At times community. Increasingly, as we come to understand our project for reconslruetion and documenlation Ihat can
crabs swim overone another with no signal of recognition, dependence on nature, the concept of community coincide with new building in the city. Instead of planting
sometimes they approach each olher wilh claws out· eKpands to inelude non· huma n e lements. Gvíc trees in concrete bOKes for public plazas, public
strelched and open, circling like wary boKers waiting for an monuments, then, should honour and celebrate the life landscaping can be given meaning by being planled with
opening. Harrison feels that when he is taking care ofthe and aets ofthe total community, the human ecosystem, ' Time landscape"" nature indigenous to that site.
crabs on their terms, he is substituling for nature. induding natural phenomena. Especíally within the city, Obvious eKamples are marsh pools, grassland flowers,
Eventually Harrison and his wife want lo reintroduce the public monuments should recaplure and revitalize the rock ledge moss and ferns, Thus as the city renews itself
utilitarian into art al an extremely refined level. And in Ihe history ofthe natural environment at thallocation. As in architecturally, il will re-identiry i15 own unique
process they hope lo provide an ant idote for the prevailing war monuments that record the life and death ofsoldíers, characteristic natural origins and ils own natural
cynicism ofthe art world by making art the non-verbal the life and death of natural phenomena such as rivers, tradilions,
teaching syslem it once was. springs and natural outcroppings need to be remembered. Since the city is becoming more and more polluled, we
As sociallife funetions are quantífied and mechanized , H istorical documen15 preserve observations ofNew could build monumen15 to Ihe historic airo Museums could

OOCUMENTS
>S. be buitt Ihal would re-capture the smells of earth, trees ilnd The concept of whal is public monument, then, is firsl as a virgin, then as a mOlher, and then as a mistress,
vegetalion in different seasons and al different historical subject to and redefinition in Ihe lightofour who was finally just plain raped for profit.'
times, so Ihal people would be able lo experience what has greatly expanded perception ofwhat constitUles the Shepard shows how the nolion ofland as mother was
been lest. A museum of air sponsored by Ihe UN can show community. Nalural phenomena, natural evenls and the eventually replaced by the cow, also paralleling woman's
different air of different countries. livingcreatures on the planet should be honoured and loss of status when industrialization replaced her functions
Olher projects can rel/eal the historical geology or celebraled alongwith human beings andevenls. as grower and makerof aU domestic necessities. The
lerrain. Submerged outcroppings Ihal sllU exist in the city Native Americans' protestations tnat the land/mother
can be exposed. Clacial rocks can be SilVed as monuments T. 11. '1 could not be owned, bought or sold, led to their culture's
to a drama!i, natural pasL Ir an area has been filled in or a downfaU, as well as to the 1055 oftneir land. Similarly, they
h¡lllel/elled out to build buildings, an indicator can be Puc[ha, • y " . 197 perceive an objects as art because oftheir organic and
placed lo create an ilwareness ofthe original terrain. Earth useful relationship to the rest oflife. The sacred societies
cores thal indicate the deep geology ofthe land can be 'view the unnecessary proliferalion of artefacts, utensils
displayed on the site or within the buitding. LucyR. L1PPARD and goods as a form ofblaspnemy, provoking a loss of
Because ofhuman development, the island of meaning"- an 0111 too perfect description of our consumer
Manhattan has lolally lost its natural contour. By creating Overlay: Contemporary Art society.
markings throughoullhe streets, Ihe natural outline could Frands Huxley shows how the use ofstanding stones
be observed again. Indian traas could al so be followed and the Art of Prehistory as property markers indicated the process by which 'ritual
wilh an explanation of why the Irail went over certain thoughtgave birtn lo Ihe principie ofland tenure'." With
•
terrain that no longer exists. The natural past can be [1983] increased urbanizalion, even the garden became a luxury
monumentalized al so by sounds. Continuous loops of accessible only lo the upper elasses. A late nineteenln-
natural sounds at the nalurallevel of volume can be placed ¡ ... J Robert Smithson focused on the 'duplicity' ofgardens. century English gardening book declaimed naughtily that
on historic sites. Streets named aRer birds can have 'The sinister in a primitive sense seems lo have ils origin in only among 'Ihe elasses for whom tnis work is intended'
sounds ofthose birds or animals played on occasions such what could be called wq uality gardens" (Paradise)', he was there an appreciation for 'whal is tasleful and elegant
as when animals come out ofhibernation or al mating mused. ' Oreadful Ihings seem lo have happened in those ingardening'.'
time. The sounds, controlled by Ihe local communilY, half.forgotten Edens. Why does the Carden ofOelight In recognition ofthis phenomenon, the 'park' was
change according to the natural pattern oflhe animals and suggest something perverse? ... Too much thinking about offered as a democratic use of nature, as a public amenily
the rhythmic sounds return to Ihe city. Natural scenls can "gardens" leads lo perplexity and agitation. Cardens ... - ofien ralher patronizingly. Nevertneless, the park in the
evoke the past as well. At the awakening of a plant at its bring me to the brink of chOlOS. This footnote is turning into city is a potent metaphor for a public art, an overlay of
first blooming, the natural essence can be emitted inlo Ihe a dizzying maze, full oftenuous palhs and innumerable cydical stability on growth and variety, wiln memory
stree!. riddles. The abysmal problems of gardens someHow (nostalgia, some would say) as compos!. like tne garden,
The sun is such a remote but essential part of our tife. involved a fall from somewhere or something. The it has a double meaning (especially in present-day New
lIs conlinual presence can be emphasized by building certainty ofthe absolute garden will never be regained.' He York City) in its aura of safety and danger, privacy and
monuments. Sides ofbuildings in prime locations can be sardonically called the idealized 'vista' and 'beautiful controlled freedom. Just as a city is overlaid on nature as
marked with various sun shadow marks at different hours. scenery', ' Nature with dass." an escape from ils wnims, a park or garden in the city
As the angle ofthe sun changes during the year, buildings The garden was, indeed, the first bit of nature to be reasserts the earth beneatn the concrete and serves to
marked in various parts oflhe city can indicate Ihe time of 'owned' .like woman, it became property. Many socialist remind city dweUers Ihat 0111 the world's not a city. The park
year. Another example of public monuments to the sun writers have equated the evolution oflhe domination of is probably the most effective public art form Inere is, as an
allows people lo see the reaction of natural substances lo nature with that of oppression ofthe underelasses. interface between nature and society. Thus Charles Eliot
thesun. William leiss points oul Ihat as increased maslery of Norton could say ofFrederick law Olmsted , designer of
Public monumenls embody shared values. These nature provides increased productivity, there is a qualit- Central Park and Prospect Park, that he stood 'firsl in Ihe
values can emerge actively in our public life; Ihere can be ative leap in social conflicto ' Mastery of nature without production of greal works which answer the needs and
public celebrations of natural events. Our definition of apparent limit becomes the servant ofinsaliable demands give expression to the life of our immense and miscel-
what is news is due for a re-evaluation 01150 to inelude mOlde upon the resources ofthe natural environment'.' laneous democracy'.'
nolice of, and explanation of, the natural events Ihal our In the eighteenlh century, the ' English Carden' 'Ieapt In 1928 Walter Benjamin recommended the 'mastery
lives depend on. The migrations ofbirds and animals the fence', as Horace Walpole put it, and 0111 of nature was not of nature itselfbul ofthe relalionship belween nature
should be reported as public events: this information perceived as a garden. The task of dominalion had been and humanity'.' lan McHarg has imagined an ideal sodety
should be broadcast internationally. Re-occuring natural accomplished and, like the African antelopes running called 'The Naturalists', who make no division between
evenls can be marked by public observational cetebrations 'free' in the Bronx Zoo, nature could now have her tne natural and Ihe social sciences.'" Rather than
the longesl day, Ihe longesl night, the day of equal night 'freedom'. (Not fortuilously, that eighteenth.century 'Ieap' dominating nature, they are dominated by a quesl lo
and day, the day oflowesl tide and so on, nol in primilive or 'escape' coincided with the beginning ofthe struggle for understand nature - by definition ineluding humankind.
mythical worship but with Ihe use oftechnology lo predict women's rights and with the Chartist movement in In a sense this returns to the notion of natural order as a
exact time. Technology can visualize aspects of nature England.) Shepard sees the English Carden as a rebellion social model proposed by early socialists, from Saínt-
outside Ihe range oflhe human eye, such as public against the upper-elass taste foropulenl formalism thal Simon to Feuerbach. Even Marx and Engels briefly flirted
outdoor projections oftelescopic observatiorlS - public was the antithesis of democratic ideals.' It didn't last long. with theories based on Francis Morgan 's data on the
monuments ofthe sky. Many aspects oftechnology that With the Industrial Revolution, allland became potentially malriarchal structures ofthe Iroquois.
now allow individuals to gain understanding of nature can exploitable, and the alienation from nature began in The way in which the modern world perceives nature
be adjusted to a public scale. Public monuments can be earnest. Economically necessitated moves away from the as a neutral material , whose use is 'value.free', parallels
monuments of observation -siles from which to best countryside also cut ties between family, place and tne rejection of content in tne modernisl notion of'art for
observe natural phenomena. The ocean floor at low lide individual. Today few of us even have a 'home town'. art's sake', where only the material nalure ofthe medium
affords re-occuring means of observalion. Such monu- Annette Kolodny has traced through literature a parallel is significan!. McHarg's Naturalists, on the other hand,
ments are created for certain times ofthe day oflhe year. development in colonial America , where land was seen understand meaningful form , but they prefer the term

IM?LE MENTAT IO N
'fitness' to 'art' beca use it embraces natural as well as Robert Morris has noted Ihe contradictions involved in ucy l ¡¡pde ,. ,.yAn f ".
artificial crealivity. the large-scale earth-moving to which he and others are , H t .. Y r' 983,

Art is, or should be, like seeding, and Ihis is Ihe cenlral committed, ",
Iheme of several artists working as contemporary
gardeners. Dames says Ihe Neolithic peoples made 'filrm 'The act of digging and piling carried out in an organized
art'. In 1970 Car! Andre wrote an ironic stalemenl oppo- way and at an intensified scale has produced sunken LucyR. LlPPARD
sing Ihe Vietnam war called 'Art is a Branch of Agricuhure', gardens and ziggurats on one hand and giganlic geograp·
in which, among olher things, he noted Ihat artists must hical scars and ore tailings on the other. The forms are The Garbage Girls (1991)
be 'fighting farmers and farming fighters'. " At the same basically the same. The purposes and details vary, labelling
time, Alan Sonfist had been literally developing the notion one construction sublime, another abysmal ... What marks ' Ifit had been the purpose ofhuman activityon earth to bring
of art as a mean s of propagation with his internalional [art] offfrom all other organized human activity, is thal it the planet to the edge of ruin, no more efficient mechanism
Seed Dist,¡but;on project and a subsequent work al does not seek control through explanation, that it offers could have been invented than the marketeconomy.'
Artpark in which , sensing the localion of a past forest, he the freedom to experience and question'." - Jeremy Seabrook
made a circular pool of virgin soil lo catch blowing seeds
and begin the forest's rebirth. Poppy Johnson's Eorth Dal' Herbert Marcuse said that ' man's slruggle wilh nature In the late 19605, Conceptual Artists raised the problem of
piece, planted in a vacant 101 near her New York 10ft in 1969 is increasingly a struggle with society'.'· Nowhere is this so the surfeit of objects in the world, ineluding 'precious' or
and celebrated in 1970, resulted in an art harvesl of 2..4 overt as in Ihe area of'reclamation art', in which artists art objects. Various 'dematerialized' forms weredeveloped
marigolds, 8 sunflowers, 2 rows of dil!, 3 ears of COrn, 18 attempt to intervene in social interaction with nature. that aimed to make art part ofthe solution ratherthan part
cosmos, 3lceland poppies, 22zinnias, 12 cornflowers and Manipulation ofconsciousness is Ihe major weapon of ofthe problem. Because ofthe overwhelming power ofthe
19 summer squash. Also in 1969, Hans Haacke, whose both the powerful and the powerless. Art is supposed to market·oriented art world, and the failure to create a new
work was concerned with nalural and social syslems, affect consciousness oflife, but today's reclamalion artist contexl and new audience for a Ihird·stream art, that
made an indoor museum piece by seeding a cone.shaped is fighling [or being boughl out by) multinational giants particular impetus faded ; the dematerialization concept
mound ofsoil wilh quick.growing winter rye, wh ich was which have the mass media and whole governments at was eventuall y re-embodied into commodities.
sprouling by the time the show opened. He wasn't their disposal. An art resisting commodity slatus also With the growth of a more sophisticated art/political
interested in the history or the sculptural shape but in resists the abuse of natural resources to provide these awareness during the 1970S and 19805, however, this urge
'growth as a phenomenon , with Ihe interaction oHorces commodities ( ... ] lowards the conversion of objects inlo energy has
and energies and information'. His catalogue statement ,,, ., persisted, especially in the environmental domain.ln the
was initially going lo be 'Crass Crows'." It .... , • 19905, the essence of an ecological art is not Ihe preser·
Smithson quipped that art degenerates as it p.lI!; e"'d1 vation of natural beauty, nor the building of evocative site
approaches gardening. when Haacke was asked how his r ,. . e<l. JI) et HOI)I) )f, 11 art, but Ihe disposal of unnatural waste. Garbage is now of
mound d iffered from gardening he replied, by intent.t, for thaca. l. p. greater concern to many progressive artists Ihan glorious
one, quite enjoy the notion that il did nol differ from w' am 1 vistas, although it does not make the transition from
gardening. In a system like ours, where art is separaled J'I'4, pp. studio lo streets very easily. New Yorkers, for instance, are
from He, and art is simply supposed lo be about art, only Paul , , ,
•
Hm , so inured to garbage on the streets Ihat it only shocks
the separation validates the making of arto Ifthere is no H, S' • Doub eday. .. ';1 80 al them lO in museums.
separation , whal have we losl? Or gained? lawrence 4 Anne e K, 1 I J. 1M! dJ' f '''. 'i)f A disproportionate number ofthe artisls dealing with
Alloway has pointed out that, 'the notion ofinterdepen· waste are women , for obvious reasons pointed out long
dence spectator and work of art is of course < <' ago by the pre-eminent 'garbage girl' - Mierle Laderman
profoundly anti.formalisl, as it weakens the absoluleness 8rH er
•
H.... Yoe < . 1 '7l. P , •
Ukeles. In the early 1970s, having defined women's social
oflhe subject.abject relationsh ip'." Sm ithson also recog' . .. role as 'unification ... the perpetuation and maintenance of
nized the importance of providing a ' needed d ialectic' Yon.. 1974. p. 1>1 the species, survival systems, equilibrium', Ukeles asked
between ecology and induslry, the question thal conlinues to resonate today, 'Afierthe
nlne ,! I t ri he '" tone - 'dt. 'n revolution, who's going to take out the garbage on Mon-
' Nature for the d ialectician is indifferent to any formal Anth day morning?' IfbY1991 many seem lo have given up on
ideal ... A lesson can be learned from the Indian cliff Ihat particular revolulion and replaced il with 'paradigm
dwellings and earthworks mounds. Here we see nature shifis', the trash remains.
and necessity in consort ... It is possible to have a direct
" Z6.
e
m'th
Ji lt,d n m\h' •• c'.P
Ukeles began her 'maintenance art' when her children
organic manipulation ofthe land devoid of violence and IP . Off""., i"'d9'lldt ve m ,rn ,t started to a"ive and she found her art time slinking out the
aggression ... The filrmer's, miner's Or artist's e... " pu< kitchen door. To get it back, she simply turned around and
treatment ofthe land depends on how aware he is ofhim- W,jlt 8 lam,n. ouo'.ed 11 Le renamed her domestic duties 'art', initiating an ongoing
selfas nature. Afier all , sex isn't all a series of rapes. If strip series ofexplorations that have ranged from donning and
miners were less alienated from the nature in themselves doffing snowsuits, changing diapers and picking up toys,
and of sexual aggression cultivation could take place. lo,
" to scrubbing a museum floor, lo following (and praising)
H, '''1 ro • .. . PP. 11
11 C•• Andr, n Anf, um. He .. Yor ' . ¡Q/O. P the workers who maintain a large city building and finally
Ecological art - with its emphasis on social concern, to becoming the 'official artist·in·residence ofthe New
low profile and more sensitive attitudes towards the York City Department ofSanitation', where she found her
ecosystem - differs from the earthworks ofthe mid 196os. niche. Since the late 19705 Ukeles has used the depart-
lain Baxler in Vancouver, Ihrough his N.E. Th ing Co. ment as a base for her now inlernational investigations of
(then consisting ofhimself, his wife Ingrid and theirtwo 14 ,mith< n. Jp.' l.• p, 113 social mainlenance and waste management. Herwork
children), pioneered this direction, though his interest in Roben Morrl . quoted Ir, Ar' . Ne ", lor' , July 1979. p. 4 consists of real·life performances of workers' days,
archaeological and anlhropological sources was minimal. 16 Herller'. Marcuse. Quote d ,n le'5 •• ¡P, ,t . p. research about environmental effectiveness and instal-

DOCUMENTS
 counlry ('They're hiring artists to convince Ihe public the States ha ve independently chosen garbage and wasle as
'" latioos constructed from the products and t ool5 oftheir
labour. Qne ofher many functions is to humanize 3nd waler is potable; you'd drink Ihis purified sewage ifthe art Iheir medium. A sampling:
beautify (even beatifyl those who, like women, do the dirty was good?'), she h as discovered that with the increased
work, to endow them with grace and nebilit)'. (Once s he awareness of water scarcity, fountains are out, so she is Jo Hanso n 's Publk Disdosure: Secrets [rom the Srreet
choreograp hed a 'street ballet' of garbage truc ks.) making images ofthe absence of water, such as a parched . (1980) evolved from collecting the sweepings from her San
LandfiUs have long been among her prime conceros. In earth pavemenl. Forthe University ofWashington, Rup p is Francisco doorstep into a citywide piece about litter as
the summer of 1990, Ukeles curated an exhibition for New ma king a ' rollback dam' bench ('You park your butt and cultural artefacts and the quality ofthe visual
York's Municipal Art Society called 'Carbage Out Froot: A feel guilty'), which comment s not only on water environment.
•
New Era ofPublic Desig n'. 1t focu sed on imaginative management but points out that the endangered species Cecilia Vicuña, a Chilean livi ng in New York, poetically
documentation and a simulated cross-section ofthe Fresh act, which was made la w al Ihe same time as Roe v. Wade, commenls on the scale ofthe solid waste problem by
Kills landfill in Staten Istand, where she is c urrentl )' is also endangered by rollback on its near· twentieth sett ing adrift in the city's gutters and rivers the liniest,
working. ' Is garbage ehaos, di ssolution, decay?' s he birthday. subtlesl rearrangements offound rubbis h. A bit of paper
asked. 'Can the same in ve ntiveness that we use for Many con cerned artists make paintings (such as Janet and a dead leaf may become a liny raft, noticed by only an
production and accumulation o( goods be applied to its culbertson's horrifying billboards of a blooming past set in incredulous few amongthe used condoms and oil s licks of
d isposal?' Suggest ing that the problem of citizens' lunar landscapes of destructionj or preferthe indirect the Hudson River near her house. Vicuña also adds
unw iUi ngness to take responsibi lity for the gOl rbage we referentialism of pretty, natural materials, such as magical reminders oflhe power ofthe microcosm to
produce reAects our inability to vis ualize our relationship branches, s tones, s hells and woven grasses, to the ugly wilderness landscapes and makes little sculptures and
10 sociely as a whole, s he aims lo make every part ofthe and virtually untransformable junk we cast off with such indoor mstallations out of social discards.
process of waSle and waste managemenl visible to abandono But the garbage girls (and occasional boys) tend In Sanla Barbara, in 1987, (jel Bergman and Nancy
everyone participating in it (that is, everyone) so that the to target the grander environmental horrors. Particularly Merrill made Sea Full o[Clouds, Whot Con I Do?, a room·
redesign ofthe degraded becomes a symbol of valuable, therefore, ifless visible, are those rare works that sized installation of non.biodegradable trash they
transformation. name na mes, calling s pecific attention to the corporations collected along Ihe beaches. Centred on a n altar,
Christy Rupp credits Ukeles as the ' mother ont 0111' in and the capitalist system o n which so mucn planetary accompanied by messages from viewers about their hopes
the garbage field, but she has been one ofits most popular disaster can be blamed. The Alaskan 011spill inspired a for the health ofthe world, the piece's 'beauty' belied its
exponents s ince the late '9705, when s he began placi ng greal aesthetic spill of art decrying the desecration of numble and dangerous sources.
images of rats around garbage·strewn New York nature and a nimallife, and the blame was so obvious that, Also in 1987, in Santa Fe, the French ·born artist

I neighbourhoods as part ofher 'City Wildlife Project'. She

went on to caU attention to the existence ofother urban
for once, Exxo n got named again and again. But too often
environmental artists fudge and generalize, perhaps with
Dominique Mazeaud began The Creor Cleans;ng o[the Rio
Crande Riller, organizing spiritually attuned trash brigades
an imals, consumerist waste and city neglect wit h an eye to making it easierto get grants and exhi bit in in an ongoing and randomly undertaken task that is
installations under the Williamsburg Bridge, in Palisades mu seums often controlled by the very people who are primarily symbolic. Mazeaud keeps a ,iver journal (her
Park, at a 42nd Street storefront, and in the lobby ofthe destroying the envi ron ment. ' riveries') and performs renewal rituals along the Sante Fe
Commodities Exchange. ln San Francisco she conslructed One exception is theecological feminist Betty River and the Rio Grande. The one I participated in
Po/y· Tox Park , a simulated toxic·waste s ite offered as 'a Beaumont, who has mOlde installation art on toxic wastes consisted of sowing corn seeds from different locales
monument to our legislators and the people who gel to us ing government s urplus materials since the '970s. Her along the river banks.
determine the safe levels oftoxins in our environment'. '978-80 Ocean Landmark Project forty miles offNew York In Los Angeles, Ihe 'LA River Project' by Wilson High
Her Social Progress, a giant earof corn pulled by a snail and Harbor was a collaboration with a team of marine School teacher Susan Boyle and video artist Cheri Gaulke
attacked by ants, was installed in front ofthe Flatiron scient ists, material scientists and industry to study the culmi nated in a '990 student installation centred on a
Building for s everal months and appeared on the front stabilization of waste materials in land and water ' rive" of video monitors offering an array ofimages of
page ofThe New York Times. environments. lt transformed 5ootons (510 tonnes ) of an trash·fi lled water, surrounded by photographs, a
Rupp's gallery art consists of a marvellous menagerie industrial waste product inlo an underwater sculpture, chemically analyzed water sample, river artefacts,
of cardboard and metal that comments on the destruction which has si nce become a thriving reef environment and evidence of wildlife - human and otherwise - and
offamily farms, th e fate of rus t·belt workers during the fishing grounds. Beaumont's Windows on Mu/tinationa/s interviews with residents, politicians and poets. The
Reagan era, imports and exports, pesticides and politics in and Bonned Pesricides of1984 pointed an aesthetic finger project has now been adopted by the Smithsonian.
Central America, a mo ng other issues. Most recently s he at the First World's toxic dump ing and export ofbanned Manuel Ortega, a student who worked on it, says, '1don 't
has mOlde a series oflethall y graceful animal forms chemicals in the Third World, citing the pesticide giants think 1'11 ever not be involved in the river. It's part of my life
o utlined in metal and filled with the instruments o ftheir Mo nsanto, Ciba Geigy, Un ion Carbid e and FMC in a now'.
own destruction: a leaping dolphin form stuffed with cat· scri pted audiotape. She is now working o n Fish Ta/es, a In Boulder, Colorado, sculptor Kristine Smock
food cans, a s nail shell filled with 'designer water' bottles, flash ·card set showing some twenty species of unknown organized 'The Forest forlhe Trees' in '99'. A citywide
a tree stump s tuffed with newspapers, sea turtles stuffed fi s h that have evolved si nce atomic waste was dumped off project with some two hundred schoolchildren and poets,
with Tide bottles. (S he cites the increasing number of the continental s hel[ il began with collecting trash and ended with a striking,
harmful products named after natural forces, as in Surf, One ofthe first garbage pieces that mOlde a n community exhibition of gianl sculplures made from the
New Dawn, Bright Water and so on.) im press ion on me was a mid 1970S work called LUlfojLixo findings - many delightful trees, but 01150 a wacky male
Since the mid '980s, Rupp has been particularly (luxury/Garbage) by Ihe Brazilian artist Regina Va ter, in figure whose shoes are made entirely of cigarette butts
concerned with fish, water po llution and wetla nds. At the which she photographically documented the trash (eat your heart out, Red Crooms) and a huge fish stuffed
moment she is working o n the Coney Island Water discarded in neighbourhoods occupied by different social with that farm·ubiquitous blue plastic. Embraced by
Pollution Control Plant (sewage, that ¡s) in Sheepshead classes. It would be interesting to see someone pursue satellite evenls, the project was an important community
Bay, Brooklyn, where she has inspired the Departme nt of these lines in the United States, perhaps in collaboration consciousness raiser, but the sculptures - mOlde primarily
Envi ronmental Protection to try lo re·create wetlands in a with the homeless people who are probably our greates t by children - were among the most rob ustly imaginative
degraded creek near the neighbourhood·access experts in the field of garbage analysis and th e 'assemblages' (as we say in the busi ness) I've seen in or
promenade s he is building. Purs uing olher public una cknowledged leaders oflhe recycl ing movement. ln out ofthe high.art contexto
commissions dealing with water pollution around the the ,g8os, a number of olherwomen around the United Since the late 19605, a few earthworks artists,

1M PLEMENT A TION
beginning with Robert Smithson, have also tackled have been pushed out ofthe city. 'They say this park won't message, nol much is going to change. For all the talk
rehabilita¡ion ofland devastated by mining, erosion and smell,' she says wryly, 'but when Ihey say thal al public •
aOOut the healing power oflne arts, offeminism, oftlle
industrial waste; among these works are Helen Mayer meetings, people who are velerans of environmental 19905 - powers I too would love lo believe in
Harrison and Newton Harrison's va$l re- protests laugh'. wholeheartedly-I see no evidence Ihal these crucial
conceptualizations ofland use, Hamet Feigenbaum's re- In 1990, a bi<ultural, bilingual group ofseventeen changes are immanenl. Art can never be more than a
forestation project and Alan Sonfi$l's patch of pre-colonial Vermont and Quebec artirts collaborated on Band·Aid or a shot in the arm unlit it is part ofthe broader
'forest' in downtown New York City. As the site of some 'Dead/ineslt;a presse', a two.part show on acid rain that grass·roots movements thal gces beyond private
eleven thousand in active mines, Colorado has paid special travelled to schools and olner sites in bolh counlries. The responses (individuals account for only about one·third of
attention 10 the possibilities of reclamation art. In 1985 project was partially inspired by the Canadian the world's pollutants) lo fundamental social
Denver sculptor Paul Kleit (now producer ofthe eerily inlerdisciplinary artlsts' group Boréal Multi Media, from recon$lruction.
innovative independent radio programme Te"o ¡nfirmo) rural la Macaza in Ihe Laurentians. There are 30,000 dead
wrote an important report for the state Council on the Arts lakes in ea$lern canada, thanks in part to the aerial
"
• /le ' , , ,•
and Humanities andthe Colorado Mined Land garbage from midwestern US smokestacks. Boreal , "
RecJamation Oivision, in which four ripe-for.reclamation organizer Wanda campbell says she thinks artists can
sites were deuiled and solutions recommended. Typically, make a difference by creating 'cultural myths', or what
few if any actual projects seem to have come ofthis. Some might be called 'Wakeup Art'. However, anolher Vermont Agnes DENES
artlsts who have managed to fight the power and hang in show makes me wonderwhat the audiences wake up lo. A
through years ofbureaucratic idiocies are: Women 's caucus exhibition about environmental distress Wheatfield - A Confrontation
and exploitative development c.alled ' Mowing the
Nancy Holt, whose mostrecent work is StyMound, Mountain' at the Burtington Airport was certainly [1982]
whic.h will transform an entire 57·acre landfill in the so. controversial. The New York Times quoted one of many
called meadowlands ofNew Jersey into an a$lronomical baffled and annoyed airport employees as saying, '1guess THEPHILOSOPHY
observatory. The site is 100 feet (30.5 m) high and contains we've learned a lot aOOut art from this experience'. My decision to plant a wheatfield in Manhattan in$lead of
some ten mimon tons of g<lrbage. As well as adding earth Presumably, the artists would nave preferred Ihat he learn designing ju$l anolner public sculpture grew out of a long.
mounds, methane flares , spinning windforms and $leel a lot aOOut the environment. standing concern and need to caH attention to our
posts that are aligned to specific lunar, solar and $lellar And, finally, a project by a token garbage OOy: misplaced priorilies and deteriorating human values.
evenlS, Holt is incorporating the technological Yugoslavian emigre Milenko Matanovic is encouraging Manhattan is the richest, mos! professional, mo$l
spec:ifications oflandfill closure, including methane the rest of us lo share Ihe public burdens with a media· congested and without a doubt mo$l fascinating island in
recovery wells and a water drainage sy$lem, into her aimed project called 'Trash·Hold' - an 'eco.robic exercise the world. To attempt lo plant, su$lain and harve$l two
sculpturaJ landscape. Cirdes and rays oflight will be to "trim OUt waste"'. It opened successfully ta$l March in acres of wheal here, wasting valuable real estate,
captured by a steel ring, arenes and poles, with the most Chattanooga, Tennessee, but is designed lo travel and ob$lructing the machinery by going again$l Ihe sy$lem,
spectacular manifestation taking place at noon on the adapt to any community. The average American, was an effrontery that made jt lile powerful paradox I had
summer soJ$lice. A flat.topped pyramid covered with Matanovic points out, discards 51bs (2 kg) of garbage a sought for the calling to account ( ... J
grassy hills and gravel paths, Sky Mound will provide a day. In an attempt 'to change bad habits before a crisis Wheatfie/d was a symOOI, a universal concept. It
wildflower and wildlife habitat (for marsh hawks, racoons point is reached' (I'd argue Ihat Ihat point has already been represenled foocl, energy, commerce, wortd trade,
and rabbits). It will bring another, cosmic, level to the reached), participants, the higher their profile the better, economics. It referred to mismanagemenl, waste, world
cydes of dec.ay within the landfill. 'I'm not trying to pretend drag spedally designed bags ofthe;r garbage around with hunger and ecological concerns. It was an intrusion into
this isn't a dump', Holt has said. 'I' m working with the themall week. asit accumulates, to publidze the extent of the Citadel, a confrontation ofHigh Civilization. Then
vernacular oflandfill.' the problem. In a dosing ceremony, they gather to recyde. again, it was also Shangri·La, a small paradise, one's
Agnes Denes, who once planted and harve$led a In Chattanooga, out of 260 lbs (118 kgJ of collected trash, childhoocl, a nol summer afternoon in tlle country, peace,
wheattieki on an urban landfill, is now working with MO only 20 lbs (9 kg) were not recyclable. forgotten values, simple pleasures.
landscape architects on Ihe 97·acre North 'Naterfront park The idea of a wheattield is quite simple. One
in Berkeley. The accepted master plan has seventeen Powerlessness, cynicism and greed alllead to passivity penetrales the soil, places one's seed of concept and
elements tha! incorporate soil engineering, methane rather Ihan cnange. Perhaps the greatest question for allows it to grow, expand and bear fruit. Tnat is whal
harvesting, leachate, created wetlands and beaches, ecological artists is, how do we generate hope? Recent creation and life is all about.lt's all so simple, yet we tend
wildlife habitats and bird rests, as well as a gho$l ship (to exhibitions of art aOOut nature in the art wortd nave been to forget basic processes. Whal was different about this
recall that Ihe planel is a ship), sunflower/windmills to decidedly pessimistic. Entitled 'Again$l Nature', ' The wheattield was Ihal the soil was nol tich loam but dirty
bring water up 10 a field of natural sunflowers, invented Demoralized Landscape', 'The Unmaking of Nature' and landfill filled with rurty met.als, boulders, old tyres, and
'rock art', and a sculpture Ihat changes form and sound as ' Unnaturat causes,' for exampte, they acknowledge overcoats. It was not farmland but an extension oflne
the tide ebbs and flows. impending catastrophes bul provide few visions for a conge$led downlown of a metropolis where dangerous
Patricia Johanson has designed sculpture inlo nature happierfuture.1 know real visions are hard lo come by, and crosswinds blew, traffic snarled and every inch was
since Ihe 1960s, and is best known for her Fa;, Po,k we've had a plethora offake ones. But art should nOI ju$l precious realty. The absurdity ofit all, the risks we took and
Logoon in Dalias, where the sculpted ¡etties echo the be the dark mirror ofsociety any more than it should ju$l Ihe hardships we endured were all part ofthe basic
plants and organisms that inhabit the marshes. Her mo$l be the saccharine in the cup ofhemlock. concept. Oigging deep is what art is all about ( ... J
recent large-scale environmental work - now under We're in trouble if all artists can do is activate our fears. Wheatfie/d affected many lives, and the ripples are
con$lruction - is Endongered Carden in Candlestick Cove As Chrirty Rupp said with her clipOOard Datafish in Central extending. Some suggested that 1 put my wheat up on Ihe
in San Francisco Bay. By sinking an eyesore (a sewage Park, the emphasis on information is positive unt il we get wheat exchange and sell it lO the nignest bidder, others
holding tank for storm overload that is a Ihird of a mile (53 fat on info rmation for informalion's sake and fail to ael on Ihat 1apply to the government for farmers' subsidy.
mJ long and 40 feet (12 m) wide, she has crealed a bay what we know about who's doing it lo uso Individually, we React ions ranged from disbeliefto astonishment to being
walk, a series oftransitions, links and accesses, Ihat is also can recyde unt;t we're green in the face, but until the moved to tears. A lot of people wrote to thank me for
a last stronghold forthe butterflies, snakes and birds Ihat corporations, the governmenl, and the ruling dass gel the creating Wheotfie/d and asked thal I keep il going.

DOCUMENTS
 After my hilrvesl, Ihe four-acre areil facing New York lO unite Ihe human inte"ect with Ihe majesty of nature. majestic, outliving thei r owners or custodians who created
harbourwas relurned lO conslruction lo make room for a Ten thousand trees are planted by Ihe same number of the patterns and the philosophy, but nol Ihe tree. There is a
billion-dollar luxury complex. Manhattan closed ilselfonce people according to an intricate mathematical formula, a strange paradox in this.
again lo become a fortress, corrupl yel vulnerable. Bul I combination ofthe golden section and sunAowerl Tree Mounto;n begins its existence when il is
Ihink this magnificenl metropolis will remember a pineapple patterns Ihal meel nol only aeslhetic criteria, compleled as a work of arto As the Irees grow and wildlife
majeslic, amber field. Vulnerabilily and staying power, Ihe but remain inlact after the forest is thinned a few decades takes over, as decades and centuries pass, Tree Mounto;n
power oflhe paradox. from now. The mathematical expansion changes with becomes a most interesling e){ample ofhow the passing of
one's view and movement around and aboye the time affects a work of art.U can become the inslrument
THEACT mountain, revealing hidden curves and spirals in its thal measures the evolution of arto Through changing
Early in Ihe morning on the first ofMay 1982 we began lo syrnmetrical designo IfTree Mounto;n is seen from space, fashions and beliefs, Tree Mountoin can pass from being a
planl a two-acre wheatfield in lower Manhattan, Iwo the human intellect at work over natural formation curiosity to being a shrine, from being Ihe possible
blocks from Wall Street and the World Trade Cenler, facing becomes evidenl, yel Ihey blend harmoniously. remnants of a decadent era lo being one oflhe
the Slatue ofLiberty. Tree Mounto;n is site-spec.ific. 80th shape and size monumenls of a great civilization -a monument nol built
The planting consisted of digging 285 furrows by hand, can be adapted lo areas ofland reclamation and Ihe to the human ego bul lo benefit future generations wilh a
clearing off rocks and garbage, Ihen placing the seed by preservation offorestS.ln Finland, Tree Mounto;n is 420 m meaningfullegacy. Tree Moun!o;n is a living lime capsule.
hand and covering the furrows with soil. Each furrow look long, 270 m wide, 26 m high and elliptical in shape. Height
two lo three hours. depends on the restrictions ofthe sile and the availability Iree pi .41 YE"dr ' Irt ;t '

Since March over two hundred truckloads of dirty of malerials. The site is a gravel pit being rec.laimed. The
•
landfill had been dumped on the site, consisling of rubble, process ofbioremedialion restores the land from resource
dirt, ruSty pipes, automobile tyres, old clothing and olher e){traction use to one in harmony with nature, in this case,
garbage. Tractors flattened the area and eighly more the re·creation of a virgin foresto The planting oftrees Michael FEHR
truckloads of dirt were dumped and spreild lo conslitule holds the land from erosion, enhances oxygen production
one inch oftopsoil needed for planting. and provides home for wildlife. This lakes time and it is herman's Meadow.
We mainlained Ihe field for four months, set up an one ofthe reasons why Tree Mountoin will remain
irrigation system, weeded, cleared out wheal smut (a undislurbed for centuries. AMuseum [1992]
disease Ihat had affected Ihe entire field and wheat Forthe original modell selected silver fir, beca use
everywhere in the country). We put down fertilizers, Ihese trees are dying oul, and jI is important Ihat we herman's meadow is discernible even from a distance-
cleared off roch, boulders and wires by hand, and sprayed preserve them. For the Finnish Tree Mounto;n, pine trees not as a meadow, bul as a peculiar, differenl moment, as a
againsl mildew fungus [ ... 1 were chosen beca use they are more typical for this wild, unrestrained piece ofland in the midst of a cleared
We harvested the crop on August 16 on a hot, muggy environment. Otherwise, any Iree can make up the forest landscape accessible to machines - by Ihe hedges
Sunday. The air was stifling and the city stood still. AII as long as il can live threeto four hundred years. The trees surrounding il. II drives like a wedge oul oflhe foresl into
those Manhattaniles who had been walching the field musl outlive Ihe presenl era and, by surviving, carry our the open field ofinduslrialised agricullure, radiating more
grow from green to golden amber, and gotten attached to concepls into an unknown lime in the future. If our than formal unrest. for il is bursting with life.
jI, Ihe stockbrokers and Ihe economists, office workers, civilization as we know it ends, or as changes occur, there herma n de vries began his project 'wiese' (meadow)
tourisls and others attracted by the media coverage slood will be a rerninder in the form of a unique and majestic together wilh his wife Susanne as a consequence ofhis
around in sad silence. Sorne cried. TV crews were every- forest for OUt descendants to pondero They may reRoo on work as an artist. They bought a piec.e ofland,
where, bul Ihey loo spoke little and then in a hushed voice. an undertaking that did nol serve personal needs bul Ihe appro){imalely 400 m ', more than six years ago. As a
We harvesled almosl 1,000 pounds ofhealthy, golden common good, and the highest ideals ofhumanily and ils border, they planted a hedge composed of a variety of
wheal. environmenl, while benefiling future generations. shrubs: hazel, hawthorn, blackthorn, dogrose, euonymus,
Tree Mounto;n is a co"aborative work in all its aspects, viburnum, rowanberry and privet; as well as a row of
"" Jn,B"

.' ar' ". '.dt

)1

f
¡meat

1,
arl P
,
from its inlricale landscaping and forestry to Ihe funding
and contractual agreements fOr ils strange, unheard·of
cultivaled and semi-cultivaled trees: hazelnut, rowan,
cornelian cherry, mediar, older varielies of apple, pear and
land·use ofthree lO four cenlurles. The collaboration plum - and let it take its natural course. late in Ihe year,
e){pands as ten thousand people come together lo planl afier seeding, half oflhe area was cut and Ihe cuttings
Agnes DENES the trees thal will beartheir names and remain their removed, so Ihat the fodder meadow -overfertilised up liU
property Ihrough succeeding generalions. The trees can Ihen with artificial ferlilisers and liquid manure three times
Tree Mounlain - A Living change ownership - people can leave their tree lo their yearly - would lose sorne ofits richness. In Ihe following
heirs, or transfer il by other means, even be buried under year, herma n and Susanne collooed seeds along
Time Capsule -1 0.000 Trees. il - bul Tree Mounto;n itself can never be owned or sold, embankments, paths and the edge ofthe forest from
nor can the trees be moved from the foresto Ownership plants thal had been resistant to Ihe farmers' machines
10,000 People. 400 Years signifies custodianship. rree Mounto;n represents the and liquid manure sprays and planted them in their
concept, Ihe soul ofthe art, while the trees are a manifes- meadow: in molehills and earth which had been dug up by
[1982- 95] tation ofit. Though Ihey may be collooible works of art, wild boars. Consequenlly, columbine, naked lady,
inheritable commodities - gaining stalure, fame and value alchemilla, scabious, pincushion flower, agrimony,
Tree Mountoin, conceived in 1982, is a collaborative, as Ihey grow and age as Irees - ultimately neither can angelica, avens, meadow salvia, primrose, valerian,
environmental artwork Ihat louches on global, ecological, be truly owned. One can only become a custodian and mugwort, leonorus, yellow iris, comfrey, carnalions, hops,
social and cultural issues. It is a massive earthwork and assume the moral obligalions il implies. Bul meanwhile byrony, rhinanthus and belladonna had a chance to
land reclamalion project Ihat tests our finitude and Ihey remain part of a larger whole, Ihe forest. The Irees are spread. These were joined spontaneously by spiraea,
Iranscendence, individuality versus teamwork, and individual segments of a single, limited edition - unique saxifrage, red clover, wood anemone and blue cranesbill;
measures the value and evolution of a work of art after il patterns in the design oftheir universe. and runners from the aspen at Ihe end ofthe forest
has entered the environment. Tree Mounto;n is designed And Ihe trees live on Ihrough the cenluries - stable and developed shoots in the upper part ofthe meadow.

IMP l EMEN TATlO N

 After only two years, the me¡¡,dow h¡¡,d dearly altere<! its
appe¡¡'r.irlfe: beca use the grass was nol fertilised , it Mierle Laderman UKELES
loaded, the vis itors will see them passing beneath their
-
very feet, under the e/oss Bridg e. They wiU be ableto watch
'"
remained shorter and grew in bushy tufts; instead, herbs all ofthe th ings they worked so hard to buy go to waste. 1
and clover shot up high. A large number of moles Flow City [1995] c¡¡,1I it the ' Vio lent Theatre ofOumping'.
burrowed in theearth and therewere more and more At the end o fthe bridge is the Medio F/ow WolI, iI 10 x
insects: beetles, butterfl ies, grasshoppers and d ifferent when the department ofsaniUtion began redesigning the 18 foot (305 x 549 cm) crushed gtass wa tl with twenty.four
kinds of arachn ids made the meadow the ir habiu1. They waste d isposal system fur the city ofNew York in the early monitors set into i1. The video wall will be programmed
were fullowed by birds and sma!! an imals forwh ich 198os, they invited meto sit in on the meetings . Ouring my with live cameras, located on and off s ite, and prepared
herman and Susanne had created the ideal living Toue" Sanitarion work, 1 had fa llen in love with one ofthe disc and tape sources. It is an electronic permeable
conditions in the hedges. Then, after fixing up a watering locations they now wanted to redevelop. It was a location membrane that witl enable vis itors to pilSS 'thro ugh' th is
placewhich was dry in summer, dr.igonflies, salamanders i1t the base of59th Street, on the Hudson River. ln 1983 , 1 physiCiJI point in order to get a broader understanding how
and frogs , and ultimately, last year, large numbers of wild proposed to the department a permanent public this kind of place links up w ith the systems ofthe p lanet.
boar, wh ich had d iscovered the abund¡¡,nt supply oflarvae environment that would become an organic part of an The watl will transmit three kinds offlow.imagery; river,
in the earth, moved in. operating garbilge facil ity. I designed F/ow City with the landfill and recycling.
Now, after s ix years ofintensive work, the meadow des ign engineers from Creeley Hanson. Six live cameras, 350 feet (1 0 ,675 cm) awayfrom the
differs quite vis ib!y from the agricultural acreage around it: The site is one ofthe most be¡¡,utiful s ites on the filcil ity, will focus continuillly on the mighty Hudson River.
a wood ofsmall aspens creates a natural barrier to the Hudson River, m idway between the Ceorge Washington The fact that the garbage is collected and transferred in
forest road, and the hedges, now man.h igh, sh ie ld the Bridge ¡¡,nd the SUtue ofLiberty. It is iI marine transfer th is particular place prompts a great loss, bec.ause the
meadow from the surround ing manure and pesticide station tha! handles a waste ftow equ ivalent to that of a city facility bars access to our primal source; the river. Th is
culture. One enters the me¡¡,dow through an opening in the the s ize ofSan Francisco. C¡¡,rbage trucks transfer their river makes the city live. It will flow back in rea l time across
hedge at one ofthe upper corners and finds oneselfin an payloads into barges that wait in the finger ofthe Hudson the Medio Flow WoU, as cameras focus downriver, upr iver,
a lmost paradisiacal field in which it hums and buzzes, in River that ftows through the sution. The barges are then m idway, close-up on the face ofthe water and even
which bi,ds tw itter, grasshoppers chirp and countless switched out in iI beautiful n¡¡,ut icill manoeuvre, and taken beneath the surface, where thirty species offish presently
other animals creep through the vegetation. Cuided by by tug to the Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Istand . liveln midtown Manhattan.
herman who - strictly watching that o nly cerbin paths are Flow City is a rad icill penetration of art into the The WilU will i1lso document the accumulation of our
Uken, explaining the grounds, sharpening the vis itors workplace. The penetration begins w ith a Passage Ramp garbage al the Fresh Kills landfill, that will eventually be
attention by making reference to ceruin p lants and that leads to a eloss Bridge . From the bridge, visitors will the highest point on the eastern seacoast, rising almost
¡¡,n im¡¡,ls , a smetr here, a Uste there, recommending a view observe the operation ofthe sUtion . The end ofthe bridge 500 feet (150250 cm).
or that one SUy a while in one place - hands over the book is called Medio Flow Wa/l. "
ofNature in a very gentle, but reso lute manner to an It took ¡¡,bout two years in the construction ofthe
"
ignor.int, na ive city person li ke me, who can hardly faci lity to build in public access for everybody. when we '" -
recogn ise in th is wilderness the caring hand that has given fjrst proposed F/ow City, the Oepartment ofPol'ts and
it order. It is a confusing experience trying to see this Terminills Sil id , 'You CiJn 't do that because it 's never been
Central European and highly varied biotope of not even do ne befo re. ' The sanitation department replied, 'Yes we PeterFEND
half a hectare as a landscape wh ich has been cu ltivated by can. It is time to lift the veil on the subject, ¡¡,nd th is is the
miln. Neatly weeded beds, regulated Slreams and tracts of waytodo it.' A Post-Facto Statement
land that have been freed from trees and shrubs have Possoge Romp will be a 248·foot.long (7.564 cm)
inftuenced OUT notion ofNature to such a degree that here, procession made often to twelve recyclable materi¡¡,ls , [1994]
in this meadow, the mOre obvious arrangements become includ ing 20 feet (610 cm) of crushed glass and 20 feet
!he mainstay of perception. The cirde of roses which (610 cm) of shredded rubber. I want visitors to feel the BRIEF HISTORY OFOCEAN EARTH FOUNDED198o
herman ¡¡,nd Sus¡¡,nne planted with d ifferent Centra l extreme d iversity in d ifferent materials, because if you can The Oceiln Eilrth Construction and Development
European varieties at one edge ofthe meadow constitutes appreciate th is , then you can 't watch them al! getting Corporation arose from efforts of artists to develop
a biotope which may not be entered, and the small ring of dumped together in the barge without th inking, 'How projects larger thiln possible for any one i1rtist i1nd of
hornbeams which was laid out three years ago on another stupid '. 1want visitors to see the materiills In a kind of publle rilther thiln art·world service.
site is des igned to protect the couple and their guests from hovering sUte offlux: thrown out, not yet back. 1want the The company arose from the ferment ofthe 1960s i1nd
unexpected changes in weather. visitors to pass through ¡¡, sute of potentiality. 1970S, during which artists moved into video and film as
hermiln 's me¡¡,dow is iI museum in the best sense of 1 have des igned the recycl ing panels in the shilpe ofiI d isplay media, and into earthworks and ecosystems as
the word, a place which, due to intensive and competent running spiral. A runn ing spiral can be found in every sculptural and architectural material. Numerous concepts
collecting, is the i1ctual reconstruction , the living image of culture, and is universally seen as a symbol of regeneration emerged then : that lelevision had become like the
a former, generally prevailing manner oftreating Nilture, iI and continuity - the essence of recycl ing. This work is cathedrals of priorcenturies, and that artists should
striking, not·to-be-overlooked place of reflection where the about a paradigm shift in how we relate lo materials in the produce television news as they had produced sculpture
history and future ofthe reg ion, culture i1nd Nature world. We need to grow beyond the self·destructive cycle and friezes for the cathedrals befo re; that Earth Art implied
emerge.
.-.., • . .-
of acquiring materials, owning them, using them and then
leaving them as ifthey don 't exist anymore.
i1n entirely new way of dealing with terra in and regional
planning; that artists should funct ion chiefly to investigate
At the top ofthe rilmp visitors will enter a e/an Bridge and report visually.apprehensible facts of public import,
• 00
• , ." -- , -, . .
... ,- • • thal is 40 feet (1 ,220 cm) long and 1& feet (549 cm) wide. and nol lo produce decorative objects for adornment; thilt

- , . ,- - -
"
." "
." On one side ofthe bridge is the formal city with the leons
ofNew York: the Empire Sute Building and the World
mass media and not art gallerles or museums are the
primary fietd of action.
Trade Center. On the other side is the city in flux. The The company was founded through the efforts of an
trucks, in fourteen dump ing bays, lift their hoppers, and attorney, Richard Cole, now a partner at le Boeuf, lamb,
dump their payloads into waiting buges. As the barges are leiby &. MilcRae. Much ofthe intellectuill foundat ion for

OOCU Io4EN TS
 LEMNASY$TEMS and meaning ofthe works. The design stresses respect for
'" the company, and i1$ ded ication to large-scale earth
monitoring and engineering, comes (rom lectures by In tune with the twentieth-century capitalist free market nature and natu ral things.
Vincent SeuUy, architecture historian al Yale. ScuUy argues syslem, Lemna'" is a trademark name, and the concept is Of course, Ihe vis ion incorporates a very practical side,
that recent Earth Art and Conceptual Art contai" lhe germs palented. Lemna plants are very small f10ating plants for the treatment resulls must be impeccable. The facilities
of a radically new approach to gardens (or landl, fortresses ubiquilous throughout the world. They thrive anywhere accomplish the routine yet awesome task of cleaning our
(or military defense systems) and, extendibly, regional from cold climates lo Ihe tropics, even in the deserts. In wasles. They must be allractive for Ihe visitors,
planning. Herefrom, lhe campany proceeds into the public S¡rdinia, which is rather dry and rocky, it took us less Ihan comfortable forthe workers and satisfactory 10 the
arena. an hour lo find two beautiful species ofLemnaceae, the government regulators.
. - -
.
" " " Latin na me forlhese plants. I follow a philosophy of
" minimum to no interference. I serve ol'1ly as a cheerleader. DEVIL'S LAKE, NORTH DAKOTA, OR SNAKEON THE
I lake what already eKists in a bioregion and encourage Ihe PLAINS
plants to grow. (In conlrast, only immigrants like me are The citizens ofDevils Lake care deeply about their water
Viet NGO supposed to emigrate to America, but no fruit and resources. The City Elders, especially the visionary leam of
vegeta bies, please.) one commissioner and Ihe city engineer, wanted a natural
Lemna Systems [1995] Back to the Lemna plants: they grow very fast, and wiU syslem. So, after lOO public meetings and 1001 late nights
cover the surface of a pond if undisturbed by winds and of design, we came up with a fifty.acre stylized snake that
My work is a (usían of engineering, architectural planning waves. They act as a filter to absorb and neutralize would meander across a former wetland. This Lemna
and arto I design and build wastewater trealment plants for pollutants in Ihe water. In addition, they help stabilize Ihe facility c2nsists of nine serpentinechannels to removethe
dties and industries. Having a strong ¡nterest in hOrizontal biological reactions in the pond, optimizing natural -
harmful phosphorus, n¡trogen and algae before releasing
architecture, Ilike things that stay on the ground. People treatmenl processes by bacteria, micro- and macro- the treated water into one bay ofDevils Lake.
have asked me ir my work is public arto That is my organisms and by olher physical processes. Funded by the US Environmental Protection Agency
¡ntention, but I do not like to use these words because Ihey Lemna planls absorb and control odours by using and the city ofDevils Lake, the five millton dollar project
segregate me from Ihe working people.l recognized early sulfides, melhanes and other gases as food sources; they was compleled in 1990. The harvested biomass has been
on Ihal lo be successful in infrastructure work, one needs also shield the pond lo prevenl odours from escaping to used as an organic fertilizer, and schoolchildren are
to be in touch with and lo have the support ofthe general the airo rrequently invited on guided tours to learn about biology,
public. Thework I do is utilitarian in Ihe most basic Lemna plants have very high prolein concentrations, the environment and what people can do to aid

l manner - it is trealing waste, and it is user-friendly and

fairly simple lo understand, but it is no ordinary task.
As a trained professional engineer,l sought to develop
making them a potential alternative food source for many
parts ofthe world. (When I started working with Lemna, I
dreamt offeeding the world.)
preservation.
. Sculp¡,ng ... ,¡n ¡he fnvlronOlent .

a new technology lo Ireal waste walers using natural To harvest these plants, we use mechanized pontoon
biological means instead of mechanical and chemical boats equipped wilh simple hydraulic gears to manage
'"
processes. huge quantities ofbiomass. The harvested plants, which
The technology lhal I helped develop is called Ihe represent the eKcess growth, are either composed lo form Mel CHIN
Lemna System. It relies to a large extenl on the use of small a rich fertilizer for organic farming, or with proper testing
Hoaling aqua!ic plants grown in specially designed ponds and analyses, used as a high·protein animal feed. Revival Field [1995]
to Ireat wasle to a very fine degree. These Lemna facilities The clear water produced by this process can be used
are designed as green conidors or punctuation marks in for irrigation orfor other beneficial purposes. In MeKico we I had an eKhibition at the Hirshhorn in 1989 that
the general urban landscape. They are nice green parks in use it at one site to inigate city parks and golf courses. In represented the culmination of a long period ofintense
an odour·free atmosphere, and sometimes they carry Egypt we plan to recharge the ground water table and and strenuous labour.1 showed large·scale political pieces
inleresling design features lo lell people aboul our irrigate crops with Ihe effluent. and a compleK installation called The Operation ofthe Sun
environment, our soils and our waters. The design ofLemna Syslems is thus based on a Ihraugh the Cult ofthe Hand. Following that show, I began
In general, the isolation Ihal is associated with art resource recovery concept: waSle water being Ireated in a lo pursue a process set offby the completion ofthese
concerns me since Ilike lo be accepted by Ihe natural way will produce clean water which can be re-used sculptures. This process was an attempt to create
communities I work in.ln a way, one can lookat a for i"igation and for ground waterfstreamflake recharge. situations of provocation and mutation that would
community as an organic body with many interrelaled At the same time, valuable biomass can be harvested for challenge my personal artistic stage of development. First
parts. These parts fulfil certain functions that can be organic fertilizer or a feed source. The sun is the main I asked myself what my particular passion was at the time.
broken down and eKamined from various angles. source ofenergy, and the earth is reclaimed as fertile I realized it was a love for making things by hand, and I felt
Wastewater treatmenl is certainly a big part and a big ground. I could continue to make competent work by maintaining
function of any community (eKcept in poorer countries Ihis direction for quite a while. Afier coming to this
Ihat cannot afford tre¡tment) . Yet modern designing lends LEMNA DESIGN understanding, I decided to force a mutation in myselfby
lo place wastewater Ire¡tment in the background and To control the growth ofthe f10ating plants, a network of removing the method I had come lo rely on from my nelCt
forget about it. This is evident by the odour problems f10ating baffiers that form a grid-like pallern is placed on work. I decided to propel an evolutionary situation - a
common lo many eKisting treatment facililies and Ihe fact the Lemna pond surface. These barriers can be compared condition of elCtinction and of not-knowing.
Ihat international competition for treatment plant designs to the facade of a building - they are necessary to support I was immersed in a period of re-education which
is rather rareo the system, and they carry aesthelic considerations that go allowed a free associationffree-ranging type of research to
I Ihink it is all right to keep treatment planls in the beyond the practica!. The ponds can also be designed into begin. Afier reading an article suggesting the use of plants
background, but we must not forget about them. They meandering channels that control the hydraulic flow of as remediation tools, I immediately saw the possibility for
should be designed and maintained wilh care, in the same incoming water. Togetherthey form a specific landscape a new project. The i,ony was that it would require some of
manner as other parts of our infrastructure. (Incidentally, that vitalizes an urban designo The facilities may occupy a the most hand·intensive work I had ever done (sod
only Hollywood movie sets for Western tlicks have all vast acreage ofland and yet appear unobtrusive from Ihe busting, tilling, seeding, weeding, fence mending, ground
infrastructures in the foreground .) ground. Only from the air can one decipher the Irue size hog chasing and so on).

I t.4 PlE t.4 ENTATIO N

 Revivol Field was to be a sculpture in the most
traditior¡,al sense. My primal')' concern was with the poetic
just beginning when controversy over funding led me into
an entirely different series of negotiations. I had applied to
scientific or aesthetic expe,iment,;15 goal is to realize the
•
full remed iation of a contaminated area. The Revillol Field
'"
potentia l ofthework, besides the obvious ecological and the National Endowment for the Arts for a grant for Rellillol project is dril/en by a des ire to find s oJ ut io ns for problems,
polítical aspects. My des ire to rea lize the aesthetic product Fie/d from the Inter·Arts New Forms category. I soon rather than express problems me taphorica ll y. It w ill reac h
of Revivol Fie/d- decontaminated earth -Ied me to a learned th is was the first time that a grant had been vetoed i15 final form , completing an evo!utio nary aesthetic, when
respons ible search forthe necessary scientific by the chairman ofthe N EA alter being approvecl by both the burden ofheavy metal contaminatio n is s hed, when
understanding and method. the panel and the counci!. I felt a responsibility to question Rellillol F;e/d is fo rgotten and the mechanics of nature ca n
I spent severa l months on a datura dragnet, tl')'ing to the nature ofthe rejection and to expose the flaws of a resume their course.
ascertain all the properties ofjimson weed (D0111'0 system that allow autocratic control over the use of public
stromonillm) , beyond its well· known psychedelic and funds. With these goals in mind, and with much support • •
mystical properties. 1was unable to verify cla ims that the from the arts community, l arranged a fOrmal meeting with
plant could be used to remed iate s oil in the way I N EA Chairman John Frohnmayer in Washington. Our
envisioned. 1continued my research in many directio ns constructive d iscussion set a precedent an artist may now
untill fina lly found Dr. Rufus Chaney, a sen ior research directJy address an N EA chairman regarding such PLATFORM
scientist at the US Department of Agriculture. He exercises of authority.
specialized in soil and m icrobia l systems, sludge The meeting also resulted in re-appropriating funds for Seeing is Believing [1992]
composting and the transfer ofheavy metals from plan15 the project, and 1was able to begin the equally d ifficult a nd
to an imals to humans. Chaney's proposal in 1983 to use perhaps even more frustrat ing task ofsecuring a site. Afier Would you like to open yourdoor each morn ing t o be
plants as remed íation agents for polluted soil had been six months of negotiations for sites all over the countl')', we greeted by the s ight of gently flowing waters? Imagine
shelved by the conservative polit ies ofthe times. He was were finaJly able to begin planting the first Rellivol Field in windsurfing down Brixton Road, fish ing by the Oval or
one ofthe few people in the wo rld who had knowledge of June 1991 on a portion ofPig's Eye Landfill, a state paddting through West Norwood.
and beliefin th is untested process. My desire to create a Superfund s ite in StoPaul , Minnesota. The area contained Could you see your neighbourhood lIIith the River Effro
sculptural work rekindled Dr. Chaney's hope ofbringing elel/ated levels of cadmium, a heavy metal that can be runn írrg through it?
this biotechnology into fruition, and we in it iated a n harmfulto human health. The Effra once ran through South london, its springs
earnest co-operation that eventually led to the first Rellillol The Minnesota Rev;l/ol Fieldwas designed as a on the hills ofNorwood, and its mouth at Vauxhall on the
Fie/d. repl icated field teSt of green remediation - the first such Thames. Queen Elizabeth the First sailed up it to Brixton in
Together we envisioned Rellillol Field as an on·site experiment in the Un ited States, and one of only the sixteenth century. John Rusk in wrote odes to its beauty
experimental project us ing p lants to cleanse industria l two in the world. Three zinc and cadmium in the nineteenth centul')'. Now it lies buried under the
contaminatíon from soil. These p la nts, wh ich have hyperaccumulators were chosen by Dr. Chaney to match streets you walk through evel')' day, an untapped source of
ev01ved the capacity to selectively absorb and co ntain the local ecotype: S j/ene cucubolus, a hybrid zea mays, and great natural beauty and future prosperity.
large amounts of metal or m ineral, are called Tnlospi coerulescens. Merl in red fescue and romaine ERA have a vision of new South Landon with its river
hyperaccumulators. Historically used a s a method of lettuce were also included to test for metal tolerance and restored: a healthier London - with plants and animals
prospecting, the plan15 were tested and proven to be food chain influence. The circular test area was divided returned to their original habita15; a proper place for YOUt
viable toxic sponges by Dr. Chaney and Dr. R. R. Brooks. into ninety.s ix separate plots to assess different soil and children to plaYi a wealthier London - w;th property values
We felt that th is approach to leaching heavy meta ls out of pH treatments as well as management techn iques. increasing, business prospects booming and tourism
ta inted soil bysafely trapp ing the tox ins in the vascu lar We harvested tne Pig's Eye field for the final time in growing. ERA sees a london where the city and nature live
structure of plan15 and min ing the ash (after proper October '993, end ing the first three-yeartest. Its formal in harmony: a water city - a city ofthe twenty.first centul')'.
incineration) could be not only beneficial but practical and configuration has already been erased with the remova! of The unearthing ofthe Effra w ill be Europe's most
economiul ¡s well. lhe fencing . Th lospi samples taken from th is site showed important and exciting urban renewal programme, ond it
We conceived ofthe project as an ongoing operation significant uptake in the leal/es and stems of cadmium and is happening on your doorstep.
unti1 tests could verify sign ificant improvement of a site's zinc, verify ing the potential of green remed iation. A second
"
quality. The forma l configuration ofthe wOrk consists of field ;s already in place at a nalional priority Superfund site • " . •

two fenced areas - a circle within a square. The fences are in Palmerton , Pennsyll/ania. We are plann ing an
standard chain links. The circular area , p lanted with the intemationa! Revivol Field effort, sponsored by the
detoxify ing weeds, serves as the test s ite, whereas the Ministry ofCulture ofthe Netherlands, at sel/erely Patricia JOHANSON
square, unplanted and of equal area, serves as the control. contaminated sites in that countl')' and neighbouring
Paths that intersect in the centre provide access to the site Belgium. These add it ional field tests will offer m Ore Fair Park Lagoon [1981-86].
and form a crosshair target when viewed from aboye. In I/aluab!e data regarding soil treatments and plant
this c;ne the p1ants, guided by a natural process, aim at a hardiness, and w ill extend biomarker research. and Endangered Garden
malignant presence in the ground. With positive results from Minnesota and additional
Conceptually, the work is sculpture that involves a sites secured , the Rellivol Field project is at a critica! stage [1987-97]
reduction process, a trad itional method used when in its development. At this point, its focus must shift from
carving wood or stonei here, the material is unseen , and implementing more fie!d tests to conducting further A major theme in my work from the beginning has been
the tools consist ofbiochemistry and agriculture. The scientific research. Thus, my most recent work on Rev;lIo! to reconnect city dwellers with Nature and ensure the
work, in its complete ¡ncamation, after the fences are F;e/d has taken place in an editing studio. This indoor survival of plant and an imal populations. 1envision a new
removed and the toxin·laden weeds harvested, will offer 1abour has produced a short video tape that describes the kind of public landscape that balances the neecls ofhuman
mínimal visual and formal effects. For a time, an intended progress of Rev;lIo/ Fíe/dto date. beings with those ofthe living world. My des igns often
invisible aesthetic will be measured scientifically by the When 1originally conceil/ed of Rev;lIo/ F;eld, 1was combine restored ecologies with public access, and
quality of a revita1ized earth. Eventually the aesthetic will aware that it might not be fully realized in my lifetime. The transform our trad itional image of parks into 'ecology
be revealed in the return of growth to the soil. project is in its infancy, and continues to progress. gardens'.
Unfortunately, my efforts to realize the project were Whether it is viewed as an alchemic, metallurgic, social, In '960 I began writ ing about des igning the world as a

DDCU MENTS
". work of artoMy drawings transformed bolh (un ctianal mammals. The ¡ m ounl of n ut rie nls ava ilab le to algae was
infrastructu re and living natufe into artoI devise<! s pecific reduced ; water quali ty was improved; a nd va riou s s pecies
propo5i1ls Ihat would restore (ertile land, natu ral water- offish were introduced into t he food ·chai n.
ways, swamps and wildlife corridors lo major urban Flocks of wild birds sl arted to arr ive, and toda y t he
centres. Otherdrawings combined aesthetic images with lagoon teems wi lh life. Few woul d sus ped Ihat th e Harriet FEIGENBAUM
parks ¡lnd habital, or use<! art lo address environmenlal landscape is a functional flood basin and recreated swa m p
concerns such a s eros ion , sedimenlalion, fload ing, water with a n educalional agend a. The sc ulplure provides Reclamation Art [1986]
conservation, sewage trea tmenl and garbage mound s. aceess lo a function ing ecosyste m ( ... ]
Design strategies such as Une Cardens envisioned the ( ... ] In t he fall of 1984 1began th e qu est fo r another projed
continuity necessary for Ihe survival oflarge populations, ENDANCE RED CAROEN si te, thi s li me armed wi th a gra nl from the NEA. Among
while Van;shing-Point Cardens proposed networks of In 19871 received a catl from Jill Manton oflhe San the new possi bilit ies was a silt pond shown to me by Ihe
related forms e ssential lo migrati"g animills. My art p ro- Francisco Arts Commission. JiU had see n an ex hibitio n of Lacka wa nn a Co un ty d islricl forester. Fo rmerly part oflhe
jects became incorporated int o dai ly life, and were inter· my drawings for ndal Londs,o pes in 1984 , and thou gh t the Creenwood Co ll iery, t he pond is the property ofth e
wove n with natu ral ecosystems . The hallmark of my work concepl of a sculplure t hat transfor med wi th risi ng a nd Creater Scra nto n Ch amber ofComm erce. 11 is dramal ically
became lo incorporale everything and to harm not hing. fa ll ing water would be perfee! for a projed alo ng tbe Sa n situated below a main ¡ cces s road and is framed on one
Francisco Bay. Specificatly, t he project involved a new sid e by a se m ici rcula r 9 5 foot (30 m) hig h wall. 1decided lo
FAIR PARK LACOON thirty·million.dolla r sewer that was mandated by the ma ke a proposal to the Cha m be r ofComme rce fo r
( ... ] On myfirst visit lo Fair Park it was apparent Ihat the Environmental Protection Agency beca use the ci ty was reclam at io n ofth e s ilt po nd. 1I turned oul Ihat th is sile
•
lagoon was envi ronmenlally degraded. The shoreline was dumping raw sewage into t he bay. The Oepart me nt of adjoi ned th at oflh e Chambe r's new offi ce park just gett ing
eroded and the water was m urky. Fertilizer from t he lawn Public works had suggested a standard sewage fa cility for un derw ay. The pond was to beco me a wetlands area and
washed into the lagoon every lime il rained, causing algal the site, an d was immediately attacked by local ci tizen they were very muc h interested in a pro pos al fo r it. My
bloom. There were few birds, no waterfow l and hardly any groups protesting t he vis ual degradalion ofth is sensi tive pro ject Erasion Control Plan for Red Ash and Cool Si/I Areo
p lants, animal s orfis h . bay front property ( ... ] - Wi/low Rings, ca lled fo r a double ring of willows for the
1 began by develop ing my own list of concerns wh ic h After mon t hs of resea rc h on Ihe si te, 1discovered th at pond a rea and a n aceent a rc of willows above Ihe
¡neluded creating a functioning ecosystem , providing the environs hosted a large n u mber of enda nge red se mici rcula r wall (sca r). This tim e 1would slart with ten 12
living exhibits for the Oallas Museu m of Natu ral History, species, and t hat form erly it had bee n a n environme nt ric h fool (366 cm) trees. The Chamber e nthus ias t ic¡lIy
controlling bank erosion and creati ng paths over water so in native plants, butterflies, bird s, waterfowl, in tert idal life, su p ported the id ea a nd late r asked in wo u ld design the
peo p le could become immersed in the life oflhe lagoon. 1 fish and s he llfis h . By providi ng app rop riate food a nd grad ing ofth e sear. The t rees in the basi n w ill be planted in
¡Iso began lo research what d ifferent a nim¡ls eat, because hab ital it mighl be possible lo ai d species th al were the fa ll of 1985 and t he e nti re p roject is to be mainta ined as
food plants and nes ling materials ¡ttrae! wildlife. struggling for survival, and involve people in Ihe issue of a perma nenl wet lands for wi ld life.
Eventually two Teus plants were c hosen as models for extinction . Since Ihe si te was adjace nt to a new California As a resull oflhe Willow p rojed, th e Cham be r of
the sculplures beca use Iheir forms coincided wi t h the State Recrealion Area, it seemed logica l to make th e sewer Com merce has asked me for proposals for other si tes,
s lrategy ofthe designo The delta duck,polato, Soggitor;a slrue!ure an eKtensio n ofthe p ark ( ... ] ineludi ng seve ral fo r t he offi ce pa rk itsetf. The Storrs Pit
platyphyUa, had a mass oftwisted roots that 1arranged lo The image selected for the project was the end angered p rojeds ha ve also ins p ired new o ppo rtu nitie s for s iles o n
prevenl water from eroding the s horeline. The s paces San Francisco garter snake, wit h its colours an d patterns sca rred p ublic la nd.
between the roots became microhabitats for plants, fish, t ranslat ed into a series of gardens which wou ld provide ", ,
turtles and birds. The roots were buill ¡S five·foot wide sustenance for locatly Ih realened species. The head oft he
paths for visitors, whi le thinner stems rose aboye the serpe nt , an undulating scul pt ural e arth mound , rises up to
water to serve as perc hes for birds. Leafforms further out 20 feel (610 cm) high out of a meadow of n¡ live food
in the lagoon became islands for animals, while other planls. The mound is covered wilh flowers Ihat provide Joseph BEUYS
leaves along Ihe shore formed step seating and overlooks. nee!ar for adult bu tt erfl ies and hos t plants for their larvae,
AII the sculptural ele m ents were deployed as lines of and is sculpled inlo microhabil als : win d breaks, sun ning Interview with Richard
defence to break up wave aclion and prevent further plalfo rms and shelter from predators.
eros ion ofthe s horeline, which was being eaten away at As ¡he snake curves around a small beach, Ribbon Demarco [1982]
the rale of e ight inches ayear. Worm ndal Steps prollide aceess lo the bay. The Worm
A seco nd sculplure was based on a Texas fern , Pteris 01 150 serves as a ramp for the handicapped, and at high tide Richard Demarco You r ex t-lIbltlon al t he Antho ny d 'Offa y
multifido. The spine and leaflets oflhe plant were tw isted ils lower loops fill wilh water, crealing habit at for vertically. Gallery strike s a sombre note underllned by Ihe t lt le ,
to create bridges, causeways and islands, while cut·out zoned inle rtidal communities. The sCl1lptu re will become Dernitre Espote ave, In frospecfe¡,¡r. lt was co nceilled in 1964
shapes between Ihe walkways became small·scale water encrusled wit h barnaeles a nd marine growt h, and popo around Ihe time o f your first eKh lbl t lo n at t he age o f 43 wlth
landscapes - flower basins and fish ponds . Pond cypress ulated by shrimp, worm s , crabs, hyd rozoa, s ponges an d which It shares, an d I'm quoll ng here, 'a p red llec t lo n fo r
!rees will provide a shady canopy over the entire sculptu re algae. Thus the Ribbon Worm becomes a livi ng sculpt u re - ce rt a ln angles and Images' . This Lo ndo n ex hibltlon was
when they reach maturity. simultaneously aesthelic, funcliona l and nu rt u ring ( . .. ] firsl presented in Pafls In 1982 lf1 january. Thetltle could be
Bio logica l restoration was a key element in the design The projee! lost much ofits habitat value beca u se o nce mlsu nderslood, bulln Carohne TIsd all'5 catalogue she
ofFai r Park lagoon. Snails, clams, freshwater s ponges and th e construe!ion permit s for the sewer were issued 1was makes Ihe pOlfl t that 'It has no t to be inle rp re ted as a
shrimp, fi s h, reptiles and waterfowl are both visu¡lIy not in a strong position lo defend all oflhe original personal slatement abou t the artl51' s demise, It has rather
attractive and serve as m embers ofthe food·chain . features . Public artist s a re always vulnerable, an d many more to do wlt h refl ecllng a feeh ng abou l the wo rld '. 1
Landsc¡ping was chos en not o nly as a des ign element, bu! projeds don ' l even get b uilt. Endongered Gorden is a beg. know th al fro m the co nversatlon we had he re to n lght in
also for its food and habitat value. A littoral zone of plants in ning, bul we still have a long way lO go towards rea lizing London Ihal your feelings abo ut the wo rld have led yo u lo
Ihat root in shaUow wal er was created around the edge of thal public works can make a major co ntr ibution to bot h co nside r maklng a scul pt ure on a gigantlc sca le , a nd co uld
Ihe lagoon lo stabilize the banks, red uce turbidity, a nd ecology and public recreational space. be In volvlng you In personal exp ress ion of po s ill ve and
provide nesting si tes fo r insects , birds and small o ptlmlsllC energy at Doc u me nt a t hls summe r, a nd wdl be
'" le ",

IMPLEMENTATION
 That will be maybe in three years ...
entitled appropnately for th l5, the seventh Documenta,
7000 Oo.ks. It wlll be a celebratlon of many t hmgs,
organizations, and for this tne Free International
University is a very goad body. Demarco
• three years and 50 Iha! willla51
That wllI be for
'"
meludlng the life of Jean Clono, the fre ncn wrlter who told Demarco Vou can see young people aH Oller the world un!11 the next Documenta.
the sloryofElzeard Bouffier, the french shepherd who, like becomlng an army ofhelpers. Beuys That's true ...
you, believed in Ihe importance of plantlng oak trees [. 1 Beuys Right. Demarco Can you lell me, J05eph, Jusi beforewe finish,
Joseph Beuys II is right, and you see already, in thi5 title, Demarco Al! oller the world) how this uee prOJect will allow you 10 conl1nue your work
the words 'Iast space' appear5, in relation to time, This is Beuys Surely. on a new and wlderdlmenslon IhlS 15 a newdlmen510n
nol as a demise for my doings, It puts a kind ofline under Demarco Vou can see oak planlmg on the hill5 ofScolland . II is a new step for you.
my so-called spatial doings in so-called environments. I or Wales Beuys II is a new slep in th is working with Irees. It is nol a
want il principaUy to mark the finish ofthis kind of work. 1 Beuys ... and Sicily and Corsica and Sardinia . real new d imension in the whole concept ofthe
wish to go more and more outside, to be among the Demarco You can see tne hillsides around Belfas! metamorphosis of ellerytning on Ihis earth and ofthe
problems of nature and problems ofhuman beings in Iheir beglnnlng 10 be covered. metamorphosis ofthe underslanding of arto It is about the
working places. Tnis will be a regenerative activity; it will Beuys Everywhere, everywhere in the world ... also in metamorpnosis oftne social body in itselfto bring it to a
be a therapy for aH ofthe problems we are standing before Russia ... Ihere are loo few trees ... Let us not speak ahout new social order for the future in comparison witn the
... Tnat i5 my general aim. I proposed tnis to Rudi Fuchs Ihe United States which is a completely destroyed country. elCisting private capitalistic system and state-cenlralized
when he invited me to participate in the Documenta. Isaid Demarco It 15 a sadness Isn' t It in ourllme that It is the communistic system. It has a 101 to do with a new quality of
that I would not like to go again inside the buildings to Umled States whlch is growing rockets, and nuclear time. There is another dimension oftime involved, 50 il
participale in the setting up of so-called artworks. I wished weaponry, rather than trees. Now you will make this has a lot to do with the new understanding ofthe human
to go complelely outside and lo make a symbolic slart for slalemenl to counterbalance Ih is, in the middle ofKassel. being in itself.
my enterprise of regenerating the life ofnumankind within Can you describe Ih ls enlerprise more precisely) II has lo make elear a reasonable, practical
the body of society and lo prepare a posilive fulure in Ihis Beuys 1will start in very difficult places in Ihe centre ofthe anthropology, lt is also a spiritual necessity which we have
conten. lown. There Ihe places are very difficult because tnere is to lIiew in relation to Ihis permanent performance. This
1think the tree is an element of regeneration which in already coatings of asphalt and stone slabs with will enable it lo reach to the heart oflne existing systems-
itselfis a concept oftime. The oak is especially so because infrastructures of electrical Ihings and the Cerman post especially lo the heart of economics - since the wider
it is a slowly growing tree with a kind of really solid office. In the centre ofthe town the planting oftrees is underslanding of art is related lO ellerybody's creatille
heartwood. II has always been a form ofsculpture, a most necessary for the people that live there within an ability.lt makes it very elear and understandable to
5ymbol for Inis planet ever since the druids, who are called urban contexto Tnere the planting ofthe trees will also be ellerybody that the capilal ofthe world is nol the money as
after the oak. Druid means oak. They used the ir oaks to most expensive. The whole thing I guess will cost ahout we understand it, but the capital is the human ability for
define their holy places. I can see sucn a use fortne future three mi1lion Cerman marks. creativity, freedom and self·determination in all their I
as representing the really progressive character ofthe idea Demarca And wno wllI provide th is money? You will have working places, This idea would lead lo a neutralization of
of understanding art wnen it is related to the life of to work wltn Ihe clly fathers. Ihe capital and would mean Inat money is no fo nger a
humankind within tne social body in the future. Tne tree Beuys Yes, but they will not gille money ... Ihe city will co- commadity in the economy. Money is a bill for law, for
planting enterprise provides a very simple but radical operale in so far as they will support our activities with rights and duties you know ... it will be as real and willlead
possibility for tnis wnen we start with the seven thousand tools. to a democratic bank system ...
oaks. Demarco and gardeners. Demarco II wllI, In fact, bnng employment.
Demarco Why seven thousand. Joseph) Beuys ... and vehicles sometimes, but principally I took Beuys In fact it will organically prohibit every kind of
Beuys I think tnat is a kind of proportion and dimension , the responsibility for all ofthe money problems. 1will fulfil unemployment, and organically it will stop inflation and
firstly because seven represents a very old rule for planting this th ing and ask many different people for support. I deflation . This is beca use it dea ls with the rules of organic
Irees. You know Ihat from already existing places and halle received already nelp for the start ofthis th ing, so for money-f1ow. This makes elear that all these interpretations
towns. In America tnere is a very big town called Seven this year I halle enough money to buy the slones - because ofthe future , especially the inlerpretations oftime, have a
Oaks, also in England al Sevenoaks . Vou see that seven as everytree is marked with a basalt stone.II's a natural form lot to do wilh a new understanding oftne human being as
a number is organically, in a way, related to such an which need nol beworked on as a sculptureor by a spiritual being, Ifyou havethe spirit in focus , you nave
enterprise and it matcnes also the sevenlh Documenta. I stonemasons. The stone is similar to what you will find in also another concepl oftime ... you see time on eartn is a
said that seven trees is a very small ornament. Seventy is the basalt columns oflhe Ciant's Causeway, but more pnysical rea li ty. It takes place in space so it is the
not bringing us lo the idea of what I call in Cerman triangular in shape with filie, six or seven angles or space/time relation which Einstein is speaking about. This
Verwa/duni' It suggests making the world a big forest, irregular angled stones which come from the volcanoes ... already gives a kind of allusion to another dimension , but I
making towns and environments forest·like . Seventy Demarco wdl they come from Ihe volcanoes around Ihink this other dimension is somelhing we have still to
would not signify the idea. Seven hundred again was still Kassel) detect ... Wnen I say we have stiU 10 delect it, il has already
nol enough. So I felt seven thousand was something I Beuys It is lIery organic because the nearest volcano to been detected. It is there as one d imension in my work
could do in the presenl lime for whicn I could take the Kassel is only thirty kilometres from the centre ofthe town. which t show in the Anlhony d 'Offay Callery. This is the
responsibility lo fulfil as a first step. So seven thousand 1I is very natural lo lake the stone to the place wnere I will warmth quatity ...
oaks will be a very strong visible result in three hundred plant tne trees. Demarco The quallly of warmth.
years. So you can see the dimension oftime. Demarco What will be the date o flhe fi rsl plantlng) Beuys The qual ity of warmth . This dimension is, in fact,
Demarco It 15 beyond yourhfetlme and beyond Ihe Beuys It is already done. anotner dimension tnat has noth ing to do with the space
dlmension of the twentletn century. ncmarco It is alreadydone .. and t ime relalion. It is anotner dimension wh ich comes to
Beuys Surely ... Beuys 1 planted the first symbolic tree in the centre ofthe exist in a place and which goes away aga in. This is a lIery
Demarco . or even the contemporary art world and you Friedrichsplatz. This is on the axis ofthe main building for interesting aspect of physics, since until now most
will see th l5 as a flrst step ... the Documenta exhibitions and on the right side ofthis physicists are not prepared to deal with the theory of
Beuys I see it as a first step because this enterprise will tree there is one stone already deposited. When the last of warmlh. Thermodynamics was always very complicated
stay forever and I think I see comingthe need for such the seven tnousand stones will disappear from tnis place it stuff.
enterprises: tree planting enterprises and tree planling will say thal the last ofthe seven thousand oaks is planted. Love is Ihe most creatille and matter-transforming

DOCUMENTS
 etc. This lush, green environment would connect The I was inlerested in doing an underwater project that
'" power. You see in th;s context it is very s imply expressed.
Now il ¡s nol s hown in very interesting diagrams which Farm with the public elementary school that borders the combined metaphor with underwater farming . While
one (ould also bring to th;s discussion o" But to promote future park on the north. investigating the use ofthe Atlantic continental shelf, a
this ¡nte rest for all these necessities 10 the real The potential for this project which involves the dream emerged: to build an underwater 'oasis' thal would
an thropology and nol this fa shio nable way of speaking creative integrity ofits surrounding neighbours and sc hool be a productive, flourishing site in the midst of an area of
about anthropology ." in this relationship I start with the children is astoun d ing- as a model for other places and as urban blight caused by ocean dumping. For the neKt year I
most simple.looking activi ty, bul il ¡s a most powerful a possible series of solulions for the many urban errors followed the s cientists' researeh and watched a test site
activity; it is planting trees. specific to this site. Another aspect for the future is to blur before 1 proposed using their coal-waste materials to build

• 'Jnt ... ' " ' ' th the boundaries between land parcels and act on new the Ocean landmork Project in the Atlantic Ocean. The
, possibilities for fluid interchange [ ... J project then developed through Ihe participation and co·
operation ofbiologists, chemists, oceanographers,
f "O 11 ght Hh Yon. 1990, pp 109-16 , t cal lnQu,ry Po 't Paper. ln InternH onal engineers, scuba divers, industry and rnyself. We dove for
,an Fran IS, Art lnstltute. IQ1 a season and found asile just offFire Island National
Seashore about 40 miles (64.3 km) from New York City's
Bonnie SH ERK harbour. This site was selected beca use it was dose
BusterSIMPSON enough t o shore that it could be fished . An importanl part
Crossroads Community ofthis reef project is its ability to help feed people.
Hudson Headwater Purge The wanted to find a way ofeliminating Ihe
•
[The Farm] [1977] wastes fro m a coal burning factory. A considerable amount
[1996] oftime and energy wenl into the shape and form ofthe
[ .. . ] As an art;st, I have tried 10 expand the concept of art to blocks and how to handle the materia1. Initially we built
¡nelude and even be life, and to make visible, (onnections The installation Hudson Headwaters Purge (1991 , New metre by metre blocks which were much too large and
among different aesthetics, styles and systems of York) is part of a conlinuing series, dating back to 1983. heavy. Then we built foot by foot blocks which, being hand-
knowledge. The mas1 recen1 and devotional vehide for The limestone sculpture is a populist environmental mOlde, were very time-consuming and not at 0111 workable.
this coming together is a multicultural, agricultural agitprop, working both metaphorically and Finally we decided on a standard, available process and
collaDorative art work called Ctossroads Commun ity (The pharmaceutically. As metaphor, it dramatizes the crisis of utilized a block.making factory in Pennsylvania. From 500
Farm ), or more simply, The Farm . This life-scale person and planet as one, acid indigestion, acid rain - a tons (510 tonnes) of material, we made 17,000 blocks for
environmental, performance sc u lpture, which is also a connection the media picked up on when they coined the Ihis project [ ... J
non-profit public trust, and a co llage oflocal, State and titles 'River Rolaids ' and ' Tums for Mother Nature'. The The Ocean landmark Project establishes the co-
Federal sources, exists on a multitude oflevels induding numero us disks used in the Hudson Headwaters Purge evolution oftechnology, humanity and nature.
cartoon, metaphor, contradiction and action. are of soft chalk limestone measuring 24 inches diameter I see my work as an are between nature and industry. I
Physically, The Hum is a series of simultaneous (61 cm) by 3 inches (8 cm) thick (formerly exhibited in the view nature as a circular system, industry as a linear
community gathering spaces, a farmhouse with earthy, Hirs hh orn Museum Fountain, Washington OC, 1989). system and my work as a curved element that overlaps
funky and elegant environments; a theatre and rehearsal Pharmaceutically, limestone neutralizes or ' sweetens' pH industry and nature. It comes from an eco-consciousness
space for different art forms; a school without walls; a acid ic waters. The process of adding limestone to acidic and a concern for future generations. The Ocean
library; a darkroom, unusual gardens; an indoor¡outdoor rivers is now a standard practice with environmental Landmork Project can theoretically last forever and never
environment for humans and other animals; and a future agencies. Yet the source ofthe problem persists; power be completed.
cafe tea roo m , and nutrition/healing centre. Within these and combustion. We remain resigned to the st op gap Setty 'SCrlpt f rom tllE Film 1M Journey ·.

places many people of different ages, backgrounds and solution, 'the bigger the problem, the bigger the pill'.
colours come a nd go, participating in and crealing a p' n. 'lIud

variety of programmes which richly m ix with the life tate'" nt

processes of plants and animals_ AII ofthese life elements Smadar GOLAN
are integrated and relate holistically with fascinating
interfaces. It is these interfaces which may indeed be the Betty BEAUMONT To Raise the World [19S7]
sources o f emerging new art forms.
The Farm , as al ife frame, is particularly un usual, Script from the film The ' 1don 't care what they call it - art, or anti-art. The problem
howe ve r, because it juxtaposes, symbolically and actually, is the society we live in.' He says, ' We've got to a point of
a technological monolith with an art¡farm¡life complex. JourneY[19so] such contamination, s uch deterioration , that we have to
Crossroads Community sits adjacent to a major freeway stop, and to start again, in a different way'. He was in a
interehange o n its southern side where four high-need [ ... JAt the end ofthe 1970S, 1was working on a project al quandary whether to see Arik Sharon as Ihe chief enemy of
ne ighbo urhoods and three creeks converge. On its Gateway Natio nal Park in the New York area and heard of a the State oflsrael, orto concentrate on struggle within his
northern boundaries, The Farm edges on a S.s·acre open group of scientists doing research on potential uses for own movement - inc1uding the KibbulZ m ovement-
space ofland which the City ofSan Francisco has just coal-waste from hydro-electric plants. It seemed that for which too had become petrified and contaminated bodies.
acquired for a neighbou rhood park. (The Farm was every 100 ra il ro ad cars of coal that go into these plants, More power, impressiveness, effectiveness had become
instru mental in calling allention to the availability ofthis thirty carloads become waste material. At this time, there the product everyone was interested in. '1 felt that the
land and convincing the City to buy it_) was al so a n interest in converting oil power plants to coal problem was becoming more and more internaL That I had
Part ofThe Farm's dream is t o uncover the natural because oflhe supposed ' oil shortage' . Ifthis were t o to conduct the struggle in my own home, my own quarter·
resources ofthe earth, like the water which f10ws happen there would be a tremendous proliferation of coal· acre.'
und erneath, and to recycle the concrete which currently waste material. The scientists working on the research Creenhouses in the heart ofEin·Shemer. The idea was
covers the land to create rolling hillsides, meadows, project were investigatin g the stabilization of coal-waste born ten years ago, at the KibbulZ's fiftieth anniversary
gardens, windmills, po nds, play and performing spaces, so that it would not poll ute. celebralions. Avi!al Geva, 'We asked ourselves if we are

IMPLEMENTATION
 Museum. The great dream is a catalogue.lfit says in the century's concern with nuclear fallout, ozone holes and
'" capable of going back and learning how lo grow tomalees.
lhe tomato 15 a symbol. We estimated tha! growing catalogue - "has participated in Ihis or that number of pUlative global warming. In Ihis conlext, we are searching
!omaloes and cucumbers for ourown kilchen was a kind exhibitions" - the artist's s tocks rise. He gets more points. fo, proper themes and language lo express our
of actor return, return lo Ihe soil, lo simple work. And il 'Thal game is over.lt's boring, stupid, a waste of environmental worries.
satisfies very many ¡nterests of co.operation, energy. NOlhing new or interesting happens lo raise I don 't know Ihat paleontology has a great de",1 to offer,
experimentation and renewal.' questions for Tel Aviv's bohemians. Nothing. It's sitly to but t would advance one geological insight lo combat a
Renewal , in his view, begins in Ihe smanes! cell, Ihe waste tim e in museums. They're cemeteries of arto What's well-meaning, but se,iously tlawed (a nd alt too common),
home. He defines Ihe e)(perimental area he would occupy a museum? A factory for the preservation offis h or pickled position and lo focus allenlion on the right issue al the
•
himself wilh in Ihe following rears as a socio-agricultural cucumbers .. .' proper scale. Two linked arguments are oft.en promoted as
domain. This project involves Ihe youngsters ofthe • " , a basis for an environmental ethic:
Kibbutz. Each team is responsible for a crop, an 1. We live on a fragile planel now subject to permanent
experimento 'Kibbutz Ein·Shemer', 5ays Ceva, 'has often q, derailment and disruption by human interventionj
faced Ihe question of where lo place Ihe greenhouses - al z. Humans must lea,n to act as stewards for this
Ihe outskirts orlhe Kibbutz or in Ihe centre. Ifyou v¡¡lue threatened world.
experiments, give them an appropriale place, give Ihem a AvitalGEVA Such views, however well intentioned, are rooted in the
power! A social experiment in the centre ofthe Kibbutz, old sin of pride and exaggerated self-importance. We ",re
Ihal's like a synagogue. A synagogue is buil! in the centre Vital PrincipIes for the one among millions ofspecies, stewards of nothing. By
of a settlement. 1I is close l o Ihe heart, where Ihe f,iction is. what co41d we, arising just a geological
Al Ihe Faculty of Agriculture and the Vulcani Inslitule, out Greenhouse [1993] microsecond ago, become responsible for the affain of a
ofhundreds of researchers, we found several people who world 4.5 billion years old, leeming with life Ihal has been
were willing to try out ideas which perhaps could nol be 1. 1I is vital for the greenhouse lo be in an aulonomous and evolving and diversifying for al least three-quarters ofthis
tried out in any olher place. We set up a grouping, we sociallearning environment. The greenhouse must be an immense span. Nature does not exist for us, had no idea
found a planl in Tel Aviv Ihat produces industrial control autonomous body - a. y;s·¡j-y;sthe institution (the we were coming and doesn't give a damn aboul uso Omar
systems. This plant, adopted our youngslers, 'Mevo'ot Eiron' high school); b. in terms ofhow Ihe pupils Khayyam was right in aH but his crimped view ofthe earth
I Ihey went to work there, and it su ppl ied us with industrial see themselves and their project. as battered, when he made his b,iUianl comparison ofour
I conlrol syslems for free. Once every two weeks someone The firsteducational goal: t o educate lowards self· world lo an eastern hotel:
from the plant comes lo Ihe KibbulZ, and leaches Ihe directedness, and hen ce Ihe framework has lO make Ihis 'Think, in this battered caravanserai
youngsters. Ifthere were more companies who would possible. If our framework does nol make possible a sense Whose portals are alternate night and day,
devole a tenlh or a hundredth oftheir budget lo a school in of autonomy, it witllose ils most important source of How sultan after sultan with his pomp
Iheir vicinity, we would become a lapan here wilhin five attraction. Abode his destined hour, and went his way. '
years. We would surpass Ihe lapanese!' z . In the greenhouse there must always be an element of This assertion of ullimate impotence could be counlered if
Avital Ceva's model is co.operalion. A person alone, he perpelual development, and each yearto start from the we, despile our late arrival, now held power over Ihe
says, will nOI get anywhere. There is only one hope, beginning [ ... ]Ifthere is development, there is a planet's future. Bul we don't, despite popular
grouping. We must make changes from the base up, in momentum. This is not a place just for final theses. The misperception of our might. We are virtually powerless
every social cell and in every plan!. Co-operation between ma in thing: this is a place where people build, and create. overthe earth at our planet's own geological times cale. AII
different people from different spheres. To open 3. The pupils and the crew will slrive to base the project the megalonnage in all our nuclear arsenals yields but one
everything up, and lo Iry everything. And withoul upon an economic balance ( ... [ len·lhousandlh the power ofthe ten kilomelre asleroid
pretensions. Without expecting quick results. To 4 . The institution's directors will decide ifthe instilution th at might have triggered the Cretaceous mass extinction.
investiga te, lo examine, lo observe and lo relate lo every will cover the additional expenses accruing lo the Vet Ihe earth survived thal larger shock and, in wiping out
single thing as a work of art o greenhouse's special educalional melhods ( ... 1 dinosaurs, paved a road for the evolution oflarge
'Art too has a chance', says Avilal Ceva, 'iflhe mammals, including humans. We fear global warming, yet
museums open Ihemselves lo Ihe electrician who makes o" 1. n even Ihe most radical model yields an earth far cooler Ihan
the fuse-board and the metalworker who makes the screw. many happy and prosperous times of a prehuman pasto
Wonderful things happen oulside art, and Ihe galleries We can surely destroy ourselves, and take many other
should be opened to these things.' tepren Jay species wilh us, but we can barely dent bacterial diversity
' My question, about what goes in the museums today, and will surely not remove many mili ion species ofinsecls
is: are we touch ing upon Ihe painful queslions [ ... [? Or are 'le Golden Rule: A Proper and miles. On geological scales, our planel will take good
we going on sleeping wetl at nights and putting o n shows care ofitsetf and let time dear the impact of any human
and Conceptual Art did nol learn lo adapt ¡tself rdle for Our Envlronmenta malfeasance.
lo life. Like any social or polilical movement that does nol r. ___ , People who do nol appreciate Ihe fundament",1
ren ew ilself, a rt is wilti ng.' principie of app,opriate scales often misread such an
The focus, he claims, has moved from work in the argument as a claim Ihat we may therefore cease lO worry
actual field, lo sorne field Ihat no one sees, lO perpetuation THE COLDEN RULE about environmenlal deterioralion, just as Copeland
in catalogues. Many artists have become dazzled and gone [ ... [ The issue of scale underlies the main contribution Ihat argued falsely that we need not frel about extinction. But I
commercial. 'What is the Iragedy? Thal everybody produces my profession of paleonlology might make lo our larger ra ise the same counter.argument. We cannol Ihreaten at
in his own little hui and wants his painting lo reach Tel search for an environmental ethic. This decade, a prelude geological scales, bul such vastness has no impact upon
Aviv. The people who co nduct Ihe art schools are arti51s lo Ihe millennium, is widely and correctly viewed as a us oWe have a legilimately parochial interest in our own
who have dedicated themselves lo small factories Ihat turning point that willlead either to environmenlal lives, the happiness ",nd prosperity of our children, the
produce small artisls. They leach Ihe pupils to produce art perdition or stabilization. We have fouled local nests suffering of our fellows. The planet will recover from
th at can be hung on the wall. The great dream is lo gel lo before and driven regional faunas lo extinction, but we nuclear holocaust, but we will be killed and maimed by
so me gallery, at Ihe most lo an exh¡bilion al the Tel Aviv were never able to unleash planetary effects before this billions, and ourcultures will perish. The earth will prosper

IMP LEt.lENT A TlON

if polar icecaps melt under a global greenhouse, but most
•
of our major cilles, built at sea level as ports and harbours,
will founder, and changing agricultural patterns will
uproot our populations.
We must squarefy face an unpleasant historieal fact.
The eonservation movement was born, in large parto as an
e:litest attempt by wealthy socialleaders to preserve
wilderness as a domain for patrician leisure and
contemplation (against the image, so to speak, of poor
immigrants traipsing in hordes through thewoods with
thelr Sunday picnic basketsl . We have never entirely
shaken this legaC)' of environmenulism as something
opposed to immediate human needs, particularlyofthe
impoverished and unfortunate. 8ut the Third Workf
expands and contains most ofthe pristine habitat that we
yearn to preserve. Environmental movements eannot
prevail until they convinee people Ihal elean air and water,
solar power, recycJing and reforestation are best solutions
(as they are) for human needs at human sales -and not
ro, impossibly distant planeury futures .
I have a decidedly unradical suggestion to make about
an appropriate environmental ethic -one rooted , with this
entire e5say, in the issue of appropriate human seale vs.
the majesty, but irrelevanee, of geological time. I have
never been much attracted to the Kantian eategorieal
imperative in searehing for an ethic - to morallaws thal
are absolute and uncond itio nal, and do nol involve any
ulterior motive or end. The WOf"ld is loo complex and
sloppy fOf such uncompromising attitudes (and Cod help
us ir we embrace Ihe wrong principie and then fight wars,
kili and maim in our absolute eert.ainty). I prefer the
messier 'hypothetical imperatives' that invoke desire,
negotiation and rec:iprocity. Ofthese 'les ser', but
altogether wiser and deeper principies, one has stood out
for its independent derivation, with different words but to
the same effect, in culture after culture. I imagine thal our
various societies grope towards this principie because
structural stability (and basic dec:enC)' necesSilry for any
tolerable life) demand sueh a maxim. Christians call this
principie the 'golden rule'; Plato, Hille:I and Confucius
knew the same maxim by other names.1 cannol think of a
better principie based on enlightened self-interest.lf we all
lreated others as we wish lo be trealed ourselves, then
decenC)' and stability would have to prevait
I suggest that we execute sueh a pact with our planet.
She holds all the cards, and has immense power over us-
so such a compact, which we desperately need but she
does not al herown timeseale, would be a blessing for us
and an indulgence for her. We had better sign the papers
while she is still willing to malee a dea!.lf we lreat her
nicely, she will keep us going fOr a while. If we seraleh her,
she will bleed , kiek us out, bandage up and go about her
business at her own scale. Poor Richard told us that
' nec:e5sity never made a good bargain', but the earth is
kinder than human agents in Ihe 'art oHhe deal'. She will
uphold herend; we must now go and do likewise.

... •

••

DOCUMENTS
 m

For all its involvement with the physical aspects of the landscape.

Land Art is also a conceptual movement. This group of excerpts highlights aspects

of art making which. while touching on a wide array of issues involved with natural
•

settings and actualised artworks. stress landscape as idea ratherthan material.lf

the artists created actual ·things· at all. they tended to be peripheral to the land.

addressing aspects of space. time. distance. geography. astronomy. migration or

meteorology through gallery artefacts in written. photographic or diagrammatic

• •
formats. Such speculative endeavours were an important part ofthe Land Art

programme. expanding its theoretical context while carrying on the conceptual

tradition from which it was born. Another strand included here is that which

draws on the metaphoric and symbolic aspects of the land as framed bythe
I conventions ofthe garden .

this statement will join altogether to constitute the form of L. 3-6 miles (2 km) from Newcastle on California 193-
Douglas HUEBLER this piece. Materials: telephone pole and faked shadow.
"" The owner ofthis work will assume the responsibility 1. 5 miles (8 km) from San Andreason Highway 49. (near
Location Piece no . 14. Global
Proposal' [1969]
for fulfilling every aspect ofits physical execution .

, '.
•
, ,.
•
"
• .. \ c'.
, . . Angel's Camp). Materials: non·toxic colour in creek.
F. Ben Hur Road. Soulh ofMariposa. 3.4 miles (5-5 km)
from California 49. Materials: scattered bits of red cloth.
, 0.3.4 miles (5.5 km) on Reed Road from junction 180 (near
During a given twenty four·hour period twenty four Minkler). Materials: red yarn.
photographs will be made of an imagined point in space R. 14 miles (22.5 km) north ofKernville in Sequoia Nalional
that i5 directly over each oftwenty four geographic John BALDESSARI Forest.l n Kern River. Materials: found rocks.
locations that exist as a series of points 15 longitudinal N. 4.10 miles (7 km) from Highway 395 on Death Valley
degrees apart along the 45' Parallel North ofthe Equator. CALIFORNIA Map Project Road. 6 miles (10 km) on south side of road. Malerials:
The first photograph will be made at 12:00 Noon at o' rocks and dry colour.
longitude nearCoutras, France. The neid, and each [ 1969] l. Oulside lucerne. 11 .8 miles (19 km) from lucerne tire
succeeding photograph, will be made at 12:00 Noon as the station. 2 miles (3 km) offOld Womans Spring Road. Turn
series continues on to 15' Longitude East ofGreenwich Part 1: CAlIFORN lA al sign reading ' Partin limestone Products'. Malerials:
(near Senj, Yugoslavia) ... on to 30', 45",60' , etc., until The following are photographs ofletters that spell white dry cotour. fThe letter is nearly invisible.}
completed at ls' longitude West ofGreenwich. 'Time' is CAlI FORN1A and ofthe map used for locating the site for A. ln Joshua Tree Nalional Monument. 15 miles (24 km)
defined in relationship to the rotatlon afine Earth around each letter. The letters vary in scale from 1 inch (2.5 cm) lo from Twenty-nine Palms Visitors Centeron road lo
its aKis and as that rotation takes twenty four ·hours to be approximalely 100 ¡nches (250 cm), and in materials used. Coltonwood. Materials: dry cotour, rocks , desert
completed each 'charge' oflime occurs at each 'S· of The letters are located as nearly as possible within the area wildflowerseed.
longitude (Meridian); the same virtual space wilt exist at occupied by the letters on the map.
' Noon' over each location described by the series set for The idea was to see the landscape as a map and to actually
this piece. The twenty four photographs will document Ihe C. Off)ones' Valley Road. 9 miles (14.5 km) from Highway execule each letter and symbol ofthe map employed on
same natural phenomenon but the poi nts from which they 299leading from Redding. On bank offinger ofShasla the corresponding part oflhe earth. It was an attempt to
will be made graphically describe 8,800 miles (14,159 km) Lake. Materials: found logs. make the real woTld match a map, lo impose language on
oflinear distance and 'fix' twenly four hours ofsequential A. On road to Paradise. 7 miles (11 km) from intersection of natu Te and vice versa.
time al one instant in real time. Paradise Road and Highway 99 (near Chico). Malerials:
The twenty four photographs, a map ofthe world and paint on rock.

IMAGINING
 THE RETRePERSPECTIVE now registers physkally on the skewed face ofthe m
Gordon MATIA- CLARK One ofthe more melancholic, at times devastating, laws of Friedrichsplatt.
history Hes in the fact that it is only with the decay of a
Interviewwith Ava/anche given object - with the ruination of an institution, the A DIALECTICAL IMACE
break.up of a cultural formation , the obsolescence of a With the Vertical Eartn Ki/ameUr and the key trees from
[1974) concept -that its history becomes visible for the first time, 7,000 Oob squarely facing each other upon the
thilt it recomes available for historial contemplation . Fried richsplatz, it is as ifthe internal history ofthe
i - .I AYa1a ",;'e ¡¡ 'wa ys thought ofyol.l as Vvork,ng w. th,n What then are we to make of a Documenta exhibition Documenta exhibitions had concretized what Walter
a o iHm lectura l context. defined by its curator as a ' retroperspective', as an Benjamin has called a ' dialectical image' , an idea he
Gordon MortQ·CJor/¡; Not ilrchitectural in the ruict sens!!. exhibition that willlook back upon its predecessors to darified as 'dialectics al a standstill'. Far the projects of
Most ofthe things "ve done that have 'architectural' more c1earl)' define the cultur.al situation ofthe present? Beuys and De Maria seem to represent the two peles
implic.ations are really about non.architecture, about between which art in the twentieth century has always
something that's an alternative to what's normalty ETERNITY oscillated, the irreconcilable 'torn halves' that the entire
considered ilrchitecture. The Anarchitecture show at 112 Following a suggestion by c.atherine David, Múller' s avant·garde project ofthe twentieth century has not yet
Greene Street last year - which never got ver)' strongly project for Documenta X began with a simple question, been able to bridge: the aesthetic and the social spheres,
6:pressed -was about something cther than the what physical traces have been left in the city ofKassel art that defines itself as apure aesthetic construct and
esbblished architectural vocabular)', witnout getting fixed after nine Documentas? Noticing during the course of avant.garde projects that aim at pure social effectivity.
into anythlng too formal. 1996 that the Friedrichsplatz had been disfigured forthe
A.;c¡ 'onche Ooyou see che Humphrey Street buil d Ing as a construction of an underground ar park, Múller bec.ame A CIRCUS ACT
p e<:e ofil narch, tecture) interested in the two site-specific sculptures still to be And what ofthe contemporary artist today, presented to an
Motto-CIQrlc No. Our thinking about anarchitecture was seen there: Walter De Maria' s The Vertical Eortn KilomeUr in ternational audience at Documenta X in 1997? One
mOfe eJusive than doing pieces that would demonstrate an and the first and last trees from Joseph Beuys ' 7,000 Oob could see Ch ristian Philipp Muller's ' exhibition within an
alternate attitude to buildings, or, riltner to theattitudes project. Before the opening ofDocumenta 6, on May 6 , exhibition' as a retreat Moller chooses to withdr.aw into
that detennine containerization of usable space. Those '9n,construction began on De Maria' s work, a sculpture the museum itself, occupying a space within it that frames
attitudes arevery deep-set •.. Architecture is environment that involved the drilling of a hole one kilometre into the a vista bad onto the Friedrichsplatz. A space is thus
too. When you ' re living in a city the whole f.!.bric is earth; a solid br.ass circular rod, two inches in diameter provided for contemplation ofthe current sUte ofthe
architectur.al in some sense. We were thinking more about and one kilometre long, was dropped into the hole. The urban space, the skewed Vertical Earth Kilamner, and
metaphoric voids, gaps, left-over spaces, places thilt were sculpture' s placement originally marked the centre Beuys' oak trees - a space resolutely within the frame of
not developed. uossing ofthe pathways th ilt bisect the Friedrichsplatz. the museum, one tnat attempts to provide a
Ao,toio"dle Whilt s iI m etapho rlc vOld> Joseph Beuys' Documenta 7 proposal was to plant 7.000 contemplative distance within which to regard the recent
Motto-Clork Metaphoric in the sense that their interest or oak trees throughout the city ofKassel¡ Beuys planted the and seemingly irreconcilable difficulties that plague the
value wasn't in their possible use ... first ofthe oak trees with a basalt stone marker in the attempt to create a truly public art. In this space, a brief
AVQiorlcne You m eil n you were ,nterested ,n these spilces Friedrichsplatz on Match 16, 1982. After Beuys' death in history ofthe Friedrichsplatz is presented; documents
on so rne non·funct ,onal Je\ie l 1986, the last ofthe 7,000 trees was finally planted nex! to relevant to the funding ofthe two sculptures are displayed.
Matla-Cla,k er on a functionallevel that was so ab'Surd the first by Beuys' widow and his son to mark the opening Finally, Múller places a six·metre long balancing red upon
as to ridicule the idea offunction ... For example, the places ofthenex! Documenta in 1987. a sculptural base, a bar conslructed hillfin brass, halfin
where yau stop tatie your shoe-Iaces, places that ilre just In their different ways, both projects had evidently left oak (Ioosely pastiching De Maria' s rhe Beginning ond Erld
in terruptions in yOU( own daily movements. These places the physical frame ofthe museum , opting for placement in oflnfinity (1g87]). The placement ofthis sculpture
are also perceptually significant be ' ause they make a the urban space ofKassel. But had they truly escaped their punctuates the visU's continuation into the room within
reference to movement space. institutional frame? On the Friedrichsplatz, De Maria's the museum.
When I bought those properties at the New York City e.arthwork and the first and last ofBeuys' trees seem lo act - •
Auction the description ofthem that always excited methe as little more than logos for the museum building standing - • •

most was ' inaccessible'. They were a group offifteen directJy behif'd them. -,
m ia().panels ofland in Queens, left-over properties from while participating in the permanence implicit in many ,
an architect' s dr.awing. ene or two ofthe prize ones were a site-specific projects, these worlu push that definition ,
foot strip down somebody' s driveway and a square foot of onto a qualitatively differenl level: they aim to be eternal • • •
s idewa lk. And the others were kerbstone and gutterspace. both in their material embodiment and artistic •
What I basicaltywanted to do was to designate spaces that implications. The sovereign desire upon the part ofboth
wouldn't be seen and ceruinly not occupied. Buyingthem Beuys and De Maria to mark the face ofthe city
was m)' own take on the stnr.ngeness of existing property permanently was a desire eventually deflated by the city of TerryATKINSON and
demarcation lines. Property is so all.pervasive. Everyone's Kassel itself. Wrth its construction of a ar park completed
notion ofownership is determined by the use factor ( ... 1 during 1996, the city liter.ally pulled the rug out from Michael BALDWIN
- - -. beneath both worlu by redesigning the very face ofthe
- - Friedrichsplatz. De Maria's Vertical Earth Kilomete, no Sorne Notes (1967)
lo rlger marks the centre ofthe place todar; it has been
shunted offto one side, almost forgotten in Ihe grand ' Other maps are such shapes, with ther, islands and
George BAKER sweep and new symmetries ofthe plaza. Beuys' trees and capes!
basalt stones are also now placed in a completely iIIogical But we've gol our brave Captarn to thank '
Christian Philipp Müller. A proportion to the path system. (So the crew would protest) 'that ne' s bought us the best-
A split between the site and the art - a split that echces A perfect and absolute blank!'
Balancing Act (1997) Ihe long emerging one between Documenta and Kassel-

DOCU t.4EN TS
In contrast, a map in Carroll's Sylvie and Bruna Conduded, the map cannol achieve what it says it does because the record ofthe names given lO the various segments). The
Chapter 11, has everything on it. The German Professor surface ofthe Pacific Ocean is not completely flat - the problem is that the two adventures rarely coincide. Usually
explains how his country's cartographers experimented waves ' have height' and are constantly in motion. (The the explorer's adventure goes against the stream, starting
with larger and larger maps until they finally made one only technique we can tentatively suggest as onewhich from the sea; on the contrary the river's adventure ends in
with a scale of a mile to the mile. 'It has never been spread might prove an adequate one for mapping an area such as it. The explorer who proceeds upstream has to toss his
out, yet', he says. 'The farmers objected; they said it would the surface of an ocean is a laser three·dimensional kinetic way at each branching since aboye each confluence
coverthe whole country, and shut out the sunlight! 50 now projection involving temporal correlation as opposed to everything becomes rarefied; the water, at times the air,
we use the country itse!f, as its own map, and I assure you our normal map·making convention ofspatial bul always his OWfl certainty; whereas the river Ihat flows
it does nearly as well.' correlation.) down towards the sea gradually condenses its waters and
- Martin Gardiner, 'The Annotated Snork' the certainty ofits ineluctable way. Who can say whether il
3- MAPOF ITSELF is betterto follow the man orlhe water? The water, say
1.MAPTO NOT INDICATE ... This map maps the area it is and consequently ceases to be modern geographers, objective and humble. And they
The map is designed to indicate 'not indicating'. lowa and a map. A map by definition is a representation where the start lo recombine Ihe identity ofthe rivers. An example:
Kentucky are indicated in one mode - delineated sub· spatial organization is such that each point on the the Mississippi ofNew Orleans is not properly the
areas labelled 'Iowa ' and 'Kentucky' within the whole map 'drawing' corresponds to a geographical, celestial, etc., edension ofthe Mississippi which rises from Lake Itasca
area, the size of which, obviously, is dependent upon the position according to a definite scale or projection. This in Minnesota, as you may learn at school, but of a brook
scale used, and the shape of which, obviously, is 'map' has no correspondence with anything else but itself that rises in Western Montana under the name ofJefferson
dependent upon which area is mapped. The second mode in terms ofthe spatial indices. It is 'the country itselr. Red Rack River and becomes the Missouri lower down .
•
is a list of proper names succeeding the phrase 'map to not This is so beca use, at the Mississippi.Missouri confluence
indica te' . Thislist of names indica tes the relevant areas , ned not in St. l ouis, the number ofkilometres aboye the junction is
not indicated on the map aboye it. Thus these two modes greater on the Misso uri side. But it is a fact that this
might be summarized as follows: 'scientific method' is actually applied only to the large
Anne-Marie SAUZEAU prestigious rivers, those liable to compete for records of
(1) The afea where indication is indicated (the map area). length. Such methodological readjustment is not wasted
(a) The area where 'non·indication' is indicated (the list BOETII on minor rivers (Iess than800 km in length). Theywill
area). continue to be called (and measured) according to thelr
Introduction to Classifying only baptismal na me, though when they have two
Mode (1) uses mode (a), Le., there is an act ofnaming in headstreams (corresponding to two other names) the
both modes, but mode (a) derives its signiticance through the Thousand Longest major might rightly be included within the course ofthe
its relationship to mode (1), whereas mode (1) could mainslream. The present classification mirrors Ihis
function simply as a 'map to indicate lowa and Kentucky'. Rivers in the World [1977] double method, it follows both the law ofthe waler and the
Ifthere were no delineated area distinct from the law of men , since such is the state ofinformation at
delineated sub·afeas, there would be no 'map lO not Classifying in order ofsize is the most common melhod of disposal. In a word it mirrors the partial game of
indicate'. organizing information within a given category. In the case information ratherthat the fluid life of water. This
of rivers, size can be expressed in the first, second orlhird classification was started in 1970 and concluded in 1973.
There are other possibllities here. Consider, for power, that is in km, km' or m ' (Iength, drainage area or run Some data were transcribe<:! from famous publications,
example, a map ofthe same geographical area, this time off). The criterion oflength is the most arbitrary and many un·edited data were elaborated from
with alllhe 5lates, areas, etc., delineated upon Ihe map· ingenuous but slill Ihe most usually applied. 'fet it is communications with non.European geographical
area, again the areas normally named Arizona, New impossible to measure the length of a river, because ofthe institutes and study centres, governments, universities
Hampshire, Tennessee, etc., are la belled ' Not Arizona', thousand perplexities raised by its flowing existence and single scholars .111 over the world. This convergence of
' Not New Hampshire', ' Not Tennessee', etc. This would be (because ofits meandering and going through lakes, documentation is bolh the substance and the meaning of
a map to indicate 'Not Arizona' etc. Such a map would be beca use ofits branching around isla nds and shifting in its the work. The innumerable asterisks conlained in these
'nonsense' of a kind because the negative particle is either delta area, because of man's interference along its course, thousand files raise innumerable doubts and work as a
false, or it invites the production of another name. 'fet such beca use ofthe elusive boundary between fresh and salty counterpoint to the stiff classifying method. The partial
a scheme would be correct if, for example, the delineated waters). Many rivers have never been measured because information available regarding rivers, the linguistic
area normally named Arizona was labelled 'Not New York' their banks ortheir waters cannot be reached, even water problems connected lo their idenlity, and the very elusive
and so on throughout the whole map synopsis. Only this spirits sometimes join the flora and fauna to keep men nature ofthe waters, mean thal the present classificalion-
time the map would be a map to indicate what was not away. As a result, some rivers flow wilhout a name, either like .111 preceding or following ones -will always be
where rather than the conventional what is where. Where unnamed on account oftheir untouched reality or provisional and iUusory.
there is no road in a certain place we do not convenlionally unnamable on account of some superstitious prohibition. Anne·".JrleSiYlPiU Jett·. 'In1e<au(t )n·. fyinqthe

indicate Ihis fact upon the relevant map by labelling it (A few months ago, a pilot who was flying low aboye the
'There is no road at this point'. Brazilian forest discovered a ' new' tributary to the Ht It' book'. A' 1, P, tuly. 19;-

Amazon.) Other rivers cannot be measured because they

2. MAPOF A THIRTY·SIXSQUARE MllE 5URFACE AREA do havea name, a casual namegiven by men (a single
OFTHE PACIFIC OCEAN WESTOFOAHU name along the whole course whenever the navigable river lan Hamilton FI NLAY
The map is one where there is nothing to indicate within is a carrier ofhuman communication, different names
the contex1 of a normalland and sea contiguration map. By whenever the awe·inspiring river merely visits isolated More Detatched Sentences
mapping the surface one eliminates questions relating to groups): now, the entity of a river can be established either
Ihe depth oflhe ocean, and as there is no land within the in relalion to its name (a trace ofhuman adventure) or to on Gardening in the Manner
area chosen , there is nothing to indicate within the frame its hydrographic entirety (the adventure ofthe water from
of reference of a conventiona' map. But strictly speaking its most remote head spring down to the sea, without any of Shenstone [1985]

IMAGI NING
Cardening activity is offive kinds, namely, sowing,
planting, fiJdng, placing, maintaining. In so far as
The opinions oflhe angry gardeners, Robinson,
Blomfield, Payne Knight, etc. are always the most
Brown made water ap pear as Water, and lawn as uwn.
'"
gardening is an Art, all these may be taken under the one diverting, if no! the most practica!. 1I is the case wilh gardens as with societies: some Ihings
head, composing. require 10 be fixed so tnat others may be ploced.
Nut. n. an Arcadian alom: an emblem ofunostentatious
Take a small grove of pine trees and dry.pave Ihe ground coun!ry integrity: Ihe shephe,d 's snack; Ihe squirrel's The Weed Carden has elevated the stinging nettJe from
wilh common brick. Now sweep the fallen pine-needles dict; a thought of autumn in May. an emblem of sloth - i.e. human sloth - to one ofh igh
around Ihe base ofeach tree. moral inlegrity.
Weather is the chief content of gardens; ye! it is the one
Where Ihe viewer is solitary, imagination is the scale. Ihing in Ihem overwhich Ihe gardener has no control. It is a fact, al present overlooked , that the disorder of
weed Cardens stops short in the weeds themselves.
In ourdimate, why should we not provide some of our If war.galleys were a main subject of sculpture in Roman
garden features at least with shadow - formed , say, of gardens, why should nol stone aircraft carriers - The weed Carden, or, Indolence Justified .
brick- in lieu ofthe sun? representations of our modern Imperial Navies - be
thought proper in ours? A dark proverb: The more compost heaps, the fewer
Et in Arcadia ego: the cool rool ofstone, pleasing to the teaspoons.
earthworm, renders the dassical (as opposed to the ... Yet, harmony is a content ... And yet, what is the
plant) garden very vulnerable to the mole. content ofharmony? Artificial gardens - as lamb describes them - now strike
1,15 as not at all artificial, since they have been made
Strawberries grown in hollow logs stood uprighl are nol The inscription seems out of place in the modern garden. ' natural ' by time.
inferior lo small orchuds in the pleasure given by the It jars on our secularism by suggesting the hierorchies of
bark, and leaves, and fruit. the ward. One visilor will abbreviale the garden, anolher enlarge it.
To one, il is the entertainment often minutes, to anolher
Formal gardens are (as il wereJ statues of Nature. The sundial's true cantent is Time, the clock's is thelime. Ihe meditalion of a day.

It is permissible, in theArt of gardening, to substitute a The pagan sundial tells the hour by a beam, the Christian Wind benefits a lake, a pond or pool is entirely spoiled by
mooring·post for a boat. by a shadow. it.

What an extraordinary apparition is a tree in leaf! In the proper categorising ofthings, the sundial is lo be The garden pool leaches what the Presocralics knew, that
found wilh the sta!ue and Ihe urn, rather than with the land wishes to be water and water, land.
People who say that there are three dimensions have clock.
never practised the art ofbricklaying. They should read Composition is a forgotten Art.
Duns Scotus: 'Every quanlity has extension in three Sundials only appear to tell the time; rather, they tel! old
dimensions: length , width and depth. These three cottages, silence, cumulus clouds, elm trees, steeples Bark is to boat as panzer is to tank.
dimensions in turn are extended lo Ihe number si., for and moss. likewise, weathercocks lel1 forests , bird flocks ,
length extends upward and downward, width to the r¡ght scare<:rows, seaport.s and ships. As public seK was embarrassing to the Victorians, public
and lO Ihe left, and depth frontward and backward. ' - dassicism is to uso
And that is only the beginning. Bird.dropping. n. (ifbefore The Berry Season), an antique
highlight. In this age, a frog in Ihe garden pond is of more interest
The small caves formed by Meadowsweet should now Ihan a budding water.lily. And a water.lily is of much
and then be inhabited by a comprehensible fragmenl of The presence ofthe straight line is dominant in the more interest than an inscription or a sculpture.
light·coloured stone. serpentine, whose undulations are so many departures
from Ihe idea ofthe straighl. One cannot see an The mOSI s ingular and pleasing aspect of water - strange
Prefabricaled - that is, reconstituted stone - columns undulating line without forming the thought of a straight to say - is its flatness .
elc. have a low standing wilh present tasle, but a I¡ne, whereas Ihe straighl line does nol produce the
justification in Plato. thought oflhe serpentine, but appears complete in itself. Both the garden style called 'sentimental', and the French
This applies to the conceptualline, as well as to the line Revolution , grew from Rousseau. The garden trellis, and
Better than trulh lo materials is Iruth lo inlelligence. of a lawn, flowerbed or trees. Ihe guillotine, are alike entwined with the honeysuckle of
the new 'sensibility'.
The dull necessity of weeding arises, hecause every A lawn is by no means mere short grass.
healthy plant is a racist and an imperialist; every daisy The main div ision ofgardens is into art gardens and
leven) wishes lo establish fo, itself an Empire on which Oetached lawn: a very small area of clipped grass, the botanical gardens. Compared to this division all the
Ihe sun never sets. size of a napkin or a tableclolh, occurring outwith the others - 'The Carden as Music', 'The Carden as a Poem'
bounds ofthe formal garden. - etc. - are superficial .
The most singular aspect of old formal gardens is Ihal
one cannot put a name to the rtuff- sand, gravel, pine The obelisk is a very self·convinced formal element. The gardens of Kent and Brown were mistakenly referred
needles, last year's leaves? - which forms the body ofthe to the Chinese aesthetic, just as today's thoughtful
paths. Brown made water and lawns (etc.) Palladian elements, gardens are considered 10 be Japanese. 'Japanese garden '
as much as lord Burlington did, his columns and has come to s ignify no more than 'art garden'. The
When the Shepherdperson came in, surely Pan was out. porticos. contemporary 'sculpture park' is not - and is nol
considered to be - an art garden , but an art gallery out-of·

DOCU M ENT S
d oors. It is a parod y ofthe dassical garde n native to the difficult to categorize. Nature contains everything - space,
West. GuyTORTOSA time, life, movement, sight, smell - to such an extent tnat
we can never understand it in its entirety. For this reason,
Seeing the first wild flower in s pring is not as me m orable A Seasoned Ga rden [1995] the artof gardens 15 probably the most complete and the
as picking Ihe last goose berry in au tu mn. least abbrevialed of all arts. Aesthetic theory cannot
Lothar Baumgarten eICplains that the name ofthe garden eIChaust ¡t. To such an extent that the theories of sensation,
Us ed tools mo ralise. he has conceived for the Fondation Cartier refers to the ofthe total artwork, ofthe work in progress, ofthe 'well
medieval compendia in which the monks, with legendary done, badly done' that was so dear to Robert Filliou, or of
•
In Sritain, ideallandscape is coloured silver, in Italy, gold. patience, inventoried and dassified all the species known tne 'social sculpture' dear to Joseph Beuys can all find in it
¡ aM Ha", I f 1MI ay. 'l1ore Detached Sentences cn Ga rden! og to them at the time: primarily medicinal plants but also a form of realization that the so·called visual arts,
lO M.Moer 01 ,henstone', priMted 1M YVB Idn aromatic ones intended for the kitchen. This was a time seemingly more lasting, often attain only imperfectly.
IIdm,lton A V/5u.l Pr1mer, Reaktlon B, ,ks, londo/!, when the West was rebuilding itself. People were reading Theotrum Botonicum is urban in the same sense as the
p. 38 Aristotle, Theophrastes, Dioscurides and of course the great public parks which have constituted indispensable
Bible. like Noah, the monks were counting living breaths of greenery and calm in Ihe heart of polluted cities
creatures in orderto lay the foundations of a new world. since tne nineteenth century. Its environment is hardly
William FURLONG Despite the fact that it looks like an untamed meadow, friendly. Soulevards and buildings surround it on all sides.
Baumgarten's garden is thus quite cultivated. lts roots go Which makes it easy to understand why this is a garden
Time Garden [1993] back to a distant European past in which France as a tnal prlvileges tbe..vegetal and the animal and not, as
nation-state with its present borders, whether artificial or might be the case in certain less urban environments, the
Time Carden is a new site-specific work fo r outdoor natural, did not yet eICist, but where there was already a mineral. This conception is radically different from that of
installation at KiUerton Pa rk, Devo n.lts co ncerns extend whole vegetation offlowers (columbines, daisies, poppies, the French garden, which advanced in an organic,
those ofthe Radio Carden made in 1988 for the Tyne lilies, cornflowers) and trees, those ofthe plains and the omnipresent nature, while Theotrum Botanicum attempts
International, Cateshead. mountains, the South and the North (pines, chestnuts, to house nature once again in the centre of a
Time Carden is structu red accord ing to twelve ofthe birches, poplars, alders, oaks, olives). AII that was already geometricized form from which it has gradually been
world's time zones and co mprises twe lve trays , each 8 feet there, like new, singular and yet similar to the vegetation of excluded. André Le Notre, gardener to louis XIV, was
x 2 feet (244 x 61 cm), planted with grass seeds from one other countries where learned monks - those of5t. Gall , commissioned to open vistas; he created highways before
ofthe zones. The composition ofthe growi ng medi um in Canterbury or Reichenau, for example - were working in their time. The avenue that was to connect the Tuilleries to
each ofthe trays also relates to that found in one o fthe theircommon language, latin, to give names to both the the height of5aint-Germain.en.laye was to have
zones. most sophisticated offlowers, such as the mandrake or measured over nine miles. In the inorganic city, the
At the end of each tray, a d ock is s et t o a one hou r time the orehid , a nd the most modest of plants, the rue, the contemporary garden gives nature a place once again. It is
difference thus creating a chro nological atla s. cloveror the dandylion. endosed like the medieval garden because what
The trays were installed as low tables o n the wind· like the gardens ofthe Middle Ages, those ofthe surrounds it is voracious, and the inhabitants are afraid
swept approach to Killerton Ho use, du ri ng the months fortified castles and abbeys, Theotrum Botanicum is Ihat they cannot protect themselves. The dassic garden
lune to October. enclosed. By glass on the boulevard Raspail side, by stone confounds inside and outside; through its design, humans
In some trays the grasses will t hrive, whereas in others on the so uth, and by the walls and fences that hem it in e:w:press the feelingthat they can nave power over what
seed will fight for germination and surviva l. The growth and protect its most remote section ( .. . 1 surrounds it. The other garden cultivates the inside
will also be affected and determ ined by the Srit is h dimate The plan ofthe garden is based at once on the against an outside pereeived as confused or hostile.
and weather conditions. rectangle, the cirele, the oval and the triangle. Each of But the urban character ofthis garden depends also on
like the Radio Carden, the work ex plores the p rocess these geometric figures is embedded in another. The its urbanity, its 'social' composition . lts guests are
of'remapping' the world not bas ed o n political borders ellipse ofthe fountain is the smallest_An immense numerous. Saumgarten has inventoried some 150
and boundaries or geographicalland mass, but in the Time isosceles triangle appears to contain all the others, and indigenous or immigrant varieties of vegetation. Some of
Carden through vertical divisions, d issecti ng the earth 's particularly the rectangle that No uvel's building traces on Ihem, especially a few tall trees with their majestic bearing,
latitude. the ground. At the far end ofthe garden, a chestnut tree have been there for a long time; others had disappeared
Other themes in the work refer to the practice ofearlier and a walnut tree occupy a right angle. At certain points, and were reintroduced. A certain number were brought by
occupants ofKillerton house who collected seeds and their rruits reac h over the wall to tou ch those of an old fig the artist and his assistants in the form ofseeds or young
plants from far-f1ung o utposts ofth e Srit is h Empire during tree on the neighbouring property thus offering passers.by shoots, while others, impossible to count with any
Irading visits. The results can be dearly observed in the the possibility of a go urmet snack. In May, the ground is precision, will be carried by the wind, insects, animals or
artificially constructed landsca peofKiUerto n Park. covered with the ¡ittle white and pink blossoms that fall visiton and move in without warning. The list that
The work could also bedesc ri bed as a serie s o f 'time· from the chestnut Iree. ln its shadow, there is also an elder, Baumgarten has made ofthe inhabitants ofhis garden
tables' which embody the indexing of t ime, both fallen branches and lilies-of-the-valley, lungworts and indudes the bedbug, the dragonfly, the bumblebee that
chronolo gically as well as th rough the time sules of different varieties ofhellebore. Going back down towards settles between the stones ofthe walls, the blue titmouse,
natural growth. the boulevard, in the no rthern part but with full southern the ladybird that devours aphids, the prattling magpie, the
' Timeles s ', ' time wa rp', 'ti me sea le', 't ime frame' and expo sure, there are the herbs ofthe South , thyme, sage, nocturnal owl, the peacock butterfly, the pied woodpecker,
't ime running out' come to mind at Kille rton as do the balm and mint, and farther on, strawberry plants, Aaron's the blackbird, the moth, the oak jay, the mole with its 50ft,
inesca pable re lationsh ips between the fertile and rods and red campion swaying over a carpet of moist mottled fur, the nuthatch that makes ils way head first
productive environment ofthe park and s urrounding grass, horsetails, fritillaries , gunneras and cow parsnips down the tree trunks, the cricket, the ringdove that is tne
afeas, and other locations around the world where human whose s tems and f10wers can be nine feet long by the time most urban of all the animals in this garden, the thrush,
s urv ival and existe nce depend on fragile and often host ile the gardener's shears make them disappear in autumn. the fly, the sparrow, the wasp, the mouse that is not just
socio-ecological balances. This Is an urban garden, an art garden , a garden of found in laboratories, the wagtail, the robin , the warbler,
.. , 1a Furlong, 'Time Garden·. Ha·//a: Contemporar, 8rll,5/! memory, a sensual garden. There is no end to the the anl. More open-ended than a register ofbirths,
Mt in 1M! 18th Centur)', UnlVer$lty of Ply,"oulh. Devon. 1993 definitions that can be applied. lndeed, gardens are marriages and deaths, thislist is like the credits of an

IM AGI NING
infinite film in which the actors who are the inhabitants an enent 1thought that afier Ihey gol lo the moan there Fifty thousand years from naw our descendants will be m
and passing guests oflhis botanical theatre are going to was a strange demoralization that set in thal they didn't mystified by the empty sWimming.pools of an abandoned
•
offer each stroller curious enough lo perceive it the discover little green men, or something. It's on that leve!. I southern California and Cote d 'Azur, Iying in the dust like
spectacJe of nalure's fortunes and misfortunes. This was watching Ihe one last night, and there was kind of a primit¡ve time machines or the altars of sorne geometry.
garden is Ihus urban not only because it lies in the heart of forced exuberance. There was this attempt to try to confer obsessed religion. 1see Smithson's monuments
Ihe city bul also because it constitutes a city. sorne meaning onto il, and to me it's quite banal. belonging in the same category, artefa.cts ¡ntended to serve
If, as Plato, Aristotle and many authors after them have Kuftz One thing that amazed me about the fi rsl moon as machines Ihat will suddenly swilch themselves on and
written, it is Irue Ihal there can be no happy republic shot was thal you saw Mlssion Controllfl Houston wlth all begin to generate a more complex time and space. AtI his
wilhoul a greal diversity of staluses, genders, inteUigences those IfIcredlble computer statlons, tha t IfIcredlble structures seem to be analogues of advanced neurological
and origins (cenain trees Ihal are perfectly assimilaled te<hnology, wlth hundreds of people facing loward a kind processes thal have yet to articulale themselves.
here nonetheless lay elaim to remote origins: Japan for the of altar,llke al Ihe movies, and aboye the altar was a Reading Smithson 's vivid writings, 1feel he sensed all
sephora, America forthe plane tree and the locust j, plcture ofSnoopy, There had lo be sorne way In thelr this. As he stands on the Spiro/jetly he resembles
Theolrllm Bolonicllm has every chance ofbeing a happy mlnds of attachlng a mascol lo Ihe whole experience, in Daedalus inspecting the ground plan ofthe labyrinlh,
city. People will doubtless argue Ihere, love each other olher words to symbolize the expenence to make 11 more working out Ihe freight capacity ofhis cargo terminal, to be
there, work there, exchange friendly and unfriendly comprehenslble, and the Image was so regressive Ihal il measured in the units of a neurologial deep time. He
services. The tiger molh 's caterpillar will settle on the denalured Ihe expeflence. There was no awa re ness oft he seems unsure whelher the cargo has been delivered.
lea ves oflhe comfrey; the mayflower, alias cardamine meanlflg. His last flight fits inlo tne myth, though for reasons of
protensis, will welcome Ihe orange tip butterfly underthe Smithson That's what 1 was saying before abaut the his own he chose the wrong runway, meeting Ihe fale
na me of onlhocoris cordimines; Ihe nettte will take care of computer thing, it's sort oflike they're so abstracted Ihal inlended for his son. But his monuments endure in our
Ihe peacock butterfly's caterpillar whether he likes it or they ... Ihe;r imagery would draw from Snoopy, or Porlcy minds, the ground·plans ofheroic psychological edifices
not, while under Ihe bark ofthe tree, the typographer bark Pig, or something. thal wiU one day erect themselves and whose shadows we
beetle will make drawings, and maybe one day soon , when Kuftz The Idea Ihal we can completely control the can already see from the corners of our eyes.
the pied woodpecker will have done his job, an owl will enVlfonment, nature, IS, 1Ihmk, whal creales Ihe mleresl .r;. lard. on arg< l' ,
make his home in the trunk of a walnut or chestnut tree. in ¡he moon shot, and it's something like Olsneyland . You
Theotrllm Botonicum is also an art garden. can make your env!ronmenl however you want lo make It,
"
Baumgarten has not conceivecJ it differently. The trees, the hui Ihe way it's made is another kind of cultural control. 20 • Pierog G' ery. York 199?

flowers , the fountain , Ihe animals, the strollers and even Smithson Actualty, I think Oisney World is more of a
the sky wiU serve as sculptures here. The ereation of a Dream World Ihan Documenta. In olher words, ¡t's more
garden always begins with the composilion ofthe ground. aggressive. And its also a big money.making operalion. So Mark DION
Poar and dry in one place, moist and rich in another, the these dream worlds start proliferating 1.. ·1
ground, lib the background of a painting, determ ines the • "ten e" ""th lr " Th The Tasting Garden [1997]
garden 's outside appearance. Similariy, in Ihe slrict sense " ,
ofthe word, thework ofthe artíst is invis ible here. As is the , The goal ofThe Tosting Corden is lo produce a
garden itself. Theolfum Botanicum is invisible because it complementary addition lo the Harewood Estate, which
is new, bec.ause itdoes not resemble any ofthe most would take into consideralion nol only the historical
common models of a garden. Indeed, il is neither a J. G. BALLARD purpose ofthe wafled garden, but would also embody one
dassical French garden (Iike Versailles) nor an English ofthe most powerful principies ofthe contemporary ethos
landscape garden (Iike the park at the old Fondation Robert Smithson as Cargo - that oflhe conservation ofbiological diversity. The
Cartier in Jouy-en.Josas). 1I is a contemporary garden. We Tosting Corden would harmoniously blend Harewood's
will loak at il with our bod ies as we stroll through, we will Cultist [1997] commitment to both historical preservation, as
discover it overthe course oftime and the seasons, and as represented by Ihe house and grounds, with that of
is Ihe case in front of some ofMonet's canvases which Whal cargo might have berthed at the Spiral Jetty? And biological prolection, as exemplified by Ihe bird garden.
have laughl us to look at snow differenUy than through the what strange caravel could have emerged from the saline However, the solutions featured in this new project would
filter of our preconceptions (which is lO say, a snow that is mists ofthis remote lake and chosen lo dock at this not be characterized by a historical reconstruction, bul
alternately blue, pink, yellow or green), we willlearn to mysterious harbour? One can only imagine the craft rather a bold contemporary design based on the
appreciate the beauty of what we do not usually see. The captained by a rare navigator, a minotaurobsessed by contributions ofthe artfulsdence of arbaurculture.
weeds, for example. inexplicable geometries, who had commissioned The Ta:sting Carden is lo occupy the vast and
Smilhson to serve as his architect and devise this labyrinth abandoned western half ofthe walled garden. The archway
in the guise of a cargo terminal. in the dividing wall ofthe two derelict grounds would
Bul what was Ihe Time appears lo have stopped suffice as an entrance and link to the conceptually
in Utah, during a geological eUipsis thal has lasted for supportive arrangemenl ofChristian Philipp Müller.
Robert SM ITHSON hundreds of millions of years. 1assume Ihat the cargo was From the slightly elevatecl position ofthe entrance, the
a clock, though one of a very special kind. So many of vieweroverlooks an enormous branching pathway:
An Interview with Bruce Smithson's monuments seem lo be a polenl amalgam of essentiallya network of palhs forming a tree-like slructure.
clock, labyrinth and cargo terminaL What time was about The main path constitutes the tree trunk and Ihe side
Ku rtz [1972] to be told by Broken Cire/e, and what even slranger cargo paths its branches. These also deviale into smatler palhs
would have landed here? which terminate in sem i-circular areas.ln this area one
¡ ... I Bruce Kuftz 0 0 you see the whole moon thing as The Amorillo Romp 1take to be bolh jetty and tunway, a encounters a rectangle of slone set inlo the ground and
another kmd of ownershlp, anolher klnd of currency __ proto·labyrinth thal Smithson hoped would launch him inscribed wilh the na me of a fruit tree variety, followed
Roben Smithson I described the moan shot once as a very from the cramping limits oftime and space inlo a richer with an odd and anachronistic deseriplion ofthe qualities
expensive Non-site. It keeps people working, you know. To and more complex realm. ofthe fruit, particulariy the taste. Beh ind this inlaid tablet

DOCU MEN TS
'" stands a short (4 (oot, 122 cm) concretecotumn bearing a
bronze plate, upon which sils an oversized bronze fruil.
all but a handful of expertcultivators. It demonstrates t he
loss of genetic diversit)' succinctl)' through the activation of
Immediately behind the column and a short distance off one ofthe most under·ulilized senses in arto Whatever fruit
the pathway is the tree ¡tself. These trees come in three remains uneaten due lO over·abundance oftate maturit)'
forms: a newly planted sapling, an adult tree or a withered could be pullO the service ofHarewood's livestock
and bare bronze Irunk. farmers.
lhe tree forms thecenlral metaphor oflhe work: Ihe Completing the composition ofThe Tasting Carden is
tree oflife, the tree ofknowledge, the family tree, the an elemen! best described as a foil)'. The ArborcuJturist's
phylogenetic tree ofevolulionary development. The main Work Shed is a diminutive monument acknowledging t he •
branches orlhe tree pathway represent the major northern grand achievements and skills ofthe men and women who
(ruit cro p trees: apples, quinces, pears, plums, peaches Jaboured in the waJled garden to feed the estate, as weJl as
ilnd cherries. The terminal nodes are distinct varieties. those toda)' who maintain the grounds and gardens.
Eaeh ofthese varieties is marked by Ihe status o( rare, Highlighted in this tribute are the tools ofthe trade:
threatened, endangered or extinct. These are agricultural spades, books, watering cans, chemicals, horticulturalist
plants which have become extirpated or endangered b), the shears etc.lndeed, it is nol as much the alchemist's studio
general shift to monoculture agricultural production or as it is a functioning work shed. Not obvious to the visitor
other trends which result in the production ofhigher )'ields is the fact that this structure is a carefuJl)' conceived and
of marketable fruit but less diversity of species. Large scale composed inslaJlation. While each inch ofthe inlerior can
agri.business privileges onl)' a handful of plants which be viewed through the man)' windows, the building can nol • •
exhi bit desirable tra its, such as long shelf.life, large )'ields, be entered. The arrangement ofobjects within the
sweeter taste, and pest·resistance. Long neglected have structure constructs an elaborate narrative, foregrounding
been a number ofbreeds which not onl)' demonslrate a the romance ofhorticulture as a profession bridging art
more expansive and challenging taste spectrum, bul also and science. The work emphasizes the human aspect ofan
make up an important reservoir of genelic material. endeavour as monumental and seemingl)' timeless as the
When coming lo the end of one ofthe palhwa)' construction ofthe Harewood landscape. Induded within
branches, the visitor encounlers a descriplion ofthe taste The Arborculturist's Wo,k Shed are drawings, photographs
of one ofthese rare fruits. Humans, being crealures which and other artefacts ofthe garden staff, pasl and presenl.
favour sight over aJl other senses, have merel)' a few
impoverished adjectives for taste. Oescriptions 991. PD 14: 43

confronting the viewer ofthe stones are derived from

mostl)' eighteenth and nineteenlh century sources and
the)' seem to strain acrobaticall)' in an attempl lo translate
objectivel)' the sense oflaste. The next elemen! evokes the
notion ofthe monumenl, or even the grave marker. The
scale ofthe ridicu lousl)' oversized fru it exem plifies ils I,
status as the representative ofthe entire breed or variety. I
The shapes ofthe fruil will of course speak ofthe variet)' of
trad ition. Finall)', there is the Iree itself, standing a short I,
distance offthe path. Where possible, adult trees
Iransplanted from olher parts ofthe grounds should be
used. Young nursery trees fill in where mature trees are nol
available. II ma)' take a decade before the garden can be
optimall)' viewed. The extinct breeds shall be represented
b), dark macabre casts of dead trunks. These grim
surrogates will most powerfull)' speak when the living trees
bare fruit or blossoms.
Be)'ond Ihe massivediagonal waJl which bisects the
western half ofthe garden a separate but equaJl)' important
feature ofThe Tafting Carden is located. An orchard
maintained ta propagate and preserve those agricultural
varieties most threatened with extinction will function as
an agricultural equivalent to the aims ofthe endangered
species breeding programme ofthe bird garden. Visitors
can stroll through the orchard unguided.
A critical aspect ofboth the !ree walkwa)' and the
orchard enjo)'ed b), guests is the abilit)' to pick and eat fruit.
The public will be encouraged to sample ripe fruit directl)'
from the trees, or fruit could be made available through the
reslpred kitchen or other airead)' established outlels at
Harewood. Th e Tasting Carden makes available rare and
challenging Aavours and tenures, normalJ)' inaccessible to

lMAG1NING
 Whetherworking in the Western deserts or the Ma ine

woods. along country paths or deep in the wilderness. with metaphorica l or

utilitarian ambitions. all Land and Environmental Artists eventually contend with

the complex issues surrounding the presentation and dissemination of what are

fundamentally non-portable artworks. Few admirers of works such as the Spiral

Jettyor The Lightning Fieldhave actually visited these sites. Furthermore.

temporary actions or incursions are durational and subject to natural forces of

degradation. What are the roles ofthe artefacts and media through which they are

presented? The excerpts in this final section explore issues of mediation and

representation. of the contributions of text and image to our understanding and

apprehension of Land Art projects. As Susan Sontag notes of photography. that

most complex of mediative vehicles and the primary means of displaying the

evidence of Land Art projects. 'Reality has always been interpreted through the

reports given by images. Our irrepressible feeling that the photographic process is

something magical has a genuine basis. No one takes an easel painting to be in any

sense co-substantial with its subject: it only represents or refers . But a photograph

is not only like its subject. a homage to the subject. lt is part of. an extension ofthat

subject: and a potent means of acquiring it. of gaining control over it.'

physical experience afit, his access lo information and defensive o r condescending, nei t her posture positively
John BEARDSLEY documentatio n about it, (orecloses an ¡ndependent predisposing the viewer to the work. Unwilli ng to have The
ap p raisal ohhe work. 1I thereby renders problematic an)' Light ning Field or even photographs ofit seen in
Art and Authoritarianism: disc ussion oflne work as suen, for its ¡"hibits an effective circu mstances othert han those absolutely dictated and
dissociation between what one sees and what one is cont rolled by them, t hey are respo nsi ble for obscuring the
Walter De Maria's Lightning expected to see, between what one believes and what one work with extra-art issues, and ul t imately for eliciting a
is led to believe. criticism t hat is bound to be distasteful to them.
Field[1981] Although it is an open question to what extent the rhe Although it is a long way from almost an)'Where to
Ligh t ning Field would ever involve a n experience of Quemado, New Mexico, the town is neither economically
It is perh¡ps an outmoded (onviction of mine that art light ning for t he average viewe r, it is nevertheless a disenfranchised nor culturally remote. Rl!presentative of a
criticism should t ake as its point of dep arture t he s pecific seriously conceived work, and it is t herefore regretta ble region now politicaUy and economically on the ascendant,
characte ristics of a work of art or a gro u p ofworks. In t he that it cannot be disc ussed o n its own m erits. But t he Quemado is the scene of continuing, if not quite
case: ofWalter De Maria's The Lightning Fíe/d, however, di rective posture ass umed toward s the viewer by De Ma ria f1ourishing, cattle ranching, and it is not far from t he
t his is vi rtu all)' impos si ble. The m eas ure of conl rol and Dia suggests tha t both artist a nd pat ron lack massive open-pit copper mines ofSanta Rita and CliRon·
exercised by Ihe a rt ist il nd h is s po nsor, Ihe Oia Ce nte r for confide nce in eithe r t he qua lity ofthe wo rk o r t he Morenci.ln addition, uranium deposits are thought to
Ine Ans, ove r t he viewer's a pp roac h lo Ine work, his d iscernment of the viewe r. They are t he refo re being un derlie t he region. Quemado is served by the federal

DDCUMENTS
", highway system , making il about (our hours away from approximately three days a month during the lightning magazine's slaff and photographer John Cliett, De Maria
Albuquerque, six from Phoenix. And naw, Quemado even season, from lale May Ihrough early September, the produced whatArtforum publisher Amy Baker describes
has contemporary arto likelihood ofseeing dramatle lightning strikes is remole. as 'an artisl's work' - Le., pages designed specially by the
The coi ncidente o f a relatively nigh number of There is, then , an enormous disparity between Ihe artist. Acknowledging that it was 'a generous, expensive
lightning days per year with the ilvailability of purchasable, actual sculpture, which is a minimalist understatement, lay-out', Baker explained that the stafffelt that the work
f1at, semi.arid, sparsely populated range land brought De and the promotion il receives, which is anything but. The was ofsuRicient interesl to warranl an un usual amount of
Maria and the Oia (enter for the Arts to Quemado in the necessity of making an appoinlment, signing a release space and expense, and that the publicalion ofthe work on
mid seventies. De Maria had already tested his ideas for against a danger which seems more imagined Ihan real, the artist's terms seemed essential to Ihe dissemination of
The Ligh tning F;eld in a pilot project constructed near and ofbe ing delivered to the FieJd rather than allowed to thework. •

FlagstatT, Afizona, in 1974. Now he wanted a final project drive, all conspire lo induce a feeling of awe, to insure that The number of photographs, the exculsive use of
which would be considerable larger, whose permanence one will fully expect lo see God at The Ughtning Fie/d. colour, the number of editorial pages - De Maria was given
would be guaranteed by ownership ofthe land. The Oia Needless to say, He doesn't appea r. No artwork could live the cover plus five pages at the centrefold - is un usual, to
(enter rorlhe Arts, which is principally supported by up to this hype, least of all one thal involves the say the leasl, for Artforum's artists' pages. But particularly
Philippa Pellizzi, heiress to the De Me"il oil fortune, carne dematerializing effects ofsunlighl and Ihe subtle offensive was the use ofblank grey pages separating De
to De Maria's assistance. On his behalf, the foundation interrelationship ofsculpture and landscape. Maria's pholographs from the thereby implied dross ofthe
acquired five or more sections (a section is a square mile, There is no question but that those who administer The remainder ofthe issue. Evidenlly caught belween their
or 640 acres) north-east ofQuemado. Here De Maria Ughtning Field have carefully considered the manner in desire lo see the work published and the artist's excessive
erected his grid of 400 stainless steel poles with pointed which they control access to and, indirectly, perception of demands, Artforum's staffwas complicit in the
•
tips. lhe grid measures a mile east lo west and slightly the work. Aconversation with a representative ofDia mystification ofThi Lightning Field and the exaggerated
over a kilometre north to south; the east-west rows contain elicited severa! reasons for such extreme control, claims madefor it.
twenty.five poles, the north.south, sixteen. lhey are ineluding Ihe insurance that the v;ewer is alone, or nearly Matters of control and access to The Lightning Field
spaced 220 feet (67 m) apart, 331 feel (101 mI on the so, with the work, and protection ofthe fragile semi·arid would be oflittle concern ifthey remained limited to this
diagonal. Despite f1uctu ations of ground level, they are environment in which it is situated. These concerns may one instance. However, they are of consequence to all
installed in such a way that theirtips form a continuous be legitimale, but certainly many other works - Nancy artworks in the landscape, for which this work could
plane at an average heighl of 20 feel 7.5 inches (6 m 19 cm) Holt's Sun Tunnels, Smithson's Spira/jetty, Heizer's conceivably become a model. The Dia Center forthe Arts,
aboye ground. Doub/e Negative, nol to mention such urban works as which is, of course, tax exempt and therefore indirectly
In the lown ofQuemado, Dia meanwhile bought and Robert Morris' Crand Rapids Proje't - all stand supported by every taxpayer, has recently received
renovated a bu ilding forthe local administrative oRice of unprolected in the landscape and are in no worse financial support for two projects from the National
The Ughtning Fie/d. 1I also houses what they call a mini· condition than The Ughtning Fíe/d. In my various visits to Endowment for the Arts. A condition ofthese grants,
museum ofDe Maria 's work, where a selection oflhe other artworks in relatively remote areas, I have never awarded through the Art in Public Places programme, is
Si/ver Meten and Ihe cirele and square Equíva/ent s are on encountered other visitors, so it seems doubtful that the that the public have 'free and unimpeded access' to the
view. This, then, is a counterpart lo the permanently number of potential visitors to Th e Ughtning Fie/d, were artwork. One oflhese projects is Jim Turrell's Sun and
installed, Dia-supported Earth Room and 8roken access unimpeded, would ever be great enough to Moon Spa,e, to be instaJled in Arizona. Civen the
Kilometer at locations in New York Cily. endanger the work or the surrounding environment. stipulations ofEndowment support, one hopes that
11 is to Ihis oRice in Quemado thal a prospective viewer Restrictions, in this case, seem more an expression oflhe access to Ihe work will not be established on the model of
must write for an appointmenl to see The Ughtning Fie/d. willful cultivation of myslery. The Lightning Fie/d. From a critical perspective, as well,
The appoinlment procedure insures that no more than a De Maria's and Dia's efforts to control the viewer's the management ofLightning Field is no trivial matter. Not
few people are on the Field at any given time, since it is response lo the work extend even beyond the only do Ihe machinations ofthe artist and his sponsors in
believed thal the work is besl experienced in these circumstances ofthe visit to inelude manipulation of this case reveal contempt for the enterprise of criticism,
uncrowded conditionS. lfthe appointment is granted, the informalion about Ihe work, especially photographs. I but, more importantl y, they call ¡nto question Ihe very
viewer reports for his visit to the Quemado oRice, have been obliged for several years to play an elaborate possibility of a criticism Ihat seeks independence h-om the
surrenders his unaulhorized pholographic equipmenl , game ofcat and mousewith De Maria looblain control1ing factors of any artwork's contexto
and signs a release freeing De Maria and Día ofliability photographs: photographs for publication were repeatedly
should injury or death occur while visiting the work. Next, going to be available 'sometime soon'. When asked about for tMe Art . a f ederd' agency. "1,, h

a 'contribUlion' oflhirty dollars is made lo Dia to help the possibility of obtaining photographs for this particular ,dry tQ resedrrh tn, essay through tlle Cr U,eS '

them defray expenses for Ihe visitor's food and lodging. essay, the Dia representative ¡nquired about its point of re 1 prQgrdmme
Then, like a neophyte in a new order, the visitor is driven off view. When told, she explained that it was 'doubtful that .", 6e6rd,ley. 'Ar t and Aythor'tar,an';ro: Wdller Oe
for a minimum twenly·four-hour initiation into Ihe De Maria would want lo put his stamp of approval' on it by
mysteries of The Ughtning Fie/d . The lodging on the supplying photographs. While it is true that an artist has Md . 5pr1ng ¡gSl . pp i 3B

localion is a renovaled homesteader's cabin. Food is fun discretion over a work that is not in Ihe public domain ,
poinled out and canteens are issued. The visitor is then left such a demonstration of insecurity about an independent
alone unlil the same lime the following day, when he is poinl of view suggests a complete misunderstanding of LawrenceALLOWAY
returned to Quemado, his camera and hi s caro the nature of criticism, which is never simply intended to
Given the complexities ofthis procedure, one might
,
parrot the opinions ofthe artist. Are De Maria and his Site Inspection [1976]
rightfully expect some revelation during residence at The sponsors so uncertain oflhe qualily ofThe Lightning Field
Ughtning Fíe/d. Instead, there ¡s an unprepossessing array Ihat they cannot let il stand on its own merits? Is it so This is an article based on visils to Ihe sites of earthworks
of poles in what is admittedly a very beautifullandscape. In vulnerable that ;t cannot withsland the independent in Arizona, Novada, Texas and Ulah. I am nol an enemy of
the bright light of midday, Ihe poles ofth e Field are barely opinions of writers? the culture of reproductions, but the documentation of
visible. They are seen to good advantage only at dawn and When De Maria did release photographs for large outdoor sculplure, intimately bound to the
dusk, when fully iUuminated by raking lighl. And , of publication in Artforum, he exerted considerable control landscape, presenls exceptional diRiculty lo photographs.
course, since lightning slorms pass over the Field over the way Ihey were used. Working elosely wilh Ihe They have their own convenlions, for one thing, and for

ILLUM INATIO N
 ilInother, some ofthe works I suspected were being
embalmed in s ingle images. This turned out to be the case.
The problem of monumental art is Ihat in cities il is
never big enough. when Barnett Newman's Sro/(rn
acknowledgement ofthe sense ofbeing alone that these
wo rks induce. The remo\ eness ofthe s ites as well as the
'"
The pholographs ofRobert Smithson's Amarillo Ramp Obelisk was set in front ofthe Seagram Building on Park scale o fthe landscape conlribute to th is effect. Earthworks
that are usually reproduced were taken when the creek it Avenue il became a twenty.six.foot (793 cm) high s mal1 commun icate a cisatlantlc sense of t he resonantly empty.
stands in was dammed up. ln fact it belongs halfin the sculpture. Thi5 despite the fact that Newman was using It is possible thal the Iheme ofthe American Su blime,
water, for Smithson allowed for seasonal varialio ns in the well-rehearsed public forms , the pyramid and the obelis k. associated with Clyfford Still, Newman an d Mar k Rothk o,
state ofhis sculplures. He assumed multiple states, not farthworks , even at their present scale, would not work in which certainly has no des ce ndants in c urrent abstract
just one. The sculplures by Walter De Maria , Michael cities either; there is just too much interference from a paint ing, ma y be present in the tie of earthwo rks to the
__ Heizer and Smithson that I visited are all s ite-spe<ific, in lively and complex environment. Hence Ihe only p lace to land. Though the landscape re ferences offi eld paint ing
that they have been located by the artists in p laces that are realize large works is nol in the country, exactly, bul in can be over-stressed, the Sublime was a ssuredly linked lo
unique lo each work. The form ofthe sculpture cannot be Continental America, which is to say in places where there landscape painting in the eighteenth a nd n ineteenth
separated from the lerrain it occupies (it has zero is no prior cultivalion, or very little. What is needed is cenluries. And it was associated precise ly w ilh Ihe kind of
mobility), and the distances that have to be travelled are a th inly populated $lates wilh low real·estale values. Hence sites - mountain, desert, lake - where the earthworks are,
part ofthe content also. In what followsl shall have to the placing of earthworks in Nevada, Utah , Atizona and and w ith such $lates offeeling as solitu de ( ... 1
indicate the lopography as part ofthe system ofthe Texas where, incidentally, the land is usuaUy of no value
"
sculpture. and can be leased from the governmenl.
The d iscrepancy between s ite and documentation is Of Course, convenience is never the dec isive factor,
inherent in Ihe medium , but it can be used purposefully. and the fact thal the fro ntier was more recently in the
- For example, lo compare Sm ithson 's film the Sp irafJetty Southwest Ihan in Ihe Northeast is importan!. To make art Craig OWENS
wilh the Sp irafJetty as it lies in the Creat Salt Lake is to o n a large scale out of doors it is necessary to command
experience a startling divergence. Part I ofthe film deals survey procedures and conslruction techniques. The artist Ea rthwords [1979]
with Ihe construction ofthe jetty, but of course what we experiences the development ofthe work as practical
see in Utah is the end·state ofthe work. Part II control and social co.operation in contrast lo the (... I What I am proposing, is thal the eruptio n oflanguage
concentra tes on vertical views ofthe jetty, shot from a supposed isolatio n ofthe city·based ' Iine' a rtist. The into the aesthetic field - an en.lption s ignalled by, but by no
helicopter which, taken w ith cues on the soundtrack, earthworks artists preserve Ihe purity oftheir inspiration means lim ited to, the writings ofSm ilhson , Morris , Andre,
emphasize the spiral as a solar form expanding o ut to no less than the ir specialized peerS, but they realize it in Judd , Flavin, Ra iner, leWitt - is coincident with, if not the
spiral nebu lae. The movement ofthe camera is frequently terms of engineering. The romanticism ofthe frontier definilive index of, the emergence ofPostmodern ism. Th is
vertiginous, and as the helicopter goes higher and the finds expression in an ethic of physicallabour. (Heizer and 'catastrophe' disrupted the stability of a modern ist
spiral shrinks , its crystalline structure becomes evident Smithso n have both ta lked ofthe satisfactio ns of work in partitioning ofthe aesthetic field into discrete areas of
Thus the film presents us w ith a disqu is it ion on the these terms. Apart from present geological and specific competence; one ofits most deep ly felt shocks
morphology ofthe spira l. to pograph ical problems, there is the sanction ofthe dis lodged literary activity from the enclaves into which it
What is it li ke al Rozel Point? The l S fool (4.5 m ) wide American past, such as the Indian burial mounds; one, the had settled only to stagnate - poetry, Ihe novel, the essay-
jetty w inds its two-and·ilI· halfturns out into the lake fo r Serpent Mound in Adams County, Ohio, is 1.254 feet and dispersed it across the entire spectrum of aesthetic
1,500 feet (450 m ), and when yo u stumble a long il on 138 cm] long, 20 feet (610 cm) wide on an average, and activity. Visual artists thus acqu ired a m ine of new
ankle-wrenching lcose rock, you feel very clo se lo the between 4 and 5feet (122 and 152.5 cml high. These long· material, and Ihe responses ranged from Morris ' language
water. The ridge behind is low and as the s p iral stretches running, low, indigenous works are certainly a part oflhe File and the linguistic conceits of Art & language and
oul from the beach , il echoes the far·offl ine of mounta ins background ofideas that made earthworks possible.) Conceptual Art, to Ihe autobiographical pe rambulations of
across the lake. On s ite, the prevaili ng impression is of a Heizer, in making Doubfe Negot ille , removed rock and narrative or 'story' art and Ihe fu ndamentally li nguistic
vast JatefOll p lane expanding fro m the jetty, embracing earth , bul d id not introduce materials from off-site as part concerns of performance art, such as that ofLaurie
m iles of water and rock. Thus Ihe film and the object exist ofthe structure. Sm ithson , in the Spiro/jeHy ilInd Amorillo Anders on (also an artist who writes). And it is within this
in a complementary not an explanatory relalio ns hip. (Stil! Romp , created finely articulated forms ; but he d id 50 with massive return oflanguage that Smilhson 's writ ings - and
photographs ofho, izo ntal views are misleading too, what was at hand, material collected on the sho re and his art - are to be located.
beca use they tend to exaggerale the rock iness ofthe carried out into the water. De MilIria's Los Vegos Piece II might be o bjected that artists , and modernist artisls
foreground .) disturbs the landscape scarcely at all and though the poles in particular, have always written, produced tex1s which
And there is anolher factor, nol g iven in Ihe ofhis First Lightning Fiefd are imported to Ihe s ite, they explain the ir wo rk, expound theoretical positions , e ngage
documentation. There have been attempts to dr ill o il in the form a fine screen , nol a bulky object. Smithson 's interest in discussion or debate with olher artisls. And that,
area and nol far from the jetty are ru ined oil rigs, which led in containing and inlersecting form s, Heizer's in Ihe especially wilhin modern ist quarantine, these tex1s are
Smithson lo comment, ' This s ite gave evidence of a displacement oflarge masses, and De Maria's in iIIusive indeed secondary, appended to and dependenl upon
succession of man·made systems mired in abandoned space are each absolulely d ifferent , bul all are highly visual production. The texts of modern ist artists d o read
hopes'. On the way lo Rozel Point you pass the Golden responsive lo the given lerrain . This is because oftheir more often that not as responses t o what had been
Spike Monument where, out in a lonely landscape, two realization on that durat ion and scale are in themselves elim inated from vis ual practice. They testify to a mounling
locomotives confront one anolher, face-to.face , on a single expressive, and that they are best achieved by works of art sense ofloss; as paint ing became m ore ' pure', the des ire
track. Th is stand-off, as it appears to be, actually Ihal do not compete materially with the landscape. The for a s u pplement ¡ncreased. Fo r the modern ist artist,
commemorates the meeting ofthe rails, built from fast clear air, the arid ity, the absence oftrees, the erosional however, w,iting was not an alter nat ive med ium fOr
and West, oflhe first transcontinental railroad l ... ) ccmtours, all convey a geological sense ofthe uncovered aesthetic practicej through it, work m ight be ex pla ined,
The full development of earthworks is inseparable from landscape, the wilderness to which the sculpture is but never produced . So that even if we mainta in thal these
monumentality, and it is only on Ihis basis that the core attuned. complements lo work are essentia l lo its unde rstanding,
works ofthe movement can be understood. Smithson, Solitude characterizes the Sp i,ofjetty and the Double Malevich's The Non·Obj ectille World, Mo ndrian's P/astic
Heizer and De Maria have al1 crealed large works oflong Negotille and Las Vegas Piece. Although the works are big, Art ond Pure plost ic Art, Kand insley's Concerning the
duration and slow use which are the opposite ofbrief or they are in no sense social. They are best elCperienced Spiritua l in Art ... rema in statements a nd not texts: 'a tex!
expendable works. singly by spectators; only in that way can there be a proper is not a line of words releasing a s ingle

DOCU MENTS
 Samuel Morse's Allegorica/ Landscape. In a previously
'" meaning (Ihe oflhe Author-God), bul a mullí· is useful lo recast this definition in structuralist terms, for
dimensional space in which a variety of writings, none of unpublished le)(t, 'From Ivan Ihe Terrible lo Roger Corman, then allegory is revealed as Ihe project¡on ofthe
them original, blend and clash'.' or Parado)(es ofConduct in Mannerism as Reflected in the metaphoric, or stalic, a)(is oflanguage onto its metonymic,
Smithson's writings, on Ihe other hand, are indeed Cinema', Smithson acknowledged this impulse, as well as or temporal, dimension. Although Roman Jakobson
lexts, dazzling orchestrations of multiple, overlapping its heretic;¡[ nature: defi ned Ihis projection of metaphor (the synchronic
voiees; as such, they participate in tha! displacement of 'The very word allegory is enough to strike terror into the system of differenees Ihat defines the slructure of a
literature by Ihe activity of wr¡ting which .. Iso occurs with hearts oflhe e)(pressive artist; there is perhaps no device language) onlo melonymy (the activity ofcombination in
Barthes, Derrida, lacan ... This is nOI, however, Ihe only as exhausled as allegory. But strangely enough Alan which slructure is actualized in time), as the poelie
value ofthese tens, for they also reveal Ihe degree lo Kaprow has shown interes! in that worn-oul device. Jorge principie: •

which strategies which mus! be described as !utual have Luis Borges begins his From Allegories lO Novels by sayi ng, ' ... and while Jakobson goes on to associate melaphorwilh
infiltrated every aspect of cOntemporary aesthelic "For all of us, the allegory is an aeslhetic error ft
.' verse and romanticism, as opposed to metonymy whieh
production . In his 1973 review of a Frederick law olmsted II was, however, from its e)(haustion, its 'erroneous' he idenlifies with realism and prose, allegory would cut
ell'hibilion al Ihe Whitney M useum, Smithson observes status, Ihat allegory, for Smithson, derived its aesthetic across and subtend all sueh stylislie categorizalions, being
tha! 'the maps, photographs, and documents in catalogue potential. equally possible in eilher verse or prose, and quile capable
form ... are as much a part ofOlmsted's art as the art itself' I have already described the way in which allegory oftransforming the most objective naturalism ¡nto the
- which might be applied with equal validily to Smithson's motivales Smithson's perceplion oflanguage as material. most subjective e"pressionism, orlhe most determined
art. I have already mentioned that the Non.site, a 'course But il is also manifest in his involvement with entropy and realism into the most surrealistically ornamental
ofhazards, a double path made up ofsigns, photographs entropic syslems; his attraction to both prehistoric and baroque'.'
•
and maps', is a ted. Not only does this comple" web of post-industrial ruins; his recognition ofthe forces which
heterogenous information - part visual, part verba l - erode and eventually reclaim Ihe work of art, for whieh the Vet this eapacity to 'cut across and sublend' all aesthetic
challenge the purity and self.sufficiency ofthe work of art; rust on Smith's and Caro's steel sculpture and Ihe disorder categories is due lO the fact that allegory implica tes the
it also upsets Ihe hierarchy between object and ofCentral Park were taken as emblems. As Benjamin two poles, spatial and temporal, aecording lo which the
represenlation, ' Is the Site a reflection ofthe Non·site writes: arts were distinguished al the advent ofModernism.
(mirror), or is it the other way around?' 'The allegorical physiognomy ofthe nature·history ... is FoUowing the logic of allegory, then, Smithson's work

, Significantly, these remarks, which reveal the teduality present in reality in the form oflhe ruin. In the ruin history stands as an inves t igati on inlo what occurs when
ofthe Non-site, occur in a footnote appended to has physically merged into the setting. And in this guise structure is actualized in time: the SpiralJetty, for
I
Smithson's len on the Spira/jetty, ilself a graphic history does not assume the form ofthe process of an e)(ample, takes a particular mythic structure - the fiction of
document inscribed on Ihe surface oflhe Creat Salt Lake. elernallife so much as Ihal ofirresislible decay. Allegory an enormous whirlpool al Ihe lake's centre- and projects
Like the Non-sile, IheJetty is not a diserete work, but one thereby declares itselflo be beyond beauly. Allegories are, it as a temporal experience. This aspect ofhis practice
link in a chain of signifiers which summon and refer lo one in the realm ofthoughts, what ruins are in the realm of coincides with the techniques of post-structuralisl theory
another in a dizzying spiraL For where else does theJetty things ... In the process of decay, and in it alone, lhe events - Oerrida's deconstructive reading, for e)(ample, or
e)(isl e)(cept in the film whieh Smilhson made, the ofhistory shrivel up and become absorbed in Ihe setting." Foucault's archaeology. This correspondence is not simply
narrative he published, Ihe photographs which Thus Smithson's desire lo lodge his work in a spe<:ific the result ofconlemporaneily, for Smilhson's activity was
aceompany that narrative, and the various maps, site, to make il appear to be rooted there, is an allegorical a thoroughly critical one, engaged in the deconslruction of
diagrams, drawings, etc., he made about it?' Unintelligible desire, the desire for allegory. AII ofSmilh son's work an inherited metaphysical tradition, which he perceived as
at close range, the spiral form oftheJetty is complelely acknowledges as part ofthe work Ihe natural forces more or less ruined. And the success ofhis enterprise may
intuitable only from a distance, and Ihat distanee is most through which it is reabsorbed inlo ils setting. When Ihe be measured by the critical rigour with which his relation
often achieved by imposing a ten between viewer and Creat Salt Lake rose and submerged the Spi,alJetty, Ihe to inheriled concepts is thought in theseteds. Vet the
work. Smithson thus aecomplishes a radical dislocation of salt deposits left on its surface became yet another link in failure of contemporary theory, which too often operates in
the nolion of point·of-view, which is no longer a function of the chain of crystaltine forms which makes possible the a vacuum, to see its own realizalion in Smilhson's practice
physical position, but ofthe mode (photographic, description oftheJetty as a telrl. is, and remains, a sca ndaL
einematie, te)(lual) of confrontation with the work of art. This desire to embed a work in its contert eharacterizes
The work is henceforth defined by the positlon it occupies Poslmodernism in general and is not only a response to
in a potentially infinile chain edending from the sile ilself the 'homelessness' of modernisl sculpture;' it also 19'1. p, 146

and Ihe associations it provokes - 'in the end I would let represents and e"plains the strategic importance of ee y d\SCUH O" )f ,mnhS 's
the site determine what I would build' - lo quolations of allegory at this moment in history. For in the arts allegory 'd _umentot !l' JI M , 'Pnotogrdpny en dbY"'f ·.

the work in olher works. has always been acknowledged as 'a crossing ofthe lu/¡u. U_H 1978, pp. 86-88

That Smithson thus transformed the visual field into a borders of a different mode', an advance ofthe plastic arts
te)(tual one represenls one ofthe most significa ni into the territory ofthe rhelorica l arts ... lis intrusion eould tran' lnn OSborn".
aesthelic ' evenls' of our decade; and the publication ofhis therefore be described as a harsh disturbance ofthe peace 4 R .' jn Expdnded field·.
eollected writings constitutes a challenge to criticism lo and a disruption oflaw and order in Ihe am'.' Thus (O/¡U. n 8. prlng \9/9. PP. B-]6

come to terms with the tedual nature ofhis work, and of allegory marks the dissolution ofthe boundaries belween
Poslmodernism in general. That challenge is formidable, the artsi by proposing Ihe interchangeability ofthe verbal lt·.P 08
sinee it requires the jettisoning of mosl of our received and the visual, Ihe integrity ofboth is compromised. This e '¡he ,fAllegor col OeSlre' ,
•
notions about art i it can only be acknowledged here. I is why it is an aesthetic 'error' , but also why it appears, at Throughout.\ dme.tremely
•
would however in conclusion like to sketch briefly the presenl, as the organizing principie of advanced aesthetic lndeHed ti f

eritical significance of one issue ra¡sed by Smithson's practiee. d egorv

teds , and his work, and Ihat is the allegorical impulse This is nol simply a claim that may be made for
whieh shapes both. Smithson was not unaware ofthis aHegory, but a structural fact. Allegory is Iradilionally Fal 1979. DP 126-30
impulse. His allegorical reading ofthe suburban New defined, following Quintillian, as a symbol introduced in
Jersey industriallandscape begins wilh a visual epigraph, continuous series, the temporal extension of metaphor. It

IlLU MI N ATlO N
 And what is really jeopa,dized when the historieal '"
GerrySCHUM Walter BENJAMIN •
testimony is affected is the authority ofthe object.
'
One might subsume the elim inated element in Ihe
Inlroduclion lo Ihe The Work of Art In Ihe Age of term 'aura' and go on to say: that which withers in the age
of mechanical reproduction is the aura ofthe worlc of art.
Television-Exhibilion: Land Mechanical Reproducliol" This is a symptomatic process who se s ignificance points
beyond the realm of artoOne m ight generalize by saying:
Art (1969) r ... .,,..
the technique of reproduction detaches the reproduced
object from the doma in oftraditio n. By making many
More and more artists toda y are exploring the possibilities ¡... I Even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art is reproductions it substitutes a plurality o f copies for a
ofthe relatively new media offilm, television and photag- lacking in one element: its presence in time and space, its unique existen ce. And in permitting the reproduct ion to
raphy. These artists are not concerned primarily with unique existence at the place where it happens to be. This meet the beholder o r listener in his own particular
exploiting the possibilities of communication offered by unique existence ofthe work of art determined the history s ituation , il re·activates the object reproduced ¡ ... J
the mass media. A more important consideriltion, I th ink, to whieh il was subject throughout the time ofits
is that the greater pan of our visual experience is induced existence. This ineludes the changes which it may h3ve ,e ,
by way of reproduct ion, with cinematic i1nd photographic suffered in physical condition over the years as well as the
representations. various changes in its ownership.' The traces ofthe first C'

Take lan Dibbets ' Perspective Correaien, il can on ly be can be revealed only by chemical or physical analyses C

seen and understood as a photograph. Oibbets drew the which it is impossible to perform on a reproduction;
outline of a trapezium in the landscape; the shape was changes of ownership 3re subject to a tradition which , , e

,
constructed according to the taws of phetographic per-
spective, so that on the photograph the trapezium looks
like a perfect square. Here the work of art has transferred
must be traced from the situation ofthe original.
The presence ofthe original is the prerequisite to the
concept of authenticity. Chemical analyses ofthe patina of
. ,..
•
its existence &cm a real object as point of departure to the a bronze can help to establish this, as does the proofthat a e

photogl'3phic representation. The photograph becomes given manuscript ofthe Middle Ages stems from an ,
the actual art object. The object.s ofM ike Heizer and Wa lter arch ive ofthe fifteenth century. The whole sphere of ce

De Maria, to name just two artists, can only be observed in authenticily is outside technical - and , of course, not only , • e

their entirety, in other words by seeing the film from

beginn ing to end.
techn ical - reproducibility.' Confronted with ils manual
reproduction, whieh was usual1y branded as a forgery, the
, " ... '
e
,- .-
The land Art artists are looking for expressive pos· original preserved all its aulhority; not so vis-Q·vis , ,
sibilities wh ich go f.1r beyond the tradilionalli m its of technieal reproduction. The reason is twofold. First, •
painting. It is no longer the painted view of a landscape process reproduction is more independent ofthe original , ,e , -
but the landsc.pe itself, i.e . the landscape marked by the than manual reproduction. for example, in photography, e
• "
.rtist himself, thal be<:omes the art object. The landscape process reproduction can bring out Ihose aspects oflhe
isn 't just a decorative background for trad itio nal original that are unattainable to the naked eye yet e
"
,
sculptures any more (the term landscape is broadly
interpreted): it h.s come to mean , here, cityscapes and
accessible lo the lens , which is adjustable and chooses its
angle at will. And photographic reproduction, with the aid
.-. , ,
•
industrial views as well as nature landscapes . Dr. H. of certain processes , such as enlargement or slow motion, , • -
,

Szeemann , who mounted the ' Uve in Your Head ' show in can capture images whieh escape natural vision oSecondly,
" • •
the Bern Kunsthalle, refers to a 'consciousness art'. technical reproduction can put the copy ofthe original into " , •
We live at a time in wh ich the world , i.e. our environ· s ituations whieh would be out of reach for the original
ment. C3n be e.xperienced from new dimensions. Satellites itself. Above al1, it enables the original to meet the
enable us to observe the earth from an extra·terrestial beholder halfway. be it in the form of a photograph or a Joseph MASHECK
viewpoint directly or indirectly via a photographic phonograph record. The cathedralleaves its locale to be
reproduction . A highway seen from a height of 3,000 received in the studio of a lover of art; the choral The SpiralJetty Movie (1984)
metres loses its purely functional character, it becomes a production , performed in an auditorium or in the open air,
human intervention in the 13ndscape. It is now time that resounds in the drawing room. Robert Smithson's film about the making ofhis Sp ;ro/ -•
we realize that every grave that is dug, every road thal is The siluations into which the product of mechanical Jetty, '970, in the Creat Salt Lake, informatively conveys a
constructed , every field th3t is converted inlo 3 building· reproduction can be brought may not touch the actual sense of what that magnificent sculpture, difficult of
site, represents a formal change in our environment, work of art, yet the quality ofits presence is always access , is like.' But it is also, in itself, a beautiful th ing.
whose implications transcend by far their purely practical, depreciated. This holds not only for the artwork but also, Smithson's geo-poetic commentary accompanies images
functional meaning [ ... ) for instance, for a landscapewhieh passes in review before of a road, d inosaur skeletons , maps of Atlantis , crusty

.
e the spectator in a movie. In the case ofthe art object, a landscapes and construction equipment, especially dump
C e , , most sensitive nueleus - namely, its authenticity - is trucks dumping their loads, in such a natural rhythm that
• e, int:erfered with whereas no natural object is vulnerable on the sculpture seems gradually to grow forth , almost by
that score. The authenticity of a thing is the essence of al1 some developmentaf necessity on the earth 's parto
that is transmissible from ils beginning, ranging from its As a film the movie belongs to the iII·defined category
substantive duration to its testimony to the history which ofthe 'artístic' documentary, meaning that it
it has experienced. Since the historieal testimony rests on demonstrates something and conveys information, but
the authenticity, the former, too, is jeopardized by that it does thís with a fictive , poetic concreteness, and
reproduction when substantive duration ceases to matter. beautifully. Iconographically, it relates to that

OOCUMENTS
contemporary version ofthe theme ofSisyphus, the shows in vivid and sustained analogies between the long of representation, but the ecstasy of denial and ofiu own 28S
•
dump.truck movie, C. Raker Endfield 's practicalty Greek· takes of roadway, early in the film , as the camera charges ritual extermination: the hyperreal.
tragic Hell Orillen; (1957; 1961) as well as Clouzot's more straight ahead towards what one feels as a real and urgent "" f

famous Tne Woges ofFeor (1953), about trucking dynamite, goal, namely the site, then, aRer a long time, takes a ·f '1 , "
being the memorable examples. ln fact, the Sisyphus welcome and thrilling bend - between such initial t n 5 ed. 101. "<:er

theme sumces in a shot where, aRer the jetty is finished, experiences ofthe Toad and the subsequent experience of ,.,-itjn •
•
•
we follow Smithson from behind (this is the only time we the jetty, with iu long, straight approach and the
see a person in the film) as he runs its fulllength , stops, commencement ofits curve. AII along, and on several
turns around, and jogs back; meanwhile, of course the planes oftime, a counterpoint between the gradually KateSOPER
whole enterprise oflaying the heavy stone rubble, load emerging spiral ofthe jetty and Smithson 's verbal
aRer load, seems Sisyphean, at least until it is seen that commentary manifests the coming.into.being ofthe Natu re/"nature' [1996]
Smithson's labours are not in vain afier all, that what sculpture and the film alike, the sculpture being the film 's
might have been a massive delusion is really only a 'folly' emerging motif, and the film , as it were, the sculpture's tn consideTing the future of nature, it is difficult not to be
in the technical sense oflandscape-architectural history, 'consciousness'. So much so that even what is not tfue- struck by the conjuncture at the present time oftwo
with even thot monumentalized.1 saythis not to for instance, a persistent folk myth that there is a whirlpool influential critiques of modernity whose political
circumscribe the film or limit its meaning, only to provide a in the lake at the mouth ofthe subterranean river linking it prescriptions and agendas are in sorne ways
mode ofentrance into its ¡ndependent significance. to the Pacific - becomes indispensably significant to the complementary and overlapping, but which are talking to
Towards the beginning ofthe film Smithson says ofthe narration. 1find these cinematographic strengths us about nature in very different ways. 1am speaking here
site, ' nothing has changed since I have been here'. The significant also in a circumstantial way, to the extent that ofecology on the one hand and what might broadly be
point is not that that surprises him - he was familiarwith photography and film are extensions of'graphic art'. Since termed 'postmodernist' cultural theory and criticism on
the geomorphology ofthe locale, and with geomorphology the relatton between scutpture and printmaking was the other. Both have denounced the technocratic
in general long before - but that it surprises uso Today, atready discussed by Alberti , in the Renaissance, it is all Prometheanism ofthe Enlightenment project, and
when it seems that you cannot be certain that yourtrain the more interestingto find Smithson, the sculptor, inveighed agatnst its 'humanist' conceptions: ecology on
will arrive, when the telephone may very well not work, making a film with true cinematographic strength the grounds that this has encouraged an 'anthropocentric'
when even the trivial mechanics oflife become occasions (meanwhile, sorne doubt that theJetty itselfis sculpture) . privileging of our own species which has been distorting of
of chronic anxiety, Smithson stands back calmly and It is possible, even likely, that we were not ready forthe the truth of our relations with nature and resulted in cruel
snows us the puny anthill thal we are. Even his fascination art ofRobert Smithson ul1til we had seen how the earth and destructive forms of dominion over it; postmodernist
with the interchangeability ofsule in space (as well as in looks from outer space. This new slant on the earth's theory on the grounds that it has been the vehicle of an
time) only serves to reveal the pacific fact that whether the puniness and grandeur necessitated adaptations ethnocentric and 'imperializing' suppression ofcultural
jetty is as 'big' as a diatom or as 'small' as sorne nebula incredibly more severe than the starling aspect ofthe difference. Both, moreover, have emphasized the links
might be ultimately incidental, though not because it is landscape when first seen from the airplane in the time of between the dominion of'instrumentat rationality' and the
only matter of'pure' form (hardly). And what tough little Cubism - which the heticopter sequence in this film can be protraction of various forms of gender and racial
optimists crystals are - they seem just to grow, pop, and said to recapitulate. As yet only Smithson's art has discrimination.
then to stay and stay and stay. Perhaps what the superficial sufficient sweep and yet also enough contemplative calm Yet while the ecologists tend to invoke 'nature' as an
landscape is to sentiment, Sm ithson's geologic landscape to deal with matters of such immensity as they enter the independent domain ofintrinsic value, truth or
is to the intelligence. sphere of OUT real, earthly p.xperience for the first time. authenticity, postmodernist cultural theory and criticism
It is particularly appropriate that Smithson's great ,t 'th 'm. emphasizes tU discursive status, inviting us to vtew the

.'
lo.

Sp iro/Jetty, the sculpture iuelf, I mean , is confronted this C'

, tty'. Ar' f f" order of'nature' as existing only in the chain ofthe
way, on film , because one particular film , Antonioni's The < 'l. 1'1 ; rep' n l/r,( g5 (;f RO/;Jat signifier. Nature is here conceptualized only in terms ofthe
Red Destrf. (1964) has had probably more than any otner ,. yHOIl. Ne"V r. ver t1 Pre s. .. effects of denaturalization or naturalization, and this
single work of art the effect ofawakening an appreciation , ", 1 '. pp 'J 1Ó deconstructivist perspective has prompted numerous
ofthe unnoticed decadent beauty ofa kind of raw and drab eDil .. ., " P <.1 r, rdI",".
tc.y ro"" e . . A' cultural readings which emphasize the instability ofthe
landscape that is reatly more characteristic ofthe earth , .. " ... 314 . . vl d fr '" 1" .,er j concept of'nature', and iu lack of any fixed reference ( ... ]
whether 'virgin' or abused , than we tend, romantically, to ," hed 1n r",". ,n In su m, while the ecologist refers to a pre·discursive
imagine. But Antonioni's attitude is quite different from Pnsent: l >,$ f tne l!l ResearCh An, , nature which is being wasted and polluted, postmodernist
Smithson's: his landscape was made so raw, if not so drab, H, qan.¡<l!j4.p !3 39 theory directs us lo the ways in which relations to the non·
by the decadent irresponsibility ofindustrialism, and to human world are always historically mediated, and indeed
share his fascination with the possible picturesqueness of 'constructed', through specific conceptions ofhuman
wrecked nature is problematic in a moratly different way éln BAUDRI ARD identity and difference. Wherethe focus ofthe one is on
(finding aesthetic charm in the dilapidation ofthe human human abuse ofan external nature with which we have
setting, a possibility that haunts Jacob Riis's slum photo. Hyperrealism of failed to appreciate our affinities and ties ofdependency,
graphs, traces back at least to Whistler's print The Unsafe the other is targeted on the cultural policing functions of
Tenement). Smithson 's landscape may look similarly raw Si la 'or r·_- R, the appeal to ' nature' and its oppressive use to legitimate
and drab, but in iu vast geo.historical calm, it lea ves social and sexual hierarchies and norms ofhuman
Anton ioni's Norf.h ltalian slag.heap world with an aspect [ ... ] Reality iuelffounders in hyperrealism, the meticulous conductoWhere the one calls on us to respect nature and
ofhectic absurdity, of a frantic human scramble that leads reduplication ofthe real , preferably through another, the limits it imposes on cultural activity, the other invites
back, whatever else we think, to 'square one', whereas reproductive medium, such as photography. From us to viewthe nature-cullure opposition as iuelf a
Smithson is always subtimely conscious of square one. medium to medium, the real is volatilized, becoming an politically instituted and mutable construct [ ... J
The film is inescapably good qua film . There is a allegory of death. But it is also, in a sen se, reinforced Let us begin by noting some ofthe problematic aspects
particularly skillful handling ofvisual form and structure, through iu own destruction. tt becomes rea/ity for its own oftwo prescriptive positions on natufe that are oRen
especially ofvisuaherbal analogy. The formal strength soke, the fetishism ofthe lost object: no longerthe object present in the argument ofecological critics.

OOCUMENTS
 1
The first is that which invites us to think of'nature' as a been shaped in the course of our interaction with it and oflabour are deeply conservativej.lt is in part because in
wholly autonomous doma in whose so-called 'intrinsic' must be viewed, at least in part, as reactive responses to the process ofsymbolic identification it tends to repeat the
value has been necessarily and progressively depreciated its effects. To offer but one very obvious example here, the exclusion of women from ' humanity' and 'culture'. Any
as a consequence ofthe intrusive and corrupting activities shift from the aesthetic ofthe cultivated to that ofthe eco-politics, in short, which simply reasserts the claims of
ofthe human species. One problem with this rhetoric is sublime landscape, and the Romantic movement into a feminized space/being of nature against its human
that it tends to obscurethe fact that much ofthe 'nature' which it subsequently fed, have clearl y to be related to the dominion is at risk of reproducing the implicit
which we are called upon to preserve or conserve (most impact ofEnlightenment science and industry in knowing identification ofthe human species with its mOlle
obviously the so-caUed 'natural' landscape) takes the form and subduing a 'chaotic' nature. Untamed nature begins members in its very denunciations of'human' abuse of
•
it does only in virtue of centuries ofhuman activity, and is to figure as a positive and redemptive power only at the ' nature' ( ... ]
in an important material sense a product ofcultivation or point where human mastery over its forces is extensive We have 01150, however, to question the coherence of
'cultural construct'. rndeed some would question whether enough to be experienced as itself a source of danger and the 'constructivist' rheto,;c associated with much
there are any parts ofthe earth - even its remoter arctic alienation. It is only a culture which has begun to register postmodernist theory of gender and sexuality- that which
regions and wildernesses - which are entirely free ofthe the negative consequences ofits industrial achievements refuses, for example, to recognize any extra·discursive
impact ofits human occupation. If nature is too glibly that will be inclined to return to the wilderness, or to naturar determinations and seeks to present 0111
conceptualized as that which is entirely free ofhuman aestheticize its terrors as a form offoreboding against supposably natural aspects ofhuman subjectivity as the
'contamination', then in the absence of anything much on further advallces upon its territory. The romanticization of artefact ofculture. This rhetoric infor ms a good deal of
the planet which might be said to be strictly 'natural' in nature in its sublimer reaches has been in this sense a rather glib reference to the 'culturality' of nature, but is
this sense ofthe term, the injunction to 'preserve' it begins manifestation ofthose same human powers over nature perhaps (1Iost evide,:,t in the argument ofthose who insist
to look vacuous and self-defeating [ ... ] whose destructive effects it laments. that there is no ' natural' bodyj that even needs, instincts
Much that the preservationist and heritage impulse Our conceptions, then, ofthe value and pleasures of and basic pleasures must be viewed as the worked.up
speaks of as ' natural' landscape or seeks to conserve as the natural world have clearly changed in response to effects of discourse; and that everything which is
the encapsulation of a more harmonious order in time - as actual human transformations ofthe environment. They presented as 'natural' must be theorized as an imposed-
a more natural past way ofliving - is the product of class, have also been continuously mediated through artistic and inherently revisable - norm ofculture>( ... ]
gender and racial relations whose social origins and depictions and cultural representations whose perception Constructivists clearly dislike any reference to ' nature'
sources of discord are disregarded in these of nature has often been partial and politically inflected.' for fear oflending themselves to biological determinism
retrospections. It is easy, moreover, to be sceptical of such We should note, therefore, that the relationship between and its political ideologies. But to take 0111 the conditioning
nostalgia for the supposedly more organic and 'natural' the aesthetic experience oflandscape and its portrayal in away from nature and hand it to culture is to risk
order ofthe past, given how regularly it has figured in the art or literature is not one way but mutuaUy determining; entrapping ourselves again in a new form of determillism
laments ofthe critics of' progress'. When, alter all, it might and that the political meanings embedded in the latter are in which we are denied any objective ground for
be asked, has historical reflection on the present 110t both reflective ofthe actual inscription of social relations challenging the edict of culture on what is or is not
sought to contrast this to a more fortunate moment in within the environment and refracted back into the 'natural' ( ... ]
time - to a prelapsarian time.space of' nature' whether aesthetic responses to it. Those who refer us to the Just as some forms of ecological rhetoric about nature
conceived directly in mythical-theological terms as an unmediated aesthetic value of nature should bear in mind can be charged with being too ready to abstract from the
absolute origin in Eden or Arcadia, or more mundanely how far preferences in nature have, in these senses, been politica! effects ofits cultural representation, so the
and relatively as the utopia ofthe erstwhile rural stability the 'construct' of cultural activity and ofits particular constructivist rhetonc can be accused ofbeing too ready to
which has been displaced by And when has modes of artistic representation ( ... ] deny the nature which is not the creation but the prior
the appeal to 'nature' in this sense not tended to legitimate If we are to give full due both to the actual history ofthe condition of culture. This is what might betermed nature
social hierarchies which needed to be ( ... ] making ofthe environmellt, and to the contemporary in the realist sense: the nature whose structures and
There is elitism and phony organicism associated with tailoring of'nature' to modern needs and perceptions, we processes are independent ofhuman activity (in the sense
the urge to environmental and heritage preservation, and must illevitably recognize the conceptual difficulty of that they are not a humanly created product) and whose
one cannot deny the extent to which it is caught up in the simply counterposing nature and culture as ifthey were forces and causal powers are the condition of and
same mythologies about 'our' heritage and the two clearly distinguishable and exclusive domains. Much constraint upon any human practice or technological
'common 'and' which have helpe<! to sustain the power which ecologists loosery referto as ' natural' is indeed a activity, however Promethean in ambitioll (whether, for
and property ofthose most directly responsible for product ofculture, both in a physical sense and in the example, it be genetic engineering, the creation of new
ecological destructioll . Yet, no serious analysis ofthe sense that perceptions ofits beauties and varue are energy sources, attempted manipulations of climatic
•
contemporary environmentalist impulse can stop s hort at culturally shaped [ ... 1 conditions or gargantuan schemes to readjust to the
exposillg the ideological dimensions ofthis response, Ecological argument also needs t o be cautious in effects of earlier ecological manipulations). This is the
which is clearly witness to insecurities and accepting the classic genderization of nature as feminine, 'nature' to whose laws we are always subject, even as we
dissatisfactions which cannot be dismissed as ecologically as it does whenever it simply inverts an Enlightenment harness it to human purposes, and whose processes we
irrelevant l ... ] devaluation ofboth women and nature as, by association, can neither escape nor destroy ( ... ]
Certainly there is no beauty to be had in that blind the exploitable objects of a masculine instrumental It is an error to suppose that in defending the
forgetting ofthe past which would simply celebrate the rationality in favour of a celebration ofthe 'maternal' possibility of an objective knowledge of natural process
incursion of a new motorway as another instance of and/or ' virginal' nature which has been rejected and/or one is committed to an uncritical acceptance ofthe
' progress', man 's mastery over nature, and so on. My violated by her rapacious human son or suitor. This is in 'authority' ofscience or bound to endorse the rationality of
point is only that the historical remembr3nce ¡nvolved part because it reproduces the woman-nature coding the modes in which its knowledge has been put to use. It
here 3150 requires us not to expunge the record ofthe which has served as legitimation for the domestication of is, on the contrary, to seek to further the rational
human relations which went into the making ofthe women and their confinement to the nurturing role (and disencha ntment with those forms ofscientific wisdom
countryside which we now seek to preserve from the may overlook the extent to which iconic associations of and technological expertise which have proved so
destruction ofthe motorway. Nor should we forget the 'woman' with the land and earth·bound values have catastrophic in their impact on the environmen\. Likewise
extent to which our conceptions ofthe aesthetic served as the prop for national cultures whose actual to pit a religious or mystical conception of nature against
attractions and va lue ofthe natural world have themselves policies towards women, land ownership and the division these forms oftechnological abuse is less to undermine

ILLU t.4 INATlO N

than to colll.lde in the myth ofthe omnipotence ofscience;
•• • '"
it is to pe¡yetuate the very supposition which needs to be
challenged -that beca use science can achieve results •
which magical interactions with nature cannot, it is always •
put to work lo good efrect [ ... J
What is really needed, one mighl argue, is not so much ,
new forms of awe and reverence of nature, but rather lo
extend to it sorne ofthe more painful forms of concern we
have for ourselves. The sense of tupture and disUnce
which has been encoutaged by secular rationality may be
.'. "
better overcome, nol by worshipping this nature that is
•
'other' t o humanity, but through a process of re-
sensitizalion lO OUt combined sepatation from it and
dependence upon it. We need, in other words, lo feel
something ofthe anxiety and paín we expetience in OUt
relations with othet human beings in virtue ofthe
necessity of dealh, 1055 and separation. We are ineviubly
compromised in OUt dealings with natute in the sense that
we cannol hope to live in the wOtld without distraining on
its resoutces, without bringing prefetences to it whích are
shaped by OUtown concerns and conceptions of worth,
and hence withoul establishing a celtain sttucture of
priorities in tegatd to its use. Not c<ln we even begín to
recons idet the ways in which we have been too nonchalanl
and c.allous in OUt attitudes lo olher life-forms, except in
lhe light of a certain privileging of OUt own sense of
identity <lnd value. AII the same, we can cettainly be more
Ot less awate ofthe compromise, more Ot less pained by it,
and more or less sensitive lo the patterning ofthe bonds
and separations which it imposes ( ... ]

•
• •
•

•
•
,
•
• •

•
•

,
• , •

• • •
,
• •
•
• • .-. ,
• 993 ,

• •
• - •
• •• •

, •
•
"
• • • · •
•• • • •
• .' .. •

• o.,. .
, , -" .. •

OOCU"'ENTS
ARTISTS' BIOGRAPHIES
,
. ' & LANGUAGE 1Io!. John BALOESSARI b onal e ty . llerben BAY ER [b. 19( l . d,
,,
" o ," ", _.0' ce, "!, a p "te' Dut turned
,., ,, -, t on

, ,
"
,
'"me pateArr,
,
prH' , ., d,
D,"t'mal9bO tYI

Dr .. f per a a.
and

and th,
foe a

," or i, pd

" a1 r bou" . •• 6a 1 .. n dnd Ro", den, ,,' ,npul

"' , a a Im"erc al _"'SI '" 8erlln ,
, lh name 1 ·"'gr.II, to Vnc k ,n 1938 , Bayer ... H

d .. " , ", no l' luded 1n a "u,"l.r f lO'porunt

• • n v ,tr y,n 960. ,,"

( n t' lr n e a fIn r 91 He I r m , r' and pI em,"e Vor l, • .,ongS l the .. 'f.nUstl Art , Dadd ana

r aaare e H r fO' h, >urrea '1'1' and 'An

, hegdl 'ya, ,by.1 ", Hune • n'rnH O.or gar,',h w"r. ",lu Ing' [194J] A DI and
T In en. ,.. ." ,ue"! 1 to 1 t ,¡ y

, -" an'trtt
" •
d ",t the an!. dv 1 al r fle-¡ he
" I ti T
", • "
)f lO h eth In 19' he created t .. "

... '" I xr b,fed ,o, ?h ' uH. h 'ti W

1 ' • , ¡n Sur n den. A o

y n

"
.,
L M '.ongst
I
the ma, y

not d
p h ... " qr up b 96 J. ,c placed around a pool and fountain ,

rm /0\, '" u pture'. TI , 99lndh

Ar' 1 lnvr1t,ArtM m 992 .. "n"es, dt th Museum f tem, ,raty Art,

" d

na a group 01
" OllplHed ln 19a1o
.,.. h 1t n ude M '101

, 1• he , Par' " ,o
• , )o ¡¡ the i'!
" "
• ;/9 J.

ANTFARM , , qr "O
,
, .
Al,e.. AYCOCK

, ,
" LOlhar BAUMGARTEN

- , ulp\
'"
Beny BEAUMONT
.rt It,
[D, 1946, Torontol i an

,
, " t1 ,1 'd'"' h. v' y wh, pract ce ene mpa e lnH.l l at )n ,
,I
••
. .,
, dr y, ti) .. , v'de phot'gealll1 y, .. ntal
" n e "

",
•
(\

,
•
•
h ngton , ,
,. r 1 -1M and m
,
", , ,"
o r a ,
t
\oh

d
h dent Ir

ydetu,"lned
t

ol!PQor' . ., ved an "oc " ed ,n Yor k 1nce 19/3 .

n uae HII h addre 1 t r t

, ,J ther • , "
, ,
. early 191
gner
" " '" lure , •
" " o"
rl

• ,
M,'
" - pe anen'
"
,t,
"
, -. o
tun

,
te d1 • ", ( 9S01 Beau ,nI

Qarden and acttve tishing groundl Wh 1Ch 1.-. 5

n per' r aMe
'"'
1, t d , 1.1 f

,.,
.. ,. .,... •
B rn AIof,1l A nve' n, ' 1 ",hlb t on :lep 'teo4!l."le 16 4 ... 1 1ut 1d. Ne " Vot k
"
.' rash ng Ih ,
"
, ," ,, , o "
, ,
• W4 a' " , enough t ," '.. 3
" • fr,.r", ,

T'" .\ t th€
'"ha ." n he
,
A /i 'gN "

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'0
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e ge

'"' •
tr

he
tur

nd '9'
.. a
,,
P 1 , •
,
,,'
o
'" rt er Par

In"ty·he loot

,he V'ng
,ng ".11

a rol '"9
f
,

•
-. , ,
a dl"erse [narred 11 ,,,er 00 Curned Co) ks and
'"' \"ral e ements

'.
'" 4P u ,,19 ¡, , !II ,t, Th, dHh U

o , ". ," , ,' , nt, an .EO te <t about gene\. , 'n the

• " "
j orn
• " ,d '
'" ". ,tf

ar , , n lude 'Frag, e 10gtes' al Oupens

R t 66 pture w I
'" ., ,
I ,pI' t
,
f lortun
'"'
.
• o M",eum If Art , Yor !. 1992 and
"
w rk ted a hown 01 6 971] gHten group
,
, ,, •,
ub equ •
" he

, .. g 8. 9 a
" •
,
x e1 t ude Do u,.enta
enna e ,.
• H o' 14 o " ,

•
,
• " " r r

14 * , ·,", A t e ter " , •

SUlh a' '(,uydM',

'"'
Art ,n an hpanaed
F R( Mdle Ar t r.allerr, .nc.,hlre
"

ARTISTS SIOGRAPHIES
Joseph BEUYS o of lUSlfl ottlcn and ,n group U tn ..... ,e4r. d , 28.
0_ 1986. Dys loorl ,enunyl .. a HQuao y ano 'frag;le (colog'e!' , ,f Arl. .. at tM funstm ... ......

t 'ntla 'n art_ ti net"S arder ana dl$Crder. G, up York 19921 dnd 'f Ill> 8Jen' 1.1 Of (197 tM M derna MU$ett"t '-' 'lO

"S 'n' 'Arte Povera 1m NH of f,ne Arl'. '1 B9 J

,pu, , eHlesra gallery, Genoa 1967 ano
fe, prac! e f· on dn lnsul at'Jn ,,'110 Bryly 'Oegrel'S of ,torefront for .rl
ooet-¡,nq, ano 0\5 n at Ola enter lo' .IY9S anO Are, tE 10r' 1991]. Nether land\ [s

pr. aM taq nq f perl <!I&nce. B"elt nao nymerou\ •

Beuy' useo h"n'an CHRISTO 'b. [10(1 I Javacl>eff, 19J • ,
as tr.oe .. a'. ¡elt ano
Ste,nQaIIHI. ¡"r,n. A ,"aJor relrOlpect_.e
.. , .. , Bulgirla
[o, Jeann! 'lauoe
and JEANNE - CLAU DE
Gu, ebon, '935,
-· 1

'n U'e 196

abstract, .. " te and

," • eSldbl hea

pl1r:,ngl anoora",nQ\ are l'aractu'lI'o by a'Arte e ntempCfanea, Turln :asab1 anca 1 been Msed n n s .SSO dI n •• tl! 'Zero in. I s
'Braun .. reutl' a.,.turtOf 1996] s 1 nce 1964, IIdve "'.)rked t 'nce of'en presenteO n the lo,,,, f

are's b r"n ,n.en!ed the 1%1, produ' tneor ect t!'le IdrQ 5t belfl9 Jlurdl

art. t en,,)f ,."n CA! Guo·Q¡aflS 'tale cutoo,r Hulptures, bu,ld,ng relu 'n5 19BQJ a
'fI,talla! [ "7000 " tuOleo ;tage hyndred herb p", ',a aro uno tn, .. or d or

'gn H >Mngna Dra,"a fro", 'dH 1969), Vdlle)'Curtdln 197( Qatherea n lhe cou"trys de the
1986 ne ved and In Japan. {19aO-a3J, rhe art st' home Ht ,.h, lt ln

ano \97, BeuI' "'o, "¡S95 He ha' used a lirdpoed 1975 8SJ, 1991
'"
lO Yo,"

S n Ousselaorl ana lIa,"b"rg, aflo;n range ,f Jnonvent,onal "'Herlal '" lirapp;;od Re' -I>Udg [1995 ga,nea p.rad"e' ka¡-I (rnst Museu",.
H"pt .. ,¡pC '1 cal ni m SI flotably gunp("drr ano 'rld"ide Adoress,ng the and 'oc :u",enl' )f a 'n am t 11, I •
, ,nese .eatc;ne. He ueites large ,cale ob$ess Jn ",th lile 19/0 19q?'. Royal BotdM Garden, [o,n ur;h
/1, .' Free Party "e.ents ano ndoor nHallat!ons .'f the 'no"n 'nu lhe 1992
for OHe.' 0e"'( 'del [19/IJJ Beu1' .. a H' .. " . I r :l\ly nforll1eo Dy 'h,nese Chrnt( and Jean-Chude are al
n • ... -e Be for",', recogn'leo for po) t1cal and o, 193a, Budapest.
'"'
.0

• ;1' l1e, 8... rn He ,n concerned ",!M .k,lI ,n b""9'n9 tneor grplo" YP 'o ,t 1m .fld "a educated 111 Ne ...
,,_enti 3 1961l.. 19681. 5 { 91S; ar f ,¡ ou' rcl@andplace noaH,vely '"ternatlonal pr<.jen' '. Yorl_ [xh,bll,n9 'nce lh" ¡<l61 s,
:19S< IIe O perfor,"a' -es ti tri S ... 'th,n tne ,f tne un'vene Ilght TM' r {then )n11 under Dene de.1 "nll ecol09'cal, al ana
(urooe ti A.,er .a, ana" ¡r. tn Cut a' y nl'!1 Chr'>lO'S nomeJ been jn 'n
Ge, ... any ,n tn" ee S,,,nnale 1 ,16 He rohtb!' ,)"S ln lude 'The "angha! ind e . hiO,t ons such n Dotu .. enu 4 (!96BJ and monumental n scale and "hi(h
• an Art Jo nt htnbl1 ln', ' .. onu .. enta: 8iennale II outdoor . te r'1] env, rMmen la I be nefi t lJene! 1

Rt t 81 n. Ber' • a.a O( 'etc spen 've F uC .eu"" na 19851 ao Rhode I$land 19/4]. Sol< pernaps Dest for

• .... ". o at 0"'0" JI exh'b1t onl includ lile IMJdern Confron!dt on 198<1. a two-aue d
QI9J B'en Ale 997]. Am q<l lo, , Art, .. York [1968] and tne j\ she olaoted dnd horVl"strd ,n
r ... al FHebal A""terda", IIQ71' Mnhattafl. 'l'1y dec ln to plant a "heH

Oons BLOOM C p, n inHead )f Oe '9n,nq just

"'ent, 1991 and 'Cullurdl b. 1935. another publlc sculpture gre .. lUt Ji

.. .na
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" for tn _.1 forn,.) I\a' oeen.' oe ated ... ltn onqstaM,ngcon, rnandneeat, .al

Jnceptual Min,ma' '", lana Art ano attention :': lur rn"placed pr,or,t>l"

[""')1!j' and Afrl ifl t pan 1997 Instal 'al on an s,nce 196( H,s OetHloraung human v.lues ' In rr",
'rH .1" IS' an!! e ar' lH .ulpturel .011 lDJect conlront lhe "".JUntd!": !(, IO,ooe Pelpl""

111 l'" e nHr" ! er.n;"s,ng t-teI CH IN m'H aHu,"Ptl lOS abo"t arl 19B, J. Ule, tlle He'" as d
,f the co",,,,un1ty a' ..el as a ",ean to

p ,\ •a ptyres presentea ,n
'"' 'MeqTa!", nature and cu1turr; Ji,

rat ln of the S,," the C¡¡lt )f fir tree$ pi anted by 1 , peop 1e. Her

tr&a tlt DJ lne tuture)' a\fferent at th Gal efy, New Vork r,elrJ (1911). ocateo lO a plain 'n enl iest exn'D,Uon "H al llumbl.
•• Url.ls.'f entql t her pa'ntln'ls '19Bg] H,sp l't ul coneerosoevelopeoto Unlvrrsll." Var" ¡96S], Group

en fI lude Nao nal t, luoe env1ro"mental i .. >r' defl'1ty)f 10 Nnrth exh'b't,ons 'n,lude Oo.u",enU 6 IQ17 ana
G.llery. B@j ,n9, [lH5J and t, "'dit"nlor A"'er,ea. $culptyre s l"'P, ed of 4()( the 8'enndle 1978, 198( 10

81 m' $ f scylptures """H' oned printed su,nlrss \teel rOdl , ;pread 12() on$ ,n, ·Per>pectiVe¡·.

• ,ale"a ot by tl1e NeO' York C t, )eport,"ent Of and feet dPart ano edendlng ,ne ,"e Coreoran Gallery .,' Art. lIash,nQtOfl, DC

0995 aM and ren Jn for tlle o, t 100 'Noan' I Art ' As.l,qlltnin9 Hriker., lhe rOO$ {197SJ. In 1992 the Herbert F Jahnson

(1989] r'eld, begun 1n 1991 'n 'gn1(r, 'reatlog a val' ,et -.f v' ,ble at ¡rnel UnherS1ty presentell a

,t M,MeSata, s )n-gO'"9 proJect electr'cal -hnges }tner _,1 her •. ork.

AIlgh>ero 8 0ml {o. 1940, Tu,!n, d_ 1994, )f lanll re, la"'H,on 00 tM '"eluoe V.. rt'cil [drth ¡el
110 J.as." 'n,U IHlon and ,"cepl"al :apa¡-,ty of ;ertaln p13nts l( heavy (19/ 1. l/e ... York !drth RC',m [191 lb. 1941, The
8rl" en .. e¡er, NP.York :lg71
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Po.era 'n !Uly. He"as ecolog'tal .nO destnetlc lncerns Maria' "a tne 196'. ha prnducedonalnlypnotO·baSed

oart cularl, ;nterested In collaboratl.e Mve becoml' 1015 on. .. ork. Hi expiares the rela! )nsn,p

prOJecH ana tne ruhatlcn 01 p'eces dre on flnll'ng t< Ne .. Yor\:. '1968]. He part c'pated beheen fye, thp S'ghl of -ampra and

ofan people. lIoenl proble .. Cnin's has in Oocumenu 6 (197JJ and lhe Venice na!url". Exploring ... hat and the

ARTISTS 810GRAPHIES
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ARTlSTS BIOGRAPHIES
m and VIdeo as ",el 1 dr ... ,ng ln attempt to re,anHoate ruins. but t o a110,.. Mary MISS [b. 1944. New York] lsa 1945-\975 · . S.,i l l1soni an Institution ,

lhe hndstape, On paper or lO tnem to functto n In a different "ay by sculptor. drauQhu,"an, and W3Shlnglon OC [1975] and lile

a concerned .... itn both pllys;(al lpenlng them up to the urban He,..as enviroomental arUst .. ho Ihes ond \<Iorks in 8ienn¿le [1980]. A sho ... a¡

geography and Ine geograpny a f ex"erie"ce not concerned ,.., t h turning the York . Since thr 1970s shr has pldyea a Gallery. San Fr ancisco [1951]"'H one of
loto monUll1enta 1 pture, but in revea 11 ng lead,ng role In publ fe sculptu r e "'orris' earliesl exh'bitions. Otner solo

upo!'!!cs,'!am ana tM possibil1l1H l or sculptures slted ha ve been neld regularl), a t Leo

,,,terHted in poli t lcal .r!. tllat ; S to say problems . In order to document his "ork. he 'n the landseape ,..or' e xplores the Castel!i Gal l ery.

an .r! of ambigu,ty. contradlction, beeame a highly iMo.ati.e photographer and relation of eonstrueled f orms to lanaseape,

uncompleted .. estures and uncertain experimental fih"maker Solo e . h,blt,ons in terms of botn the phySlCal and the Christ,anPt.,hpp MÜlL E R 1957.8'1'1.

endlng' . Group exnioi!10ns lntlude i ne lude 112 Greene St reet G. 11 ery. NI'''' Vor" cultural se tt in9s. In 19B1 sl1e completed Sw1tzerlandJ and ,..or " s in NI'''' York. He

Oocu'I1enta x [1997] and lhe Hhana Blennale [1972J ana Staaali sche Kunsthal le. Cove. an archHectural landscape ma kes both ana perfo"nance

(1997). Solo inelude Gaoaman OUHeldorf [1919J Group e x hibitlons design on a piece 01 hndfill at Banery Park .. or . s . using histor;cal references to

Ga 11 ery. Jonanhe,!!u' .. f 1994] and Suphen inelude S [1972J and l [1991] and eHy. He" York lne \oIork dra"s on natural Question the (ondltions af ",ti<tIC

fri ed"'an Ga 11 ery. Londan [1998] tl1e Venlce B,ennale [19BO). and aspects 01 ll1e cove. In 1996 produetton and reeeplion. In hls ... ork A

started on reno.ating the 14lh 8alaneing,tn [1997]. Muller commented on

RlchardLO NG [o 1942, 8,istol] La Citdo ME IR ElES [b 1948. Pio de Janelfo. Street Union SQuare StHion lO NI'''' tM transformat,on of tIJe ,riedrlChspla¡l

sculptor. pnotograpner and Conceptual BralilJ ereates 'nstallations using York, ana the La Brea lar Pit sile 10 Los in Kass .. l. the sQuare ,n of

ArtiSl Muen of his "0'1, consist, Jf lile variety of materuh. eOOlbining spectacle Angeles. AIso in 1996 Miss eonstructea a Docurnenta·s ma,n building, the
• •
actlVity of waHlng, these ",aHs often lan ,..ith 15Sues of morlality ana cultural co 11 a bO r al i ve proj ec t, Greea,..ooa Pond: FfledenCHnym. by the eonstrue ti on of an

",.ny dar s aM n,", to re .. ote paru of Ine differenee. H,s lnstallH,on lio..- to Bu' Id Double Slte. a demonstratlon ,..etland 'n Oes underground car park. TI1,s has permanently

cnhedrlls [l981]. consisted da floor Moines. I"wa. in lhe grounds of lhe Des al terea Beuy s 1,000 0#5 (1972J ano De

MiS map, and bhc:k and .. hite are eovered \<11th 60,000 coins, a column of Mo,nes Art Among>t her group Maria·s Ver(Jeal fdrth Kilometer [1967].

a ,.isual record of these \oIalks. In many of c',",munion \<Iafers ano a root of Solo ·S1\ingl·. ld Jolla Museum exh'b'tions .nelude ·lheatregarden

h,S urly oleees Lon9 left ephemerol inelude IVAH, Spdln of ConlemporuyArt, Cal"ornh (1986J and 8estiarium'. P.S. \ . Ne .. York [19B9] ana

on Ihe lanascape. makin9 sculptures \oIHI1 [1995] aod the JnHilute 01 Contemporary 'More than Minimal: ,emln'5m and Documenta X, Kassel (1997]. 5010

natural "ote".,ls founa ,n tne environment. Boston [1991]. His \<Ior' hH been seen AbHractloo in Rose Art Museum, e Xhib,tions ,nelude ·Kleiner 'unrer durch

A L ine Maae by [1961] 1 S a in numerous 9rouP e<hlbitions includ1n9 Brandeis Universi l j. Waltham. die Ehem·. KunSla"aaerniegebaude .

photograph of a line left in the grass by 'Magiciens de la Terre·. Centre GeorgB MasHcnusetts. Solo eXh'b'tions inelude the [1984J and 'Was nane liegt 1st

repeatedly back and forth in a Pompidou. Pa"s. and ·20 Anos de Arte MCh'tectural Assoeiat,on. London [1987] doeh so fem·. Hamburg [19971.

stralght I,ne. Dunng the 19/0s, 01' Arte I"oderna. ·MUy Miss: Pnoto Ora,..,09S·, Des Molnes

pieces such as Sldte C,rele [l979J. Long Paulo :1994J. Art Center. Oes Mo,nes. 10"'0 (1996]. Viet NGO [b 1952. VietnamJ came to lhe

startea to proauee sculptures ,n gallery Unlted SUtes In 1970 to sludy

sp.ces. Dr,nging h,s e.penence of nHure Ana MENDIETA lb. 194B. Hav.n •. CUbd. d. [b. 1931. KanHS Cl t y, engineer,n9 and s l udlO arts He be90n

oack 'nto tM rnuseum or gallery. He al So 1985, Ne\<l Yor_] \<las sent t, the Un1teO M'Houri]li.e< ano in Ne" large·scale seulptures ,n granite.

started to .. ake mud pa' nt, ngs ... , th h, S hands States ,n 1961 H part of the i 11· hted oeullfe eo"ers a .. 'de range of di fferenl marole and ,..ood in 1963. but subseQuen t l)'

direnly onto lhe gallery walh. Although Operaclon Peter Pan for This pract':es, ineluding performance, turnea to environmental art and arl in

hiS .. s stron91y 1 inked to the 6ritish forced Hparat ion Irom her homeland ano her paintlng. seulpture and eartn,..orks. ,rom publ ic spaces. H9<' founded a cOOlpany lo

lanaseape tradition. the "or'·s mean'ng fam'ly had a fundamental ,rnpatt)n ner "or" 1965 MOrris e.niblted large. conceptually promOle a '<jreen· "Hle ... ater treatment

Iles ,n the 1, ty of hl S actions rather Whlle Hill al the UnlVen'ty of insplred pleees such dS Unt!tled. wooden technOlogy. the Lemna 5ystern, whleh he

than representations of a lanascape. Long she .. al:ing performance pieces cubes lacea ... ith P1H'glas mirror. Moving helped develop: t nis system hi., to

aiSt,nguHhed hlmself from art,qs \<IhlCh comblned ritual. performance and a"ay from loe constra,nts of conventlon.1 pul ,nto pra(tice his ideas aMut

... orking In 1M laMseape by lhe spiritual references Mendieu·s SIlueta media. Morris created ,nfrastructure and arto ·The Lemna

h'S intervent10n in envlfonment. both an :arving5 and earthwor'S made ln for .. ,..orks uslng ephemeral mHenal, such faeil1l'H are designed as 9reen corridors.

ethical ana aesthetic principIe Long natural landscapes, developeo an ong'nal as hll. mirrors. and ... aHe or punduation mar"s. in the urbon

part' e I pate<l ,n . WorO:s·, VI r9' n'a lor,"al dnd SCulptural informeo OY sleam and d1ft also sluled to 1 aollscape.· Hi S best· "ork. De.' I s

O.. an Gallery. He ... York [1968] the art I Sl • S speCl cul tu re and .. airectly in tne landseape, creatlng lt'aHe,..ater Treatment Plant [1990J,

inc1uaed ln Oacumenta (1912J. Solo autobiogrdphy. but wnich transcended these hl$ first Obsuvdtory, in 1971. locatea In D..... ¡l· s lake, North Oakota. i S a

e.hib't'ons include Museum of Moaern Art. to express fundamental human ¡ncerns ,rom Morris· prlmary .. ere the physical function,ng treat .. ent faeilit)' Pu r ,fYlng

Odor<l [197\] ,n (ireles·, 1980 to 1985 she started to develop a three- and psyehological COM'l'ons of 3.5 mi 11, on ga 11 ons of ... astewater a doy

Hay ... ard Gallery. [1991] sculptural vocabulary us,ng lhe scale ¡I ha lana pieces provoke an through 'erpenl'''e eoverea w'th a

awareness of the experience as Coth brighl <jreen mat )f ... phnts. Ngo·S

Gordon MATTA-CLARK (b. 1942. Ne ... Hyliled "'0'< Mendieu·' ,..ork ,patlal and temporal. $culoture off the group i"elude 'Public

d.1978. He ... Yorq ... as the m of featured In 'Lat'" American ef the Pedestal. Belknap P¿rk. [1913· In5tHute Of ContemPOrar)'

SurrealHt palnter Roberto HOlta and gre .. XXtl1 Century' al lhe Museum of Modern Art. 74] continued MorrH' of arl ArIS, 80ston (1994] and '80th Sides'.
•
UD in the company 01 Mareel Quchamp. Max Hew Vúr' [1993] ana .. as al D ineluded ,n to landseape in"'"leh il Smithsonian Jnst'"ution, lIashinQton OC

Ernst and the group of Abstraer ·Feminin-mascul,n. le sexede l'Art'. H sited rather than sl,"ply set arC'lrarlly (1996] Solo e>hibitions inelude 'Sewage

Expressionists 'n Ne .. York A former Centre GeorgH Po",pidou. Parls [J993] i nto ; t. i nQ tne 1980s Morr i S returned t o and Sculpture: rile lemna ProJecl·.

of architecture al Cornell dra,..,ng ¿na palnling, .. ay frOml1is Steenslund Gallery. College of St Ola f .

MUHumol Contemporar)' Art. York (1981) concerns "itn the phenomeoology of the ,..or' Northfield. Mlnnesota [1990J and ·V'et Ngo:

n,s ·cutt'ngs·. lnterventions he earrle<l ana fOnda,.o Anlooi Barcelona Of art. Group incluoe Large Scale Seulptures · , Forum Gallery.

out On buila'ngs His ,..a<; nol an {\997]. ·Sculpture, American D"ections Minneapol,s. M,nnesou (19B9J.

ARTlSTS · BIOGRAPHIES
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re.' " , -" (195 ).M 'Gula Galler, of

• Rom", (1990

"OH • f.c' r u, •• h e ¡'IBe}. litad", of ""rrors and neon lignts, plays ,,"tn
o,,, • • ." Supler. Pa" 11962} dnd Galerie
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( . •••
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Char1ItSSIMONOS (b 19(5.
199,

... lord
reg .. 13rl, vl5ltea urPan, 'nPust"a' ano

ce'lan a se" es of
In Jersey •• "d

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19711s. d .. • lI"g p'aces for an

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prOJecs 50'ra; len}" on tlle shore of :ne

Gren Sal' la.e. litan [19701. is t he /leH
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AUTHORS 810GRAPHIES
 ROSoilhnd KRAUSS [o. 1940) t S Professor 01 Jann's KQunellls and A"ISIl Kapoor; • categor), not eontained ..-!thln the
Art dl Ihe ity UnlVerSH)' 01 Nelol tHt5 lnelude Arl polu'tiB 01 the and the 8eauttful
Pro.es or ji Ge' log)' York, and -edltor )f the October: Disronlent Theory theMiJlennoum [1991] by Burke earlier in the

lQY Ha .. Ud Un, "er' 't1, Art and Dtherness er>SJ5 Md century. In ISIO Pr'ce's ¡:olle¡:ted

:a,"oridg ,Ma' He J primar11)' a d,d much to Introduce Cle,.ent (,reenberg·s Jdentlty (1992]. were ished In three volumes,

pa 1 109; t dnd evel Jnar)' ,"oder"iH C"til ism to a more

bi teHnHge,logyandtne eMlronment. as wel! B aevelop,ng tlle Joseph MASHECK teaches at Hofstra Hirold ROSENSERG (l906-78J w_ s

se enCe preOlise$)f th_t erotle'sm, However, b)' the University, Ne..- York. He..-as an ed'tor of A,"erican critie aMd teacher_ A conteOlporary
€arly 191 ArUorum ,n tne late of Clement Gree "" erQ, tneory Of

/i'Hary [l980J and [''1nt t,tEle JI Ihe ,nab,\,ty )f Greenberglan Modern150l ",oderniH nn ,n OPPOS1t10n to the
Pr'lgre [1994 lO the a'vers't)' of has also .. ritten on the 5ubject af fiatness Greencerg i an I i ne. Rosenberg' s argument
:ulture_ '$ dutMr uf In art, partldor1)' in relatlon to the wor, th.t th€ aeHhetlc benme 5ubord,nate to

HAR KAYY an ,noependent uralor nuOlerou' rev,e..-s. artleles and cH410gue the e"ent in .ction palntlng coloured Ihe

bdsed rn Yor'. Am,ng5t lhe esH1s 'ncludi"g PJSHges In Modern reception o f bpressionism.

,Me eurated Jn Seu Ipture [1977], rhe Or, 9 ,nd /1 Iy of Ine fymlO NANJO (b. 1949 J i S an ,ndependent \y ,n (urape. .... s art c r itie for

Outs1de'. waaer Arl Center. H,nnew( H AVdnt }(her ModerniH My¡h5 curator and trltie and d leeturH the lie .. Yorker magdli ne, dnd ed, ted

19881. ,he MS conlnDuled regularly lO [1985] ¿na fheOplicdl Unconsclous [1993J. at Kelo UnlVers't)' , Tokyo. He hdS ser ved as LOCHion5 durinQ the 1960, and 1910$. He

Art' and Ila' .. ritten a Juror for the CHneg'e Internationdl, IoIrote numerOU$ catalogue on !hrnetl
•
for inc1uding 8nKe KURIZ IS art c"tic and Prole\ or PltBburgh [199IJ; the (;u!lQenhelm'S

an plants in A/an II:dtn: ,f ,'ne Arl at (ollege. He is Boss New Yor;, [l996J; and the Turner Dbject (1966] and Art on the [dge, CredtQrs

Animdl!, Peop/e, [1995J Prile at lM THe Gallery, Londen (1998) He dnd S,tu8f,ons [1976]_

the 1998 Conn'SSlonH o f tite h'pei

Alann¡o HEISS been ,f P.S. 1 publ, :at,ons such Art 'n A",erlCd and Ans Siennale. Nanjo's arlicles been Anne-Mine SAUZEAU soml Olarrl ed
Mu,eum, New York, ,nee 1976, and, al ,o (urtz Spots. Pybl'Sheo In numerou' art puDllCatlOnS Boettl in 1964 and collaborated

Pfe 'dent ,1 the yor, for Art of Americdn relevoslon lnclud1ng Le5 [Centre GeorgH w,th hUO for over twenty Jears. She is d

Contemporary puD 1 :H' ons ,nc 1 Directors [1977). Pompidoul. fldSh Ar¡ and Art ler ana who

the exh' b' tilO .ata logye De"n i Oppenhe im, contributed to dnd reviews

Selected k"r/¡s 196 -90 (1990]. KaleLJNK ER IS dn er'I'C bas€a Clies OLDENSURG lb. 1929] H one of Ihe n El and Ddld.

n Nelol Yon 51le frequently to pn nCl pa 1 art' SI s of Pop Arl and 1; V€S and
Dave HJCKEY (0.19)71 i anAs!OC'He and fldSh Ar¡ a' dS other wor1<.s in New Seglnnlng in 1961lolith S,mon SCHAMA lb. 1945] is a historian,

Profe" Ir )f Art :rlt ' ,m and lheor)'.t the nternlltlOnal arl journ,¡l . sne 15 author Store . he set up. ,n Home, ..-"ter Droadcaster. He 1$ Old DOIll1nl0n
Un'ver< ,ty ,f Nevada, la, Vegas. He na- ,1 L"ve for rile lIord5 P"ture5 of {lee/rlCaT Mechdn '"1 OIlJects .na the Professor of tlle at
edr; for ea¡:h 01 tnese theOles Oldenburg Columbia Universlty, York. He has

magazine n Nelol Yon, Stalf creHea dn in hlS studio o f pub\,shed ... his books
SongwrHer for Glaser PuDl catlons in LucyR LJP PARO [b. 1931] is a 91ant obJects and solt sculptures, has e, t [1989J ond Memory
W(lter, curator and aet1vist currently featured;n group such as 'New (1998]. Senama also

mOH maJor AmerIcan puDl cat, ,ns. based'nNe .. Mex,c( forOls/New Medu T'. MHth. dOc t ar 1es '
The In,,' ,/Jle DrI'1an: ·'s on lntemporary art, and Ga11ery, New York [1960] and Art

fS<dY' ¡n 8eduty [1993]; Prior the Twentieth Century', Martln·Gropius· GefrySC HUM [1938-13) was d critic and

Convl(t,ons [1989J. a volume of 111 short :atal )Que l'ppud :urated Sau, Ser[,n (1993). H]S solo uh'Dltions p'oneer in the re,lm of video art ln

f¡ctl0n; A" [·sa)' on Art & exh,blt,ons ,nlernatlOna 1)' arnon9 tMm ,nclude 'Claes OldenDurg, An Anthology·, H1> [Television

DemocrdCY [1991]; and a co' lect,on II :ial Strateglel by Women Ga llHY J ... , th art i sts to make wor kS

e' ,ay' >lmple IInr! [199IJ. Art,>t,', [nSllule of ,nternporary Arts, (1995 ). for tele.ision ano broadcHt the

)ndon [1980] m.ae p< hucal art ana television-Hhib't,on 'Land Arl'on 15 April

John Bnnckerhotl JACKSON (1909 -96] tdught pedormancel, dnd written m a voriety of Cr¡¡,g OWENS [1950·90) was an 1969, featurlng eight works Dy eiqht

at tn. JnlVer' 'ty 1 .al fJrma. 8erkele)' Includ,ng Art, 'em,nlH cntic "hose theones are crucial lO Ihe artists, this was the 'nhlbtt,on·

11 s teach'ng :entred;,n 'f Art, pUbl" art. land and cntlcal deDate Post .. odernism. t,tled·LandArl'

the AOlerlCdn in retal' m t¡ their pldCe, Through her L'ppard has From 1979-80 he was AHociate (dnor al ,on to TV Exhibi ti on 11,

env1rQnment. A ... " ter dnd sell! ar, ne brouQht "ttentlon particularl)' t( "',,"en Dno/Jer and dur;ng the 19BOs .... s [dHor of was Dy

artlH' wor'tnq w1th,n the a lunes ef Art in 'He Baden·Baden on 30 NoveOlber

geogrdphy, In Lana lIody Her bOO>.S , ne I S'- K Allegor1cal [mpul,e, a Tneory 0 1 19JO. An catalogue, Gerry Schum,

Yedr5. rhe / pnt pon of ¡he Art ..... s ori9,ndlly puDlnhed 'n was publ,shed by the Stedelijk

Jiek KEROUAC I 1922 M j wdS an Amer I can ODjed [1913] and ene ture of tne I OetoDer n 1980 A book of Iti S collened A.. sterd ... [l919J

M"el t. After hi fi"t no.e1, lhe lo .. n 1997]. w"t'ngs, Beyond Recogn,tion, was publishea
Ihe 'Iy 19, . he (urneo (rom ln 1992. Willoug hbVSHARP lb. 1938] was the co,

ThomasMCEV lll EY lb. 1939) aa,he, al and editor o f in the earl1

Un,ver,ny. He ls a Uvedale PRICE [1747-1829) was an [ngl15h 19/0s, and o f tlle se",'MI '[H t h

He j autublogrdptl1cal F I )",ng mtriouting editor of Artforum and and IoIriter He was lud1n9 Art' b, t ion at the Oi ckson Wlt, te

n Jf On tne 1I:0dd [1957]. exponent of tite Plcturesque, a quasl' Cornell New York

ernerged puDI reV'h$ in field 01 eontemporary are He aesthetic theor)' uf landscaped nature. (1969). one of tlle first e xllJblti ans t o

Sen GE 'rat,on. Ila' al . wrltten ln hes Kle,n, hice argueo thal the PlctureSQue descrlbed thls terlll, AVdldnche f eatured lntervielol s

AUTHORS BIOGRAPHIES
 ... , f thf 91

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n.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Adnan 'W 4 o lB, ndon, '1

, y ", O" o :J pr "91981, 9 • pp De Toc:c¡unolle , Aln'5 ,

el" _ _ _ _ • I'rob tlt tar!;' Carson Rachel. el t Spr' nª,

Ald,ss Broan . ,M •
ptu'e aroen, CasUeTed , 'Art lO lt' Pla • O,llard Annlf , C/t,laMorl, Plcador.
"
,
.,.
Alloway Lawrer.cl' . Yon. ,epte ber 1'J82 , pp , 64 75 1989
, 1<, b • ___ ' t OnscaU EllgarJ . 'h(' t Artne ... ,., n

,. o. p )3, V 1974, pp. 8 ·81

R be r ' th " ' "t . , e res_o 1989 Ea9lelon.Terry , frie, Jgy: Afl ¡fttrOrJu(¡ 01>,

rl' r , .' '1 ha r

'" oodo" , 1991

o and ape',Art Earlh Progre " ArChHecttlre, O 4S, Hew

Anderson Wayne A r d York, N, €mbel De ,_mber 1979. PP. 6 98J. DD 94 1 York, Aprj 196i, 1 ue
btena Q Causey Andrew , 'Soace Hne ,n Bnt sh
, o . , In ternd(' 19? • , Ber l e'ey
t)' •
• •
Andrew$ Malco!m . ' n. F Oruary 9, pp 14 19; ;4 ndon, Apr 191,pp.l Angeles, 196
,, ro
" T
"" d.
Hen'y

Yor" von, 1969

Arte Povero, PraeqH. Ne..-

.er ty PrB , BaltiMore

Asllton Dore . '"er( S Ant ,tyle , .968 Chlpp HerschelB , d .. Theorie ,( "aau" Art, and LoMe" 199,

t R gua dnd Ant 1 rm' • Berger.John , u( ',,,, ng. New , iJ"a "t

yor. 198

BergerMaurlce , 11 I'r! If rr s, M.geles, 1969 Yor" 197

'" er,
,. ,,' CliIrk Kennelh , ni An, rev. ed • Femsehgalene , Ger,y h"" tlndArl.
•• r' _, New Harper lo ·w, Yor., .976

" '
S,man , . )\lChlng the tan",

___ o '11 h.e ler- T H no d Agr

E
a
_.
,torn • . • u e .,
.. Ar!
q. : • p. ',

5t
BongirtZ. Ro)' . , ,
,981

€O '¡n' CQI1.ngwood. RG ,I!le

p

Oeij)f

'. 194'
Oxf rd Fineberv JOMt""n. 'Tneater

Tltougl1t oM
ADr'

,l, " 4rf ;n A"'efled, n 61 .

19'), DP 14·19
ftneReal

o • pp 1b Ccmplon . M,ehaeLOav,d SyI ..... Re ert" rr .. vork, DI .. mber 1979, pp. 9,-99
f Arr ti, 1'1 Borden.l,:z'l' .. ., Foote Nancy . 'Ora",ng line', Arrforum.

Bach"lard Gaston . •,., I.Neor., H: CQhen Arlhur , ,,' o 14, '1dy 1976, pp

8, B Ion. 1969 p, 68 ", "don, 464 _ _ _ ' '¡he Ant 1 Ph ! ;'4phen',

B.:okerEh2abe1h . d ' , A" .. ,o .t CoomaraswamyAnandaK . Tn Trd on Artfor""" no 15, lork. 1976,

..,
Barrell. John .
,n

,,
V

, c k,
New

Sorges. Jorge Lu,s ,

qB
Mar h 9i4,
,
44

, ... , 'W

Ramo', Artfor
Jt mltr 00: The Amar
PD 46

var'.
009

,,,,,me' ¡9S0, pp. 42·47

Arrforum, no le,

IB4( , Dr '9 Sourdleu P,erre , ,ne,r rfleory f FQwkes . Wilham. A H gel d" A, un¡ ,/

• rdge, 9' Crandell. G' ..... P tor 41'led: 'TIle nte "<lry JMI Preu, Ann

• rn ij n r ". Ho'o
"
Arbur. 98<
L!uttoo In Bourdon.Oav,d '\ld t r lhe Ba 199] Frankenstern . Alfred , 'e r • • .

Art: A , Anrh Oam,sch Huberl , ,a ty or ',Art 'n A..er el, n 64.

n, 968 Yon, • )6.pp94, ,," l"'dO,MIT r¡ >. .. VQrk. N"vemoer Nember 1916. pp 5S-61
o., ___ , Ffledman SruceJay . 'O,rty PlCtures',

von ¡"
.t t dnd ,
,. '"'
Oavos
"don, 1994

' ,<qu,r,. no 5, VO", Mal' 1971, pp.

Sateson Gregory , M,,, d t A

"
, In E rlh rne ,. •• , 142

f r, ' Fry.Edward 'RObert "'rr,s C'a1e(('c',

rlquefrhe • ! f qnt', .. s ..ee •. n 8l, An Mijgu'ne. 0< 49. New YO'""

, •
"
Bourgeo,s Jean Lou,s, ' M1m: A Yor., ,j" , D. ')2 ¡Q74, pp.
.,
,'. ", ArO ru," n Ga5set, Orlegay. "ev t ' f tne MdSSes, lo'.W .

tea." tlnq f" • , Norton, 19;

" ,>' 'r , , Bumham Jack , Gre Ang¡le_.1984

it foco, Bra¡ De M¡ma Waller . ':' u (emen t ' • M rn 1'"4 , Ar¡ A . Ne .. York. 1956

Bear L,u NancyHol1 '0 rt Marrl 'rit d Anth ,.

, -. .. Yor<, 1968 Be9,nnon9< ,Arch ¡ecture, Bo" \",

Bnrdsley John
• 'Art tnonUr ar sm
, '5
4b.
.• '(

Yan, May 19
Art'. Ar{< Mijgu'ne. n

,op.39·4'
Vork, 1964

G,lberl-Rolfe Jet1!my, Johnston . .J.ohn , 'Cr ay' ty , ,

w " '. ' , • ___ . 'The f eld', Arlfor m, o and tne Jelty'. Part 1,

SI8L IOG RAPHY

 •
S'
n ett
,
'." :' ' .. • .,

•
11/ ., , n. fe LucyR elal
,
OUl d

•
"
m
91).6
,
pp
'" '" , •

. ", ",
..., ... ..
o ! ,6 • Head"
'" ""
.
no
.• her ' " ua,. 1 •• • • LDng RICl'Iorrd
, • pO

-" , ,'o ,o ,,, , ," , ,

, , , , " '

•
• 6
Knabb Ken
, ,
..,
.a: Dnl

Knabb
•
,",
. , , .. •
, •
", • ,
. ,
'"
"nne 4rrf pp 4( 4
"

ftI Y 1< Apr , ,

" A n g¡

'h ",""
Krauss Rosalond

. " ,.. • ,
Rt hi' d
1 ,
" St . j

., Oo.
Howell Calhen ne
I t

...
P'e
, r •-.
• • ,
"
the b¡ ar

•• I
• Lopez B;;...y . 'n re.! a.
Al ... ,,' , 6

GrlInd Rop,ds Pn>¡Kl Rober1 M"""i ., "

,"
," Kubler.
, •
w. el

•
T. Art

..
• Hunl. John Dllon _
" Kur1z Brute. Rober1 Smtll'lson , '"
,
•
...
Jahn . ", tt R 971 ' Leo.
ti -.
• " ., •¡ P t

.,
Gunter Virg lnoa.
,
, . '. O
"
Huld"nson Peter . an
Kusp't. Donald . gh!

, ,'
,' Pn

oo.
Nf .. , k,

'"e':, fF neAr··
". A, ' "o T

"' "
Mashe<:k Joseph . •
,, ,
" ". Lands.:ape Sclllpture The New Leap
,
;t'
, ..
!l. ..
Gu\h". Woo6y
,
Jack50n John Broncbrhofl .

v, '
rer i nq
191,
" '
•
Mason. Pete,
, ,
, ,

.,
•• .'" Other Re '
,. "
,
••
, .. JoH1l\S01'1 ElLen H _
,
•
... '"
"
,
'"
jee Le,der PII,lop .
"
at
McConalhy. Oille .. 11 te on

,
" • , ", •• 1"". Berke JU' 1

, Johnslon. Je remy G,lbert-Rolfe ,

.. ,, , .. .nd Ilah'

,
"
ArU
·4',
,m, no 9,
McFadden Sarah .
, ,
s. Par 11' he

•
.
,
O,
"' O" , Jf
••
' , "
• •• 6 , Ne .. fe Oece .r , '. ,
, o., o.'
" • 6.
,
McLIII'Iorn Marsl'lorll. Harley Parker

"• " " • Lev,n K'mela l. 'je ¡fAr"

, ,
HNe, al •
• O
"
." , o
, Juss,m EsleUe Elozabeih L,ndqulsl-Cock .

,.
", "
McShlne Kynaslon L n' Nf n.

• "
pp 48 1 " v •. r< '. 're Merchanl Carolyn ,

...
Kant lmmanuel, rv t O·" Fee lfe R¡
, . , . • , L,nker. Kale , ].
" •
O',

,
1'110n'
" '" • 1 '
•
.
L , , t j 01 t oro m. no I 0''-, t-t esser Thamas . 1m

", ,' • ." ,

, .' .- ... . " '"
erke
Itudan

""
rl
4n l-·t.
n

"
• L,ppard L¡¡cy R

,",
" (dy;,4r!

MlChelson Annene . "r ., " t n

t r ,! •
, D. 1 , Kellrt JeII , ,' i 111

Henn Adnan . .: J .. r t, ..

" '"
, .' M,lman Grt'99 . [

.
" fnd TI Red I wor a', Artf,n,JI, n l., .. , ", 0' di TI

Hetnrll Hayoie'n •• Fehruarf 1974, po 36-'9 ••

, ,
o, 6. TI KepH G'f<>rgy
" ." .19;
, 1 4. pp. 9, 94. Morns Roben .. •• )n ,'_,ro Par' 1,

Herrer.t Haycien _ , ,• ,
., p' I .. Ar h'tectural 't r, ,o , , k, y _966,

"
abe' .,(" A,' I
" ,
42 44; ,r'_

•• Bri-9J OC ' ober JI n-J;artll

I- DI Kepes, Gyorgy . f, r ..Ir fe , ,

'. 96 J,

Hobtls Roben Pu b I An'. n "hled, •. n ¡¡l, N" iJ ¿9: a.' IY J¡··,',Ar:',r,"'.

.. "
ue Ar: KJngsley.A.pnl . • x W'"u .t WJr' in . "'1 9Bl B6· n07, '"lO 0' _ Al 50-54

co . "a,' , . '.'. ,01

:e :."y John Apri 19: l. P "9: • Mct • t,
Hobbs Robe!1 . .h" Al 1>\;,
" "
970,
", k. Aor

BIBLIOGRAPHY
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Invented Tr.n¡formlng VI$lons 01 the York, June 1967 , pp. 36-40 VaM 8ru9gen , Coosje, John B. ¡ SSdr i , R1 z lO 1 t ,

1. Yor k , Fal1 1970, DD. 12-13 American ¡"eH, Yale Unhersity Pres.\. Ne .. ___ , 'Ultra- Hoderne ' , ArIS l1agdllne. no Ne " Yor t . 1990

___ , Morr! • el Hayen, 1992 42, He .. Yerl<. 1967, ' Holes I/ ithout

al, )f Ame" ;an Art, New Robb,n Anlllony . 'S .. , t h 50n Non· Si te Si 9 h t$ ' • pp,31-33 Artne ... s . no 70. Ne w Hay 1971.

Yor . , 1970 Anne ... s, oc 68, New Yor ' . 1969, pp. ___ ' 'So .. e V01a lhough t S ,n pp. 44_48: 66-68

SO- 53 Arts Magu,ne, no 4 2. .. Yor k , Nove¡nCer IVt"te.Jonn, 8/rth I?eblrth of Plctorj"

Yor'. fal 1971. 1111 30-35 Rorty. Ph' lvsO¡¡hy the /Ir rror oi 1967, p. 41 S04ce. Faber ana Faber, lonoon, 1959

" SOOle SDlashe5 1n lhe Enn Tide', Pnnceton ¡nl"enlty PrBS, ___ ' 'Tne HOnuments of PaS.\alc', W,U'ams.Raymond, Proole"'s In /liUri.liSII
•
Artforum, no ¡l, February 1973, 1979 Artforum, n( 7. Ne" York. Oecember 1961, ana verso, London , 19BO

pp. 42-49 Rosen Nancy , 'A Sen.\e vf Place: Fhe pp. 48-51 WiU,ams, Will,.mC;orl05, A I?ecogniuole lllage,

_ _ _ . I?ooert 110rrr flProject • I nst ltute American Ar t 1 t s'. no ___ ' ' A foIuseurn of in tne Victnity Ne w Oi rect i ons , Ne w 1978

)f ContempordrY Art. of 193, Harch April 1911, pp_ 11S·21 of Art', Art Inlern.t 10M/ o no 12, Ne .. Yor lt. . Worll. Mehnda , 'l/ a lter Oe Maria ' s

PhilaaelphU, 1974 RosfMberg Harold , rne of Arl: Harch 1968, PP. 21-27 Fiela· . Aru Hdgulne, no 54, Ne w Yor k . Ha y

'Al19nea lo"th NalCa'. Anforum, no IIn ion Art to Pop to ... orH, Horizon 1990. Pp. 170-73

14. He ... Yor k . Oetoner 1975. pp. 26·39 Press, Ne .. York. 1912 Crt/ledl IInthology, eC!. Gregory Butcocl<, Youngblood. Gene. 'l/orla Ga .. The ArtlH as

_ _ _ ' '1ne Pre<eflt Ten<e nf Space', Art _ _ _ , Arl on [dge: E.P. Dutton and Co . . .. Yor l< , 196B, Eco 1091 st . , no 27, loronto ,

Amulc!, no 66, Yor'. JanuHy-FebruHY pp. 402-6 AuguH 1970. pp. 42· 49

1978, pp. 70-81 1975 _ __ o 'Aerial Art', Studio !ntern¡tiondl,- •

_ __ , 'Note.\ on Art as/and lana Russell, John , 'Art; HeitH's no 177, London, Apri11969. pp. 180-18
Ree Hober, MO 1<, ,prlng 1990. World', rhe 'le .. York T""es, May 14, !976. ___ o 'InciClent, e l Mirror Travel in the

pp. 87-102 p. e16 Artforum, no 8. Ne" York,

___ o I?oben Morris 5elected WorH, Silndler, 1"",n9 , Amer 1 edn Ar t o f I he 1960s, Septe",ner 1969, pp. 28-13

1970·1981, ¡ntemporary Arts MUleum, & Row. Ne" Yor " 198B _ __ o 'Cultu r ol Confinement', IIrtforum.

1981 SchJe!dalll. Pe!er , 'RoCert Smi ths lO, He Hade no 11, Ne .. York. October 1912, p. 39

as Real Hountain,', rhe /fe" __ o 'The Spnal Jetty', ArlS of ene

a. Seulplure, Seattle Art York {,mes, 12.1913. p. 21 [nv;ronment , ea. Gyorgy Kepes, George

Scu!ty. V;ocenl. Tne [drth, Tne Temple aod Braz1 ler. New York, 1972, pp. 22(-32

SeHtle.1919 Yale Un1llen ty Pre< ,Ne .. Halteo,

Mueller. Grego,r , He" lssue, COMen I :ut. 1962 Oialectica1 Anforum, no 11,

ror the A,t cf 'es. Praege'. l/e ... Szeeman. Harald. llnen A t t 1 tude, Form. New YOrk. february 1913, pp_ 62-68

Vork.1972 KuoHhal1e. 8erne. 1969 Bnxe Kurlz . 'Con ve rs. t ; on wi th

Novak. 8arbara , 'TM Edgeo Axe', Art 'n Shabecotl, PM,p , A Freree Green (lre: Rocen S .. 00 April 22na, 1972', rne
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1976, pp. 44_50 lo'ang. FurH ,trau, Glrou>, Ne .. 1993 RoberlSmllhson . ArlS Hdguine, nO 52. Ne ..

Novak, Barbara . lIalure dnd Culture; Amedcl Sharp. Willoughby, e! al. , [a Arl. AOdre .. York, M"y 1978, specUl hsue, pp. 96-\44

/8?5-/875, Oxford )1ckson l/hite Museum. Cornell !n'ver<ity. Stegner. Wallace , American WeH dS L r .¡ng

Unhersity PreH, Ne w York. 1980 ltMca, 1971 Spdce, Ini,.enity ,fM1ChlganPress , Ann

Ooorato RonaldJ , 'The Maze', Art Shtffield. 'Nat U ra 1 S t ruc tu re S • Arbor.1981

Internatlondl. oc 20, New York. April·May foIichae' Singer's ind Ora"in9s ' , S)'Ivesler OaVld Mochael Compton, I?ooe rt Horr i s ,

1976, pp. 21 15 Artforum. no 1 ,New Yor'. 1979, Ine late Ga II ery, London, 1971

p...,ker. W,l('am , • Art 1 ; B Ove r a no' . St ud i ( pp. 48·51 Tiber9heon , G,!es . tand Art, transo Carolioe

InternHJOna/. ne 190, london. Nove .. her Shepard. Paul , l1an In Alfred A. Green,p.,nceton Archi t ectural Pre$s, Ne ..

1975, pp, 1S2-S3 Knopf. Nt" 196/ 1995

Paoolsky. Erw,o . Puspect dS Sym{JollC Form, Sttlnberg , Leo , Gtner [rlterlil: Tilhm ,S,aney , .. orks and the Ne ..

'anfrontdtions ... ,tl> r.. ent,eth Artforu ... 00 7, Ne-,¡ Yorl< .

York, 1992 Oxford !nivers,ty O, lord and He ... Dece¡nDer 1968, pp. 42-45

ParkerHarley MarshallMeLuhan , TnrDugn Ine Yor\;. 197? Tomk,ns. C;olv,n , 'Oo"ard aoa Jpward .. ah the

Vdn1s''IIng Pe lfIt: ,pa,e in PONry Sh,rleyOav'dl. , '[ .. pe ible [t I Art Running Fence', He., YONer, no 53 . Nf-'¡

P.,ntlng, Harper :01 lpnOn, York, 1968 Arl in A"'er, (d. m 57, Ne .. Yor'. Moren 28.1977, pp. 43-46

Perlmut1er.El,zabeth , 'Art iM Land' :ape', 1969, PP. 32·41 Tuan. '(j·fu, SIlJCe Jnd PI Per5lle, t i ve

Artne"', n, 7S. Ne" Vor', April1916, pp. Sky. Ahson . Roben Sm,lhson , 'En t Made Unlversit y Jf Mlnnesota

66 61 V' Ib1e', Dn te 4, fa 1973. PP. 26·30 Press, Mlnneapol11. 1977

Phel.:m . Peggy . "Jnmar'ed: Pe I,¡I(S '1 Slotk,n RIChard The fn_ironmenl roe 'Realismand Fantasy in Art,

Perform.nce, Roulledge, .:¡naon.1993 'fylh of Il>e Front, er , n Age 01 H1Hory,.na Anna/s Of tne

Pollao MIChael , Secona Ndlure. A G.rdener', InduI!ri"/'Ulion. 1800-1890. Harper 3 Ro". ASSOci.t,on of American Geogrdphers, no 90,

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1991 Sm,th , HenryNash , Virg'n TOe A.... Vano..r Marck. Jan , Herbert .. Type 10

Arl Dj }une, 15 'une In Welt al Symool dno Mytl> , Harvard U"iverSity ¡andse.oe Oesigns. Projec t 5 dnd

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BrunIW· .', Ne .. Jersey. 1991 Sm,thson, Roberl , • Towa ra the Oeve I op .. eot of

BJBL10GRAPHY
 JO,

INDEX •

" Bordo • -, ,. [
., , .",. r .. ti'l

&'M SttplMn

,,: .• ·· ".lte. ,, 1 ,

Brtn.Guy .E q

" , ., e99J211

• ,,,o. ,

• f Bn>uwn Stanley " Drild. Ciotl>9n,,¡ ..'" , " ,

"
AlcIiss. SNn W z, •• "t n • 1 Brown Juu. Di .....

BuchLoh HO Mc..l
AIlawri.U .. ,.ncl s..udnlLlrd )eiln
WiilUlr
• • • I
"
• -- Burrn [l,¡on..t
, '.
,
... '" ." .' ... -
Burh Edmund '

•
1':14

.,
e •

8J
,233-34, J•

, """'" •
" ,-
• •
•

'. ., • [ • • ,
Land An
Blyer Her1l«1 : 4 . l. 1
"
I
, • Bumh.iom. JKk l4 .] 7 n4 ürth An AndrewOIdr.IOl1WM,lootuuum

, [l!l68 .14 Com,tlUn ...rslty Ith«.i NIWYorl<

-, ,, ,
.,
t III·t r iI " 1

Anlhrm
,. • l'H3
• • 8

r' 9 Han H.U .· ",nd.M IIHer

" I Ehren:W"9 Anlon
"
•
• 1 ,
Ver!
. EótoIson J4. 9, "

,57 '[1
/040 ... [ :il8 8 ", I

f, _ •• ,
, •• .J, • -
16¡ 6
F,h.

..
D.l:>ord Guy

• • , .. .. ."
1,
, " 1" , •
• • •
"
,• "
a..n.eyOr Rufus '6' Demarca Rochlrd Beuys Joup"
", '" a,,,, 'rH on Plan

, ' , 4 1, 2 J e!'u.. Mel A_',

• 11 5 [:re , uf'" "C • • " ,
, , , ..
,,- :9:;1
H.
165
6
, ., 1\,

,,,
F.nd PIIlr

••
," ,
•
,9941
•

• ," •• "el"35.
,
.- , .,
87 chelM-d. G"ton • ." . ,. un" " H.
un {,¡rop, 991 4-

8oIk... Amy "O /(wnn,ng [9J HiJ ., , 1, Treu D. , 36, J

SikH Eltubeth J ,.
,
.
993]
a.orv-
. 195 8J] A , 11
&ok ...
, , • I 6
,, .,
KMu '4'
[ 863
" '\0- "e d l ConfronUt 011 TutBy 931l

8loom Donl 1964 91 l,Il4,8S \9;: ,. , Pr sea I"',guy

, OeUtscM ROU1.,.., ?8
J6,
,
, dGH , • 69 3631. •
"
, uare<>t'
99

19 - "
[ 170,

•• "Al 1190;9" 118, ,'9 lel KIlfllndge W,U<ilm ,8 81 •

eo.ru eh"" Kenneth 94, 44 1:;1 ero'! ng'
• J76
a , , I
." 11 :.. 8

..
" a..etlJohn " •

• '" ConuplWlI An • •• • •
aau.rd JG 8otogn¡n,. Martl'O 'O 2lCl,

ConllabL.. )ohn 14
• 9,264,
"' .. "1'

18/
1968 [ 915 ie3
, • 199. J8J
Border AlU WorI<shop 41

INOEX
/ ,
.,
¡g lel
J02
• O,ono Jun 8

Gollman E"',ng 38 19,

GoLon . Smadar
, , .. q,g, J '8 " 1' [199\

• , •
Etunor
'. 96

GoIdman Emma H"" Oppenhe,m Dennos Irwon Roben • 4 4' 79

"
• • " JiKkson )ohn Bonckemoll , 44,

• ., " • 'Tn •
• • •

• •

,
Ford John
GÓfMz-Peña GUillermo
Gould Slephen )IY

.. . '
6 9 Jameson. Frednc
, ng '"

,"
,
Fosdock Robel1

Hal
•t '•
9. • • I - 11 ,
9,
'"' ," In r 9881 [ 981] L

Gr;lham Oan oh.

• • l4. 280. '81, 9.54 ,

• ,
,
.' GranFury 4] I B " HJld'" [ 9181127

•
" GrMn RenH 9 ,
• ." ' ., " .
, , •

8 9 1, U8]'414l

" GrHnpelU ./ohns Juper 9 [.916] 79

GrOl.lp MilleNl! 4 • B • ., Jd

FMd MteNel , GroupolTen • ./ohnson Pappy , LOtlI Ch'p

• , , " s
./udd •
"
", 9
'" " Ant Fit<m

Fnedman KenMtl'l
" • l.'·and Kennedy
Lorfl"n o..ude
.,
"
, , 9 Kenlndge

• ",
.
'.,,9J H,lIe, So,¡Hn LoulI Morns
"
,
lo' • '" .. I/J"

'"
P r n , •
JO"' 4
9

f MiSO/l.John

."
Frohnmayer Jolln 16 Holl NlrIC)I 4, Bloom. Dons Mcc;.r1hy Mary 9.

Fyllon H¡¡mish /4.

,
4
"' 9, Kerouac. JKk McEvolley Thomas

9 ¡ rI ,
, . Ha ll , Corol

Hanson Jo 26
., 1
,. 8
'On Road' ",
" ..
t Wr ngness:

AlterEgo

•
8

"' , 9 • '8
Kleln Yves

KIM PauL
"
, ,
• , . •
• f
, " Konlnck Ph,Llps

KosuLII Joseph

Krauss Rowl,nd
Manton JllI

,
•
•• , .. ,'
• .. 9
... ,
,
" Mlrquez Hudson

St.nlrt '
AnLfarm

, . ,
, . ,' .. ,
, f r .,
• • , 104111", ./ohn

• ••
,
•
r

B.
A wt
, .. •• • Hopper Denn ls
Kur'b:. eNC.

Kusama Yayo'
," ',,. • e'

,"
, .. • Houll ThomlS Ford

Hueble!" Dougln
• yndAlt
,
6
M....on .lohn

Mat.inovlC M,lenko 61

11 1< H • • 1 • • '" )l, Matla-Cllrk GOfelon

• •
" ... 14. ¡; ba'
" ;4/.
, ,
,,'tn A.dl,Melle·

J
, , ."• • rv r vd ,
"
[ 9691

}e '. J
,
.....
Maysles 8,ollle'5
" ,
"ld'JI!
,
8• Comm'lln Repol1 on N;ltlon..l

trS'"-'''
8 , ., •
Hulme TE
Hulchlnson PttH LeWill Sol ,,
Gaulke Chen

, ,
· .",,, 8
,
•
, "
. • ... r J r

.. ,
• , 8 , , . "
L,pp.ard. Lucy R 34

,
,4,394 Bor t" [ 910] I

INDEX
 • N09uc;h, I...,mu ., Sm,ll'I. DaVId Summtrs.
, 1 RI,n..,. Vvonnt Smlth looy • Szeemann

• , ,
_"
.. , •
RlU$CMnberg Robert

ROM
Smllnson. Robert
"
" Thoruu
,
,
Rosenberg H.roId
•
KtfIneth • , • T,lIl m S'dney

,
, .
, ",. Rupp OInsly

Ru5dl& Ed 8,
,
• 6
, ... nte •• Tomk,ns Jan,

" , ,. , • ,
SjMf'O Nlncy OlIO Yoke. , 'S
,
an'Pre· • ••
MItITlIl N.ncy
• • • Tonou Gil)'
.J.ImlS

Ntehels Ooug Anl F•• m

8, •
. , " ,
5

• ,, , ,
99' J
., Trak,s George \4

• , • TurreU James
-. """ , ,
•
.. • u,
, Schum Gerry P Uf

",
..
,
•• roer
• 6 ," , ' •
Lmhr Kit. s " ,' 9W 94 , "
"",.lo
• "S
•
ScuU. Rober1

ScuUy Vineenl

SeITi RocMrd
.. 8 r d
Uecker Guntl'M!r 4 .

, , , " , , " lo

• ,
R cert
"s
,
• s.
," .
6

• ,
• ,
f

•
",
rB b
" t t)'

•
9

'. 6 " . .,
•
, , . ,
u, 1
" '
•
,
• • s

'" ,,
Sh,trUI . Tony

SlI.irkl'y Jonn
)ur · _
..., •

• • • .'
.
• SlIlrp W,Uoughby Valer Reg,n,
,
·, - , . ,
'
" 1" • .' r
• 01 • 41 Verm..r Jan 4

."
."
Ortn.r SMrT)' 14 Sh,rk Son ... " V,etnamwar
, OwtllS Cnlg
, S
•
8,

• - .. , ,'
,, •
, , .... d W.lpole HDfKe

• • Palt'ICUI e SI'I,. . FUI,ko Smock Knst,ne Wartlol 4ndy

• ,
,",Ult 101m

., PLA1FOFlM
Pete<
Webster Neg

•• • , 986 <)
'"
•
, S,monds Cl\¡rlu " .
" 8
• , •• , , WHAM
.' . ,
•• 6 , W,tsQn Nincy
,
Porter
Portm.n. Jonn
4
, . ,
" 1
0, $ontag Susiln W,nkler Helen 4
Poslmodem,sm 8 or41·r • ¡¡ r .

, •• ,, PP·'
, Pouss,n NlCOIas "94 Spero N.ncy YeominsPA
• Slmp$Qn 8",,1..,.
•
,
r u'\le' • "
Pnce lived.ile - . 51.u..
, , ." ,
..
,
Slonel'M!nge
,
• • ,
' • l' • , •.
" Stournead TheGroundsof 4 Zube Ervon

• 6 Stu.ort. Nw;l\eU,

INOEX
I '"' For Samuel and Audrey PU8l1SHER'S ACKNOWlEDGEMENTS

We _uld 10 tllank all those who "ilve

London, The Preserval,on Soo;"ty 01
Newport County. Rhede Island. fdW'ard
AUTliOR'S ACKNOWLEDGfMENTS
I woulo I,ke to Ihank Ihose '"ends.

'" Ih"" k,nd perml5sIon 10 reproduce lile

l,sted matenal EveryeHon has OHn ma,",
Ruscha . VenlC" . callfom,a Bennoe Sherk.
Franc'!i<:o: Bu.ter S,mpson . SeaMle
celleagues anO ,nst,lut,o.ns whose
guidane" and ass,stance helped m"k"
lO SKUre all rep"nl ""rm,s"ons pnor 10 Wash'ngton MlChael S,nger. W,lmlngton. Ih,s projecl poss'ble
pubhcatlon 111 a small numberof Vermonl. Rebert Sm,tnson Estale. New lhanks lo Ihe many galle"es .nd
,nslinces 1111$ has nal ¡"'e" posslble Tlle York. Holly Solomon Gallery New York . museumswho cooperaledw,th p,cture
ed,tors and publlsher apGlog,ze lor a!ly Alan Senfisl. New Yerk. Ch"nn Simends. researeh re-quests . as we tl as Inese whoeh
IlIadvertent errer. or oml$510115 1I not,fied. New York , Sperone WeslWater Gallery. allowed me personal aeeess the"
th" w,1I endea""u, 10 corred New York. SledeliJk MUSfum, Amslerdam. arch,ves. espe<:'ally Ronald Feldman
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thes.. al lile oppor1unlty J"mes Turrell. Flag.lall, Amena. Gallery. John Weber G.Uery and ,Is dorKlor
We would [,ke lo thank lhe follow,ng Wadd,nglon Gallenes. London. John John Weber. ano ¡he OlA Cenler lO!"

for Ihe" help In prov,dlng 'miges Weber NewYork. Ocnald Yeung Art •. New York ,
American Fine Arto Ca . NewVork. Ant Gallery. Seattle To Ihe many publlC and univers,ry

Fa.m San Fr.lr>CISCG. Art & l,brarianswho have put upw,lh my

Language t.ltddleton Cheney. Oxlordsh,r1' COMPARA TIVE: ILLUSTRA TlONS repuled requesls. partlCuLal1y lhese
Jahn Baldessan. San!i ManIta, Galtlom,a. John The Haywam. 1821 . Pubhc L,brary
Bamaby S P,cture Library Landan , Fam,ly Nat,onal Gallery. London p 24, K&nneth System at lhe Newton Free Líbrary. lhe
(11 Herben Bay". O.n\l1>'. Color.ldo. Betty Noland. G,ft. 1962. Tale GaUery. Lenden. Brockl,ne PubllC Ubr.o'Y and !he Soslon
s.aumonl. New Vor\< . Dons 91<>0'" .. nd p 25 Casper DaVId Foednch. The Wred.. Copley Libr.o'Y. Sapsl L,brary.1 Beslo.n
W,lI,am Kenlndge. Copenhagen and ol/he 1824. Kunslhalle. Hamburg . College. Ihe Widlner and Loeb L,branes at
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Johannesburg. Boett, p 191 . NlCelu Poun,n . wlth Harvard Un01lers,ty. lile New Yorl< Publie
Art l,br.ory. london, ca, Gua Traveller Washmg HIs Feer. 1648. Library. and Brocklyn Publtc lIbr.ory
Q,ang. New Yorlo.. Fond¡U,on Cart,er. Paros, Gallery, London. p 191: Lorra,n. l o mymends Mar¡ory Jaeobson.
leo Galiery New Yorl<. Landsc.. Wlth Sacnfia lo Apello. 1662. Patrie", Fuller and fd Lev,ne. who
Cooper GaUery. New Yerk. Mel Ch,n , New Anglesey Abbey. Cambrodgeshire. P 191 . dlscU5sed Ihe proJecI w,lh me al Ihe oulsel
'1'0011.. and Jeanne-Ctaude. New Anlhony caro. úrly One Momirtg, 1962 and regulariy lel me plunder Ihe" personal
York. Wal1er De Mana TaleGatlery. London p 191.AlbertB,ersladl. lIbra"es lor orig,nal In15 . calalogues and
NewYerk, herman devroes. Knetlgau. rloe Racky Mount.. ,n5. 1863. Melropcl,tan books anywhere else
(ñrmany. Agnes Oenes. NewYerk. OlA MustumoIArt. NewYork. p In The editonalleam.1 Pna ,dcn.
Center lor Arts. New York, Jan part,eularly lwona Btazw,ek. who he lped le
Amsterdam Documenta Areh've Kassel. PHOTOGRAPliERS dr.ow Ihe book's me, and
Mary Beth Edelsen. New Yerk. Tesh,kalsu Hervé Ab.d,e p 186. Gunler Beer p 164. G,lda W,II'ams. my k,nd and pal"nl edllor
Ende Japan . John ehett pp 2-3. 108. 109. Peler And Ihe superb lum oled,torsand
Feogenbaum . New York . Ronatd Feldman Oavenpcl1p 114. 0 JamesOupp 144. restaren",s who held Ihe pro¡ed logelher
Fine Arts New York . Peler Fend. New Yo ... . 146. 154. H,lmer Oeost p 165. Oanlel OUlka agaonsllhe odds ,"de/ahgable plClure
FRAC Po,teu W,lloa m Furleng. pp 39 . 155. Virg,n,,, Ow"n p 31 Or G hunler aalr JO'I, Ctare Manchesler. Whe
london . Barbari Gladslone Gallery. New Ge rsler p 58. G,anlr.onco Gorgen, pp 47. cemp,led Ihe exlended capl,ens and
York. Andy Goldsworlhy, Thomh,ll. 5ó-5? 59 ba.:k eover. Martyn Greenhalgh b,cgraph'es and sl .... red bock Ihrough
Oumlr,essh're . Manan Goodman Gatlery p 182, Wemer J Hannappel pp 1?5 183 ,IS mesl eompllcaled phase. proJecI edilors
New Yerk. Grunpeaee Inlemalton"l Im,ddle bottoml Nancy Holl pp 4. 32. In, Audrey Powell and John Leshe, JOh"
Amslerdam Reberl MCfT1s Arch,ve C Jehnsen p 33, Yukoc Keyab.Jsh, p 129. SIa.:k. reader Al,son Sleemann. Ctare
Salomon R Guggenheom Museum. New Gerard Martron pp 170. 171: Rebert Slenl . wtlhoul ..mese expert,se .no
Yorlo.. Hans Ha"eke NewYork , lan McEiroyp 111. Morganp 21 . Peler equan,mity th,s bock would nol n,st.
Ounsyre . Lan"rkshire Helen and Nilmlllhp 151 Nalhansonp 1lO· Oave des'gner. Stuart Smilh. and produclion
Ne"""en Hamsen Del Mar. cal,fom,a Patte rsen p 183 (Iopl: Paot. p,ll,on p 184. eentroUer Veron,ca PrlCe
Morns Healy GaUery. NewVo .... M,chul frlC Polhlar p 1'1. Jon Re,s p 14SlboMoml. Olher ,nd,v,ou.ls .lso made
He,zer. H,ko Nevada. Susan H,Uer. Londen. JOhnR,ddyp 191 . WalterRusstllp 24 bolh targe and small to
Nancy Hall. Galtsteo. New MulCo Estale el loghl), Oav,d Schneoder p 163llop) process PatnCla Blekers. Pt.ler Boswell.
Ocuglu Huebler Valenc,a caltlern'a. Pt.ter Pnoloslud,o pp 162..¿3. Fred Rob,n Cembalesl. Mart,n Froedman, Erie
Mus..c:husetts. Scrulonpp 128. 130 131. HuryShunk G,bson. Chanlaland M,ke Hasselme.
Hyogo PreIKlur.o¡ Museum of Modem Art . PP 82 Oren Slor p 165. Soieh, N,cola Kearten . Barbara and Alfred
Kebe Patrie,,, Johanscn . Busk,rk. New Sunam, P 45 NIC P 107, MacAdam . Malcolm M,les. Susan and
York. Annely Juda Fine Art. London . can A. carohne TIsoall p 35 (nghll . Tom Vinelz pp Thomas Oav,d Wallers. and
Kroch O,v,s,on 01 Rare and Manu!i<:ropl 29 Si. SS. Wollgang Velz pp 37. 72. 73. 83 N.ll.nd Jack Wendler Finally lor my w,fe.
CollKl,ons. ComeU Umvers,ty L'brary. 84 85, Tadasu Yamamolo p 113 (nghU Mona Marquarcll. who always sees the
l!haca . NewVork Galene Leleng New al Ihe end 01 Ihe tunnel.
Vork. Lemna Corperat,on SI. PauL
M,nnesota R,chard Leng Bros lol. Gorden

Matta-Ctark Trust. Weston . ConnKllCut.

Eslale el Ana Mend,ela and Galene Lelong
New York. Coldo M,oreln. R,e de Jane,ro,
Mary 104,55. New York. Chnsl,an PM,pp
MOller New Yorl< . N A S A . HOUSIOn , Te ... s
Oav,d Nash BLaenau Flesltn,cg. Gwynedd.
lsamu N09""'h' Feundal,en. Inc., New York.
Oenn,s Oppenhe,m. NewYork. PLATFORM
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. ,,'-I.lary
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.• ,Darton Circle
I mont, CA 94555

ANO e d VelODr1ent of rrodern and co.,temporelry elrt has been

1 - -""::"'_:":':"":';:'"
rl m rat d by fu.,damental movements and
rr I1g The Tl'emes nd Movements senes 15 tl'e flrst fully to
xamrn Dost-war ar1 by cOr1ornrnq expert .,elrrelt,ve Key works c..nd onginal
docume.,ts Fach boo 5 rtrodl..ced by el compreherslve Survey by a
d 5 ngu shed who prov des a thorot.gh dnellysls Of the tl'eme or
moverl1ent fhe seCOnd sectlon 15 dedlCelted to nUrl1e ot.s Images of the WorKs
themselv 5 E-very key artworK 5 Illustrdted d.,d dccompan ed by an extended
captlon descr bl.,q the pn.,clpalldeas and the protess behrnd It. as well as
exh b,' o., h story. F-rnally. wlth the ::Jocu'llents sect10., the seri 5 also offe"s
dlrect access to the vOlce of the artlst dnd to pr rndry texts Oy cntics. hlstonans
curators phllosophers a.,d theor sts A uniq.Je of the i.,novations.
dlscourses and controversles thelt hdve shdped art today. these Oooks are as
exhaustlve dS él full sCdle r1.Jseum overvlew. prcsentlrg every slgnlficant work
of art assoclelted w tI' d part cul r tendency
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