![]() Moving through this mantra nineteen more times in a clockwise-rotation, repeating the same material content of his work, Smithson established the core substance of his work and the importance he placed on its site. Smithson created a film about the earthwork, then wrote an essay: in each, he puts forth a directional scan of the environment from the center of the Spiral Jetty that begins: North – Mud, salt crystals, rocks, water. The lake’s surface is often described as calm and mirror-like, but storms can cause gale-force winds. As the lake covers the jetty, then resides, salt is left on the rocks, sometimes covering them in glistening white. Smithson chose the lake for salt and color, but also wanted a work that would interact in a dynamic environment. The Spiral Jetty is still a vibrant and intact work of art, despite its location in a body of water that rises and falls regularly. Photo by Hikmet Sidney Loe, Many works created during the late 1960s and early 1970s during the Land art movement relied on documentation to survive due to the transitory nature of the art. Over 6,650 tons of rocks and accompanying dirt and sand was displaced from the shoreline of Rozel Point to create the jetty: a 1,500-foot long, 15-foot wide counterclockwise spiral. He traveled to Utah with his wife, the American artist Nancy Holt, to investigate the lake and available land.Īfter obtaining a permit through the Department of Natural Resources in Salt Lake City, and hiring a construction company, Smithson created the Spiral Jetty during April 1970. Having traveled the Western United States, he knew Great Salt Lake was both saline and often red. The first criterion was a location on or near a saline body of water, with water colored red. Smithson could have chosen many locations, including spots in Australia, or Bolivia, but for the work that ultimately became the Spiral Jetty (1970) he decided to stay in the United States. Wanting to expand the Site/Nonsite works he created, which created a dialogue between exterior (land) and interior (gallery or museum spaces), he began to plan a much larger work that would be singularly in and of the land.įor this work, he chose Utah. His work using natural materials began in earnest in 1968 as he explored landscapes to create a new dialogue in sculpture. ![]() Photo by Hikmet Sidney Loe, By the time the American artist Robert Smithson determined he wanted to create a monumental earthwork in the late 1960s, he was internationally recognized as a driving force in the Land art movement.
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