Earthworks

Earthworks

media type="flickr" key="13386699@N00" ARG0="&tags=earthworks&lang=en-us&format=rss_200" width="500" height="500" The earthworks movement occurred in the United States primarily in the 1960s to the 1970s. Some artists involved with the works above include: Robert Smithson, Michael Heizer, Mel Chin, Christo and Jeanne Claude. The message of earthworks is not to direct attention towards the environment but the fact artists are able to use the earth as a medium. Artists wanted to get away from the traditional norm of putting artworks in galleries; therefore, earthworks enabled artists to get away from custom settings of viewing art. However, earthworks and site-specific works can have varying messages ranging from politics to nature itself.
 * The Earthwork Movement**

Extending into the Great Salt Lake in Utah, this earthwork is 1,500 feet of abandoned oil rigs, earth, salt, and a specific alga that turns red under specific conditions. Its medium represents the idea of an ocean filled with life and a dead sea at the same time. On the other hand, the spiral shape suggests an endless cycle of growth and decay or creation and destruction. This commentary is furthermore emphasized by how Smithson ordered no maintenance on the work so that it would eventuallly blend with the nature.
 * The Spiral Jetty, Robert Smithson. 1970. Mud, precipitated salt crystals, rocks, and water. length 1,500 x width 15'. Great Salt Lake, Utah.**

This work is site-specific for its aesthetic reasons. This fence is thought of as a link between urban, suburban, and rural spaces; one of the reasons why it extends so far. The fence runs through rural ranches, towns, and even to a highway. The artists stress the notion that the real beauty of the work is not the product itself, but the process involved in the piece. It took approximately forty-two months to complete the //Running Fence// after battles to get building permits and such. But in the end, the fence actually brought people together instead of dividing them as fences usually do. After two weeks the fence was taken down.
 * Running Fence, Christo and Jeanne-Claude. 1972-76. Nylon fence, height 18', length 24.5 miles. Sonoma and Marin counties, California.**

The artist, Mel Chin, is famous for his Revival Fields which not only make a social commentary but actually take action. While raising awareness about pollution, these revival fields are filled with "hyperaccumulating" plants that absorb heavy metals from the soil. After three years time these plants are harvested and with them the metals are removed from the soil. When talking about his piece he said, " Rather than making a metaphorical work to express a problem, a work...can tackle a problem head-on." This Revival Field was specifically placed in the Pig's Eye Landfill for its dangerously contaminated soil. The work is also in the shape of a circle inside of a square because in Chinese iconography it represents heaven and earth. Since the creation of this particular Revival Field, Mel Chin has planted many other Revival Fields across the United States in his environmental efforts.
 * Revival Field: Pig's Eye Landfill, Mel Chin. 1991-93. St. Paul, Minnesota**

Michael Heizer was disgusted with the idea that people were investing in art, so he created an artwork that could not be bought or viewed so easily. The Double Negative is actually no more than a huge trench and can be truly experienced by walking into the channels. An interesting idea concerning this work is that Michael Heizer did not actually //create// this work but that he actually //subtracted// from what was already there. He actually went in with bulldozers to clear apace in the canyon wall creating a negative space, as suggested by its name.
 * Double Negative, Michael Heizer. 1969-1970. Rock. 1,500' long, 50' deep, 30' wide. Overton, Nevada.**

1. Stokstad Art History Textbook 2.[] on May 25th, 2011 3.[]) on May 24th, 2011