Earth Works Or Land Art

[Plays In The Dirt]

If any of you are in the southern Nevada area, the Moapa Valley to be exact, and would like to see some "Land Art" that I admit is (shall we say) something different, then check-out this web site. I've lived here for sixteen years and only today learned about it so I just had to drive up there and Photograph it. Here's an excerpt from the web site that describes it:

"The trenches line up across a large gap formed by the natural shape of the mesa edge. Including this open area across the gap, the trenches together measure 1,500 feet long, 50 feet deep, and 30 feet wide (457 meters long, 15.2 meters deep, 9.1 meters wide). 240,000 tons (218,000 tonnes) of rock, mostly rhyolite and sandstone, was displaced in the construction of the trenches."

http://doublenegative.tarasen.net/double_negative.html

And here are some Photos of it that I shot today











I'll admit that I don't understand all forms of art but this one baffles me. Each to his or her own I guess - and art is subjective. Can you imagine how much work was involved in creating this - Wow!

Plays - (Greg)

[reptilist]

Some call that art?
Unbelievable.

[Plays In The Dirt]

Some call that art?
Unbelievable.

It is a little difficult to believe isn't it. Oh well, "whatever floats your boat" as they say. And who BTW is "they?"

[TradClimber]

If I encounter this while walking in the desert...I couldn't guess "art" in a million years. I must be getting old and senile.

TC

PS: I'm not one of "they".

[Plays In The Dirt]

If I encounter this while walking in the desert...I couldn't guess "art" in a million years. I must be getting old and senile.

TC

PS: I'm not one of "they".

If I didn't know any better then I would think someone was installing a very large pipeline to nowhere.

BTW - This guy/artist has put-on numerous exhibitions across the country.

[Guz]

How much is the admission fee? Ya know, My wife sometimes uses double negatives when She talks. I wish that guy had been around when we had to dig a new septic system and lines. Seriously though, desert artists are a breed unto their own. If nothing else an appreciation for the effort He put into it is admirable.



guz

P.S. if I'm not one of "they" would that make me one of "them"?... not sure.

[TradClimber]

guz

P.S. if I'm not one of "they" would that make me one of "them"?... not sure.

You sure got that right!

TC

[cercidium]

the work in question is by michael heizer, one of the profound and transformative artists of our time. he is among a pioneer of earthwork artists who makes works of art (at their own expense, or privately funded), that are too large for a museum, accessible to everyone, and which completely defy the elitist art markets which baffle many folks. included among these artists are robert smithson who made spiral jetty (at rozel point on the great salt lake) and his then-wife nancy holt who's work "sun tunnels" is an amazing, austere experience in northern nevada, which doubles as a solar observatory. there's also james turrell's roden crater, outside of flagstaff, and charles ross' star axis in northern new mexico. while many of these works perplex outsiders, they are made by an extremely limited, desert/landscape loving group of folk. their presence is often stunning, and generally mirrors the solitude, space and silence we all cherish in these great lands. last but not least is the lightning field in western new mexico, itself a space that defies description, and must be experienced to appreciate it's utter simplicity, beauty, and monumentality.

michael heizer (double negative) can be found today in lincoln county, nevada, building a work simply known as 'city.' he is as reclusive, perhaps more so, than the most die-hard desert rat. according to rumor he greets visitors with a loaded gun. he prefers to be left alone, and someday the world will find out why, when "city" is revealed. one reporter managed to interview heizer in 2005. that article can be seen at the link below, and is worth a read.

cheers, desert lovers!

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/06/magaz ... EIZER.html

[Plays In The Dirt]

Thanks for posting that link, Cercidium. I just finished reading it and I have to say Mike is an interesting person, albeit somewhat different.

Plays - (Greg)