The film was shot by smithson and his wife nancy holt, and funded by virgina dawn and douglas christmas. It is combination of rocks and earth that was hauled by truck from the shore and arranged into the form of a coil in the water off of. In 1970 during the construction of the jetty, robert smithson wrote and directed a 32minute color film, spiral jetty. People have been wanting to destroy the project and putting the land on which it lies into a different use. Made of black basalt rocks and earth gathered from the site, spiral jetty is a 15footwide coil. The strata of the earth is a jumbled museum, he once mused.
Spiral jetty is an earthwork sculpture constructed in april 1970 that is considered to be the most important work of american sculptor robert smithson. Robert smithson s iconic earthwork spiral jetty 1970 is a 1,500 foot long and 15 foot wide coil of local basalt rock and earth that extends into the red waters of the great salt lake in utah. Spiral jetty, robert smithson the monumental earthwork spiral jetty 1970 was created by artist robert smithson and is located off rozel point in the north arm of great salt lake. Robert smithsons iconic earthwork spiral jetty 1970 is a 1,500 foot long and 15 foot wide coil of local basalt rock and earth that extends into the red waters of the great salt lake in utah. Pdf robert smithsons spiral jetty nathaniel rosenthalis. Robert smithson was a seminal american artist and writer known for pioneering the land art movement. The spiral jetty is an earthwork sculpture by the late robert smithson. Terrains of knowledge visited robert smithsons spiral jetty on utahs great salt lake. An earthwork sculpture built by robert smithson in the great salt lake only reemerges during drought. With the assistance of a team operating dump trucks, a front loader, and. Earthwork in the great salt lake, utah, as seen from the 1,600 pound ikonos satellite, 423 miles up in space. Earthworks spiral jetty is state artwork of utah the spiral is a universal image spiral jetty made with dump trucks and bulldozers. Pdf spiral jetty 1970, robert smithsons seminal earthwork, is a 460 meter long and 4.
Robert smithson spiral jetty, 1970 robert smithsons spiral jetty, located at rozel point on the northeastern shore of great salt lake in utah, is one of the most remarkable examples of land art. If anything, earthworks such as the spiral jetty and essays such as frederick law olmsted and the dialectical landscape have only added to his importance over the years. In that context the recent debate over whether direct action should be taken to protect robert smithsons spiral jetty, perhaps the quintessential work of postwar american land art, seems rather like a throwback to the old days. Shortly after the spiral jetty was constructed in 1970, it has faced different challenges. I bound out of bed, gianfranco gorgonis seminal photogaph of robert smithsons iconic earth. In 1970, assisted by a crew operating dump trucks, a tractor, and a front loader. That smithson chose to evoke williamss table in an essay on the spiral jetty implicitly equating the nineteenth and twentiethcentury desert with the nineteenth and twentiethcentury suburb suggests just how dedicated he was to creating a toxic discourse able to intervene in the still evolving history of american landscape. The monumental earthwork spiral jetty 1970 was created by artist robert smithson and is located off rozel point in the north arm of great salt lake. Eugenie tsai provides a curatorial overview of the exhibition. The fact that it is endemic drought that threatens the great salt lake in utah, home to smithsons beautiful. The film documents the making of this earthwork, which has attained nearmythic status as it has disappeared and then reemerged from the lake over the past decades.
Born in rutherford, new jersey, robert smithson was entranced by natureearth and animal formsas a child. Robert smithson, yucatan mirror displacements 19 1969 detail, nine chromogenic prints from original 126 format slides, each image 61 x 61 cm, the solomon r. All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the creative commons cc0 license. In addition, smithson made numerous preparatory drawings, a.
Flickr is almost certainly the best online photo management and sharing application in the world. Pdf robert smithsons spiral jetty hikmet loe academia. If it is not covered in water, it would be a crime not to walk the gentle spiral to its center. Spiral jetty, robert smithsons land art masterwork the. Jetty, located at rozel point peninsula on the northeastern shore of great salt. Robert smithsons toxic tour of passaic, new jersey.
Smithson documented the construction of the sculpture in a 32minute color film also titled spiral jetty built on the northeastern shore of the great salt lake near rozel point in utah entirely of mud, salt crystals, and basalt rocks, spiral. Robert smithson, spiral jetty, 1970, rozel point, great salt lake, utah, 1500 if unwound x 15 foot spiral of basalt, sand, and soil holtsmithson foundation speakers. Wikipedia entry introduction robert smithson january 2, 1938 july 20, 1973 was an american artist known for sculpture and land art who often used drawing and photography in relation to the spatial arts. We cant save smithsons spiral jetty, and it would be. The estate of robert smithsonvg bildkunst, bonn 20. Show off your favorite photos and videos to the world, securely and privately show content to your friends and family, or blog the photos and videos you take with a cameraphone. Spiral jetty by george baker, bob phillips, ann reynolds, lytle shaw, robert smithson, diana thater for online ebook. Spiral jetty robert smithson, 1970 for utah state magazine duration. He began with a photograph of a specific sitethe bingham copper mining pit in utahand then superimposed his drawing on it by placing a transparent plastic overlay on the. Robert smithsons spiral jetty, located at rozel point on the northeastern shore of great salt lake in utah, is one of the most remarkable examples of land art. As a public health precaution due to covid19 coronavirus, all smithsonian museums are closed temporarily and all public programs, events, and tours are canceled through june 1.
Robert smithsons spiral jetty by hikmet sidney loe salt lake city public library worksofart by robert smithson are estate of robert. Figures rise in a spiral, and the sculpture changes as the viewer moves around it. Robert smithsons earthwork, spiral jetty 1970, an icon of the land art movement of the 1960s and 1970s, is located on the northern shores of utahs great salt lake. The source of robert smithsons spiral the new yorker. Purchased with funds contributed by the photography committee and with funds. In a 1972 interview, smithson suggests that spiral jetty was intended to both withstand and be intimately involved with the climate changes and natural disturbances of the site, particularly the lake. Robert smithson spiral jetty, 1970 one of the most remarkable examples of land art is robert smithson s spiral jetty, located at rozel point peninsula on the northeastern shore of great salt lake. In 1959, robert smithson, a young abstract painter who would eventually become known as. Gabriella davis 41818 robert smithson, the spiral jetty robert smithsons, spiral jetty, is an example of land art, also known as earthwork art.
Nonintervention for the artistic concept anna toptchi spiral jetty is a work conceived and installed by robert smithson in 1970. Perhaps most renowned as the creator of spiral jetty 1970, a fifteenhundredfoot rock coil dramatically situated in the great salt lake, smithson also broke new ground with his films, photographs, writing, drawings, and collages. Smithsons spiral jetty is an everchanging work of land art. His monumental earthen sculptures such as spiral jetty 1970, were inspired by the minimalist work of his contemporaries, as well as geology, science fiction, and the concept of entropy. Originally depicting the first jetty, the sketch was modified to show the bulb being extended into the final spiral shape. Robert smithsons spiral jetty everything you need to know. Robert smithson, the spiral jetty 1970 all photos by author for hyperallergic. Invite her to sprinkle the sand mixture all over the. Robert smithson spiral jetty, 1970 robert smithsons spiral jetty.
Completed in april 1970, spiral jetty is an iconic earthwork and smithsons most renowned piece. Now get out that blue paper back, place a couple of sheets of newspaper underneath, and encourage your child to dip her big brush in that glue water and paint a big spiral on her paper, just like robert smithsons spiral jetty. The spiral jetty earthwork sculpture located in rozel bay, great salt lake, utah. Made of black basalt rocks and earth gathered from the site, spiral jetty is a 15footwide coil that stretches more than 1,500 feet into the lake. No land artist of the 1960s was more influential at the time than robert smithson. Robert smithson spiral jetty, 1970 one of the most remarkable examples of land art is robert smithsons spiral jetty, located at rozel point peninsula on the northeastern shore of great salt lake. Robert smithson is one of the most enigmatic artists of the late 20th century. Spiral jetty is one of the most wellknown earthwork sculptures, as well as the most famous and influential work by sculptor robert smithson. In a career tragically cut short at age 35 while working on a sculpture, robert smithson revolutionized contemporary art through works that question issues of permanence, materials, function and presentation. Artist on artist lecture trevor paglen on robert smithson duration. Seen from above, robert smithsons spiral jetty emerges dramatically from the rocky shores of utahs great salt. On the day of our visit, we were extremely lucky the sun shone.
Works spiral jetty, 1970 patrons virginia dwan robert smithson from wikipedia, the free encyclopedia robert smithson january 2, 1938 july 20, 1973 was an american artist famous for his use of photography in relation to sculpture and land art. Smithson built a masterpiece from local materials, one that spirals counterclockwise into the lake and appears or is submerged with fluctuations in the lakes locally red. In 1970 he created spiral jetty, a snaillike coil of heaped stones that extends far out into the great salt lake in. Robert smithson spiral jetty, 1970 robert smithson s spiral jetty, located at rozel point on the northeastern shore of great salt lake in utah, is one of the most remarkable examples of land art. Spiral jetty by george baker, bob phillips, ann reynolds, lytle shaw, robert smithson, diana thater free pdf d0wnl0ad, audio books, books to read, good books to read, cheap books, good books. One of the reasons smithson still seems so relevant is that his work responded so directly to a nostalgic trend that arose in both. Robert smithson, spiral jetty, 1970, rozel point, great salt lake, utah, 1500 if unwound x 15 foot spiral of basalt, sand, and soil, holt smithson foundation speakers. The mythic scale of history and labor at spiral jetty. Robert smithson, spiral jetty, 1970 great salt lake, utah. A paragraph of observations becomes a paragraph of questions robert smithsons spiral jetty is a mark made in space subject to natural processes of.
On the north edge of the great salt lake, robert smithsons masterpiece sits peacefully, awaiting visitors willing to make the long trek to see one of the. The road will curve north and ends at a parking lot directly next to spiral jetty. The end of the road marks the parking area for the spiral jetty, with the jetty prominent a short distance away. You will see the north arm of great salt lake and an old oil jetty not spiral jetty left by old drilling explorations. Robert smithson combined drawing with photography in bingham copper mining pitutah reclamation project 1973. Spiral jetty is a portrait of smithsons monumental earthwork of the same name at rozel point in the great salt lake, utah. A work like spiral jetty for example when this includes the lm and essay as well as the. Robert smithson january 2, 1938 july 20, 1973 was an american artist known for sculpture and land art who often used drawing and photography in relation to the spatial arts.
Spiral jetty day for science teachers the utah museum of fine arts. Smithson and is located off rozel point in the north arm of great salt lake. Media in category spiral jetty the following files are in this category, out of total. One of the most remarkable examples of land art is robert smithsons spiral. Visiting the jetty almost feels like a pilgrimage of sorts. His work has been internationally exhibited in galleries and museums and is held in public collections including the museum of modern art, new york, the smithsonian american art museum, solomon r.