Spiral Jetty
Great Salt Lake, Utah. U.S. Robert Smithson. 1970 C.E. Earthwork: mud, precipitated salt crystals, rocks, and water coil
Great Salt Lake, Utah. U.S. Robert Smithson. 1970 C.E. Earthwork: mud, precipitated salt crystals, rocks, and water coil
The wind alters the intensity of the water's changing colors, as does the quality of the light and the density of the overhead cloud-cover. As you start to walk the spiral, you enter a kaleidoscope of moaning wind, relentless light, and mercurial water colors.
Form:
- mud, salt crystals, rocks, water coil
- on the Great Salt Lake in Utah
- this was a very abandoned place, extremely remote
- used a tractor with native stone to create the jetty
- 1970
Function:
- jetties are supposed to be piers, but here it is in the middle of nowhere
Content:
- a spiral jetty in the Great Salt Lake
- the artist was very interested in the blood red color of the water due to the presence of the basteria that live in the high salt content
Context:
- this is an example of Site Art
- sometimes referred to as Earth art- is dependent on its location
- the original environment must be fully intact to understand the work fully
- time = 1970s-present day
Cross-Cultural Comparisons:
Spirals and Circular Construction
Stonehenge
