Intro to Earthworks and Site-specific Art

Site-specific art is created expressly for a particular location. One type of site-specific artwork is earthworks which involves actually manipulating the landscape on a large scale. This type of artwork is going to involve challenges that other artists will never encounter. Most paintings or drawings - in fact, most artwork of any kind other than architecture and some sculpture - will be displayed in a climate controlled environment, they are usually small enough to be moved or stored without too much difficulty, and the materials used belong to the artist. Not so with earthworks.

Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty has undergone such dramatic changes due to the environment that it has, at times, disappeared entirely. When it did re-emerge, its appearance has actually been altered after being submerged for so long. The earth's environment is constantly changing. Stone erodes, plants sprout, minerals deposit, water evaporates, ad infinitum. Any work of art that is an intrinsic part of the ever-changing landscape of this planet is subject to those same processes and therefore will not be a static work of art. All art is affected by its surroundings to some degree which is why museums so carefully control the climate and the light and also why artworks eventually require some restoration. But in the open atmosphere, these effects will be magnified tremendously.

Since earthworks are, necessarily, site-specific works, they must be planned and executed with the understanding that they may be affecting the area for a long period of time. Earthworks are a permanent or semi-permanent feature of the landscape. The artist will choose his site according to the requirements of the piece. The location may also have a symbolic meaning, such as placing Maya Lin's Vietnam War Memorial in Washington D.C., appropriately displayed in the nation's capitol.

Another consideration with earthworks is ownership of the site and the materials. A painter need only buy his canvas and paints or a potter his clay and glazes, but when your medium is the earth itself, permission must be granted from whoever owns the land. Care must also be taken to ensure no environmental damage is done.

Artists who do earthworks definitely have some logistical issues to consider that other artists do not. But man is making his mark on the earth. In the words of Jim Morrison, we have "Ravaged and plundered and ripped her and bit her; Stuck her with knives in the side of the dawn; And tied her with fences and dragged her down." If we must make our mark, it is only right that some of what we leave behind should be works of art.