Spiral Jetty in jeopardy
Saturday February 2, 2008
Many of you have visited my Earth Art article and the related Earth Art gallery. The seminal Earth Art work Spiral Jetty, a curving basalt peninsula that Robert Smithson built out into Utah's Great Salt Lake in 1970, is having its incomparable atmosphere threatened by proposed oil drilling in the lake nearby. I am all for a solution, if one is possible, that allows extraction and contemplation to coexist. But the comment period for the drilling proposal ends on 13 February. If this interests you, visit the Modern Art Blog for more information. (h/t Painting Guide Marion Boddy-Evans)Image derived from Neal McQuaid photo under Creative Commons license
Comments
this so-called art looks more like litter to me. A 50 gallon drum half submerged in water? Drill for the ois I say if this is art.
Jan, I don’t know where you’re looking. Do a Google image search on “spiral jetty” for hundreds of photos. It’s a big boulder pile that extends out into the lake, then curls into a spiral.
I’ve just emailed the Utah planning permission office about this. It would be outrageous if this iconic work of art was damaged further or destroyed by heavy industrial process. There is still time before 13 February to send your own email to Johnathan Jemming: jjemming@utah.gov
Katia