FINAL #4 Smithson and Earthworks

Question 1

Robert Smithson *

Answer 1

• An artist associated with the Earthworks art movement in the 1970’s.
• Wrote a Tour of the Monuments of Passaic, New Jersey.

Question 2

Spiral Jetty, 1970 *

Answer 2

• A film of Robert Smithson constructing the Spiral Jetty in the Great Salt Lake…. a giant spiral earthwork
• He structures it on site (in literal space).
• Leaving it on location makes it subject to deterioration.
• Further it is large and unmarked.
• The film is supposed to comment on the movement between site and non site.
  > it is filming the making of the Spiral Jetty, which is a site earthwork.
  > But the film itself is a non site and the picture at the end of the film of the Spiral Jetty is a non site.

Question 3

Site *

Answer 3

• Is literal space
• Is endless
• Is chaotic

Question 4

Non Site *

Answer 4

• Is a representation
• Is pictorial
• Is ordered
• Is finite
  > objects naturally decay and deteriorate.
• Items that are in museums and galleries.
  > items that are in these locations don’t belong there but we are keeping it there to preserve.

Question 5

Earthwork *

Answer 5

• is an art movement where art is created on earth and landspace… or on site (in Smithsons point of view).

Question 6

Entropy *

Answer 6

• It is a psychological movement… Smithson calls it “the back and forth thing.”
• it is the movement of going back and forth to site and non site.
• Universal law states that existence is naturally chaotic… things and objects will deteriorate and decay…
  > We will try to to keep things in order…. this is an example of site objects and also how we try to keep things preserved in museums and galleries.
• This movement of going back and forth to site and non site is reality.
• When things move to a chaotic state entropy will pull is into bringing order.