Long- Southbank circle Flashcards
year
1991
material
Delabole slate
the slate, from the Delabole quarry in Cornwall, was roughly cut to retain as much of its natural character as possible.
first exhibited
first exhibited at Hayward Gallery, Tate
South Bank Circle was created specifically for Long’s 1991 retrospective at the Hayward Gallery at the South Bank Centre in London. The title refers to this first site.
how is the slate arranged and how many peices are there
*It is a circle, nearly two metres in diameter, composed of 168 pieces of slate lying close together on the floor.
*The pieces may be assembled in a wide variety of configurations within the defining form of the circle. Long has specified that every ‘stone’ should touch the stones adjoining it, so that they all become ”locked” together, and stable.
*The longest stones (and also the thinnest and smallest ones) should be placed within the work and not around the edge.
long quote on relationship between man and nature
‘you could say that my work is … a balance between the patterns of nature and the formalism of human, abstract ideas like lines and circles. It is where my human characteristics meet the natural forces and patterns of the world, and that is really the kind of subject of my work’ (quoted in Richard Long: Walking in Circles, p.250).
function
Aesthetic function is not to beautify, illustrate or represent but to communicate the close relationship of artist/human being and nature.
limportance of circles in his work
the circle is a central archetype in his work: it appears frequently and is to be seen in a wider cultural context.
how is the spontaniety of nature halted
*The pieces of cut slate are put on their side so that the surface is smooth and straight not as occurring in nature in horizontal geological strata.
coulour of stone
*Colour of the stone is a dark cool grey
where did long arrange the peices
*Long arranges the shape himself in the gallery when installing the work each time.
relationship between imposed and natural order
*The circular arrangement is an imposed order, but the flatness of each piece is characteristic of slate, representing a natural order.
how could have ancient civilisations inspired this
*Ancient civilisations have created structures like stone circles and designed paths on which walking was part of a communal cultural or ritual activity.
oInspired by a Bronze Age funerary platform?
oStone circles?
oHill figures drawn into the land?
how does Long reject influence from ancient covilisations quote
“I actually hate that approach to my work. It is very academic. I was interested in landscape art long before I saw Stonehenge. You have to consider Stonehenge and all the circles in Britain, they came about from a completely different culture, for different reasons. They were social, religious art. They were made by society. I make my work as an individual. There are enormous differences.”
what time of landscape influences long the most
british landscape as its his home
crircles according to plato
*According to Plato the circle is the perfect, most beautiful shape. It symbolises eternity and the universe.
how is he influenced by the theory of relativity (include critical quote on this)
*He is influenced by his study of the Theory of Relativity at CSM
‘My stones are like sub-atomic particles in the space of the world. These works represent parallel phenomena at a different scale. Our human scale actually exists somewhere nearer the outer boundary of the universe than the sub-atomic limit’
LINK TO BUDDHISM
wants to present immediate connection with nature
this sense of present or immediate experience has something in come with Zen Buddhism’s concept of ‘now-ness’, of being in the moment.
when genres does he link himself to if he isnt a land artist
He has never identified himself as a Land Artist, but sees more in common with conceptual art, minimalism and Arte Povera
*Conceptualism – idea more important, visual art can be illustration of concept, denying the notion of skill
what land artists could he be influenced by but how does he diverge from their influence
*Other conceptual artists may have impacted his work too like US land artists who created major so called earth works, like Smithson’s ‘Spiral Jetty’. But important difference is that Long’s work is generally very subtle, often modest in scale, and ephemeral rather than heroic. He is not after a huge impact on the landscape.
influence of his experience of nature
*Long bases his work on walks made outdoors in nature, often in remote locations. The documentation of these walks, which takes a variety of different forms, constitutes the visible manifestation of the artwork, which for Long exists as much in the making of it as in its end product.
*Natural materials are crucial and artists using them, touching soil, picking up stones, splattering mud is essential part of creative process.
in what locations has long made similar sculptures
- Ireland
- Morocco
- Shara
- Mongolia
- Japan
- Equador
- Alaska
- Malawi
- Australia
- Ladakh
- Dartmoor
coullects stones on his walks in these locations
critical quoet on stones and walking
‘each stone represents a kind of measurement of Britain in relation to the speed of my walking and route. Each stone has its geological history, yet perhaps momentarily, conceptually, symbolically or privately becomes ‘something else’ as well.’
gallery works
*He also makes sculptures which are specifically for galleries. They often consist of stones taken from a particular site and laid in a simple pattern on the floor.
(This links with the conceptualists such as Lawrence Weiner and with Minimalists such as Robert Morris and Carl André.)
*Not studio based
*Not spontaneous but planned in a gallery.
-there is a greater sense of permanence in the museum
when did long make his first stone sculpture
The first stone circle was made while walking in the Andes in 1972
examples of other circle works by long
Circle of Sticks 1973
Small White Pebble Circles 1987
Norfolk Flint Circle 1990
long on minimalism in stone works
*RL ‘In my sculptures, a stone is a stone.
significance of stone in the history of mankind
*Stone is one of the earliest materials used by man to fashion tools, construct dwellings, create monuments and to mark territory.
-‘I like the idea that stones are what the world is made of.’
