Sun Tunnels Flashcards
Made “Sun Tunnels”
Nancy Holt
Where was Nancy Holt born and raised
Worcester, Massachusetts and raised in New Jersey
What did Holt study at Tufts University
Biology
In which art movements did Holt work
Land art and conceptual art
With whom did Holt collaborate on the film “East Coast/West Coast”
Robert Smithson
Who is Holt’s husband
Robert Smithson
Various media’s of Holt
site-based sculpture, poetry, sound art, film, video, photography, artist’s books, and drawing.
Where did Holt move her practice in 1995
Galisteo, New Mexico
One of the prime examples of outdoor Earthworks of the Land art movement
Sun Tunnels
What does “Sun Tunnels” consist of
4 large concrete cylinders set into the Great Basin Desert in Utah, configured in the shape of an “X” that measures 86 feet on the diagonal
Where is “Sun Tunnels” located
The Great Basin Desert in Utah
(Sun Tunnels) What shape does the configuration of the cylinders form
An “X”
Which solstices do the “Sun Tunnels” align with
The summer and winter solstices on June 21 and December 21
(Sun Tunnels) What constellations are represented by the holes in the cylinders
Draco, Perseus, Columba, and Capricorn
(Sun Tunnels) What can visitors do with the cylinders
Walk through them
(Sun Tunnels) The dimension of the “X”
86 ft on the diagonal
How much does each cylinder in “Sun Tunnels” weigh
22 tons
Who assisted Holt in the production of “Sun Tunnels”
Local contractors - thye drove the cylinders to the site and placed them in concrete foundations
What impression do the concrete foundations give about the cylinders’ placement
That they sit flatly on the desert floor
In which magazine did Holt publish her essay about “Sun Tunnels”
Artforum magazine in the April 1977 issue
When was Holt’s essay “Sun Tunnels” published
April 1977
What location did Holt connect with when she first visited the western United States
The desert
Who accompanied Holt on her first trip out West
Robert Smithson and Michael Heizer
What place in New Jersey did Holt compare to the western desert’s spaciousness
The Pine Barrens in southern New Jersey
How long did it take Holt to plan and execute “Sun Tunnels”
3 years
Where did Holt first begin planning “Sun Tunnels”
Amarillo, Texas
What Earthwork was Robert Smithson working on when Holt began planning “Sun Tunnels”
Amarillo Ramp
What happened to Robert Smithson on July 20
He crashed and died while flying over the site of “Amarillo Ramp”
Who helped Holt complete “Amarillo Ramp” after Smithson’s death
Other artist friends
What video work did Holt create with Richard Serra
Boomerang
Where was “Boomerang” created
In an Amarillo television studio
In which states did Holt search for a site for “Sun Tunnels”
New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah
What characteristics did Holt seek for the “Sun Tunnels” site
Flat ground with a full ring of low mountains visible in the background
(Sun Tunnels) What was the former location of the site Holt settled on
An ancient body of water called Lake Bonneville in norther Utah
What universal cycles do the completed “Sun Tunnels” invoke
The cycles of time through their alignment with the patterns of the rising and setting sun along the Earth’s orbit
(Sun Tunnels) What unusual markings appeared within the interior of each concrete tube in the years before Holt’s death
Circular markings
(Sun Tunnels) What did Holt surmise caused the circular markings inside the tunnels
Bullets shot through the tunnels by local residents
How did Holt view the circular markings in relation to “Sun Tunnels”
She understood them to be a part of “Sun Tunnels”’ life in its environment and thought they should be left untouched by art conservators
In what year did Nancy Holt pass away
2014
What did Holt create following the completion of “Sun Tunnels”
A film depicting the creation of “Sun Tunnels”
What does Holt emphasize in her film about “Sun Tunnels”
The importance of working with skilled laborers and experts in other fields
How does the visibility of “Sun Tunnels” compare to similarly well-known artworks
“Sun Tunnels” is a remote artwork that relatively few visitors have seen
Made “Dark Star Park”
Nancy Holt
Over what period did Holt create “Dark Star Park”
From 1979 to 1984
Holt created art pieces through the period 1979 to 1984 at
Rosslyn neighborhood of Arlington, Virginia
What organizations provided funding for “Dark Star Park”
The National Endowment for the Arts, Arlington County, and nearly a dozen local businesses
What type of site was transformed into “Dark Star Park”
A debris-ridden site that had formerly housed a gas station and warehouse
What was the purpose of commissioning “Dark Star Park”
To accompany the construction of an office building at a narrow intersection of several streets feeding traffic into nearby Washington D.C.
How does “Dark Star Park” engage with visitors
It communicates with visitors passing on foot and those in cars
What materials make up “Dark Star Park”
Concrete spheres, tunnels, metal poles, circular pools, and vegetation
(Dark Star Park) What does Holt’s work create through its sculptural arrangement
A complex arrangement that plays upon a series of framed sightlines
How does the viewer’s approach affect the experience of “Dark Star Park”
The sightlines change with the direction and speed of the approaching viewer
What patterns does “Dark Star Park” operate between
The real time spent looking at the artwork and more permanent celestial patterns
What unique feature aligns with the sun’s shadows in “Dark Star Park”
Shaped metal “shadows” on the ground
(Dark Star Park) At what precise time do the metal shadows align with the actual shadows cast by the sun
9:32 am on August 1 each year
Besides the visual experience, what other quality does “Dark Star Park” embody
A cyclical time calibrated to the movement of the sun
Time of the day that is an arbitrary choice by the artist
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What is the significance of the date August 1 in relation to “Dark Star Park”
It references the day in 1860 that William Henry Ross purchased the land from his father-in-law that would later be named Rosslyn
What did Holt say about selecting August 1 for the shadow patterns
She mentioned that it integrated the historical time of the place with the cyclical universal time of the sun
What does the site of “Dark Star Park” symbolically celebrate
The founding of Rosslyn and its proximity to the nation’s capital
What aspect of the land does “Dark Star Park” aim to recuperate
A formerly derelict and polluted plot of land
What is the title of the video work Holt produced in response to “Dark Star Park”
“Art in the Public Eye: The Making of Dark Star Park” (1988)
(Dark Star Park) Why was the video created
It was made on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of the park
How did Holt describe the site before the creation of “Dark Star Park”
She described it as a “trash site” that had been a gas station and turned into a place with broken asphalt, weeds, and broken bottles
What motivated Holt to create “Dark Star Park”
She felt there was an overwhelming need for a park in that location
(Dark Star Park) What does Holt indicate about the condition of the site prior to the park’s development
It was not even a proper parking lot; it was a disordered place where people parked, marked by broken asphalt and debris
Who are the individuals featured in the video discussing “Dark Star Park”
The developer of the adjoining Park Place office building, the owner of the swimming pool construction company that crafted Dark Star Park’s spheres with shotcrete, the construction foreman, and the landscape architect
What realization does Holt express about art and its creation
She realizes how much art comes out of the matrix of society and how things are simply put together
What systems do “Sun Tunnels” and “Dark Star Park” address according to Holt
They address the systems that humans use to understand and experience time
