Lectures on Contemporary Art: 10

Land, Light, and Environmental Art

At the end of the 1960s, a number of artists started working with the earth as their medium. Artists like Smithson and Heizer created latter-day spirals and ziggurats out of earth. Fulton and Long walked into remote countries and recorded their journeys either photographically, or in journal form.

Other artists such as Goldsworthy and Drury created beautiful, ephemeral sculptures from leaves or bark, photographing the results.

A group of Californian artists began working with light and fire. James Turrell started creating structures where the sky itself was the artwork, and is at present creating probably the largest piece of work on earth - Roden Crater. Eric Orr worked with fire and light, and later lightning. Maria Nordman produced temporary, almost invisible pieces you might see on your street by accident. Others went into laser or holography. Martin Creed turned off the gallery lights and caused a storm...