Landart

[anne (bxl)]

For the first time in my sculptor life, I had been invited this summer by a wonderful open air museum (south of Belgium) to make a vegetal sculpture on their site. I really enjoyed the experience of the architectural dimension (beiing inside the sculpture instead of always looking at...). I filled also quite comfortable with the idea of making temporary sculpture (to continue my road without an additional suitcase).

Next month, I will have the opportunity to re-experience it in the desert (south Marocco).

Anyone here who has an opinion or an experience in this field to share?

[fritchie]

Anne - Congratulations on both projects! Your architectural background should be excellent for this. If I were younger and devoted fully to sculpture instead of science and several other fields in addition, I’m sure I would enjoy working this way. Back in the really old days, Michelangelo was sculptor, architect, painter, and poet. Leonardo was painter, engineer, defense architect, anatomist, and poet.

[anne (bxl)]

really nobody here that has an experience in landart?????

well, I know this site is devoted mainly to classical figurative sculpture.
are you not ready to open your mind to something else?

[fritchie]

Anne - You’re right that there hasn’t been much on landforms in the forum, but”slintfan”, a graduate student from southern Illinois, US, posted a question on landform art (http://sculpture.net/community/showthread.php?s=&threadid=390&highlight=landscape) some time ago. I haven’t seen posts from him for a while, but maybe he has an email address in his profile. I haven’t looked.

It would be good to broaden the coverage of the forum. Let us hear more of what you are doing.

[jwebb]

The Sept. 22 New Yorker Magazine, which I just saw, has an article called "The Stone Gardener" about Andy goldsworthy, British sculptor, who does Land Art, and is working on a project in New York now. I'm not sure what kind of response you want here. It is hard to make any intelligent comment without seeing something of what you are doing. This kind of work combines some of both "visual" and "conceptual" aspects, and is therefore quite interesting. The idea of being in a piece of Art rather than in front of it, as you say, is powerful; as is Art which continues to change, grow, or is intented to be acted upon by other people in ways that change it, after the artist goes on down the road from it. I wish you well with it and hope you keep us informed.

[jwebb]

How do you think this kind of Art differs - or do you think it differs - from the ancient tradition of Japanese Gardens, which may cover many acres, in which every tree, twig, patch of sand, pond, fish, stone is chosen and subtly placed, set, groomed to achieve an overall artistic intent?

[Araich]

Congratulations Anne :)

I've not had any experience in this, but I can tell you that I would love to take a shot at it.

All those hours scooping sand patterns (and mountains, towers and dams) at the beach cannot have been for nought. My family used to camp (no water, power or phone) at a beach in New Zealand when I was a kid, where the sand just seemed to stick together. The beaches where deserted, and I could continue my projects through several days. Actually it's a wonder I didn't die beneath one of those tunnels, or bake my noodle in the summer sun (well, ok, that's up for arguement).

I say, think big, go wild.

But wear a hat.

[anne (bxl)]

japanese gardens could be part of some landart artist influence (Nils Udo, for example), as well as so many others ancient cultures such as Incas, Aztecs or european neolitic civilisation, and many others.

for the moment, I am influenced by the basic forms of the fascinating european neolitic sites - the door next to mine (for those who are interested, read again the thread "sculpture postcards/ancient stones") - and by the content of some african cultures.

and, of course, as Araich said, the memory of our kids games is never very far away...

but I have to say I am a bit scared about the handling of such projects in the future......