Experiences
Still I feel the journey because of the languor in my legs and the ringing in my ears. However, I pace along the edge of the wood and the pool.
The circular quay is visible from far away. I am following the flat and empty water with my undivided attention to the Broken Circle. We can barely see that the open and the closed part of the circle are each other's mirror image: the form and residual form are each other's negative. This would we see, in particular, if we could look from above.
During the tour on the headland, the water becomes wider and narrower. It makes me curious of the diversity of the plants and the fish in the water. I follow the water's edge and this brings me back again to the begin of the quay and the headland.
During the walk on the dock I see a huge boulder from each angle. Also, I see the canal in which the quay could be sled if the whole could be rotated.
On the other side of the quay I walk close by the Spiral Hill and decide to walk along the bottom. I see bushes which cover the steep slope, until there turns out that there is a path running over the hill. On each side of the path are the same brushes and imperceptibly the view is changing.
On top of Spiral Hill by Robert Smithson, I feel the peace along the water's edge, I feel the respect for the glacial erratic in the Broken Circle, I feel the curiosity near the quay, I feel the surprise of the path on Spiral Hill, I feel the respect for the wide view.
By Theo, www.artatsite.com
Vertaling
Ervaringen
De reis zit nog met loomheid mijn benen en met gesuis in mijn oren. Toch zet ik een stevig tempo in langs de bosrand en de waterkant.
De rondlopende kade is van ver te zien. Ik volg het vlakke en lege water met mijn volledige aandacht voor de Broken Circle. We kunnen nog nauwelijks zien dat het open en het gesloten deel van de cirkel elkaars spiegelbeeld zijn: vorm en restvorm zijn elkaars negatief. Dit is vooral te zien, als we van bovenaf konden kijken.
Tijdens de tocht over de landtong wordt het water breder en ook weer smaller. Het maakt mij nieuwsgierig naar de verscheidenheid van planten en vissen in het water. Ik volg de waterkant en dit brengt mij weer terug bij het begin van de kade en de landtong.
Tijdens de wandeling over de kaai zie ik een reusachtige zwerfkei van alle kanten. Ook zie ik de gracht waarin de landtong geschoven zou kunnen worden, als het geheel roteren.
Aan de overkant van de kade loop ik rakelings langs de Spiral Hill en besluit langs de basis ervan te lopen. Ik zie struiken die de steile helling begroeien totdat blijkt dat er een pad over de heuvel loopt. Aan weerszijden van het pad zijn de struiken steeds dezelfde en ongemerkt verandert het uitzicht.
Bovenop Spiral Hill van Robert Smithson ervaar ik de rust langs de waterkant, het ontzag voor de zwerfsteen op de Broken Circle, de nieuwsgierigheid bij de gracht, de verrassing van het pad van Spiral Hill, het respect voor het wijde uitzicht.
Door Theo, www.artatsite.com
www.holtsmithsonfoundation.org:
In a sand quarry in the Northeastern Netherlands, Smithson has carved into the shoreline, flooding the resulting dikes to form an interlocking canal and jetty. At the sculpture s center lies a single glacial boulder, while the hillside above features a winding spiral path - a manifestation of Smithson s fascination with spirals and their elusive promise of a final destination. The work iterates the irreversible impact of industry - the land can never go back to what it was before yet its hypnotizing beauty calls for a reevaluation of the relationship between nature and construction.
www.brokencircle.nl:
Smithson described this as a major piece and it sparked his interest in working with industry and post-industrial landscape to make art a necessary part of their reclamation projects.
The geological and industrial history of the Drenthe region drew Smithson to Emmen. He was fascinated by the constructed landscape of The Netherlands. Smithson was interested in landscapes that suggest prehistory.
As an artist it is sort of interesting to take on the persona of a geological agent where man actually becomes part of that process rather than overcoming it. Smithson was committed to working with landscapes scarred by industry, thinking through future uses for exhausted landscapes.
www.wikipedia.org:
Smithson conceived of the two forms as the "section in the water is a centrifugal image; the path of its earthbound companion is centripetal." Gary Shapiro, in his book, Earthwards: Robert Smithson and Art after Babel, writes that the two elements had a "decenteringeffect.
The complexity of the site also informed the sculptural elements, referencing both the industrial use of the site, as well as the topography of Holland's "artificial land".
Smithson also mentioned that he was inspired by the 1953 flooding disaster in the Netherlands, and the vicinity of stone-age dolmen (hunebedden) near the artwork.
www.designboom.com:
Broken Circle / Spiral Hill is sited in a former sand-mine, cut into the side of a terminal moraine. the site is a place where you can see geological with you own eyes. Smithson was fascinated by the constructed and reclaimed nature of the Dutch landscape, and in Emmen he found a perfect location to explore ideas core to his artistic practice.
Lisa le Feuvre: What I love about this artwork is that is shows us how landscape is first shaped by geological history, and second by human history. this earthwork embodies Smithson s interest in post-industrial landscapes. He was committed to making art a necessary and urgent part of everyday life, and envisioned a future where artists worked with industry to draw attention to the ecological impact of human beings on the world. LlF: Smithson often talked about the future, and he was fascinated with the idea of entropy that everything rises into ruin. Smithson was committed to working with landscapes scarred by industry, thinking through future uses for exhausted landscapes. Broken Circle / Spiral Hill imagines a future where a former sand mine can be a location to think deeper and look harder at the surface of our planet.
www.holtsmithsonfoundation.org:
Robert Smithson 1971 Emmen, The Netherlands Water, earth, topsoil, sand, and boulder Broken Circle: diameter: 140 ft. (42.6 m); canal: 12 ft. (3.6 m) wide, 10-15 ft. (3-4.5 m) deep; Spiral Hill: diameter: 75 ft. (22.9 m) at base www.wikipedia.org:
Robert Smithson (January 2, 1938 July 20, 1973) was an American artist known for sculpture and land art who often used drawing and photography in relation to the spatial arts. His work has been internationally exhibited in galleries and museums and is held in public collections. He was one of the founders of the land art movement whose best known work is the Spiral Jetty (1970).
He primarily identified as a painter during this time, and his early exhibited artworks had a wide range of influences, including science fiction, Catholic art and Pop art. He produced drawings and collage works that incorporated images from natural history, science fiction films, classical art, religious iconography, and pornography including "homoerotic clippings from beefcake magazines".
Spiral Jetty (1970) is an earthwork in the form of a 1,500-foot-long (460 m), 15-foot-wide (4.6 m) counterclockwise spiral of local basalt rocks and mud, forming a jetty that juts from the shore of the Great Salt Lake near Rozel Point in Utah. Over the years it has accumulated a patina of salt crystals when the level of the lake is low. Some art historians consider the Spiral Jetty to be the most important work by Smithson. He documented the construction of the sculpture in a 32-minute color film also titled Spiral Jetty. Smithson wrote that he deliberately chose the site due to its proximity to a derelict oil jetty. In later years oil and gas extraction has threatened the area.
In 1971 Smithson created Broken Circle / Spiral Hill in Emmen, The Netherlands as part of the Sonsbeek art festival. The subject of the 1971 Sonsbeek exhibition was Beyond Lawn and Order (Dutch: Buiten de perken). The Broken Circle earthwork was built in a quarry lake 10-to-15 feet deep. It was 140 feet in diameter, with the canal 12 feet wide, and built of white and yellow sand. The accompanying Spiral Hill is made of earth, black topsoil, and white sand, and is 75 feet in diameter at its base. The work is still being maintained and occasionally opened for visitors.
Still I feel the journey because of the languor in my legs and the ringing in my ears. However, I pace along the edge of the wood and the pool.
The circular quay is visible from far away. I am following the flat and empty water with my undivided attention to the Broken Circle. We can barely see that the open and the closed part of the circle are each other's mirror image: the form and residual form are each other's negative. This would we see, in particular, if we could look from above.
During the tour on the headland, the water becomes wider and narrower. It makes me curious of the diversity of the plants and the fish in the water. I follow the water's edge and this brings me back again to the begin of the quay and the headland.
During the walk on the dock I see a huge boulder from each angle. Also, I see the canal in which the quay could be sled if the whole could be rotated.
On the other side of the quay I walk close by the Spiral Hill and decide to walk along the bottom. I see bushes which cover the steep slope, until there turns out that there is a path running over the hill. On each side of the path are the same brushes and imperceptibly the view is changing.
On top of Spiral Hill by Robert Smithson, I feel the peace along the water's edge, I feel the respect for the glacial erratic in the Broken Circle, I feel the curiosity near the quay, I feel the surprise of the path on Spiral Hill, I feel the respect for the wide view.
By Theo, www.artatsite.com
Vertaling
Ervaringen
De reis zit nog met loomheid mijn benen en met gesuis in mijn oren. Toch zet ik een stevig tempo in langs de bosrand en de waterkant.
De rondlopende kade is van ver te zien. Ik volg het vlakke en lege water met mijn volledige aandacht voor de Broken Circle. We kunnen nog nauwelijks zien dat het open en het gesloten deel van de cirkel elkaars spiegelbeeld zijn: vorm en restvorm zijn elkaars negatief. Dit is vooral te zien, als we van bovenaf konden kijken.
Tijdens de tocht over de landtong wordt het water breder en ook weer smaller. Het maakt mij nieuwsgierig naar de verscheidenheid van planten en vissen in het water. Ik volg de waterkant en dit brengt mij weer terug bij het begin van de kade en de landtong.
Tijdens de wandeling over de kaai zie ik een reusachtige zwerfkei van alle kanten. Ook zie ik de gracht waarin de landtong geschoven zou kunnen worden, als het geheel roteren.
Aan de overkant van de kade loop ik rakelings langs de Spiral Hill en besluit langs de basis ervan te lopen. Ik zie struiken die de steile helling begroeien totdat blijkt dat er een pad over de heuvel loopt. Aan weerszijden van het pad zijn de struiken steeds dezelfde en ongemerkt verandert het uitzicht.
Bovenop Spiral Hill van Robert Smithson ervaar ik de rust langs de waterkant, het ontzag voor de zwerfsteen op de Broken Circle, de nieuwsgierigheid bij de gracht, de verrassing van het pad van Spiral Hill, het respect voor het wijde uitzicht.
Door Theo, www.artatsite.com
www.holtsmithsonfoundation.org:
In a sand quarry in the Northeastern Netherlands, Smithson has carved into the shoreline, flooding the resulting dikes to form an interlocking canal and jetty. At the sculpture s center lies a single glacial boulder, while the hillside above features a winding spiral path - a manifestation of Smithson s fascination with spirals and their elusive promise of a final destination. The work iterates the irreversible impact of industry - the land can never go back to what it was before yet its hypnotizing beauty calls for a reevaluation of the relationship between nature and construction.
www.brokencircle.nl:
Smithson described this as a major piece and it sparked his interest in working with industry and post-industrial landscape to make art a necessary part of their reclamation projects.
The geological and industrial history of the Drenthe region drew Smithson to Emmen. He was fascinated by the constructed landscape of The Netherlands. Smithson was interested in landscapes that suggest prehistory.
As an artist it is sort of interesting to take on the persona of a geological agent where man actually becomes part of that process rather than overcoming it. Smithson was committed to working with landscapes scarred by industry, thinking through future uses for exhausted landscapes.
www.wikipedia.org:
Smithson conceived of the two forms as the "section in the water is a centrifugal image; the path of its earthbound companion is centripetal." Gary Shapiro, in his book, Earthwards: Robert Smithson and Art after Babel, writes that the two elements had a "decenteringeffect.
The complexity of the site also informed the sculptural elements, referencing both the industrial use of the site, as well as the topography of Holland's "artificial land".
Smithson also mentioned that he was inspired by the 1953 flooding disaster in the Netherlands, and the vicinity of stone-age dolmen (hunebedden) near the artwork.
www.designboom.com:
Broken Circle / Spiral Hill is sited in a former sand-mine, cut into the side of a terminal moraine. the site is a place where you can see geological with you own eyes. Smithson was fascinated by the constructed and reclaimed nature of the Dutch landscape, and in Emmen he found a perfect location to explore ideas core to his artistic practice.
Lisa le Feuvre: What I love about this artwork is that is shows us how landscape is first shaped by geological history, and second by human history. this earthwork embodies Smithson s interest in post-industrial landscapes. He was committed to making art a necessary and urgent part of everyday life, and envisioned a future where artists worked with industry to draw attention to the ecological impact of human beings on the world. LlF: Smithson often talked about the future, and he was fascinated with the idea of entropy that everything rises into ruin. Smithson was committed to working with landscapes scarred by industry, thinking through future uses for exhausted landscapes. Broken Circle / Spiral Hill imagines a future where a former sand mine can be a location to think deeper and look harder at the surface of our planet.
www.holtsmithsonfoundation.org:
Robert Smithson 1971 Emmen, The Netherlands Water, earth, topsoil, sand, and boulder Broken Circle: diameter: 140 ft. (42.6 m); canal: 12 ft. (3.6 m) wide, 10-15 ft. (3-4.5 m) deep; Spiral Hill: diameter: 75 ft. (22.9 m) at base www.wikipedia.org:
Robert Smithson (January 2, 1938 July 20, 1973) was an American artist known for sculpture and land art who often used drawing and photography in relation to the spatial arts. His work has been internationally exhibited in galleries and museums and is held in public collections. He was one of the founders of the land art movement whose best known work is the Spiral Jetty (1970).
He primarily identified as a painter during this time, and his early exhibited artworks had a wide range of influences, including science fiction, Catholic art and Pop art. He produced drawings and collage works that incorporated images from natural history, science fiction films, classical art, religious iconography, and pornography including "homoerotic clippings from beefcake magazines".
Spiral Jetty (1970) is an earthwork in the form of a 1,500-foot-long (460 m), 15-foot-wide (4.6 m) counterclockwise spiral of local basalt rocks and mud, forming a jetty that juts from the shore of the Great Salt Lake near Rozel Point in Utah. Over the years it has accumulated a patina of salt crystals when the level of the lake is low. Some art historians consider the Spiral Jetty to be the most important work by Smithson. He documented the construction of the sculpture in a 32-minute color film also titled Spiral Jetty. Smithson wrote that he deliberately chose the site due to its proximity to a derelict oil jetty. In later years oil and gas extraction has threatened the area.
In 1971 Smithson created Broken Circle / Spiral Hill in Emmen, The Netherlands as part of the Sonsbeek art festival. The subject of the 1971 Sonsbeek exhibition was Beyond Lawn and Order (Dutch: Buiten de perken). The Broken Circle earthwork was built in a quarry lake 10-to-15 feet deep. It was 140 feet in diameter, with the canal 12 feet wide, and built of white and yellow sand. The accompanying Spiral Hill is made of earth, black topsoil, and white sand, and is 75 feet in diameter at its base. The work is still being maintained and occasionally opened for visitors.