The Spectacles of the Spectacular West

On Tuesday the class discussed spectacles of the spectacular west. The class talked about destruction in relation to the atomic bomb, art and entertainment, and Las Vegas. We discussed how destruction has become a spectacle and a form of entertainment as seen in art by such artists as Gustav Metzger and shows like The Twilight Zone. The topic of destruction was also discussed in terms of atomic bombs and their testing sites in the Southwest, which became spectacles due to their exciting and mysterious qualities. Las Vegas also applies to this topic due to destruction being part of the culture of the city as well as a means of spectacle and entertainment. We examined these topics in depth by supplementing our discussion with Julia Hell and George Steinmetz’s “Ruinopolis: Post-Imperial Theory and Learning from Las Vegas,” Kerry Brougher’s “Atomic Theater,” Peter Goin’s “The Nuclear Past in the Landscape Present,” and Geoff Dyer’s “Richard Misrach,” as well as the questions that our classmates asked in their reading responses.

Sedan Nuclear Test, Nevada Test Site, 1962, photo from Wikipedia

The class discussed the topic of desensitization. We talked about how we have been relatively desensitized to various types of destruction, crime, and tragedies. We came to the conclusion that we have desensitized ourselves in order to get through the day. If we mourned over every tragic incident that happened, we would never stop mourning. The class agreed that desensitizing ourselves is a way of survival. Some people also argued that the reason it seems like society is desensitized is because we feel like we can’t do anything about the tragedies that happen. We related these ideas back to the artists discussed in Kerry Brougher’s “Atomic Theater.” We looked at Bruce Conner’s use of destruction as spectacle by watching his film “A Movie.”

When it came to discussing the creation that comes from destruction and subtractive tendencies in relation to landscape, the class had split opinions on whether or not the test sites around the west were a strange kind of governmental land-art. One side of the discussion mentioned that the government did not create this landscape for the purpose of art. The other side said that although the intention was not there at the beginning, artists often came along to the land afterwards and imposed a story and divinity for the land therefore giving a bit of artistic credit to the government.

Richard Misrach, Aerial Target ("Dart"), Wendover Air Base, Utah, 1990, from Desert Cantos, photo from Fraenkel Gallery

Richard Misrach photographed a site known as Bravo 20 for a project called Desert Cantos. Bravo 20 is a chunk of land that the Navy used as a bombing range since 1944. Dyer talks about his experience traveling with Misrach to different places he photographed and compared his work to other photographers such as Timothy O’Sullivan. They traveled from Bravo to Pyramid Lake, Gerlach, and Black Desert Rock. Misrach’s photos were very vulnerable and had an overall theme of human destruction.

Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas, photo from Yelp

Hell & Steinmetz made a post-imperial analysis of Las Vegas based on the reconstruction of its history in regards to architecture and how it is presented in pop culture, specifically highlighting sites of ruin. They discussed the dimensions and crumbling empire of the United States, focusing specifically on Las Vegas as one of the main examples of collapsing imperialism. There was mention of Friedrich Ratzel’s theories of ruins and empires, further making comparisons to the empires of Europe and Rome in comparison of that found in America. Overall, it was summarized that America is seen as an empire that is seeing its current decay. Las Vegas, in particular, has an imperial territoriality to it as it is seeing destruction over time. Much like Detroit, Las Vegas has followed a similar boom-and-bust pattern. There was also a discussion of Native American tribes that had formerly thrived in the Southwestern United States, highlighting how the atomic age greatly impacted their sacred lands while also impacting the city and its casinos as well. What once was seen as sacred quickly turned to sacrificial land. Finally, casinos themselves were highlighted as the architecture and theme of them could be seen as a parody or mimicry of imperial Rome in a stylistic sense. Caesars Palace is one of the biggest examples. The architecture seemed to carry the message that it is a place where the populist representation of a self-confident empire has changed into the brutalist forms of a hyper-militarized empire in crisis.

Holly Osbourne, Alix Peters, Jake Bobeck, and Kaiti Sullivan

Agnes Denes, Maya Lin, Christo and Jeanne-Claude

This week our group discussed Earth artists Agnes Denes, Maya Lin, and Christo and Jeanne-Claude.

Maya Lin, Listening Cone

While discussing Maya Lin, the class talked about a few different topics including; aesthetic vs. informational art, whether the Earth artists discussed were trying to get people to make change or just to raise awareness, and if Earth art should be ecologically conscious to make more of an impact. During the aesthetic vs. informational talk, we discussed whether Maya Lin was concerned as much with aesthetic or if she wanted to just give information to her audience. Some stated that Lin obviously had an eye for aesthetic and that her work was artistic in nature such as with Listening Cone while others believed her primary concern was more for informational purposes. The class was asked whether they think the art made for the Space, Land, and Concept Art studio portion was trying to get people to change or if it was just trying to raise awareness. There were varying answers, but we concluded that it was something an artist really needed to consider in terms of what information is displayed. The class also talked about Lin’s comment on her disinterest with ‘marking’ the Earth. She simply wanted to add, rather than detract. This was in direct contrast to artists such as Smithson and De Maria. We pondered if an ecologically conscious Earth work had more of an impact. This was more difficult to answer since it depended on a situation. I believe most agreed that an Earth artist might as well try to be ecologically sound if they are working with the Earth, but that it does not necessarily take away from their intent of the project if they did not.

We discussed aspects of Agnes Denes’ work, including the logistics of her time capsule and the contributions to the preservation of the environment. The class doubted that the time capsule would be able to last that long, either because people would be too impatient and open it prematurely or humanity would die off. This spiraled off into a discussion about whether or not time capsules were a realistic idea and whether humanity would last long enough to open time capsules in the very far future. We also discussed her contributions to the environment. The class seemed to be in agreement that rather than destroy the environment, like Heizer and other land artists, Denes succeeds in creating work that either restores or preserves the environment.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude,  The Umbrellas, Japan/USA, 1984-91

Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s works have an underlying theme of freedom and their work Umbrellas is a great example. Christo is well known for his ambitious works that are larger than life. Wrapping public buildings, bridges, walkways, and monuments with nylon fabric are created in public spaces allowing viewers to see them for free. Christo never accepts outside funding such as grants, commissions, or fellowships. His work is completely funded out of his own pocket even when the work costs $26 million. Umbrellas, located in Japan and California, was an installation of 3,100 yellow and blue umbrellas. On October 6th was blooming day for the work.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude,  The Umbrellas, Japan/USA, 1984-91

Overall Umbrellas gave a sense of community, joy, and unity. Ellen Waltersheid shared her perspective as someone who helped put up the project and the relationships she built with the team of strangers she worked with. Even as an outsider Robert Findlay said that there was an “unmistakable aura of community” because everyone was surrounded by these same yellow structures. Sadly, two people died from the artwork, one from the wind and another from electrocution. The sorrow of these deaths was also spread throughout the community--even affecting people who didn’t personally know them.

 Celina Timmerman, Kaiti Sullivan, Holly Osburn, and Cassi Amman

Walter De Maria, Michael Heizer, and James Turrell

The beginning of our discussion began with how Walter De Maria, Michael Heizer, and James Turrell's works are comparable to large monuments like the Egyptian pyramids.

Pyramids at Giza, Egypt (image: Wikipedia)

Light and how we perceive it can change our truth and what we believe to be true. How an artist uses light can be truthful or untruthful. Messing with perception for Turrell may not be a lie, but refers back to his piloting experience where he can lose sense of up and down. Artists are interested in changing your perception of the world around you, inducing a sense of escapism in your everyday life. They take you to a new, alien place and allows for an escape from reality. Going West is part of this pilgrimage in “escaping reality.”

James Turrell, Outside In, at House of Lights, 2000, Tohka-machi, Niigata, Japan. During night program, 2011 (image: Wikipedia)

The Term Double Negative only works because Heizer removed from the natural world rather than created a positive first. A third party experience of matter and form create this new positive from these double negatives. Two nothings come together to create something.

Michael Heizer, Double Negative, 1970, Mormon Mesa, near Overton, NV (image: Wikipedia)

Heizer initially wanted it to go through evolution, but decided later he wanted it cleaned up. The natural disorder and lack of control is frightening to artists. Heizer seems to want to preserve his legacy by restoring Double Negative and having City outlast humanity. We started discussing the possibility of artists being buried in their works. Heizer was physically deteriorating through the creation of his work. We also briefly discussed the use of toxic materials that artists are using could potentially affect the artist’s lifespan and health.


Dan Flavin shows the light source a lot in his work, whereas Turrell hides it. Turrell’s light interacts with the space in a unique way and adjusts your perception of the space you’re in. It has more of a relationship with the person experiencing it. It has a meditative quality, similar to his Quaker religious sessions. We talked about how art can be a sort of religion based on the definition of the superhuman power it has. Religion in a large sense could be a way to understand our existence and connection to the earth. Emotion is a driving force in experiencing these artworks. Scale is a large factor in their creation.


De Maria's Lightning Field is more about getting there and experiencing the field rather than the lightning. Lightning serves as an important aspect that connects spacial relationships and how it relates to the Earth. The natural elements besides the lightning itself contribute to the dangerous sense you get from the piece. We came up with different ideas of what we would do at Lightning Field for 18 hours, such as roaming around, meditating. The art is about conveying an experience, and how you make the choices with how you spend your time there tells you about your personality. The poles help determine your own relationship with the space, but they also play mind tricks on you with how the light hits them.

Lastly, we talked about how 2D artwork is unique in the sense that it is so separate from the spacialness of the 3D works we have been looking at. Having the journey to the earthworks make the experience of the work more satisfying.

Alex Mikev, Lilly McClung, Carrie Pawlovich, Molly Carpenter