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