EarthWork
“Earth art, also referred to as Land art or Earthworks, is largely an American movement that uses the natural landscape to create site-specific structures, art forms, and sculptures.” -The Art Story
Earthwork started in the 1960s and 1970s. It was a big part of the environmental movement, which also began in the 1960s. It’s using materials found in nature to create art. Though sometimes shown in museums and galleries most of Earthwork is site-specific, and is created in nature itself.
Two well-known artists in the movement were Andy Goldsworthy and Richard Long. Goldsworthy is a British sculptor who has created earthworks all over the world. He creates both permanent and temporary pieces. From large sculptures to small 2d patterns with leaves.
Long is also a British artist. Most known for creating patterns, linear forms, and shapes in landscapes. Sometimes by walking in the same formation over and over to wear down the vegetation and create negative space. Sometimes by taking things from the area like rocks to form implied lines.
After researching Earth Works, I got to work at designing my own. I started by heading out into the woods and looking for some good areas to work.
I then started to do some more research and explore some ideas. Keeping some of the areas I looked at in the back of my mind.
Out of all of my ideas, I decided to go with creating a few fairy house sculptures. This was because it was something I did a lot as a kid when I spent most of my time in nature. The greater part of this idea is that you’re creating something to say thank you to nature and show your appreciation for it.
I picked which area I wanted to work, and then I cleaned out all the brush. I did this first, so I would have some supplies already gathered, and could spend more time focusing on building.
I found the ground pieces much easier than the ones directly in the trees. As the wind was blowing very hard and if I couldn’t tie it down or anchor it into the dirt then it would blow away.
Another issue I ran into because of the wind was I wasn’t able to create any patterns with the leaves. I was glad that I had chosen to do this over the leave patterns, because even when I wetted them or put them under small rocks or acorns they would blow away before I could finish the design. So making a large pattern would have been impossible.
Overall I’m happy with how the piece came out. Earthwork was something very new to me, and not really my cup of tea. But it was still cool to try something new and to get out of my workspace and into nature. Especially since the one downside to my studio space is its a windowless room and it’s easy to lose a sense of time and the outside world.
It was also cool to get in touch with something that was really important to me as a kid. I spend most of my time outside by myself in the woods, just creating, exploring, and appreciating nature.