Wow, Safar, this is incredible. I’m so glad you closed with that final paragraph. It’s like you read my mind. The arrogance. On the other hand, it does appear that the land worked its magic on him. The reverence of his comment is striking.
Yes, out of his reactions to other questions aimed at him, he comes across as a grumpy ol' so n' so, but that comment did take me aback. He did say he was misrepresented a lot.
Agree with your final paragraph. I was contemplating that yesterday on my neighborhood walk. Each home I walked by sat on a plot of land. According to legal documents homeowners own it. But do they really? Can we really own the land? "It seems an incredible arrogance to claim virgin land as one’s own and so seriously deface it whether it be for its resources or for art." Yep!
I couldn’t agree more Julie, we can build a home, even a piece of art and we can quite rightly say we are the owners of these things - although I prefer the word keepers in this too short life - but how can we own the land they sit upon? Who’s is it to sell in the first place?
And oh hell yes, we are so very arrogant, Safar I entirely agree here too…
What is it about the desert that prompts these megalithic ambitions ... obsessions? 50 years, 40 million dollars! Your posts often launch ponderings about going there (wherever it is you're talking about) and I'm only a long stone's throw from Hiko, Nevada this morning (189 miles) ...
So I went looking for how to make reservations. Nope. Already booked. Thanks, your video saved me a long drive and $150 ... now I'm just left with the pondering. Having just spent a day at Marta Becket's opera house in the midst of nowhere, and thinking over the other passion/obsessions I've discovered along the way, I wonder if it has something to do with negative space, the need to fill in the blank spaces ... or a form of denying death?
I don't think I've written about it here, but you'd probably be interested in Felicity, CA ... the center of the world where Jacques-Andre Istel built a Museum of History in Granite. Here is a flip book I made of that monument ... https://issuu.com/joycewycoff/docs/felicity_center_of_the_world?fr=xKAE9_zU1NQ ... thanks again for all the things you give me to ponder on ... and the inclusion in your post.
I'd love to hear from someone who does experience the art as intended, it's a pity that you didn't get to go. I wonder how long the waiting list is for getting a ticket?
I wonder too about this need to fill a void. In Michael Heizer's case, he had a vision for his art, he just needed a big/cheap enough space within which to create it, so I don't think it was a case of a need to fill in a blank space.
The beauty of empty - it could be why Robert Rauschenberg's white paintings were so compelling.
I had to look up Marta's opera house and the woman. That must have been like stepping back in time and into another world to go through the doors of that place.
Thank you so much for sharing your flip book, which I enjoyed flipping through! I hadn't come across the museum before either. Wow, the concept is quite flabbergasting!
The website says the reservations will open in Jan, 2025 ... and close Jan 31! I would like to see it and might put it on my calendar for Jan. Of course, who knows where ... or who ... or even if ... I'll be then ... ;-) The world is a wondrous place ... thanks for sharing the wonders you find.
I'm assuming that's just the reservation window and that visits extend into the year. Who knows though. Someone who spends 50 years and $40 million definitely does things his own way.
He did say he wanted people to leave him alone and respect his privacy. He complained about people's feeling of entitlement to see the work (hence the flyovers). I expect a rush for tickets and that the visits will be spread out like you say.
Wow, Safar, this is incredible. I’m so glad you closed with that final paragraph. It’s like you read my mind. The arrogance. On the other hand, it does appear that the land worked its magic on him. The reverence of his comment is striking.
Yes, out of his reactions to other questions aimed at him, he comes across as a grumpy ol' so n' so, but that comment did take me aback. He did say he was misrepresented a lot.
Hmmm. Maybe the desert feels the same way.
Agree with your final paragraph. I was contemplating that yesterday on my neighborhood walk. Each home I walked by sat on a plot of land. According to legal documents homeowners own it. But do they really? Can we really own the land? "It seems an incredible arrogance to claim virgin land as one’s own and so seriously deface it whether it be for its resources or for art." Yep!
I couldn’t agree more Julie, we can build a home, even a piece of art and we can quite rightly say we are the owners of these things - although I prefer the word keepers in this too short life - but how can we own the land they sit upon? Who’s is it to sell in the first place?
And oh hell yes, we are so very arrogant, Safar I entirely agree here too…
Yes I like the word keepers too. Adds the quality of respect and honoring.
I like 'keepers' too, or 'stewards'.
What is it about the desert that prompts these megalithic ambitions ... obsessions? 50 years, 40 million dollars! Your posts often launch ponderings about going there (wherever it is you're talking about) and I'm only a long stone's throw from Hiko, Nevada this morning (189 miles) ...
So I went looking for how to make reservations. Nope. Already booked. Thanks, your video saved me a long drive and $150 ... now I'm just left with the pondering. Having just spent a day at Marta Becket's opera house in the midst of nowhere, and thinking over the other passion/obsessions I've discovered along the way, I wonder if it has something to do with negative space, the need to fill in the blank spaces ... or a form of denying death?
I don't think I've written about it here, but you'd probably be interested in Felicity, CA ... the center of the world where Jacques-Andre Istel built a Museum of History in Granite. Here is a flip book I made of that monument ... https://issuu.com/joycewycoff/docs/felicity_center_of_the_world?fr=xKAE9_zU1NQ ... thanks again for all the things you give me to ponder on ... and the inclusion in your post.
Hi Joyce,
I'd love to hear from someone who does experience the art as intended, it's a pity that you didn't get to go. I wonder how long the waiting list is for getting a ticket?
I wonder too about this need to fill a void. In Michael Heizer's case, he had a vision for his art, he just needed a big/cheap enough space within which to create it, so I don't think it was a case of a need to fill in a blank space.
The beauty of empty - it could be why Robert Rauschenberg's white paintings were so compelling.
I had to look up Marta's opera house and the woman. That must have been like stepping back in time and into another world to go through the doors of that place.
Thank you so much for sharing your flip book, which I enjoyed flipping through! I hadn't come across the museum before either. Wow, the concept is quite flabbergasting!
The website says the reservations will open in Jan, 2025 ... and close Jan 31! I would like to see it and might put it on my calendar for Jan. Of course, who knows where ... or who ... or even if ... I'll be then ... ;-) The world is a wondrous place ... thanks for sharing the wonders you find.
That's such a short window of time. Wow. Fingers crossed !
I'm assuming that's just the reservation window and that visits extend into the year. Who knows though. Someone who spends 50 years and $40 million definitely does things his own way.
He did say he wanted people to leave him alone and respect his privacy. He complained about people's feeling of entitlement to see the work (hence the flyovers). I expect a rush for tickets and that the visits will be spread out like you say.