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Spiral Jetty

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Submitted By horselover12
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Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty is a remarkable piece that has changed the perception of art around the world. The spiral, composed entirely of black basalt rocks and Earth from the site, stretches 1,500 feet long and was created on the floor of the Great Salt Lake in Utah. This work of art is one of the most pure forms of nature, because it is made entirely of nature. Smithson moved 6,650 tons of rock with the help of Bob Phillips from Parson's Construction. Robert Smithson had trouble convincing a contractor to help move the rocks into the lake due to the “oddness” of the request, but he finally found a company willing to comply. The two men worked together on the six day task to create the piece of Art. At the time of the creation of the spiral, The Great Salt Lake was experiencing a drought, which enabled the construction. A few years after the project was finished, Spiral Jetty had completely submerged into the Great Salt Lake, not to appear again for three decades. The piece has made a few spontaneous yet short appearances since 2002 before going under again. The Spiral Jetty is a work of Art because Robert Smithson had an idea. He believed in the piece and expressed himself through the creation and application of his idea. Art is different to everyone, but I believe art can literally be anything someone creates and believes in. Spiral Jetty would not have been created had Robert Smithson not believed that he could create something great.
The piece represents nature, because it is nature. Everything in the project occurs naturally, it was simply moved around to make something beautiful. I also love the added sense of mystery to it. The fact that it cannot be seen at any time makes it so much more appealing to visit when there is a water shortage or drought. It adds excitement to a time where maybe the community is struggling because of lack of water. It is beautiful, and I would definitely like to visit it next time the water levels go down.

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