Michael Lailach: 'Land Art'

Unless you were under a rock somewhere for the last six months, you probably know about the huge zig-zagging crack that turned across the floor of Tate Modern's Turbine Hall. (Indeed, you might have fallen down it.)

Doris Salcedo's 'Shibboleth' is more than a little reminiscent of the first artwork shown inside the cover of Land Art. 'Rift' was created in a dry lake bed in 1968 by Michael Heizer, and no doubt the Colombian artist took a little inspiration from both Heizer's work and others documented herein that utilise the earth, sky, built environment and nature to make both monumental and subtle statements.

'Land art' is short for landscape art, and the book looks at a number of its key proponents as well as the seminal 1969 film that first documented the new movement.

Some are pretty well known – Christo's quite awesome but baffling wrapped works (islands, buildings, rocks and trees given a fabric clothing), and darling of the 1990s Andy Goldsworthy's aesthetic manipulations of natural materials that ended up on a thousand greetings cards.

Then there's a chap who frames a bit of sky and calls that art (James Turrell). These 'Skyspaces' are surprisingly effective, and it's no surprise they were born in the American desert with its huge dustbowls, crying out for some art that reflects the quiet, burning, clear atmosphere. However, the Yorkshire Sculpture Park recently bought one off him, so they're obviously not just for blue skies.

Nancy Holt's concrete tube 'Sun Tunnels' were also born of a barren American landscape, channelling the sunset in the Great Basin Desert, Utah to complete them. Something of the Stonehenge about that.

Land Art is a concise primer on the subject, covering varied works and approaches. It's not particularly in-depth, but certainly a good taster of the possibilities that lie in working outside the gallery space.

Published on 25th August 2007 by Taschen.

Written by Caroline Lewis.