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Robert Smithson's monumental earthwork Spiral Jetty (1970) is located on the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Using black basalt rocks and earth from the site, the artist created a coil 1500 feet long and 15 feet wide that stretches out counterclockwise into the translucent red water. At the time of its construction, the water level of the lake was unusually low because of a drought. Within a few years, the water level returned to normal and submerged the jetty for the next three decades. When water levels dropped in 1999 the jetty re-emerged. Originally black rock against ruddy water, it is now largely white against pink due to salt encrustation and lower water levels.

Filename
STNMTZ_20020901_02A.tif
Copyright
© 2002 George Steinmetz
Image Size
8873x5951 / 151.1MB
www.georgesteinmetz.com
Contained in galleries
Robert Smithson's monumental earthwork Spiral Jetty (1970) is located on the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Using black basalt rocks and earth from the site, the artist created a coil 1500 feet long and 15 feet wide that stretches out counterclockwise into the translucent red water. At the time of its construction, the water level of the lake was unusually low because of a drought. Within a few years, the water level returned to normal and submerged the jetty for the next three decades. When water levels dropped in 1999 the jetty re-emerged. Originally black rock against ruddy water, it is now largely white against pink due to salt encrustation and lower water levels.

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