The Spiral Jetty vs. Utah
April 7th, 2010
The largest piece of art in the state has to battle more than the elements and industry
by Jacob Hodgen
Utah's 1,500 foot long Spiral Jetty is one of the most famous "earth art" pieces in the world. Sitting serenely amidst the muck and mire of the Great Salt Lake, the rock-and-dirt structure has endured quite a bit since its construction by Robert Smithson in 1970.
However, between erosion caused by thousands of visitors, being submerged for years by variations in the lake's water level, and discoloration caused by minerals and industrial contaminants, the basic survival of the structure has never been a given.
To make matters worse, within the last few years, international oil companies have sought to conduct drilling operations in the vicinity. To some, this was unconscionable.
The case for the Spiral Jetty
Jeffrey Weiss is director of Dia Art Foundation, which is tasked with protecting and preserving the Spiral Jetty. In a press release seeking to enlist support from the public, Weiss expresses the nature of his concern:
"The expansive natural setting is integral to Smithson's artwork, providing an essential frame for experiencing the Spiral Jetty. Any incursion on the open landscape, including the proposed drilling, would significantly compromise this important work of art."
One vocal art critic called it "one of the most important artworks of the post-war period" and said drilling so close to the jetty would be like an "oil well poked in the eye of the American Mona Lisa."
The case against the Spiral Jetty
In the end, the future of this massive sculpture will be decided by the people. That might not be good news for Dia and the survival of the world's most artistically famous jetty.
For example, when the otherwise conservative Deseret News posted a surprisingly lugubrious lament about the Jetty's uncertain fate in an editorial, the author was slammed by the readers. Not just by some of them, mind you, but by every single one that wrote in to comment.
While the politics of the Deseret News' reader base will not likely come as a shock to anyone, the shift towards a state of near resentment by locals towards projects like the Spiral Jetty may serve as a preview of what lies in store.
One Utahn expressed skepticism at the irony of Dia's complaints asking, in disbelief, "Something man-made cannot be within eyesight of something man-made?"
Another irritated resident tried to offer some context, "A contemporary artist who tried doing a Spiral Jetty in this politically corrected age of nonsense would be labeled an environmental terrorist. Why do the enlightened elite art lovers from the East Coast marvel, instead of showing outrage about this ugly scar on Mother Nature?"
What may be the deciding factor, though, are pragmatic considerations. At a time when jobs are still fairly scarce and resources are perceived to be in short supply, the Jetty is not a top priority, as another local describes in disgust: "Four miles? You're worried because an oil rig is going to be four miles away? For crying out loud, it spent twenty years under water where it couldn't be seen by anyone. We need oil and gas. We don't need to protect some silly, dump-truck-created 'artwork' that doesn't generate revenue for the local economy and is seen by, maybe, twelve people a year."
The Twist: All part of the plan?
Perhaps the fate of the Jetty, in all its uncertainty, is not merely a gauge of the cultural and commercial priorities of Utah. Smithson himself wrote extensively about his view of aesthetics, and he claimed that, "the best sites for 'earth art' are sites that have been disrupted by industry, reckless urbanization, or nature's own devastation." This may be a key to finding redemption for the slowly decaying structure.
Even the concerned curator for Dia, Lynne Cooke, confirms Smithson's acceptance of time's toll on the landscape. "The sense of ruined and abandoned hopes interested him," she writes. "He didn't look for beautiful places, but rather despoiled landscapes where industry and the wild overlap."
This is not to say Smithson would have defended any of the current propositions surrounding the Jetty's status, but it does suggest one thing that seems to be often neglected in this discussion: the project's uncertainty was not only seemingly anticipated for, but is in all likelihood a deliberate part of the unorthodox beauty of the project.
Whether the Jetty is destroyed by natural, entropic forces over thousands of years or is ravaged in a weekend by the hand of industry, the inevitable destruction of Smithson's unique contribution makes it all the more an evocative and fascinating part of Utah history.
Learn More:
Spiral Jetty page on the Dia website
