Spiral Jetty ~~ Jesse L Baird

General Information

Spiral Jetty is an earthwork sculpture constructed in April 1970 that is considered to be the central work of American sculptor Robert Smithson. Built on the northeastern shore of the Great Salt Lake near Rozel Point in Utah entirely of mud, salt crystals, basalt rocks and water, Spiral Jetty forms a 1,500-foot-long (460 m), 15-foot-wide (4.6 m) counterclockwise coil jutting from the shore of the lake. The water level of the lake varies with precipitation in the mountains surrounding the area, revealing the jetty in times of drought and submerging it during times of normal precipitation.

Construction

Smithson reportedly chose the Rozel Point site based on the blood-red color of the water and its connection with the primordial sea. The red hue of the water is due to the presence of salt-tolerant bacteria and algae that thrive in the extreme 27 percent salinity of the lake's north arm, which was isolated from fresh water sources by the building of a causeway by the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1959.

To move the rock into the lake, Smithson hired Bob Phillips of Parson's Construction of nearby Ogden, Utah, who used two dump trucks, a large tractor, and a front end loader to haul the 6,650 tons of rock and earth into the lake. It is reported that Smithson had a difficult time convincing a contractor to accept the unusual proposal. Spiral Jetty was the first of his pieces to require the acquisition of land rights and earthmoving equipment.

He began work on the jetty in April 1970. Construction took six days.

Visibility

At the time of Spiral Jetty's construction, the water level of the lake was unusually low due to drought. The sculpture becomes submerged whenever the level of the Great Salt Lake rises above an elevation of 4,195 feet (1,279 m).

Financing and Ownership

The sculpture was financed in part by a $9,000 USD grant from the Virginia Dwan Gallery of New York.

The sculpture has been owned by the state of Utah since June 2011. Previously, the area was leased by the Dia Art Foundation of New York, who acquired the piece by a donation from Smithson's estate in 1999. The Dia Art Foundation is currently seeking a new lease from the state.

Preservation

The current exposure of the jetty to the elements and to the ravages of its growing number of visitors has led to a controversy over the preservation of the sculpture. The discoloration of the rocks and the exposure of the lake bed having altered the colors of the original, a proposal has emerged to buttress the sculpture and restore the original colors by the addition of new basalt rocks in the spirit of the original. It is expected that without such additions, the sculpture will be submerged again once the drought is over.

The issue has been complicated by ambiguous statements by Smithson, who expressed an admiration for entropy in that he intended his works to mimic earthly attributes in that they remain in a state of arrested disruption and not be kept from destruction.

Sky Collage

Taking multiple pictures of the sky, from different places within the Spiral Jetty location, pointed at multiple parts of the sky, I was able to create a collage of all of the sky images I captured. This quilt gives us an idea of what the awe-inspiring and expansive "Sky" is like at Spiral Jetty--more effectively than you can with just one image.

Sky Collage -- Spiral Jetty

Bacteria Cultures

Unfortunately, I was unable to capture on film the bacteria cultures that I captured at Spiral Jetty. I collected from the sand around the Jetty, as well as the dirt on the bank, the fire pit, the water at the center of the Jetty, and the air at the place. The cultures ended up looking pretty neat, the air one had many different spots of bacteria, some pink and blue. The other cultures were interesting looking as well.

Unfortunately, they were so bad smelling that I was unable to take their pictures and had to simply throw them out.

Film Texture

I focused on the close-up textures of Spiral Jetty, drawing from Stan Brakhage's Mothlight and Stellar to create something that, I think, really captures the space well. Different textures bombard the viewer, and we are able to see the building blocks that make up the Spiral Jetty.

[The first time I uploaded the video, something went wrong. I need to re-upload the video soon, then I will post it.]

Polaroids

[Will Upload the Polaroids and Write and Artist Statement]