October 31, 2002

3:50 PM

andy goldsworthy's current project
over the course of a month, artist andy goldsworthy will create works each day in the countryside surrounding his home in scotland, photograph them, and email the photographs to a gallery in san francisco where they will be printed out, and hung on a wall.
in a time when much conceptual art seems increasingly abstract and difficult, goldsworthy's work feels -- at least to me -- accessible, comforting, and wonderful.
what are some other artists that elicit that response in mefi readers? who's work do you like and want to share?
posted by dolface (13 comments total)

Thanks for this, dolface. I agree completely about Goldsworthy's art. Here are a bunch more photos, for folks who don't know what he does. I love this one. Deceptively simple stuff.

Not sure what's so special about the "digital conceit" here; even the article points out that it's hardly worth dwelling on. But the link to the Goldsworthy documentary was news to me; can't wait to see it.
posted by mediareport at 4:02 PM on October 31, 2002

Andy Goldsworthy is one of the greats. Thanks for the link.
posted by drinkcoffee at 4:05 PM on October 31, 2002

I love his stuff and own several of his books. I missed the film the first time it played in SF (I hear it's very, very good), but it looks like it's playing in town and around the area in several places. Kickass!
posted by mathowie at 4:07 PM on October 31, 2002

my mom is a huge Goldsworthy fan and has convinced me to see Rivers & Tides as soon as it comes to Sacramento. i've been impressed with his work since i first saw it in a photography magazine years ago. this new project looks really interesting.
posted by luriete at 4:23 PM on October 31, 2002

My wife and I went to Kobe yesterday (Halloween) and saw this Van Gogh exhibit (table of clickable thumbnails, but page is in Japanese). For me it is amazing that someone so deeply troubled would mostly create pictures of beautiful subjects. Some of the famous letters to and from his brother Theo and Dr. Gachet were on display, and I especially enjoyed the sketches.
posted by planetkyoto at 5:12 PM on October 31, 2002

The film 'Rivers and Tides' was excellent. It was my intro to Goldsworthy and I think overall it spawned a new appreciation for all types of art. His art is so inspirational.. when people see it, they want to get involved.. try doing it themselves. Thanks for the link.
posted by antidigerati at 5:13 PM on October 31, 2002

Last year I wrote a term paper on AG, unearthing in the process an exhaustive Goldswothy bibliography. This rather metaphysical article is another view into his work; Resurgence often uses AG's works to head up articles.
posted by Psyclo at 5:38 PM on October 31, 2002

mediareport, i think the interesting thing about the "digital conceit" is not the conceit itself (i agree that by itself it is not that interesting, steve wilson [here's his homepage] has done much more interesting work in that area. disclaimer: i studied with him) but the dichotomy of the two media. goldsworthy's work seems to have no need for, or connection to, the world of the computer, so to see them intertwined raises a whole group of interesting possibilities and questions.
as for 'rivers and tides', i can't recommend it enough. if you have a chance to see it do, and bring as many of your friends as you can convince to come along.
posted by dolface at 5:45 PM on October 31, 2002

Great post. I love this artist's work - thank you for reminding me about him.
posted by acridrabbit at 6:40 PM on October 31, 2002

Ian Hamilton Finlay also lives and works in Scotland and he also examines the relationship of man and environment (though I wouldn't draw too many parallels with Goldsworthy's work).

He has been described variously as a gardener, a graphic designer, a modernist, a post-modernist, a sculptor, a poet and a novelist.

Many of the links on the web don't really do him justice so I recommend that next time you're in an art book shop you take a flick through one of his books, try 1963-1997 Druckgrafik for starters.
posted by johnny novak at 2:27 AM on November 1, 2002

Where do I sign up to do what this guy does?
posted by crunchland at 4:44 AM on November 1, 2002

artist Hiro Yamagata has taken "the most advanced technologies available to the science of light, and has produced a staggering art form" (Frank Gehry quote). i've heard his installations are like an out-of-body experience: the feeling Hubble got when he saw the first blurry evidence of a galaxy besides our milky way -- realizing the universe was a lot larger and stranger than any of us ever imagined.
posted by priyanga at 4:45 AM on November 1, 2002

i think the interesting thing about the "digital conceit" is not the conceit itself...but the dichotomy of the two media. goldsworthy's work seems to have no need for, or connection to, the world of the computer, so to see them intertwined raises a whole group of interesting possibilities and questions.

I see your point, dolface; the article does end with Goldsworthy saying he'd be "less interested in the images floating rootless in electronic space." But he also says, "I have never been against the use of technology. After all, I already use cameras, use telephones -- I don't swim to America when I visit." And his books have been made with digital equipment for years. So I'm not sure there's really much of a "dichotomy" here.

The "Natural Art Goes Digital!" thing seems like a gimmick, especially since the article itself notes that this show "doesn't alter his practice significantly." He wants to telecommute with a gallery in San Francisco in a suspenseful, serial way? Cool. But using computers to help distribute prints of his work is hardly a new development.

Again, I'm delighted he's doing this, but would love to see him use the 'Net to expand on his art itself. Like, say, sending the files to a number of galleries across the globe in a way that creates a pattern like this. Goldsworthy on a global scale - now *that* would be a new development.
posted by mediareport at 8:57 AM on November 1, 2002