What is Environmental Art? When did it start?

Environmental Art is an umbrella term that includes a wide scope of art practices that explore topics related to the surroundings and the external conditions in environment. It explores human relationships with nature, and the use of natural materials in Art. This also include political and social issues related to the environment. Ecological concerns were also a part of it, but it was not the main focus. It may or may not be activist in nature. Not all Environmental Art is environmentally friendly and it doesn’t necessarily carry an environmental message.

The start of Environmental Art begin in 1960s-70s as a movement. At that time, artists were challenging the notion of art itself. Traditional art mediums and practices were questioned. This included ideas that went against the need for art to be limited in the physical space of a museum. It also went against traditional art forms such as sculptures or paintings.

 

Christo and Jeanne- Claude are example of criticized environmental art that does damages to the environment. Their works are usually done by placing huge cloths to “wrap” landscapes, for mere aesthetic purpose and joy of looking and familiar landscapes in a new way.

Another example of an environmental art with a mix of architect was Sandworm done by Macro Casagrande. The site-specific art was made up entirely of willows, where people could enjoy the space inside by the beach for picnics. It was also said to be meant for “post industrial” meditation.

The above are some of the examples of art that tried to went against the notion of art being in the museum, and explored the external surroundings.

Environmental Art: The Emergence of Land Art/ Earthworks/ Earth Art

One thing that popped out of environmental art was Land Art. Land Art was a reaction against the commercialization and the increasing plastic aesthetics that was rampant in the late 1960s. It was bend on the idea of reduction, and minimalism. Artists used of outdoor landscapes spaces, and natural forms such as earth, rocks, and water to create works.

One example of Land Art is this work titled Spiral Jetty, an earthwork sculpture by Robert Smithson. The sculpture is built of mud, precipitated salt crystals, basalt rocks, and water. It is located at the Great Salt Lake in Utah. The spiral was left to the lake’s natural salt composition and weather conditions, changing the colours of the spiral.  He also made a film out of the process of creating this work that relate to earth’s history discourse.

 Land Art was largely conceptual and may not be activist in nature. In fact, the process of art-making may not be environmentally friendly at times. Artists tend to go to untouched environment, causing environmental damage in the process of creating their artwork. This presents an on going debate and discussion as to the impact of Land Art over time, and what it advocates. For example, in the case of Spiral Jetty, a construction company was hired to bulldoze and transport the rocks needed to create this work. There is also an ongoing debate of the preservation of this work by support groups.

Spiral Jetty today:

I was interested to see if anyone have visited it since it was created in 1970, and I found it on Tripadvisor:

Some of the comments made by visitors included  “strangely moving” “surreal” “serene” “not inspiring” “great for photos!”. The isolated location of the work seem to have an affective impact on visitors, but it may seem largely due to the aesthetic of a natural landscape itself.

Now, it seems like the examples of  environmental art with land art is redundant in the efforts of conservation. I ask that you pause that judgment of Art being useless, and hold off the opinion that art in this case may seem out of place in conservation work.

Instead, we move onto the field of Eco Art! Hover over to the page titled “What is Eco Art?” to find out more!