In a desolate canyon in the Utah desert, amidst tufts of dry scrub, four huge cylinders are laid out in a cross. They might look like an ancient site of worship were it not for the fact that they are made of cement. Look closely and you’ll see a scattering of holes in the top. These aren’t random: they mimic four constellations: Draco, Perseus, Columba and Capricorn. The cylinders are aligned to capture summer and winter solstices.

This striking monument captures many of the artistic concerns of their creator, Nancy Holt (1938-2014): space, time and systems that surround our lives, such as the cyclical movements of the planets. Time is being marked out as you stand in the eight-foot diameter of the tube and watch the shadows change; yet the landscape is both timeless and almost untouched by humans since Freemont Man first inhabited this area 60,000 years ago. Holt’s pathbreaking work is the subject of Inside Outside,  a new book from Monacelli Press.

Η συνέχεια εδώ.