As I write this note, I am sitting on a lava rock boulder, high above the Great Salt Lake and overlooking Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty earth sculpture. I have just finished walking out onto the rocky spiral that I have alone traveled over 1000 miles to see, and in quiet isolation, here is what I am thinking:
This is a sculpture with two ends and no beginning, it fosters an awareness of the surrounding beauty and provides an environment for deep contemplation; these are its true essences. It is not simply an object or oddity to visit; physical descriptions won't convey its spirit.
My discovery of the Jetty's significance as a meaningful work of art is rooted in the totality of my interactions with it.
As I slowly walked along the Jetty's rock spine, winding my way towards its center, my focus repeatedly swept across the surrounding landscape; flat, barren, tranquil, surrounded by mountains, so silent, and so beautiful. I began reflecting on the happenstance of events which led me there. I thought of loved ones, of my past, of those I have lost, and of how this all may be shaping my future.
I did not want to reach the center too quickly; it seemed to represent not just an end to the Spiral Jetty, but an end of an adventure, and an ending of a rewarding experience.
As the spiral unfolded on my return from its center, with each revolution my attention was repeatedly drawn away from the mountains and toward the beach; toward the beach end of the spiral, another end I was slow to approach.
So why is there no beginning?
The beginning is not in a part of the Jetty, it is the decision to leave home and pursue the truth in this earthen sculpture.
My Spiral Jetty Pictures (click here for entire album)
Beautiful description of Art and Life❤️
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