Robert Smithson
Spiral Jetty
Featuring Smithson’s earthwork of the same name, Spiral Jetty is an artistic endeavor of its own identity. Juxtaposing the industrial violence of Spiral Jetty’s construction with the peaceful beauty of its surrounds, the film provides an ambivalent, disorienting perspective of Smithson’s earthwork. A jarring ambient soundscape and readings from a conglomeration of texts underscore footage of the site, which is intercut with shots of maps, books, and at one point, a dinosaur exhibit. History, geology, and philosophy blend together, ultimately giving way to a visceral experience of Spiral Jetty.