Levitated Mass by artist Michael Heizer, considered one of the last great 'land artists', is composed of a 456-foot-long slot constructed on LACMA's campus, over which is placed a 340-ton granite megalith. At 340 tons, the boulder is one of the largest megaliths moved since ancient times.
above: Michael Heizer, sketch for Levitated Mass, 2011, © Michael Heizer
above: The granite boulder is now carefully positioned atop the center of a 456-foot-long concrete slot, which museum visitors descend in order to walk beneath it.
As with other works by the artist, such as Double Negative (shown below), the monumental negative form is key to the experience of the artwork.
above: Michael Heizer's Double Negative, 1969-70, two trenches cut into the eastern edge of the Mormon Mesa, northwest of Overton, Nevada.
Heizer conceived of the artwork in 1968, but discovered an appropriate boulder only decades later, in Riverside County, California. Taken whole, Levitated Mass speaks to the expanse of art history, from ancient traditions of creating artworks from megalithic stone, to modern forms of abstract geometries and cutting-edge feats of engineering.
Visiting the Quarry: the Making of Levitated Mass:
During the winter of 2011, Director Michael Goven visited the quarry in Riverside, California where the 340-ton monolith was awaiting transport to LACMA.
Crowds gather at LACMA to see Levitated Mass:
In the early morning hours just before dawn on March 10th, 2012, the transporter carrying the megalith arrived at the museum. The transporter traveled through four counties (Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, and Los Angeles) and twenty-two cities in a carefully orchestrated journey that attracted thousands of bystanders.
The Megalith Arrives at LACMA: The Making of Levitated Mass:
As a show of thanks to the many communities which saw and hosted the historic transport of the 340-ton boulder that is now part of Michael Heizer’s Levitated Mass at LACMA, the museum is offering free admission to residents of select zip codes during the week of June 24 to July 1, 2012.
Simply show proof of residence in one of the below zip codes—for instance, a driver’s license— at the LACMA ticket office, and you’ll be granted free admission to all of our exhibitions and collection.
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images, videos and info courtesy of LACMA and reuters