Blog Prompt #1: Andy Goldsworthy
As we sit at our computers, in our cars, buses, class rooms, movie theaters, restaurants, and living rooms, the thought of nature can easily be erased from our surroundings and thought process in general. In the city, we are placed in what has been structured to perfection, which is a wonder of what the human brain and machinary, for that matter, is capable of. The buildings that we walk past each day have been uniquely structured by architects. The city is overwhelmed with a series of hard graphics and conjestion, pollution, and distraction, taking us away from the single tree or lonely set of flowers tucked away behind an overwhelmingly large marble sign. The flow of energy is cold and raw. There seems to be a deprivation of humanistic and organic qualities transfering a unique sense of originality and natural quality of life. The energy is still there, bouncing its frequencies off of one building to the next, sending emotions and frusteration awry. In a more natural setting, for instance a park, forest, preserve, or garden, there is a sense of peaceful energy, still kinetic, fueling from habitat to mammal and recycling itself in constant motion. Andy Goldsworthy captures this energy flow, holds it for a brief moment to manipulate it, and releases it in multiple directions. His art is beautifully justified in every sense of matter. He has worked on establishing a corolation between natural found objects and man made objects, transforming the lateral with a touch of organic beauty. At first glance, the projects are dissatisfying, until the rest of his artwork is revealed. For example, the outline of sheep's wool over the stone wall in the marshes of Scotland; the delicately placed dandelions surrounding a building, skimming the outer trim. The rock garden outside of a gray concrete building, creating substance and form. The combination of Goldsworthy's art with a concrete form establish a flow of energy that hasn't been seen or felt before, creating a flow that has been untangible, and shifts the human eye and mind on a track toward a good vibration. James Lovelock, an environmentalist, scientist, and Nobel Peace Prize winner, has created a theory called the Gaia theory, stating his premonition (with scientific justification) of how our world will eventually crumble due to lack of giving back to the environment. In his theory, he states that everything has been put onto this earth for a transaction of energy and movement. For example, white daisies reflect light, cooling the planet. Lovelock states that we as human beings, aren't giving back to the environment creating our own ultimate annihilation. We have an overpowering sense of compsitory elements that are creating more waste and negativity which disrupts natural energy flow. Andy Goldsworthy is opposing this popular movement by secluding and restricting himself to taking what is beautiful and unseen, and elaborating it to create a stream of euphoria both to the planet and the human eye.