I saw the big empty spot at LACMA a couple of weeks ago, and I’m kind of amazed that someone could raise the money to do this. Now that it’s happening, I would really like to go down to see the move in person.
What I don’t understand is the claim that “the rock will appear to be levitated above the visitors”. How exactly do they expect to accomplish that? I mean, my ceiling is above me right now, but it doesn’t look like it’s levitated. It looks like it’s supported by solid supports, because, well, it is. Just like this rock will be.
After reading John McPhee’s The Control of Nature, wuith its wonderful description of the natural cyvcle by which large quantities of mud, stone, and boulders are irregularly delivered to Los Angeles*, my thought it "Why go out of your way to bring more boulders to LA? Aren’t the catchbasins full enough?
*Those concrete-lined apparently dry riverbeds that feature in movies like Terminator 2 and Grease and the end of Buckaroo Banzai are actually there to deal with the seasonal flooding and – even more important – to divert mud and debris flows coming down out of the mountains around LA. They’re there for a reason, and they’re not always empty. Read McPhee’s book.
Overhead wires and stanchions, weight limits on overpasses and height issues with underpasses. Traffic (most of the actual movement will be done at night, on closed roads,at about 5 MPH). Plus a dozen other reasons I couldn’t possibly think of right now. Oh, yeah, and the rock and its transporter are freakin’ huge!
I’m glad they finally got this going; it was supposed to happen last fall.
I actually think Serra’s stuff is pretty cool. Being inside those great, curling pieces of iron is kind of neat. I’ve seen the ones at LACMA, and at MOMA in New York.
This rock, though, is far less interesting to me, and i really wonder at the amount of money they must be spending to get it to the museum. Next time i make the trip up to LA i’ll probably go and take a look, but i’m not convinced this is the best way to spend art money on art.