~ reflection ~
Heizer’s goal with his work was to create an art piece that wouldn’t be easy to create nor to destroy.
His monuments, installations, and sculptures are representative of “earthworks- or land art.” He
intended for his art to “outlast humanity.” He built off the idea that “art needed to be liberated
from the constraints of galleries and museums.” Through his work, Heizer wanted art to become larger
than life.


While watching the documentary Levitated Mass I found it interesting how Heizer came about his creative
process. His ideas of wanting to uplift and use Earth as his canvas and his medium were not necessarily
an idea unique to him. He took what was left of ancient Egyptian and South American civilizations and
reworked it. I feel as though the article A Monument to Outlast Humanity and the documentary Levitated
Mass could have gone more in-depth as to who Heizer took inspiration from. I feel that both sung praise
to Heizer’s ‘new’ ideas at great length, but in regards to the ancient civilizations that he took
inspiration from it was only addressed in a sentence or two. Even if half of the praise towards Heizer
was used to venerate the amount of effort, planning, deliberation that ancient civilizations used to
create their monuments, it still would not give them the proper credit they deserve. It is important to
acknowledge the inspiration as much as the work it inspired as it presents the full picture of how
Heizer’s pieces came to be seen as “perfectly bizarre” as it is regarded today.

I am insanely curious/eager to see how future generations of artists will use Earth as a canvas and as a medium.
In regards to my work, Heizer relates as we are interested in the architecture aspect and effect of sculptures.
My concentration is on the effect of colonialism on the development of architecture and interior design of
countries that were colonized. A specific aspect that I will be analyzing is the use of architecture and art
(influenced and not influenced by colonialism) and how the two can merge into one another. For example,
Heizer’s City is a sculpture/ monument that affected the architecture around it as it was considered a national
space and therefore would not be allowed to be turned into a railroad. His sculpture unintentionally affected
the architecture around it and I feel that the relationship between art and architecture and how the two
influence each other should be considered.