Carlson on Environmental Art
“Is Env. Art an Aes Affront to Nature?”
1986,
Canadian Journal of Phil
Def of Env. Art
•
Site is part of the work itself
•
Part of nature is part of aes object, it is part of the
work of art
• Not
just art that is located in nature
Christo’s Surrounded
Islands 1983
DeMaria’s Las Vegas Piece 1970
Smithson’s Spiral Jetty
1970
Nature of Carlson’s criticism
•
Not moral or ecological criticism
•
E.g., Flooding parts of Asia
as artwork would be morally and ecologically wrong
• An
aesthetic criticism: Aes affront to
nature
Aesthetic Affront to Nature
•
Aes indignity
•
Aes imposition
•
Due to aes qualities of env.
Art
•
Affront to nature, not nec to
appreciator
–
Even though nature doesn’t know it being affronted
–
Jones might also not realize or be able to realize he’s
being affronted
Mistaken accounts of why
Env. Art is Aes Affront
•
Similar/identical in appearance to things like
mining/industry/commerce that all agree are aes affronts
–
We require reclamation/restoration
–
Because such an eyesore
Smithson’s Asphalt Rundown 1969
•
Looks just like
industrial pollution
•
So it’s an
eyesore like industrial pollution is and thus an aes affront
•
Road
foreman: “If I dumped my extra asphalt
like that they’d make me clean it up.”
Heizer’s Double Negative 69-70
•
Looks like
skyline mining notches in Appalachia
•
Thus it’s an
eyesore like those are
Reply:
Same appearance not = same aes quality
•
Aes qualities of
object those it appears to have when appro appreciated as the kind of thing it is
–
When appreciated
in the right category
•
Two things
identical in appearance can have dif aes quality if dif kinds of things
•
E.g., Duchamp’s
fountain
•
E.g., Asphalt
rundown is art, not pollution, thus it may have dif aes qualities
•
Heizer’s double
negative can have majesty while identically appearing mining notch does not
Why must app aes object in right category
•
Lively or a bit sedate? Post impressionism or German Expressionism
German expressionism
Change in kind of object can/must? change its aes qualities
•
Does change in aes qualities of an aes object lead to (nec?) an aes affront?
•
Examples where it does
Duchamp’s LHOOQ
•
Duchamp’s
mustached and goateed Mona Lisa changed work’s kind from Renaissance Portrait
to 20th century Dada and changed its aes qualities
•
A clear
denigration and aes affront
Michelangelo’s David
•
Monty Python’s
turning of Michelangelo’s David into a kinetic structure with a moveable right
arm
•
Would have
dramatically different aes qualities even when arm at rest
•
An aes affront
Env art is aes affront to nature because
•
Changes kind of thing part of nature is
•
Changes if from being part of nature to part of an
artwork
•
Aes qualities are changed
•
Env. art
an affront because turns nature into art and changes aes qualities and this is
an affront
•
Even if env. Art is not nec an
aes affront, many env. Art in fact are like Duchamp’s LOOQ and Python’s David
in constituting an aes affront
Ned’s questions
•
Depends on how aes qualities changed, not that
they are?
•
Is any dramatic env. change to nature an aes affront?
•
Depends on intention of env. artist?
Some env. Artists intend to affront nature
•
Smithson:
“Disruption of earth’s crust can be compelling and has a primordial
grandeur”
•
Heizer: “I’m in
the construction business. I mess with
nature. I defile it.”
•
Picasso: “Nature
exists to be raped”
Carlson replies to 4 objections
•
Affront is only temporary
•
Env. Art improves nature
•
Artist is a part of nature so not changing kind of
thing piece of nature is
•
Env. Art not changing nature’s
kind or aes qualities, but spotlighting them
Env. Art is temporary
•
Much env. Art is temporary and
nature is resilient
•
But affronts still affronts even if temporary
Christo’s Valley Curtain, Rifle, Co 1970-71
•
Christo’s
response to whether the valley near Rifle Colorado remains unaffected after having
hosted Valley Curtain
•
“Perhaps not”
Env art typically improves nature
•
Because done in
non-scenic areas
•
Because all of
nature has positive aes qualities, can’t argue no affront because there is
little of aes merit there to affront.
•
If done in
significantly humanized areas, not aes affront to nature as not nature, but
attempting to restore some natural aes qualities
–
E.g., Alan
Sonfist’s Time Landscapes in NY City
Christo’s Running Fence 72-76
Env artist is part of nature
•
If env. Artist is part of nature then env. Art does not
change nature to something that is not nature so no change in kind and no aes
affront
•
Not plausible to say Duchamp’s LOOQ not an affront
because both art
•
If artist acts purposely like nature, then its like
vandalism
Heizer’s Mass Removed and Put Back