151. Spiral Jetty. Great Salt Lake, Utah. US. Robert Smithson. 1970 CE Earthwork: mud, precipitated salt crystals, rocks, and water coil.

• Form
  • A coil of rock placed in a part of the Great Salt Lake that is in an extremely remote and inaccessible area
  • The artist liked the site because of the blood-red color of the water, which is due to the presence of bacteria and algae that live in the high-salt content
• Material
  • The artist used a tractor to move basalt from the adjacent hillside to create the jetty
• Context
  • Upon walking on the jetty, the twisting and curling path changes the viewer’s view from every angle
  • A jetty is usually a pier extending into the water; here it is transformed into a curl of rocks sitting silently in a vast, empty wilderness
  • The work reflects emerging views of the environmental movement; Earth Day was inaugurated in 1970
  • Smithson wanted nature to have its effect on the jetty