All right I’ve been doing a lot of thinking around Spiral Jetty.
The first time I traveled over the Salt Lake, I desperately was looking for it – I never knew it was taking a break. I only knew it by the 10 or 12 photographs that seem to appear in every art text (see earlier post). I expected it to be earthy and brown sitting on top of the salt lake. Now it reminds me of one of JG Ballard’s early science fiction novels – taught, quiet, a little bit oblique, but worth thinking about. Please don’t confuse this with what passes for Science fiction today (soap opera dialog, with updated westerns for plot ideas – yes there are a few good ones – please don’t respond about the state of sci-fi today).
I’ve never been to the art site. I don’t even want to go to Salt Lake City. However between science fiction, the artwork, and the surrounding dominant religion, the site probably resonates really strongly culturally. I can almost see it becoming a “power vortex” for time travel. Please don’t misunderstand my sarcasm for belittlement. As science fiction movies today have become a bastion of special effects and CGI animation, Spiral Jetty is just the opposite.
In fact I love the “new” Spiral Jetty even more. Its come back (after decades of being submerged) – covered or should I say encrusted with salt.
The perfect preservative.
UPDATE: The lake is rising again according to posts all over the net, so it seems like the artwork might be going away (or at least playing hide and seek) for awhile.