Andy Goldsworthy

Andy Goldsworthy (born Cheshire, England, 1956) is a British artist and photographer living in Scotland who produces site specific sculpture and land art situated in natural settings. His art involves the use of natural and found objects to create temporary sculptural pieces which both appear naturalistic and create stark contrasts with their surroundings. He works closely with form and color contrasts to produce works that are both striking and ephemeral.

Related Topics:
British - Scotland - Site specific

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His media often include twigs, thorns, muds, snow, icicles, brightly colored flowers and leaves. He often uses only his bare hands and found tools, although more recent works like the Moonlit Path and Chalk Stones (Petworth, West Sussex - 2002) have also used heavy machinery.

Related Topics:
Petworth - West Sussex

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His work process is both obsessive and opportunistic. He is preoccupied with the inevitable destruction of his ephemeral sculptures by elemental forces, as was highlighted in the Midsummer Snowballs (Midsummer's Day, 2000 - various locations in London, England) where the destruction of the piece was almost the whole point. He seems to prefer works that exist only extremely briefly or whose continued coherence is highly uncertain. Many of his pieces collapse during construction and he often rebuilds them several times before he is able to photograph them in completion. Although it should be noted that he has also created fixed durable rural crafts structures in the form of dry stone walls and cairn-building.

Related Topics:
London - England - Rural crafts

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The documentary feature film Rivers and Tides (2001, by Thomas Riedelsheimer) shows his work in action and some of the pieces he has created. "Working with Time" is not only the sub-title to Riedelsheimer's film, but also describes the aim of many land artists (for example Richard Long or Christo and Jeanne-Claude, although they rather prefer not to be called "land art") to show the process of nature and thus to work with time.

Related Topics:
Thomas Riedelsheimer - Land art - Richard Long - Christo and Jeanne-Claude

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Normally Goldsworthy documents his works with photography, but the 2001 film Rivers And Tides in some senses captures his understanding of nature and time better than still photography, because one is able to follow the process of creation and destruction. The film delivers insight into the way Goldsworthy works and finds his inspiration. "I want to understand the stone" is a quote by him which inspired Riedelsheimer to make his film: It describes Goldsworthy's ambitions to find the uttermost meaning behind every object in nature.

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Goldsworthy is close to and bound to nature. If the wind changes, if the tide rises, if it rains, his art changes. Sometimes it develops, and sometimes it is destroyed.

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