Contemporary Earthwork

Works of art created in conjunction with the natural landforms and / or materials of the sites on which they are made. The boundaries between the art and its surroundings are not clear; earthworks are often intended to provide an experience of place for audience and artist alike, exploring cultural habits or physical conditions including topography, weather, vegetation, and climate, and perceptual qualities including space and light. Although prehistoric examples of man-made landforms have existed for centuries, contemporary exploration of earthworks began in earnest with avant-garde artists of the late 1960s such as Michael Heizer, Walter De Maria, Nancy Holt, and Robert Smithson.