Art or Oil: Drilling Near Utah's Famous "Spiral Jetty" Earthwork
by Kimberley D. Mok, Montreal, Canada on 02.12.08
Between oil and everything else, is nothing sacred? Now, Utah’s most famous “earthwork” out on the Great Salt Lake may be threatened by a proposal to drill for oil off-shore. Created in 1970 by artist Robert Smithson, the large-scaled sculpture “Spiral Jetty” is a 1,500 feet long, 15 feet wide coil of basalt rock and earth that stretches out counterclockwise out into the red waters of the lake and is one of the more famous examples of the early Land Art movement. Depending on the lake levels, the Spiral Jetty can be visible or submerged and the isolated character of the area lends it a simple but raw beauty.
Though the art piece is in the northern part of the lake and remotely-located from any town or road, the plans to drill for oil five miles out by Canadian company Amoco have sparked protest from across the world, prompting the state to postpone the decision for a permit. The deadline for public comment (see here) is extended until February 13.
John Baza, Amoco’s director of oil, gas and mining in Utah, says, "The impact will be small. It will be distant, and it will be very transient at this point."
Critics of the proposal are not so convinced. "It's the dimension of projects that are coming forward that collectively will make an impact," says Lynn de Freitas of Friends of the Great Salt Lake. "I believe it's just a matter of time before there's a presence on the lake from this kind of development that could very well impact the experience the jetty offers us today."
::KSL.com
See also ::Dia Foundation Press Release, ::Sample Opposition Letter, ::Spiral Jetty on Flickr
Image: Great Salt Lake Rowing
Five miles away isn't all that close. I'd rather have them drill there than in ANWAR.
In addition to the Spiral Jetty, this could also threaten Gunnison Island, which is an important nesting ground for tens of thousands of birds. It would be horrible to lose the Spiral Jetty and it would also be horrible for the birds to lose more habitat.
I am not sure why this Spiral Jetty was allowed to be built. Art or not, it is a disruption of the natural coastline and should be removed.
There is also already a very old (1904 to sometime in the 1980s) abandoned drilling location one mile south (within sight) on the shore, with deteriorating wood pilings and oozing black oil tar. Here are some photos of the Rozel Oil Fields:
http://octopup.org/sw2007/nwutah.htm#rozel
-- Geoff
huh? what? art? even concern about it? get real!! these days that piece of 'art' is what is called environmental vandalism; fairly obvious to all but treehuggers, i guess
I think Amoco should start calling their exploration rigs, "Transgressive Post-Modernist Installations".
It would confuse the hell out the artsy-fartsy set, possibly causing their pointy heads to implode
Some really tart comments today, eh?
The 'art' is only visible when the Lake is as low as it is now. Given the size/depth of the snowpack, it will soon re-disappear.
Problem solved and by Nature no less.
As far as moving the drill rigs - I agree, ANWR *is* far enough away, so get going!
This seems like a nice way to put it:
"Tolstoy stated: 'Art is not a pleasure, a solace, or an amusement; art is great matter. Art is an organ of human life, transmitting man's reasonable perception into feeling.'
Why art?
Why live?"
http://makotofujimura.blogspot.com/2005/08/why-art.html
It's disgusting how corporate America is willing to destroy anything to make a profit, and it's more disgusting that they've been able to brainwash its citizens into thinking it's no big deal. Anyone who thinks this oil drilling is a good idea does not deserve the life they clearly don't appreciate
Please join the facebook group
'Save Spiral Jetty'
thanks
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=11958746549
are you people serious? "a disruption of the natural coastline and should be removed." You're ridiculous. In the same regard every man-made thing in the history of the world was a disruption of nature; should everything therefore be destroyed? Hell, the act of re-terreforming the land back to its "natural coastline" (which if done by man, is somewhat ironical) would be more disruptive than leaving it alone.
The real issue is the drilling, which I find strange hasn't been attacked here to nearly the degree as the art piece has. I mean, do you all think the art installation is more detremental than an oil drilling platform?!
Maybe we can look forward to a future of clean energy sources, but, in the mean time, the oil to heat my house and run my car has to come from somewhere.
Well the Spiral Jetty is safe for now, but my family's budget is in serious jeopardy. Maybe all the people protecting the "art" can start paying admission to help those of us who can't afford to keep paying $4/gallon.