Vertical earth kilometer
Vertical Earth Kilometer is a work of art that was created by Walter De Maria for documenta 6 in 1977 on the Friedrichsplatz in Kassel .
The work of art is a one kilometer deep hole, which was filled with screwed brass rods with a diameter of 5 cm . The part that is visible today is located in the middle of the Fridericianum line of sight and the monument to Landgrave Friedrich II and is a brass disc - the end of the rods - and is surrounded by a square sandstone slab. The DM 750,000 work of art was financed by the US Dia Art Foundation .
The work of art was intended to remind us that the Fridericianum Museum, opened in 1779, housed the landgrave's historical instruments for measuring heaven and earth. At the same time, he wanted to invite people to reflect on the place of humans in the world.
Originally, at the suggestion of his gallery owner Heiner Friedrich , De Maria was supposed to install a vertical kilometer of earth as part of the art program for the 1972 Olympic Games , which was rejected by the Munich city administration.
reception
The work of art was one of the most controversial at documenta 6 and there were protests against it both regionally and nationally. At the time, it was anchored in the zeitgeist that an artist would place his works of art in the landscape, but not yet accept that he was working with the landscape. It was not the result that was mistakenly viewed by the population as the work of art, but the drilling process itself.
Web links
- Vertical earth kilometers on the website of the city of Kassel
Individual evidence
- ^ A b c Documenta artworks in the city. In: merian.de. June 8, 2012, accessed November 3, 2018 .
- ↑ Laura Weissmüller: No word on art. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung. July 8, 2011.
Coordinates: 51 ° 18 ′ 47.7 " N , 9 ° 29 ′ 48.3" E