Robert Smithson

Reading Robert Smithson's very detailed essay entitled 'Monuments of Passaic' seemed challenging at first. Having never read a Smithson essay before it took me awhile to adjust to his kind of writing, phrasing and ideas. When I re-read the essay it proved to be witty, insightful and I enjoyed his way of seeing things, such as how he could turn immobile machinery into prehistoric dinosaurs trapped in the mud, and his theory on having a child run circles in a sandbox filled with white sand on one side and black on the other.

It's an interesting read and if you feel inclined here is the link to a PDF version.
http://gd1studio2011.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/smithson-monuments-of-passaic.pdf

Having discussed the essay in class it was decided we would take a Robert Smithson inspired walk around an area of Limerick (Charlotte's Quay) and following that have a project loosely based around the trip.

Below are some of Robert Smithson's own photographs taken while on his journey:
If you wish to see them all here is the link: http://www.robertsmithson.com/photoworks/monument-passaic_300.htm