Washington Diary, October 11-19, 2003

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Medium

suite of 12 silver dye bleach prints mounted on 9 sheets of white paper with text entries

Dimensions

sheet: 56.7 x 38.1 cm (22 5/16 x 15 in.)

Credit Line

The Nancy Lee and Perry Bass Fund

Accession Number

2004.74.2.6

Artists / Makers

Andy Goldsworthy (artist) British, born 1956

Image Use

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Inscription

OCT 16, 2003

WORKED ON THE POINTED ROCK UPON WHICH I LAID RED LEAVES THE FIRST DAY THAT I ARRIVED. OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS I HAVE NOTICED HOW AND WHEN THE SUN PASSES ACROSS THE ROCK. TODAY I MADE VERTICAL CLAY RIDGES IN ITS TIP TO CUT THE LIGHT INTO LINES OF SHADOW.

THE LIGHT CHANGES THAT OCCURRED TO THE STONE WERE SUDDEN AND SHORT LIVED - UNLIKE THE QUARRY FACE THAT I WORKED WITH YESTERDAY, ACROSS WHICH THE SUN GRADUALLY MOVED. THERE WAS A FIFTEEN MINUTE PERIOD BETWEEN 1:10 AND 1:25 PM WHEN A SUBSTANTIAL PART OF THE STONE AND THE ENTIRE TIP WAS ILLUMINATED WITHOUT ANY FLICKERING OR LEAF SHADOW. THIS WAS THE WORK AT ITS MOST COMPLETE. THERE WERE ALSO MOVEMENTS LEADING UP TO THAT TIME THAT WERE EQUALLY, IF NOT MORE INTERESTING. NO FRAGMENTS OF THE CLAY LINES WERE CAUGHT BY SHAFTS OF LIGHT FILTERING THROUGH THE TREES.

THESE WORKS HAVE BEEN THE MOST SUCCESSFUL I HAVE EVER MADE IN DEALING WITH A LIGHT THAT I FIND MOST DIFFICULT TO WORK WITH - SUNLIGHT THROUGH TREES. THE WOOD FLOOR BECOMES A CAMOUFLAGE PATTERN OF PATCHES WHICH BREAKS UP FORM AND BURNS OUT COLOURS.

THE WORK THAT I HAVE MADE HERE HAS, I FEEL, UNDERSTOOD THE CHANGING LIGHT THAT PASSES THROUGH THIS PLACE. THEY HAVE SUCCEEDED BECAUSE THEY HAVE WORKED WITH A SPECIFIC TIME, PLACE AND MATERIAL - A MEETING OF LIGHT AND FORM WHICH I HAVE NEVER ACHIEVED IN SIMILAR CONDITIONS BEFORE. I HAVE BEEN ALLOWED INTO A NEW WAY OF LOOKING.

I PROBABLY COULD NOT HAVE MADE THESE WORKS LAST WEEK OR NEXT WHEN THE SUN MIGHT CAST A DIFFERENT SHADOW. TIMING RUNS THROUGH THEM IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD.

THE CLAY CAME FROM THE QUARRY - I HAD NOT SEEN IT UNTIL NOW. THE RAIN HAD RECONSTITUTED THE DRY HARD EARTH - MAKING IT BOTH VISIBLE AND WORKABLE. IT WAS A PALE TAN COLOUR. WITHOUT THE SUN THE WORK APPEARED FLAT. THE LINES REMINDED ME OF THE CARVED FLUTING ON COLUMNS. A TREE GREW JUST BEHIND THE STONE WHICH ADDED TO THE SENSE OF A COLUMN BUT ALSO MADE THE CLAY LINES APPEAR AS BARK AND THE STONE AS WOOD.