The Natural Spiral

Chancelar Isa, Lara Luzano
"The Natural Spiral"
2023

"The Natural Spiral" draws inspiration from Robert Smithson's "Spiral Jetty", considered to be Smithson's most important artwork and one of the most defining pieces of land art. Built on the shore of Great Salt Lake near Rozel Point in Utah, Smithson emphasizes the use of natural materials, creating "Spiral Jetty" out of mud, salt crystals, and basalt and limestone rocks. "The Natural Spiral" mimics Smithson's use of natural materials, but instead with an artificial approach. "Mud, salt crystals, rocks, water" become watercolor, crystal beads, string, and cellophane.

The state of "Spiral Jetty" has declined over the years due to the natural cycles of the Earth, straying further from its original state. "The Natural Spiral", although not natural, is almost the ideal "Spiral Jetty", as its artificial materials allow the piece to be conserved for a longer period and lock in time the state of the "Spiral Jetty" that was most renowned.

Spiral Jetty (1970)
USGS 7.5 Minute Quadrangle Map
ROZEL POINT, UT