Twirling Tanglement

Emily Whatley, Kylelain Corinth
"Twirling Tanglement"
2023

"Twirling Tanglement" is a nod to Michael Heizer's "Circular Surface Planar Displacement Drawing", highlighting his sweeping spirals etched into the bed of the Jean Dry Lake, Nevada. Wire is intertwined within itself repeatedly to mimic overlapping etches of his circles. While this piece explores symmetry in repetitive form, it also embraces the imperfections of overlapped shapes, curving and breaking the bounds of symmetry. Selected pieces of the map are nestled within the spheres, with the destination of "Circular Surface Planar Displacement Drawing" marked by a return to its natural state. A carefully treated fabric with fading washes of dusty reds, mustard browns, and speckled tans create a dynamic backdrop for the rounded sections of map encircled by twists of wire. The coils of wire are brushed with copper-toned paint and sawdust, reflecting the repetitively marked landscape of Jean Dry Lake. The delicate frame of wire encircling the location of Heizer's piece contrasts its ephemerality by anchoring its memory in a current context.

Each material was selected to not only reimagine Heizer's piece through an abstraction of its location, but also to emphasize the natural environment of Jean Dry Lake's physicality. "Twirling Tanglement" represents the momentary value of "Circular Surface Planar Displacement Drawing" as the environment of Jean Dry Lake has reclaimed it.

"Circular Surface Planar Displacement Drawing" (1970)
USGS 7.5 Minute Quadrangle Map
JEAN, NV and HIDDEN VALLEY, NV