Working with materials found in his natural surroundings, Goldsworthy creates his works on-site in nature. Thorns, leaves, sticks, ice, wood, stones and water are some of the most widely used materials. But since he works outdoors, other factors such as the weather condition, time of day, and seasons also influence his decision-making.
The 90-minute film directed by Thomas Riedelsheimer called “Rivers and Tides: Andy Goldsworthy working with time” is a must-see for anyone to understand the work of this artist.
A part of the movie shows the artist working by the seashore with woods. Goldsworthy heads to the shore early in the morning when the tides are low. He begins to collect wood and pile them up to create a dome on the rocky landscape of the banks. He starts by building it in a circle around himself. The process is tedious because a small twig in the wrong place can dismantle the entire piece. It is almost like watching someone build a tower of playing cards— nerve-racking. And yes, Goldsworthy fails several times but that doesn’t deter him.
As his work is nearing completion, the water level rises and begins to seep into the dome. Against the setting sun, the tide engulfs his work and it begins to fall apart. The piece floats away, perhaps, never to be seen by the artist.
Goldsworthy, whose works have become hallmarks in contemporary land art, photographs his works immediately after making them. But his priority remains in understanding nature by participating in it, and he usually has no preplanned ideas of what he is going to make.
One of his most famous works, which isn’t transient, is the 2,278ft-long “Storm King Wall” which was created over two years (1997-98) at the Storm King Art Center in the USA. The Wall meanders like a lazy river in and out of the trees before going down a hill and ending at a pond.
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