Sun Tunnels
The land art that I chose to write about were the Sun Tunnels, created by Nancy Holt. Between
the years of 1973 to 1976, in Great Basin Desert, Utah, Nancy created an art piece stemming
from four concrete tunnels and aligned in an ‘X’ formation to properly see the rising and setting
of the sun on the summer and winter solstices.
The idea behind the placement of her land piece was to allow visitors to appreciate the
vastness or widespread area surrounding, while feeling comfortable in containment. The holes
made in these tunnels represents the stars of four constellations and allows light to peer
through and create differing shadows throughout the day.
I believe that Nancy created this piece in the middle of the desert to connect people to land.
The placement of these objects was to allow humans to encounter amazing views naturally,
while feeling more secure and not impacting the surrounding land (i.e. safaris; experiencing
animals in their natural habitat versus abducting them and putting them in zoos). Nancy
wanted people to experience the awe that the land protrudes in the most genuine way
possible, and her art piece gave such the opportunity to. The holes in these tunnels (for star
constellations and light/shadows) permits visitors to encounter an otherwise intangible and
spiritual connection to the universe.
The meaningfulness and importance of this land piece is to appreciate the beauty of nature.
Many, and probably most, people forget to value the simplicity of our planet and how the views
alone can allow one to feel so much. I think that this art piece was partly made to highlight the
fact that containment is illusion and to not allow the feeling of being secure to hold you back
from experiences.