West Coast Sea Cairn By Andy Goldsworthy v

West Coast Sea Cairn By Andy Goldsworthy v August 23, 2001 August 24, 2001 v Pigeon Point, Half Moon Bay, California

Ephemeral A temporary piece of art lasting for a short time

Minimalism Art that uses simple forms

Enhance Instead of distracting or changing the natural scene the cairn just enhances it

Formal Qualities Positive/Negative Space Symmetrical Convex

• The stones were too weak, so he had 4 failed attempts • He had to make it on rock instead of on stone to try to give it more strength, although this isn’t what he wanted • The cairn became more sturdy as it was more and more constructed The making of the cairn • He used larger interior rocks to make up for the lack of long rocks • The larger rocks over lapped the exterior stones • He used the larger stones as a counterbalance to the exterior stones to stabilize them • There was a really big shift in the stones and he had to make almost a spine for the cairn to shape and strengthen it • He had to do the same thing when there was another shift later

• He started to become emotionally attached to the cairn, as it became more and more advanced Cont. • He said that it became more and more difficult to keep in mind the vulnerability of the cairn as it became more and more advanced • Because of this, he felt a great sense of pride when the cairn was completed • Once he had cleared away the debris, it looked as though he had not constructed it but rather just found it as it is

Inspiration Andy Goldsworthy created the cairns in the aftermath of 9/11 and his fathers death