Constructed of burnished stainless steel at the Utility Sheet Metal Company in Sun Valley, "North" (two rectangles), "East" (reverse cone, actually an inverted frustum), "South" (upright cone) and "West" (wedge), break up the rectangular forecourt of the building's street level entrance, redirect movement through the area, and compel the viewer to respond and react to the ensemble. Each piece is visually anchored to the floor by travertine marble that highlight the shape of their base.Michael Heizer conceived this work, which cost about $200,000, in 1967 as a "sculptural negative"--four different shaped voids dug into the ground. He partially executed the collection that same year when he formed "North" and "South" in the snows of the Sierra Nevada mountains.(1)
Invited to design a work for this building, Heizer felt one object would lack both presence and interest for the space that the principal architect, David C. Martin, selected for him. After deciding to reverse the four "negative" forms and place them above ground, Heizer proposed they be made of granite. Steel, however, was substituted because of the cost of the stone. Heizer and Martin, who suggested the travertine rings underneath each form, collaborated in designing the proportions, alignment and location of the pieces so they would conform to the size and scale of the space as well as to the placement of the building's doors, stairs and escalators.(2)
Footnotes:
1 Michael Heizer Sculpture in Reverse, edited by Julia Brown, compiled in collaboration with Barbara Heizer, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, c. 1984, pp. 88-91, 93, 96.2 Interview with Michael Heizer by Michael Several, March 1, 1984, March 8, 1984.
The text has been provided courtesy of Michael Several, Los Angeles, July, 1998.
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