Walter De Maria, The Lightning Field (1977). Land Art installation in the high desert of western New Mexico (near Quemado). 400 polished stainless-steel poles arranged in a grid one mile by one kilometer, average pole height around six meters. Commissioned and permanently maintained by the Dia Art Foundation.
A queued pilgrimage. The room-IS-the-work case in pure form: the place can’t be separated from the work, and the work demands the body in the desert at dusk and dawn to do what it does.
Grows from
- Walter De Maria - his most famous work, the next-tier engagement after the Naoshima pieces.
Practicalities
- Visit by reservation through the Dia Art Foundation. Open season: May through October.
- Small group only, overnight stay in a cabin on site.
- Roughly three-hour drive from Albuquerque; closest services in Quemado, NM.
Related branches
- Unknown - the De Maria I’ve encountered (Naoshima). Lightning Field sits on the same line, scaled out to the desert.
- Dia Beacon - also Dia-commissioned; Lightning Field is Dia’s flagship Land Art piece.
The door - why it matters
[Door opens after visiting. Queued.]