In 1970, when artist Robert Smithson
constructed his 1,500-ft-long spiral-shaped sculpture in the Great
Salt Lake, he planned for the natural rise and fall of the water to
deposit salt crystals on its black stone base. But “The Spiral
Jetty,” which used more than 6,650 tons of basalt, disappeared
entirely in 1972, submerged in the swollen lake. This summer, a
severe drought lowered the Great Salt Lake by several feet,
revealing the now salt-encrusted sculpture for the first time in 30
years. The metamorphosis of “Spiral Jetty” was just as Smithson,
who died in a plane crash in 1973, had envisioned. The sculpture is
“curated” by the Dia Art Foundation, and tours are directed by the
National Park Service. Visit www.nps.gov/gosp/tour/jetty.html for
more information.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline A briny time capsule.
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