[ 03.2015 | Los Angeles ]

in the backyard of LACMA, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art that is located in Hancock Park on over 80,000m², you find spectacular installations. the sculpture Levitated Mass (2012) by Michael Heizer consists of diorite granite and concrete. no wonder this large-scale sculpture weighs 340tons. it reminds of ancient monoliths: depicting a modern interpretation of an antique tradition. the 6.5mx6.5m boulder lies over a 139m-long concrete trench through which visitors can walk. doing so the rock seems to float overhead, allowing a rare view of the bottom of a rock. Heizer’s first attempt of the construction using a 120ton boulder failed in 1969 (the boom on the crane broke). the 2012-version with a block of stone more than twice as big was a celebrated event: the boulder from Stone Valley Quarry (Jurupa Valley) arrived on a 196-wheeled transporter after a spectacular 11-days journey (for about 95km).

what an endurance. the Titan god of endurance, navigation, and astronomy in Greek mythology, Atlas, was condemned to hold the heaven on his shoulders for ever and a day. after the Titanomachy, the war between Titans and the Olympian gods, this was the burden Zeus chose to punish the defeated opponent with. a heavy load. even for a power work(out)er.

sources:
lacma.org | latimes.com | nytimes.com | greekmythology.com