What is Earth Work?

Earth Work, also known as Earth Art, Land Art, or as the plural Earthworks, is a style of art movement using natural materials to create a photographable art piece. The pieces are not placed on the landscape or in the natural environment, but are transformations of the natural landscape into an art piece; they are linked and connected.

A piece by Andy Goldsworthy “Cairn” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_art

 

Materials Needed

The exciting thing about Earth Work art is that it has no predetermined materials before going out and making the piece. The materials should be in and around the landscape, be they rocks and minerals or natural media like foliage or water.

Techniques

The creation of an Earth Work art piece requires several techniques to properly enhance its creation. One critical understanding is of form.

Form – “in art, means the whole of a piece’s visible elements and the way those elements are united. In this context, form allows us as viewers to mentally capture the work, understand it and attempt to analyze it.”

http://arthistory.about.com/cs/glossaries/g/f_form.htm