The Vertical Earth Kilometer
The Vertical Earth Kilometer, is a permanent art installation created by Walter De Maria in Friedrichsplatz Park, in front of the Fridericianum in Kassel, Germany. The Vertical Earth Kilometer is a solid brass rod, one-kilometer in length and two-inches in diameter. It is inserted into the earth so that its top is flush to the ground and embedded in a two-meter by two-meter red sandstone square. Originally installed in 1977 during documenta 6 it has been on permanent view ever since. The Vertical Earth Kilometer is maintained by the Dia Art Foundation, who consider it one of the eleven locations and sites they manage.
| The Vertical Earth Kilometer | |
|---|---|
 The only part of The Vertical Earth Kilometer visible above ground | |
| Artist | Walter De Maria |
| Year | 1977 |
| Medium | Brass |
| Movement | Minimalism, Conceptual Art, Land Art |
| Location | Dia Art Foundation, Kassel, Germany |
| 51.313198°N 9.496728°E | |
| Owner | Dia Art Foundation |
| Accession | 1977.002 |
| Website | www |
De Maria's 1979 artwork The Broken Kilometer in New York City is considered a companion piece to The Vertical Earth Kilometer.
Design
The Vertical Earth Kilometer is an 18-ton,[1] round, solid brass rod. it is two-inches in diamater and one-kilometer long. This rod is inserted into the earth so that the two-inch wide end sits flush with the surface of the earth and is embedded in the center of a two-meter by two-meter square red sandstone plate.[2] The work is installed in Kassel, Germany, in Friedrichsplatz Park, in front of the Fridericianum, [2] and has no label or plaque marking it as an artwork or explaining what it is.[1]
When viewing the top of the artwork, the only part visible from above ground, Ella Morton, a reporter for Slate Magazine said "it looks like a coin that’s been dropped, forgotten, and trodden on over several decades,"[3] and Ken Jennings of Conde Nast Traveler notes that work resembles a Kilometre zero marker seen in many European countries.[1]
Documenta proposes many interpretations of the piece including, "the hidden rod is meant to prompt us to reflect on the Earth and its place in the universe," and "a symbolic act of restoring a valuable metal to the exploited Earth."[4] Documenta also notes that The Vertical Earth Kilometer is a piece of Minimal, Conceptual, and Land art, the three "significant artistic strategies of the period."[4]
History
Created in 1977 for documenta 6: “Art in the media – media in art”, The Dia Art Foundation funded the barely visible, but monumental sculpture.[4] A Texas oil company was hired by De Maria,[1] under the direction and supervision of the Kassel based engineering firm of Dr. Hans Jurgen Pickel,[2] to install the artwork. A narrow, one-kilometer deep shaft was bored, cutting through six geological layers. The brass rod was lowered into the bore hole in segments, which were screwed together as they went, to form the full one-kilometer rod. It took 79 days to install the work during which locals had to endure loud drilling noise. Locals were also unhappy with the total cost of the virtually invisible artwork, 750,000 deutsche marks (approximately $2 million USD in 2016 values).[1]
The Vertical Earth Kilometer has been on permanent public display since it was installed in 1977,[2] and is maintained by the Dia Art Foundation as one of the eleven locations and sites they manage.[5]
In 1979, De Maria created The Broken Kilometer as a companion piece to The Vertical Earth Kilometer. It is located in the SoHo neighborhood in New York City.[6][1]
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Vertical Earth Kilometer. |
- Jennings, Ken. Walter de Maria's Art Installation Is Buried Completely Underground. Conde Nast Traveler. June 13, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
- Walter De Maria, The Vertical Earth Kilometer. Dia Art Foundation. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
- Morton, Ella. Vertical Earth Kilometer: An Amazing Hidden Art Installation. Slate Magazine. March 13, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
- The Artworks. documenta. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
- Visit our Locations and Sites. Dia Art Foundation. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
- Walter De Maria: The Vertical Earth Kilometer, 1977. Dia Art Foundation. Retrieved August 8, 2020.