The
Unwanted
Boulder
Listen to the Trailer
An audio documentary about Robert Smithson’s 1971 earthwork Broken Circle/Spiral Hill in Emmen
Narrated by MUSICIAN Lee Ranaldo
Listen on your favourite podcast app.
The Holt/Smithson Foundation and Land Art Contemporary proudly present The Unwanted Boulder, an audio documentary about American artist Robert Smithson (1938 - 1973) and his land art work Broken Circle/Spiral Hill.
Almost 50 years after his death, Smithson's work and ideas are still relevant and an important source of inspiration worldwide. The audio documentary, featuring Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo as narrator, sheds new light on Smithson's oeuvre and his world-famous artwork in the Netherlands.
The Unwanted Boulder
The audio documentary associatively explores the genesis of Robert Smithson's only earthwork located in Europe, Broken Circle/Spiral Hill (1971), made in a sand quarry near Emmen in the province of Drenthe, The Netherlands.
In the audio documentary, the listener travels through Robert Smithson's world of art and ideas and his struggle with a huge, millennia-old boulder that turned up in the middle of his artwork. Initially he was unhappy with this intruder but over time came to terms with it. Despite this false start, Smithson considered Broken Circle/Spiral Hill one of his major works.
According to Lisa Le Feuvre, Executive Director of the Holt/Smithson Foundation in the United States, Broken Circle/Spiral Hill is one of the most important post-war artworks. Together with the Dutch foundation Land Art Contemporary, Holt/Smithson Foundation is committed to preserving this important cultural heritage in the Netherlands.
My rock
Iduna Paalman wrote a poem for this production giving a voice to the unwanted boulder. It was translated and recited by M.M. Garr.
1
In fan-shaped glaciers the ice sheets spread, my forefathers
propel them ahead, you can’t push the backs of hills
but can see their spines you catch your breath
crashed slabs rolling still in the meltwater
and see: I stay behind, slick and veiny
...
Read the full poem in English here.
1
In waaiervormige gletsjers rukt het landijs op, mijn voorfamilie
stuwt het voor zich uit, je kunt de heuvelrug niet pushen
maar je ziet de wervels al liggen, daar kom je even op adem
de gecrashte blokken rollen in het smeltwater stil
en kijk: ik blijf achter, glad en aderig
...
Contributors
Musician Lee Ranaldo, former guitarist of Sonic Youth, is a great admirer of Smithson. He tells the story in the documentary, which is aurally complemented by archive material, creating a colourful picture of Smithson's life. Poet Iduna Paalman wrote a poem for this production giving a voice to the unwanted boulder. Tim Gunther interprets Smithson's voice and reads excerpts from his essays and interviews. Anja Novak, an art historian at the University of Amsterdam, and Lisa Le Feuvre reflect on Smithson's work and ideas, and how, almost 50 years after his death, they are still urgent and relevant.
Credits
Production and direction: Geert van de Wetering
Narrator: Lee Ranaldo
The poem My rock was written by Iduna Paalman and translated and recited by Megan Garr.
Tim Gunther performed the voice of Robert Smithson.
Mixing and mastering by Arno Peeters.
Listen on your favourite podcast app.
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All artworks and images by Nancy Holt and Robert Smithson are copyright Holt/Smithson Foundation, licensed by VAGA at ARS, New York.
