Levitated Mass LACMA Los Angeles
This 340 ton giant boulder was moved from Riverside County in early 2012 to its final resting place at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in Museum Row along Wilshire Blvd. As you enter the driveway for the parking garage you will see the rock – it looks like its resting on the ground – but a closer inspection will reveal that its actually perched above a concrete walkway.
The concept for this the Levitated Mass exhibit originated in 1968 by artist Michael Heizer – a year later he tried to remove a huge rock from a quarry for a similar exhibit but the boom on the crane broke when trying to lift that rock. Natural sculpture in an urban setting. The granite “rock” is surrounded by several acres and you can spend time walking around the piece to get a sense of its scale.
Similar to the spaceship, Endeavor which crawled through prior “prepped” streets of LA at a turtle’s pace, this behemoth could only travel a few mph at night. The trailer that carried the rock was actually custom built around it at the quarry site. You realize just how large this “rock” is when you see it close up – you can even walk directly underneath it!
I was there a couple months ago, guess I missed this! I don’t think I’d be brave enough to stand underneath it. Interesting concept though!
Francesca – yes, there is a certain unease about standing under a rock of this size!