Comments on: Levitated Mass Transport: A Gawker’s Guide [Updated Friday, March 9]

By: Joan Elizarraras

Joan Elizarraras — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 03:43:12 +0000

Yes, just an old rock. You miss the point if that is all you see. Michael Heizer is an “Earth” artist that specializes in large scale sculptures. He conceived the idea of the “Levitated Mass” over 30 years ago and finally found the rock that would become his sculpture. In 1972 he began a massive earth art project called “City” in a desert valley of Nevada. This project is still ongoing. It is to date one of the largest sculptures ever created. City, along with Levitated Mass ties in with art history, ancient monuments, and contemporary art & artistic geometric shapes. Both projects are financed by patrons of the arts who understand & appreciate masterpieces such as these. Transporting the rock inadvertently became an art in itself. To just see a rock is to live in a box or go through life with blinders on=no perspective, distorted vision.

By: Pam Q

Pam Q — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 23:58:37 +0000

Good question!

By: unimpressed

unimpressed — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 20:32:52 +0000

it’s a stupid rock…. I can gaze out my window and see even bigger ones near baldy. What a waste of time and money. Just shows the waste of money spent on LACMA

“Ladies and Gentlemen.. come and see a rock.. not just any rock.. but a big rock”

By: Joan Elizarraras

Joan Elizarraras — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 09:50:28 +0000

Thank you LACMA-glad to see that you are documenting the progression of the Rock. I’m hoping to see it on a DVD that all the Rock’s fans can eventually purchase-more funds for the museum! I saw the Rock in Cerritos/Lakewood & went to the Rock party in Bixby Knolls. I am aware of where it was before that & where it went after those two stops but would love to see actual footage of the other stops. Besides the actual journey, sounds as if the film may have more tidbits of info. behind the scenes before the move even began. Will the update regd. the progress of the film be announced on this blog?

By: Bridget

Bridget — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 02:40:10 +0000

How much did this rock moving cost and who paid for it?

By: Loren P Meissner

Loren P Meissner — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 20:29:15 +0000

Or how about this: Weigh similar granite rocks from the same quarry, of different sizes, and extrapolate to the size of Leviathan?

By: Loren P Meissner

Loren P Meissner — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 20:25:44 +0000

I keep seeing this “340 ton” figure. How do they know?
(I suppose they measured the bending of the transporter beam as it absorbed the weight of the rock, and somebody at JPL calculated the stress? Or they put 10,000 bathroom scales under a transparent platform, and found that the readings averaged 68 pounds each? Or they dunked the rock in a lake and measured how much water it displaced, and multiplied by their estimate of the density of granite rocks? Or they asked a couple of hundred people “How much do you think this rock weighs?” and averaged their guesses?)

By: Colin

Colin — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 20:25:41 +0000

Nice high ball boulder problem. I like the planned exposure over the walkway too. I hear the levitation arete goes. No rating yet, but its rumored that Dean Potter plans the first ascent.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 08:14:18 +0000

to night i saw a boulder travel through the Normandie Plaza. it is so amazing

By: lacma

lacma — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 05:58:05 +0000

More details on the final leg of the journey: http://lacma.wordpress.com/2012/03/08/levitated-mass-planning-for-the-final-leg-of-the-journey/