Does Land Art Always Benefit the Environment?
A critical essay by Marcello Faletra questions the environmental impact of land art, citing Christo and Jeanne-Claude's 1972 Valley Curtain in Colorado, which lasted only 28 hours before wind forced its removal and birds died crashing into it. Alberto Burri's 1984-89 Cretto di Gibellina in Sicily, a massive concrete cast over earthquake ruins, is criticized for using cement, a pollutant, and for failing to commemorate the nearly 400 victims of the 1968 Belice earthquake. Faletra argues that such works prioritize artist narcissism over ecological and memorial integrity, and that nature and memory should be subjects, not inert backdrops. The essay appears in Artribune Magazine #62.
Key facts
- Christo and Jeanne-Claude's Valley Curtain in Colorado (1972) lasted only 28 hours before wind forced its removal.
- A radar system installed to redirect birds failed, resulting in birds crashing into the curtain.
- Alberto Burri's Cretto di Gibellina (1984-89) is a concrete cast over earthquake ruins in Sicily.
- Burri stated in a 1995 interview that he wanted to compact the rubble and create a 'white cretto' as a permanent memory.
- Faletra criticizes the use of cement as environmentally damaging and notes that no space was reserved to commemorate the earthquake victims.
- The essay argues that land art often constitutes ecological abuse justified by narcissism and civil causes.
- Faletra questions whether artists using synthetic materials and concrete can truly be making 'environmental art'.
- The article was published in Artribune Magazine #62.
Entities
Artists
- Christo
- Jeanne-Claude
- Alberto Burri
- Marcello Faletra
- Stefano Zorzi
Institutions
- Artribune Magazine
Locations
- Colorado
- Gibellina
- Sicily
- Berlino
- Tirreno