Megalith
From the great pyramids of Giza to the contemporary work Levitating Mass, by California artist Michael Heizer, artists have chosen large stones as their medium for self-expression. Megalithic structures have captured the imagination and minds of archeologists, historians and artists. The term megalith, from the Greek word for "great stone" is a large stone or stones that are moved by mankind to build a monument or structure. The stones are often assembled by the craftsman without the use of mortar. Instead the massive stones are often interlocked together to create the megalithic structure. One cannot observe such a structure without asking key questions such as, why ancient artisans chose to build the enormous monuments and what they were used for. What is even more perplexing is how these massively heavy stones were moved by civilizations that had limited resources and technology.
In his work, Levitated Mass, (2002) Micheal Heizer attempts to evoke the enormity and ingenuity of ancient craftsmen and the meaning behind the megalithic structural form. Using today's technology and resources, the 340 ton granite megalith took 11 nights to move 340 miles from a quarry to its installation at the Los Angeles County Museum of Modern Art. The public who can move around and underneath the structure must wonder how feats such as Heizer's could possibly be achieved by ancient man.
In his film, "levitating Mass", film maker Doug Pray shows great numbers of people coming out of their homes to watch the stone being moved. As I watched the viewers in awe of the Herculean effort of the moving crew I felt as if they were participants in an ancient religion honoring such a massive stone. Could this be modern art as a spiritual institution?, I wondered.
Pray's documentary gives insight into the mysteries of ancient megalithic structures. It helped to explain how and why structures such as, The Stone of the South, circa 970 BC was moved and erected. The Stone of the South weighs an estimated 1242 tons and is the largest megalith ever worked by man. It was raised 20 feet in the air and was made to fit with precision with other stones around it.
Refrences
Documentary
Levitated Mass, (2002) Micheal Heizer
Book
The seventy wonders of the ancient world By Chris Scarre
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