Sculpting The High Plains

Abstract

In Amarillo, Texas, wind is not just a weather phenomenon. It is an omnipresent force, shaping the landscape and inhabitants’ personal and collective identities. This chapter contemplates and accounts for the relationship between matter and meaning in this far-flung and unlikely hotspot for artmaking. From the street signs of the Dynamite Museum to the enigmatic presence of Ozymandias on the Plains, these Amarillo artworks challenge geographic determinism and invite a regard for the environmental forces at work up on them. Andrew Leicester’s Floating Mesa and the iconic Cadillac Ranch further blur the boundaries between art, natureculture, and decay. Central to this exploration is Robert Smithson’s Amarillo Ramp, an earthwork embodying the entanglement of human intentionality and natural forces, the final creation of Smithson before his death at the hands of the Amarillo wind. As the earthwork shifts and erodes, Amarillo Ramp becomes a testament to the naturecultural relationship between humans and their environment, shaping collective experiences and narratives of art, identity, performance, and place.

Department(s)

RCASH

Document Type

Article

DOI

10.4324/9781003461630-13

Publication Date

1-1-2024

Journal Title

Posthumanist Collaborations in Performance A Praxis Based Approach to Qualitative Inquiry

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