Ask folks from Box Elder County (the area aorund Salt Lake City, Utah) about the Spiral Jetty and most will say they've heard of it, but don't know what it is or where it is. Ask somone from the New York or London art world about the Spiral Jetty, and not only will you hear a 20 minute lecture on it's significance as the art world's most important piece of earthwork to be created, but you'll probably also hear about their latest "pilgrimage" to the Spiral Jetty.

The Spiral Jetty was the creation of an artist named Robert Smithson. Smithson was born in New Jersey in 1930 and was killed in a plane crash at the age of 35. He loved science fiction, galaxies, earth sciences, dinasours, geology and maps. He has been canonized as the icon of earthwork artists and has become somewhat of a legend due to his short lived career. Smithson was one of a number of artisits at the time who tried to change how people think about art, including taking it out of the gallery or museum and into the natural landscape.

The Spiral Jetty, built in 1970, is located off Rozel Point, west of the Golden Spike National Historic Site. For it's construction, two dump trucks, one tractor and one large front loader moved 6650 tons of rock and earth to create a coil 1500 ft long and 15 ft wide. Money from a New York art gallery was secured to pay for part of the construction and a 20-year lease was secured from the Utah Land Board.

What determined the choice for this specific location? In his Spiral jetty essay, Smithson emphasized the decisive role played by the red color of the lake at Rozel Point and its association with blood. For Smithson "our blood is analogous in composition to the primordial seas". The Great Salt Lake of course is the remnant of such an ancient body of water, Lake Bonneville, and thus fulfills Smithson's preference for landscapes "that suggest prehistory". Furthermore, Rozel Point is not first and foremost known for its irresistible beauty (if it is known at all), thus satisfying another of Smithson's site requirements, namely "to find a site ... free of scenic meaning". No famous red rock arches, beckoning ski slopes, or vast wildlife population. Rozel Point had a beauty yet to be discovered.

What does it all mean? For some, the Spiral Jetty is just a big piece of cement and rock shaped like a spiral sitting in the middle of some salt water in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a bunch of old junk. For others, the Spiral Jetty is a "Mecca" to which appreciators from around the globe visit and toast its beauty, its artist and its importance.

It is commonly interpreted as a primal symbol of life and death and understood to represent rebelling against the stifling confines of society. Some believe the Spiral Jetty signifies growth and decay, expansion and contraction. Someone even said the Spiral Jetty refers to everything but itself.

The Spiral Jetty's mystique only increased as the waters of the Great Salt Lake rose covering the piece for many decades. As the water began to decrease and the Spiral Jetty became visible for the first time in 30 years, it had changed. When it was first covered, it was black, like the rocks in the hills nearby. The lake had a red hue to it. But now it is covered with thick salt crystals clinging to the rocks. It appears as if the visitor is standing on snow covered ground. It is strange to reach down and pick up a "snowball" only to discover it is a warm salt crystal. The water appears more silvery than red.

Along with the transformation of the Spiral Jetty, come questions. The Dia Art Foundation in New York owns the work. They are faced with a dilemma of whether to leave the Spiral Jetty as it is, or to restore it to its original state. Dia has discussed raising the Spiral Jetty by adding more rocks. They are also studying whether nature will restore the contrast the Spiral Jetty originally had with its surroundings by dissolving some of the salt crystals when the lake's waters rise again. This worries some people and the intentions of Robert Smithson are not clear. Some would like to see Dia preserve the earthwork. Others feel leaving the Spiral Jetty alone and letting it become submerged again only adds to its mystique. Even if we can't see it, we know it's there.