Earth to Andy

Transcription

[Andy Goldsworthy:] I do love working in the same place, time and time again. I feel that I can make far stronger work-the Spire that's exploring the sense of space, and the Line-the surface. And the Tree Fall is getting very subterranean. But that idea of getting underneath the surface-this piece has pushed into territory that's new for me, and has opened up all sorts of new possibilities. Over the last two years, the process leading to this piece being made is we've been collecting curved eucalyptus. We brought the wood down here, stripped it of bark, and made the sphere of branches fixed against what was a concrete wall. Once I finished the branches we constructed a shutter in front of the wall, and did a rammed earth in the shuttering. And covered the work completely. The intention was that I would dig it out immediately after they made the wall, but the rammed earth was a little soft. There wasn't enough resistance. And it didn't feel like I was digging it out. It felt like I was brushing it off. And I wanted that sort of sense of finding it, and having to fight for it, in a way. So I left it overnight. And I came the following day, and it had really hardened. And that was a tough, tough day. So the process of digging it was physical. It was hard. And that's how it should be. There should be resistance, and it should feel as if I found something that's been there for a long time. And in fact, it was really interesting, because it felt as if I'd buried it years back. And remembering that a large part of what was going on here is archaeology-the act of digging things out and revealing things that were in the ground-was beginning to inform this. And, it's inexplicable and beautiful. You know I feel all sorts of things when I stand in front of it. And the people who've come in here and expressed opinions have also. You know, one guy came in and said this looks like the rendering of images of the core of the earth. And you know, it's the exact same thing that apparently is going on in the core of the earth, which is a beautiful idea-to go beyond the surface appearance of things. It's a very important one for me. You know, I know it's the latest piece, but maybe it's where it all begins, with this really intense core-you know, what's happening here? What's happening in the Presidio? What's happening underneath those trees? The trees don't stop at the surface of the ground. You know, they dig deep in there. And what's happening there? Well that, to me, is what's happening-that, that contact, that earth, wood, growth, you know, life. That's life. So I think I'm digging in deeper, in both the things that I've made, but also conceptually in my understanding of the Presidio. But there's something about this piece. It has opened a whole new area of thinking about my work. I think this is going to have a profound effect on what I do. And in that respect, if this work had not happened, it would have been a big hole in my work. It's a very significant work. The human element in the Presidio is also critical to how I think about the place. Because you know, my touch is an expression of the human presence in the place. What we're doing now is laying down another layer, upon which others will be laid in time, over ours. And I think that, even though things go from sight, they don't disappear from the feel of a place. And I think ultimately that's really the richness. And I can feel that, you know? It's been a huge honor to be allowed to make so many works here, and not just to leave an object, but a layer.