An Essential Solitude: Walter De Maria’s The Lightning Field/Revisited

by Kathleen Shields

Paperback

Published March 1, 2020

Reviews

[Kasey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Walter De Maria has quickly moved up to be one of my favorite artists. Kathleen Shields speaks so beautifully and thoughtfully of his work. I am SO EXCITED TO GO TO THE LIGHTNING FIELD!!! This trip is coming at a very weird, definitely transitional, time of my life and could not be any better timed. Looking forward to who I become after my trip.

[Hosho · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gorgeous little peek behind the curtain at one of the coolest land-art instillations in the desert southwest, in America, and maybe the world. You get some history, you get some technical execution, you get some theory, you get some memoir, some research -- all in all, a terrific mix that illuminates this enigmatic artist and the decades long art project. I drove by it once on a dusty backroad as a kid, and have been curious about The Lightning Field since. The process to actually visit is something out of a surrealist film, and people the world over try year in and year out to find a visit in person. I adore that places like this still exist, and look forward to someday visiting -- experiencing it all first-hand and, obviously, not taking a single picture.