Heizer's 'levitated mass' is a 340 ton boulder resting above a walkway outside the county museum of art Los Angeles in California. It's artistic purpose is to create the illusion of a floating heavy object which would somehow impress it's viewers.
A lot of workload has been dissipated to this project, Heizer's team had to drive the boulder through 22 cities at a measly 5mph. This somehow resembles Michelangelo's effort in maneuvering his huge slab of marble through Florence, Italy. The marble transformed, through artistic obsession and genius, into David which stood strong and tall in Florence. It became the most celebrated artistic sculpture for over half a century.
Heizer's levitated mass seems a desperate attempt to woo passers by. It seems almost pathetic. I know that seems harsh as a lot of work has been put into the project but it has minimal appeal apart from 'wooah mum look at that massive rock juxtaposing the urban concrete environment'.
I am enthusiastic when it comes to creative efforts and artistic flair but this has neither.
This is not a just a post of a subjective opinion on a piece of (what has become of) art. My dislike for many artistic projects and maybe many others too probably stems from modernization of human culture. We have become extremely capitalist, technology obsessed and film has become the supreme art form.
Static art ceases to impress most of us, some people dislike art all together because they reduce it to mere pointless wastes of time, those of us who are artistic in the modern sense are impressed by different art forms now.
Yes, Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Picasso, Rembrandt and Carravaggio for example are all still artistic geniuses but we tend to enjoy past 'static' art because they embody historical, social and intellectual change not just for their physical appeal.
Art has changed, it has become dominated by film, music and sport has become some what artistic. This change is not bad however, it is merely a consequence of technology and changing perception of the world.
For real levitated mass look at this video demonstrating Quantum locking.... oh yes physicists will actually levitate mass if they say they will ;)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18577668
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