andrew rogers rhythms of life

Andrew rogers Rhythms of Life

Andrew rogers Rhythms of Life i-Vii

Rhythms of Life

the Rhythms of Life project by Australian artist Andrew

Rogers is the largest contemporary land-art undertaking

in the world, forming a chain of stone sculptures, or

geoglyphs, around the globe. monumental geoglyphs have

been constructed in seven countries to date: israel, Chile,

Bolivia, sri Lanka, Australia, iceland and China. future

locations will include india, the United states, United

Kingdom and eastern europe. By completion, the project

will have involved over 5,000 people on six continents.

the Rhythms of Life sculptures are optimistic metaphors

for the eternal cycle of life and regeneration, expressive

and suggestive of human striving and introspection. the

geoglyphs embrace a wide cultural vision that links memory

and various symbols derived from ancient rock carvings,

paintings and legends in each region; they punctuate time

and extend history into the distant future while delving

into the depths of our heritage in pursuit of the spiritual.

the exhibition at the Akureyri Art museum in iceland is the

first general survey of the project

Cover: Ancient Language, Atacama Desert, Chile 2003

RHYTHMS OF LIFE I-VII

May 5 – June 24, 2007

Hannes Sigurdsson

Publisher : Akureyri Ar t Museum, 2007©

Design: Akureyri Ar t Museum/Erika Isaksen

Translation: Vicky Cribb

Proofreading: Julian Thorsteinson, Uggi Jónsson

Photography: Andrew Rogers, Hari Ho, Gavan Hansford,

Golan Levi, Páll Stefánsson

Printing: Ásprent, Akureyri, Iceland

Typography: Trajan, Gill Sans

Paper : Galerie Silk 170 gr

ISBN: 978-9979-9632-7-1

9 THE LAW OF IRRATIONALITY — AN ODE TO LIFE

BY HANNES SIGURDSSON

23 WHERE THE AIR IS CLEAR

BY LILLY WEI

32 ISRAEL

46 CHILE

58 BOLIVIA

68 SRI LANKA

76 AUSTRALIA

84 ICELAND

94 CHINA

105 LÖGMÁL ÓRÖKVÍSINNAR — ÓÐUR TIL LÍFSINS

EFTIR HANNES SIGURÐSSON

112 ANDREW ROGERS

113 UPPLÝSINGAR UM STEINGARÐANA

115 ABOUT THE AUTHORS

116 SELECTED BRONZE SCULPTURES

127 ANDREW ROGERS: CHRONOLOGY & BIBLIOGRAPHY

Page 2: Celebration of Life, Iceland, 2006Facing page: Rhythms of Life, Art Centre of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia. Bronze h. 2.7metres, 1996

My ongoing theme will continue to be the Rhythms of Life — metaphors for the eternal cycle of life, growth, and

all the attendant emotions that color human existence. These rhythms are the optimistic symbols of regeneration

— expressive and suggestive of human striving and introspection. My sculpture is a reflection of our society,

our dreams and aspirations. To express oneself is a timeless and universal need. I hope my forms are a melding

of intelligence and imagination and succeed in putting concepts into forms. For me sculpture will always be an

expression of the heart, not just the application of a skill. Sculpting teaches one to perceive, recognize differences,

clarify, make decisions, and eventually to see what matters in the creation of a form. What better way can an

individual express the spirit of humanity? [...] Only two things are certain in life, being born and dying. I am

interested in our interaction with the environment and with people around us. I like to look at the states we pass

through and the changes that occur around us, the challenges we encounter as we cross the biosphere. [...] The

Rhythms of Life is about the influences on our lives — where we begin, and where we end. It reflects Kandinsky’s

idea that a line is only a series of points that are connected. Perhaps this is the essence of life.

Time is like the water,

and the water is cold and deep

like my own consciousness.

And time is like a picture,

which is painted of water,

half of it by me.

And time and the water

into my own consciousness.

Steinn Steinarr (1908–1958)

Time and the Water, 1956

(Translation by Marshall Brement)

The Australian sculptor Andrew Rogers is carving out a niche for himself in art history with

a series of huge geoglyphs, or rock sculptures, that will eventually form a chain around the

world. Of the twelve planned environmental artworks, seven have been realized so far, in-

cluding one near the town of Akureyri in northern Iceland. The adventure began in Israel’s

Arava Desert in March 1999 and led to the creation of four land artworks over several

years. After a lengthy interval, the project was extended to other countries, with one ma-

jor work succeeding another. The second site chosen was one of the planet’s largest dry

regions, the Atacama Desert in Chile (September 2004), followed in short succession by the

Cerro Rico mountains in Bolivia (March 2005), a site near the city of Kurunegala, Sri Lanka

(November 2005), the You Yangs National Park in Geelong, Australia (February 2006), the

Akureyri region in Iceland (September 2006) and, most recently, the Gobi Desert in China,

facing the Qilian Mountains at the western end of the Great Wall (October 2006).

The collective name for this colossal land-sculpture project is Rhythms of Life, deriving from

a sculpture Rogers made in 1996, and the theme permeates the entire project, which now

encompasses four continents. Each work in the series typically consists of three geoglyphs.

One of these bears the name of the project, “Rhythms of Life”, while the other two are

inspired by some ancient symbol or artefact by anonymous creators, belonging to the lo-

cal cultural heritage. The oldest of these ancient symbols that have inspired Rogers is a

6,000-year-old petroglyph, or rock carving, found in Chile. Generally, only a few kilometres

separate the three symbolic geoglyphs, which often lie within sight of one another. Most

of the works are constructed off the beaten track, in protected areas, using thousands of

tonnes of rock. Largely built by hand, the glyphs to date have involved the participation of

almost 3,300 people (550 in Chile, 750 in Bolivia, 850 in Sri Lanka and 1,000 in China) in

widely contrasting landscapes, ranging from an altitude of 200 metres below sea level (Arava

in Israel) to 4,360 metres above sea level (Altiplano in Bolivia). Temperatures on the sites

have ranged from -1°C in Iceland to +45°C in Israel, and the builders have had to contend

with thin air and lack of oxygen in the highest locations, as well as extreme weather condi-

tions, including heat waves and sandstorms.

Rogers often collaborates with two Israeli architects, Tidhar Becker and Golan Levi, who

are responsible for planning the sculptures in meticulous detail with the help of GPS tech-

nology and satellite pictures. A myriad of stakes are then driven into the ground and linked

with ropes to mark out the pattern, taking care to preserve the correct perspective when

sculpture is unique, built from rocks generally ranging in weight from 300 kg up to 5 tonnes,

and in height from 50 cm to 6.5 metres, arranged in massive, dense formations or looser

piles. Exceptionally large boulders, weighing some 12 tonnes, were used in the work Bunjil

(the Wedge-tailed Eagle), created by Rogers in conjunction with Melbourne’s 2006 Com-

monwealth Games.

We know the starting point of Rhythms of Life, although where the project will end is an-

Work in progress: Kurunegala, Sri Lanka 2005

change tack and channel his energies into three-dimensional sculpture. Like Paul Gauguin

over 130 years earlier, who quit stockbroking to pursue his romantic desire for the un-

touched and primitive, Rogers found that his artistic calling took him to remote and exotic

locations, without, however, being separated from his family, thanks to the steel birds of

modern technology. Rogers had previously painted in his spare time but, inspired by Ro-

din’s sculptures, he began to concentrate on mastering the three-dimensional moulding of

the human anatomy. In 1995, his art underwent another shift, with abstraction taking over

of life: the spirit of humanity, creation, growth, the heartbeat of existence and the cycle of

generation. Organic forms and rhythms are a striking characteristic of his work, in which

abstract forms are imbued with emotions and are often suggestive of organic growth out of

the soil or the rounded forms of the female body.

Rogers begins by sketching his ideas on paper and then produces a 60 cm. maquette of the

as twelve editions each. One of Rogers’ better known bronze sculptures is Flora Exemplar

is easily accessible to all. An organic form with allusions to a plant reaches towards the

sun and at the same time spirals down into the earth. Life and death go hand in hand, on

a converging course. Yet although death and suffering play their part in Rogers’ sculptures,

it is the idea of life and its cycle that predominates. Flora Exemplar now exists in nine edi-

tions around the world, along with numerous other sculptures by Rogers dedicated to the

theme of Rhythms of Life.

Andrew Rogers was captivated by the Arava Desert on Israel’s Jordanian border when he

visited it in 1996 as part of a commission to create a large cast of Flora Exemplar for Sapir,

the national park administration centre, and he immediately started preparations for his

Chai (‘To Life’), which combines two

Hebrew letters symbolizing longevity, taken from the Torah, or the Jewish book of laws.

Rogers decided to use only rock from the immediate vicinity for his works, from the outset

stressing the importance of causing the minimum disturbance to nature. The sculpture

Israeli architecture students, two Israeli engineers and twenty Arab stone masons, working

twelve hours a day.

Flora Exemplar, Vienna, Austria 1999

Once the work was completed, Rogers drew attention to the image’s symbolic links to

daily life and human reproduction by photographing forty-two pregnant women posing

knew he would go on to create another. In 2001, shortly after his massive bronze sculp-

ture of Rhythms of Life was installed in Melbourne, he began to develop the outlines of this

sculpture to be produced as a raised relief in the sandy desert. The result was his third

and largest work in the Arava, Slice (80 x 38 metres), a stylized cross-section of a sea-shell,

a reference to the fact that the desert is an ancient seabed teeming with fossils.

Andrew Rogers already had his eye on Iceland as a possible site for his project when he

met the sculptor Steinunn Thórarinsdóttir at the annual outdoor Sculpture by the Sea festi-

val in Sydney in 2004 and asked her to put him in touch with interested parties. Steinunn

dropped me an e-mail and I was immediately curious to know more, convinced that an

have imagined the vast scale of the project until it came to the crunch, nor how much of

it would involve trying to obtain the appropriate public permits. As at the other sites, the

plan was to build three adjacent symbolic images in the sparsely populated countryside.

Rogers wanted locals, preferably some kind of Council of Elders as is found among the

Australian aboriginals, to choose the two symbols alluding to the land and its people that

would stand alongside Rhythms of Life. One of the symbols, The Akureyri Eagle, struck me

immediately as an obvious choice, since it is one of Iceland’s guardian spirits, derived from

the book Heimskringla (Orb of the World), written c. 1225, a quasi-mythological history of

the Norwegian kings and their descendants.

The second symbol required a longer gestation and nearly had to be delivered by cae-

sarean! Rogers was looking for a motif with deep roots in Icelandic history, but divorced

from cult or religious connotations. However, although the country has been settled for

some 1,132 years, there is not much in the way of ancient imagery that is unambiguously

Icelandic. The sparse population, barren landscape and hostile environment resulted in

earlier generations leaving little behind them but yellowing manuscripts — though these

do include the Sagas of the Icelanders, the most remarkable extant collection of medi-

eval European prose — so one could claim that conceptual art left its precocious foot-

prints here.

The Akureyri Eagle

Advice was sought from Thóra Kristjánsdóttir of the National Museum of Iceland and Ice-

land’s leading runologist, Dr. Thórgunnur Snædal of the National Heritage Board in Stock-

holm. After some discussion it was agreed that we should narrow our search to the ancient

runic letters deriving from the common Germanic heritage. But what the rune should

signify remained unresolved until I had a brainwave: Now. What could be more appropri-

ate than to sculpt the concept of the passing moment, ‘now’; to use rocks delved from a

ten-million-year-old mountain to express one eternal moment, in the ancient language of

runes? Rogers agreed to this suggestion at once. While we were still at the conceptual

stage, Arndís Bergsdóttir, who had been appointed project manager two months before

would not hear of postponing the project until 2007; he wanted it to happen as soon as

possible, within a few months, now!

The project required construction machinery, surveyors with precise equipment, labourers

and stone masons. Rogers had chosen two sites: below the scout hut on Fálkafell and on

Mt. Hlídarfjall below Mannshryggur, but it was necessary to obtain the permission of the

local authority before the artworks could be built there. No request of this type had ever

been submitted before; hence there were no existing regulations or guidelines for dealing

with it. Permission to build in the third location, on Mt. Vadlaheidi which belongs to Sval-

bardsstrond district, was obtained from the landowners at Hallland, and a similar process

was adopted by the district committee and Akureyri town council. The Nordurorka power

company wanted an expert opinion because the site on Mt. Hlídarfjall is in a protected area

containing the town’s main water supply. The resulting report from the Icelandic Institute

of Natural History and was negative, since the institute considered that the work would

cause excessive damage to the soil. The local authority then informed the National Planning

Agency and Environmental Agency of the request and a further wait for a decision ensued.

The matter was also placed before the Akureyri Nature Conservation Agency, which took a

Eventually, when neither the Environmental Agency nor the Planning Agency opposed the

project, the Akureyri authorities gave the green light to proceed, on certain conditions.

Certain documentation had to be provided before work could commence, including an en-

vironmental impact study by the consulting company Alta. The project had to be publicized

Hannes Sigurdsson, Ingólfur Ármannsson, former Director of

in the district, to allow local residents time to object before a decision would be made on

planning permission. Meanwhile, the hunt was on for construction machinery and workers,

which turned out to be booked up for months ahead. Eventually, two machine operators

agreed to take on the project, but they had to order special stone-shifting equipment from

Germany for their excavators. At last, on August 15th, permission was obtained for ge-

oglyphic artworks on Mt. Hlídarfjall and Fálkafell, although approval was not unanimous.

When Andrew Rogers arrived in Iceland to start work, it became apparent that the sur-

veyors provided by Akureyri town council had allocated too small an area. Moreover, the

Israeli architects working for Rogers received something of a shock when they saw how

few rocks were available on the sites. The cold, wet, stormy conditions that greeted them

on their arrival from Tel Aviv did nothing to raise their morale. A decision was taken to

reduce the number of workers still further, increase the number of machines, and lay stones

at regular intervals instead of building walls, in a manner not dissimilar to Rogers’ realiza-

tion of his sculptures in Australia. The outcome bears some resemblance to the paintings

of Chuck Close, in that from a distance the symbols can easily be perceived as a complete

picture, while near at hand they merge to a greater or lesser extent with the surrounding

landscape. Passers-by who know nothing of the genesis of the works might well attribute

the oddly geometrical position of some of the rocks to a coincidence of nature.

Permission for the project on Mt. Vadlaheidi was granted at the beginning of September af-

ter minor adjustments were made to the site of the sculpture to mitigate local councillors’

as follows: Eagle is on Mt. Hlídarfjall, a stone’s throw from the ski hut, the rune Now is on

top of Mt. Vadlaheidi and Rhythms of Life

Rogers’ every move over the next three weeks, as documentaries have been made on each

of his projects, giving insights into the life and history of the places involved. When the

land sculptures were completed, Rogers arranged a helicopter, as is his custom, and had

the geoglyphs recorded with the help of photographer Páll Stefánsson. In answer to an

angle on Rhythms of Life, without letting the 5°C temperature dissuade them from allowing

their offspring to share in the creation of an immortal work of art. (At least, it is likely to

almost certainly stand unchanged for centuries to come.)

Rhythms of Life in progress, Falkafell, Iceland 2006

The obstacles Rogers had to surmount to have his project approved and all the attend-

ant fuss and bother in Iceland were minor compared to obstacles he has had to deal with

elsewhere, the Icelandic segment of his project being by far the smallest in scope. In terms

of scale and red tape, the enterprise is reminiscent of the environmental artworks created

around the world since the early 1970s by the duo Christo and Jeanne-Claude, though

remove all trace of their work after a set interval, Rogers employs a natural material, uncut

stone, and builds it to endure. Rogers cooperates closely with the indigenous people of

each area, taking heed of their culture and heritage in a kind of organic process, whereas

Christo and Jeanne-Claude seem to rely more on their own ideas in the development of

contrast, for all we know, if the world were destroyed in a natural calamity and little else

remained, a historian of the twenty-third century might deduce that Rogers’ works were

many thousands of years old.

Nevertheless, these artists all share a profound respect for nature and the environment in

which they are working. Rogers takes care to leave the area as pristine as possible, with no

trace of his presence apart from the work itself. Otherwise, it is unlikely that he would have

received permission to proceed with his daring plans in China’s Gobi Desert, in the area

where Marco Polo (b. 1254) arrived too late to meet Genghis Khan (d. 1227), given that the

location adjoins a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Should later generations disagree with

the decision to construct the works, it would no doubt be possible to dismantle them and

return the area to its former natural state.

Andrew Rogers’ vast land-sculpture project is one of the largest, if not the largest, ever

undertaken, not excepting Britain’s Stonehenge or the Nazca Lines in Peru. The project

has a deliberately archaic feel, alluding so far back into misty antiquity and forward into the

distant future that all measures of time lose their meaning. Few if any artists have reached

further back in their post-modern recycling of history. The idea of ‘appropriation’ becomes

irrelevant in this context, as does any talk of kitsch, a term to describe the cutesy tat of

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cally bad taste.

The Caveman, Gobi Desert, China 2006

Rogers’ land sculptures are monumental, pregnant with meaning, rock solid, positive, brave,

sublime and timeless – yet it is unlikely that they could have been created in any other pe-

riod. They also bear clear witness to having been conceived by a man who, far from being

afraid to celebrate rounded forms and curved lines, dares to make the cliché of Mother

on his works. The project is in fact monumentally out of sync with the times; artists who

faithfully comply with the art world’s most popular recipe books and mishmash philosophy

do not do this sort of thing. But Andrew Rogers is different. And it is precisely this dif-

ference that makes his works so captivating; they offer a sharp counterpoint to the quali-

ties of chaos, capriciousness, transience and aimlessness that form the popular, unspoken

contract on what serious art should deal with today.

But where Rogers really oversteps the boundaries is in terms of the religious or spiritual

undercurrents in his work, in an age when the leading proponents of Reason, men like Rich-

ard Dawkins and Daniel C. Dennett, have declared all such matters forbidden fruit. This is

not to imply that Rogers is particularly pious, but in a world of rampant materialism he does

represent a fundamental moral baseline. His works are grounded in the lowest common

denominator of all faiths, life itself, and in the cycle and rhythms of life that permeate nature.

Rogers underlines the importance of emotions, intuitive spatial awareness and spiritual di-

mensions as the driving force of creation and the foundation of understanding.

His celebration of life and nature, with its reference to emotion and intuition, is reminiscent

of the ideas of Rousseau before the dark powers associated with Romantic nature wor-

ship (and the ancient veneration of Mother Earth) came to dominate ideological concerns.

These subsequently developed into what came to be known as Vitalism or Life Philosophy

(Lebensphilosophie), which is sceptical about rationalism, proposing instead life itself as the

present that is subject to the laws of the eternal cycle. The ‘anti-rationalism’ of Vitalism is

preoccupied with identifying the forces that underlie past and present culture, viewing art

as the revelation of particular forces within mankind. Yet although the discourse of Vitalism

are nevertheless also eloquent examples of rationalism, technology and stability. They are

-

rything in the world is doomed to crumble, decay and ultimately disappear. The transitory

Celebration of Life, Arava Desert, Israel 2003

nature of life, which forms the theme of the works, is in striking contrast to their durable

materials. The principle of art is to try to grasp hold of time and anything human that can

be attached to it. One could say that the paradox in Rogers’ works is so immense that it

loops back on itself and consequently almost vanishes in a puff of bewilderment like a Zen

koan pending enlightenment.

Rogers evidently proposes artistic creativity and human reproduction as parallel notions,

a very familiar motif in art history. The geniuses of the past had aspirations, and mastered

rational thinking and their materials in order to produce great art. The material itself

did not contribute anything to the creation. According to Aristotle, woman contributed

nothing to a child beyond herself as material, whereas man contributed the seed that

contained the power of creation. During the Romantic period this Aristotelian concept

of creation underwent a transformation, with the irrational aspects of the creative process

acknowledged and idealised. Thus the artist tends to be metaphorically associated with the

art which can only see the light of day by dint of blood, sweat and tears.

Nietzsche stated that there are two types of artists: those who wish to beget and those

who wish to be fertilized and give birth. In The Birth of Tragedy (1872) he introduces two

central principles of art and life: the Apollonian, representing rationalism, stasis and unique

that the dialectic created between these two opposing forces was the driving force of

creativity. In Rogers’ works all these concepts coexist in a peculiar harmony; he conceives

the ideas, designs and constructs the works, both alone and in cooperation with countless

other people. He celebrates both the spirit and the material, yet the spirit does not ferti-

lize the material any more than the material begets the spirit. In his art the non-rational is

presented rationally, the author is indisputable yet invisible, and passions are made manifest

through the calculations and measurements of satellites.

The Romantics’ interest in the feminine and birth as symbols of the creative artist had

nothing to do with any interest in real women or real births; indeed, the ideology of the

period is considered one of the most misogynist in human history. Rogers, in contrast,

Celebration of Life, Arava Desert, Israel 2003

photographs pregnant women on the Rhythms of Life, emphasizing that he is concerned with

the phenomena of reproduction and creation as one and the same concept of life, not as

symbols of one another. Of course, just as environmentalists can become uneasy about

a work that is an ode to nature, so feminists can be suspicious of the use of the female

body, no matter how well intentioned. Historically, the celebration of certain innate female

characteristics (as well as those of race or class) has often been used as an instrument of

oppression. Rogers risks such criticism, in exchange for the liberating celebration of a com-

pelling analogy: in the rhythm of life that enables humanity to overcome the inevitability of

time and death, childbirth is an apt metaphor for the artist’s act of creation.

Inevitably, Andrew Rogers’ concept of life is rooted in cultural history and his “rational

irrationality” bears similarities to Spinoza’s “systematic rationalism”. Spinoza’s philosophy

rests on three key elements: God, mankind and mankind’s quest for happiness, which is

predicated on knowledge, to which the highest virtues are linked. Knowledge is accessible

through four paths: information obtained from others, direct perception from personal

experience, the possibility of deducing true notions from other common notions that are

reliable, because intuitive knowledge consists of direct insight or anschauung, which reveals

the ‘true essence of things’ and therefore it cannot be mistaken. The structure of Spinoza’s

metaphysics and ethics is based on a mathematical system that led him to the conclusion

space or in any other respect. Understanding what it is to be human is tantamount to real-

izing that humanity is part of the universe. According to Spinoza, the world and God are the

same substance; there is no difference of degree between matter and the spirit.

Seen from this standpoint, the inherent perspective in Rogers’ works is intriguing. The pat-

tern of his structures can only be fully seen and appreciated from a bird’s-eye view, or from

a satellite or the perspective of an all-seeing God. The human perspective within the works

creates a rich experience at the same time as mirroring the possibility of multifarious and

even antithetical points of view.

This leads to the Golden Ratio and Fibonacci’s mathematical series based on irrational

number theory. Andrew Rogers, like countless other sculptors, artists and mathemati-Petroglyph from Betanzos in Bolivia which Circles is derived from

cians, is fascinated by this mystery that many regard as the secret of all life forms, con-

Ratio, in the

Arava Desert, situating it between his existing land sculptures. The mathematical law of the

Golden Ratio is symbolized by the Greek letter after the Greek sculptor Phidias, who is

thought to have employed it in his art. The law has also been represented by the letter T,

meaning ‘cut’. Taking as a starting

point the circular or cyclical time, on which Rogers bases his works and understanding of

life, we perceive that the beginning and end are located at the same point and that point is

precisely ‘now’.

In light of this, the runic letter Now on Mt. Vadlaheidi is interesting not only for its mean-

ing but also for its appearance. The curved line that forms the rune symbolizing time is

intersected at one point by a diagonal line. If the rune is read as a pictogram it mediates

between the ideas of time as either linear or circular. Time is curved and its beginning and

end exist on the same plane but not at the same point; moreover, the letter stands on an

imagined line which closes the circle.

Time, one of the most daunting concepts with which the human mind has ever grappled,

Spiral Jetty, 1970, which few have seen except in a photograph, is, like his other artworks and

writings, concerned partly with time and the present as subjective space. In his 1968 article

‘Sedimentation of the Mind’ he writes:

disintegrating into discrete regions of art. [...] An artist is en-

slaved by time, only if the time is controlled by someone or some-

thing other than himself. The deeper an artist sinks into the time

stream the more it becomes oblivion; because of this, he must

remain close to the temporal surfaces. Many would like to forget

time altogether, because it conceals the “death principle” (every

authentic artist knows this). Floating in this temporal river are

the remains of art history, yet the “present” cannot support the

culture of Europe, or even the archaic or primitive civilizations; it

Ratio, Arava Desert, Israel, 2006

must instead explore the pre- and post-historic mind; it must go

to the places where remote futures meet remote pasts.

(Art in Theory 1900–2000, p. 881.)

Smithson does not wish us to deny our own age in his notion of the relativity of time,

since there is no such thing as a timeless work of art; that would be a betrayal of the art-

ist. Smithson cynically united in his works the ideas of elitism and imagination in critical

opposition to the categorizations and etiquettes of modernist aesthetics. His works were

a sort of invasion of the no-man’s land between this brassbound pictorial logic and the

Andrew Rogers’ works are also the product of their time — that is, our times — despite

their inherent metaphysics and his attempt to enter the space where ‘remote futures meet

remote pasts’. Unlike Smithson’s works, Rogers’ sculptures are completely free from cyni-

values of life and creation are offered up as hope and a challenge to war, suffering, apathy

and premature death. Although Rogers is an unconventional modernist, it would not be

entirely correct to describe his works as completely at odds with the post-modernist

agenda. After the deconstruction, disintegration and destruction of the obsolete models

together again, taking motifs from different times and places, and melding them with his

own emblematic vision. He blends ancient media and modern technology, preoccupied

with the participation of those who actively engage with the works, trying to reconcile

different cultures to achieve a mutual exchange.

Rogers stresses a kind of multicultural nationalism in the spirit of Johann Gottfried Herder

(1744–1803), in which the reinforcement of the cultural identity of different nations unites

immense scale of the work, and not least the sheer joy in creation that is so refreshing,

coupled with Rogers’ ability to overcome so many boundaries and obstacles, whether

national, cultural, natural, religious, mechanical, political or social.

It would be intriguing to know what the late Icelandic poet Steinn Steinarr, quoted at the

beginning of this article, would have made of Andrew Rogers’ enterprise; whether he would

Now (runic letter)

have praised it, sent him one of his poisonous satirical verses or simply maintained a dig-

steinn means ‘stone’), he

would surely have been impressed with the artist’s material; the pulverized bones of Ýmir,

the primordial giant from whom the world was created, according to Norse myth.

Perhaps we could summarize this article in one sentence by saying that ‘everything that has

and will happen occurs right now’ and call it the ‘Bullet Theory’, not to imply any violence

but to suggest the immeasurable computational power required to grasp the notion in

mental capacity, though Andrew Rogers may well, from profound insight, have perceived

its content and with Rhythms of Life scored a bull’s eye.

But naturally, only time will tell.

Hannes Sigurdsson, Director

Akureyri Art Museum

Bunjil, Australia 2006

It might be said that Andrew Rogers is both fearless and commendably ambitious or it might

be said that he is simply Australian. In either case, a line from Anne Carson’s prose poem,

Autobiography of Red, came to mind which posed this question: “Why not rotate the inhuman

Andes at a personal angle…” This was, perhaps, the very kind of question that Rogers asked

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strict himself to the Andes. While these part sculpture, part architecture, part drawing, part

performance hybrids are certainly indebted to the earth works of American artists Michael

Heizer and Robert Smithson and related to that of British environmental artist Richard Long,

Rogers was equally inspired by constructs such as the mysterious Nazca Lines, Stonehenge

and other monuments patinated by time and mythos. He is drawn to these ancient won-

ders because they are both sacred and functional even if that function is often a matter of

conjecture or largely symbolic and applauds the communal, anonymous, artisanal effort they

art initiatives and collaboratives of the 70s, collaborations that have made a comeback with

today’s young artists. In preparation for these projects, Rogers delves deep into the history

of each particular region and confers with local governance committees and historians, with

tribal councils and village elders, with stonemasons and other workers. He wants to know

what the people who live there think about his plans, what they want created and how they

want to use it.

He is extremely sensitive to environmental issues and always requests an environmental

impact study of the site in order not to disturb or disrupt the chosen location. He merely

wants to humanize and personalize it — and even that only temporarily. It is the juxtaposi-

tion and interaction of the man-made with nature that interests him, a human intervention

of preserving and re-vitalizing, of making contemporary what is already there. The Roman

poet Horace, who longed for that which “cannot be destroyed by gnawing rain or wild north

-

ers in agreement with him. Once the geoglyphs are installed, Rogers is pleased with the

certainty that they will evolve further, their structural integrity broken down, re-shaped and

re-arranged by the forces of the earth, by time and weather, human and non-human contact

since they, too, are collaborators and part of an ongoing process.

Rogers’ geoglyphs are comprehended in totality only from the air or — as the next best

vantage point — from a nearby outcropping of rock or mountain slope. At times, a high

staircase is built, either as a discrete sculpture, reminiscent of some of his more conventional

monuments, or incorporated into the composition of the geoglyph. The unwavering point of

view, however, is that of a spectator in a helicopter or airplane (the works are usually docu-

mented by helicopter) — or standing in the clouds with the gods. Rogers, on a mission, is

nonetheless philosophical about his enterprise, acutely aware that while the geoglyphs might

appear enormous from the ground, from above they are only a speck in the universe.

For many years, Rogers was a successful businessman who painted when he could. Although

always fascinated by art, art history and the practice of art, he was also a pragmatist. But

in the late 1980s, he asked himself, if not now, when? He answered his question by becom-

ing a full-time artist, and, in a clean sweep, abandoned painting to become a sculptor. In the

late 19th century and early 20th century masters, but in 1995, he adopted abstraction as his

preferred mode of expression. Soon after, he conceived a sculpture that would become the

visual catalyst and conceptual linchpin for almost all of his subsequent production. Called

Rhythms of Life, it was a burnished, moderately-scaled, free standing bronze sculpture rooted

in a modernist aesthetic. Secured to a rectangular pedestal, it counterpoised three elements:

egg or seed. Rhythms of Life

drawing in space it later became. With its continuous, spiraling movement and allusive bio-

morphic shapes, it was emblematic of endless cycles of generation and regeneration. Rogers

made variations of this sculpture — Rhythms of the Metropolis (2000) installed at Hebrew Uni-

versity in Jerusalem and Rhythms of the Andes (2000), installed at the base of Machu Picchu in

Peru — but soon returned to the original Rhythms of Life image as a more universal metaphor,

building one in bronze for the Victorian Art Centre in Melbourne and one for Jerusalem in

Rhythms of Life as a geoglyph

in the Arava Desert in Israel, near Jordan and the Nabatean ruins. Measuring 4.5 meters in

height and 29 x 24 meters in breadth, it was made from limestone blocks quarried nearby

Andrew Rogers, Bolivia 2005

that weighed up to 1.5 tons. It was his sculptural image re-interpreted as a raised outline,

converted into a relief drawing in greatly expanded form and became the prototype for all

the geoglyph Rhythms that followed as well as the “logo” for the projects.

artist-in-residence at Technion, Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, the possibility of the

challenged an Australian’s sense of measure and he searched for a resolution that would be

equal in presence, commensurate with the desert’s grandeur. Suddenly, the idea of a modern

geoglyph came to him and after much consideration, he decided that the word “chai” (life)

written in Hebrew letters would be the most appropriate and most resonant emblem. As

Rogers would do in all his subsequent geoglyph projects, he employed a local crew. This

one consisted of Israelis, Bedouins and Arabs who worked with him on the construction

— harmoniously, he points out — gathering countless, differently shaped stones taken from

a wadi in the vicinity to make the 38 x 38 meter square. The response to both works was

so positive that Rogers was commissioned to place a third geoglyph in the vicinity. This was

Slice (2003), which depicted a giant cross-section of a seashell and referred to the geological

time when the Arava was underwater. Thematically, all three works were dedicated to the

continuity and ripeness of life, to the concept of unbroken generations — evoking the litany

of Old Testament begats — and to the history of the land. This theme was reiterated in

Celebration of Life, a dedicatory event that took place in October, 2003, in which a long line

of young women dressed in dazzling white, pregnant bellies exposed, edged the surface of To

Life, living evidence that, as promised, the desert had bloomed.

Rogers continues to make the exhilarating bronze sculptures that are essential to his aes-

thetic, including editions and variations of his signature Rhythms of Life and Flora Exemplar,

that are the most encompassing, combining as they do other cultures and people, multiple

disciplines, collaboration, huge scale and the ability to introduce art into a larger context,

into remote, often untouched locations of swooning, spellbinding splendor away from jangled

cities and the enclosures of galleries and museums. Rogers, an adventurer by temperament,

His next geoglyphs took him to another desert, the Atacama in Chile, considered one of the

driest places on earth, said to have been without rain for 200 years. Located in the beauti-

Unveiling Ceremony, Sri Lanka 2005

fully named Plain of Patience at the end of the Valley of the Moon close to the town of San

Pedro, the site is not that far from the famous Nazca Lines in Peru. Over the course of two

years, ending in September, 2004, with a crew of 550 Atacamians, Rogers constructed three

enormous geoglyphs, Ancient Language, The Ancient, and Rhythms of Life

petroglyphs dating from c. 900-800 BCE that are found in abundance in the area, an incorp-

Ancient Language rep-

licates — in greatly enlarged format — a petroglyph of a delightfully naïf two-headed llama

on stick legs scratched into the reddish rock face, one head turned up, one stretched down-

ward, its sausage-shaped body tunneled by a serrated pattern that suggests a sign for water

and appeared to striking effect against the burnt earth of the desert. The Ancient is modeled

rising from its lower right edge, to give the viewer elevation but it also resembles an altar, a

Rhythms of

Life is sited on a high mountainous ledge and blends well with the wild and rugged terrain

that surrounds it. Rogers, who for ideological and practical reasons prefers local materials,

used the readily available guano and clay to bind the geoglyphs’ trapezoidally shaped volcanic

rock walls, in the Incan manner.

Rogers returned to Israel and the Arava in October to build Ratio, a minimalist monument

of glistening white, limestone blocks. Gilded at the edges, its measurements and system

of stacking were based on the golden mean which in turn was derived from the Fibonacci

sequence. The squared stones in Ratio were cut like those in the Western Wall in Jerusalem

and rises to a height of 8 meters.

Rogers next project took him to the Altiplano in Bolivia near the town of Potosi in the spring

of 2005. Another breathtaking site, this one soars to 4500 meters, his highest to date and the

highest contemporary art site of its size in the world, the artist claims. He installed another

three geoglyphs, each 100 x 100 meters: Circles; Shaman and Rhythms of Life, built on the sharp

-

pretation of similar rings inscribed on a petroglyph discovered in the area. Shaman, of yellow

of the rock and meant to represent the noumena of the site. Rogers employed 750 workers

for this project — including 500 women, all of whom wore vividly colored traditional aprons,

their heads shielded by straw hats, adding a festive note to the proceedings. He visited the

workers at home and became acquainted with the people in the villages. For him, this was An ancient petroglyph of a shaman in San Antonia, Bolivia which Presence is based on

one of the great pleasures of these projects. Rogers learned to communicate with his hands,

describing the shapes he wanted with gestures although, he admitted with a laugh, gestures

can be misunderstood. Each day for four weeks, everyone made the arduous one hour trek

up the mountain carrying stones and other supplies by hand. In accordance with Atacamian

custom, there was an opening ceremony as well as a closing one. For the initial rite, a shaman

blessed the site by slaughtering a llama, sprinkling its blood on the ground and burying its or-

2000 people, with traditional dancing, the music echoing in the mountains late into the night.

That autumn Rogers was in tropical, humid Kurunegala in Sri Lanka where another three

geoglyphs were installed. Ascend, a steep grey granite stairway based once again on the

Fibonacci series was situated on Elephant Rock, an escarpment rising high above a blue lake

and verdant valley. The workers, forming a human chain steadied by rope ladders, relayed

each stone by hand and then laid them in place. Pride

stylized lion, taken from an equally ornate, high-stepping lion in a local folk painting. And, to

brand the installation and synthesize its message, there was a Rhythms of Life. For Kurunegala,

Rogers had invited a doctor to join him. The doctor was meant to succor injured workers

but instead, ended up tending the ailments of the villagers since there were limited medical

facilities in the area. For Rogers, this also validated his idea of art as something performa-

tive, rooted in the community and part of daily life (reminiscent of the Russian avant-garde’s

rallying cry of “Art into Life”). His conception of art includes the entire process, not merely

and untouchable. This project also had an opening ceremony: a procession of folk dancers

bedecked elephants as a prologue to the feasting and dancing.

In February of 2006, Rogers completed two important geoglyphs in Australia. For You Yangs

Regional Park, Victoria, he created a majestic wedge tail eagle with a 100-meter wingspan,

an aboriginal image from the Dream Time and named it Bunjil, after the Great Ancestor

Spirit, the supreme god and creator of the Kulin and Wurunjerri peoples who taught them

the arts and they in turn taught mankind. In addition, Rogers completed a 100-meter white

limestone Rhythms of Life geoglyph in Geelong, Victoria. He did this with the help of the

Unveiling ceremony, China 2006

Wathaurong people, who have lived in this area for thousands of years. The project opened

with a ceremony for Bunjil in which eucalyptus leaves were burned, their smoke wafting over

the site as a benison while indigenous dancers and musicians performed.

Rogers was invited to Iceland in June where he created another 100-meter winged eagle.

The location was again spectacular, near Akureyri, the northernmost town in Iceland and

straddled Eyjafjordur, a fjord about 60 kilometers from the Arctic Circle. A guardian symbol,

the eagle’s wingspan could touch both sides of the fjord according to Icelandic legend and

Rogers links it to Bunjil, the aboriginal ancestor spirit. As was customary by now, he con-

structed another three-part invention, this time from the profusion of brown volcanic boul-

ders on site, the eagle joined by a representation of a Viking rune that is the character for

“now” (reminiscent of the Hebraic “chai” he made for the Arava) and a Rhythms of Life. In

this installation, he particularly wanted to call attention to changes in the glaciers caused by

including the now endangered eagles whose numbers are dwindling alarmingly.

Environmental issues also informed his latest venture in another remote, formerly pristine

region of the world, the fabled Gobi Desert. At the foot of the Qilian Mountains near

the western terminus of the Great Wall of China, Rogers produced three new, even more

pumped-up geoglyphs, all built by manual labor which minimized pollution as opposed to

the pollution caused by frenetic, indiscriminate industrialization. The man power was pro-

vided by 1000 soldiers from the Chinese army, assigned to help him construct the massive

installation. The walls of The Messenger (based on a wall drawing found in a tomb from

the Weijing period) and The Caveman (derived from a 476-221 BCE petroglyph found on

Heishan, a mountain near Jiayuguan) totaled 4 kilometers in length if laid out in a straight

line and overall measured 150 meters by 150 meters. Rhythms of Life had also grown to 200

meters, twice as big as the biggest previous manifestations. Again, an enthusiastic celebra-

tion marked the unveiling with, as Rogers described it, a 400 piece drum corps and brass

Rogers said that he plans to create 12 such sites around the world and has now completed

It will be in the vicinity of Jaipur in Rajasthan and is scheduled for unveiling by the end of

February, 2007. Other projects are being negotiated in the United States, the United King-

The tomb of an emperor of the Wei-Jin Dynasty in China where the drawing for The Messenger comes from

dom, Eastern and Western Europe and Tibet. Rogers explained that he regards each of his

in a global connection that is a metaphor for harmonious community, a kind of world-wide

web.

Rogers believes that accelerating environmental changes with their potentially catastrophic

consequences are much less avoidable these days and therefore much more heeded. Hope-

fully, he is right. Since the inception of his geoglyphs, it has been one of the artist’s purposes

to point to the irreplaceable beauties of the earth, both existent and man-made. By creating

contemporary megaliths as markers, Rogers insists on the need to preserve this natural and

artistic heritage for ourselves and for the future.

Rogers confessed that one part of him always wanted to wrestle with nature, to channel

the spiritual and ride the invisible forces of the cosmos. But ultimately, after an installation is

to nature’s irresistible embrace, all questions stilled as everything else falls away except a

bearable, unbearable lightness of being.

Lilly Wei

Work in progress: Ancients, Chile 2004

Rhythms of Life, April 2001

Geoglyph, 29 x 24 metres (95 x 79 ft.)

To Life (Chai), March 1999


Slice, March 2003

Geoglyph, 80 x 38.15 metres (262 x 125 ft.)

Ratio, October 2004

Stone structure, 8 x 32 metres (26 x 105 ft.)

Celebration of Life (Rhythms of Life)

October 2003

Celebration of Life (To Life)

October 2003

Celebration of Life (Slice)

October 2003

In Israel, the Rhythms of Life site stretches over one square kilometre (0.386 square mile) near ancient Nabatean ruins

and a spice route from antiquity. It comprises three geoglyphs: To Life, Rhythms of Life and Slice. An additional stone

structure, Ratio, was completed in 2004, based on the proportions of the ‘Golden Ratio’. It is located on a mountain

top not far from Sapir.

Rhythms of Life

Geoglyph, 40 x 30 metres long (131 x 98 ft.)

The Ancients

Geoglyph, 90 metres long (295 ft.)

Ancient Language

Geoglyph, 80 metres long (263 ft.)

In Chile, the Rhythms of Life site measures one and a half square kilometres (0.7 square mile) and rises to an elevation of

2,603 metres (8,540 ft). It starts in an exotic location, Llano de la Paciencia (the Plain of Patience) in the Atacama Desert,

the driest desert on Earth and spreads in an easterly direction, climbing the Cordillera de la Sal (Salt Mountain Range) at

the head of the Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon). Within this site are three geoglyphs entitled Ancient Language, The

Ancients and Rhythms of Life.

The Ancients is based on a 6,000-year-old petroglyph known as El Señor de los Báculos, found in the Rio Loa area near

Calama. Located on the Plain of Patience at an altitude of 2,469 metres (8,100 ft.) above sea level, 13 kilometres from the

town of San Pedro, its stone walls are 1,200 metres (3,937 ft.) long. They are made of volcanic rock and clay .

Rhythms of Life is located at an altitude of 2,603 metres (8,540 ft.) on the Salt Mountain Range, which rises from the Plain

of Patience and forms the head of the Valley of the Moon, a lunar-like geological formation approximately 14 kilometres

from the town of San Pedro.

Ancient Language is inspired by a 4,800-year-old petroglyph carved into stone in the surrounding area, Yerbas Buenos, 20

kilometres from the Rio Grande. This geoglyph is 80 metres (263 ft.) long and 2.8 metres (9 ft.) high.

Ancient Languages (satellite image: altitude of 450 kilometres)

Rhythms of life


Presence


Circles

Geoglyph, 100 metres in diameter (328 ft.)

In Bolivia there are three stone geoglyphs reaching an altitude of 4,360 metres (14,300 ft.). They are located six

kilometres (3.7 miles) apart and are visible from one another due to the clear atmosphere at this altitude. These

geoglyphs were constructed with the help of 800 workers, many of whom were women carrying babies on their

backs. Presence is derived from local petroglyphs of a shaman in Cerro Isipina, San Antonio, while Circles is inspired

ceremony to consecrate the ground and the creation of the geoglyphs.

Rhythms of Life (satellite image: altitude of 450 kilometres)

Circles and Presence (satellite image: altitude of 450 kilometres)

Rhythms of Life


Pride (Lion)


Ascend

Sculpture, 6.5 x 6.5 metres (21 x 21 ft.)

In Sri Lanka two geoglyphs and one stone structure, Ascend, are located 3.5 kilometres (c. 2 miles) apart, around a

lake. They stand on sacred monoliths that rise 350 metres (1,148 ft.) above ground level.

Rhythms of Life


Bunjil


In Geelong, Australia, Rhythms of Life and Bunjil (the Wedge-tailed Eagle) were erected for the You Yangs National Park

on the occasion of the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Rhythms of Life is constructed of hard limestone found in the

area. On the Bunjil geoglyph, the largest rock weighs approximately 12 tonnes and features a carving of Bunjil, the

great ancestral spirit who created the Kulin land. He made the animals and the plants and taught the people how to

behave on earth. He also taught them how to conduct the ceremonies that would ensure the continuation of life.

The rock points towards the You Yangs Mountains where the Rhythms of Life sculpture is located.

The Eagle Petroglyph featured on the largest rock in the Geoglyph Bunjil points towards the You Yangs Mountains where Rhythms of Life is located

Bunjil (satellite image: altitude of 450 kilometres)

Rhythms of Life (satellite image: altitude of 450 kilometres)

Rhythms of Life


The Eagle


Now (runic letter)


Celebration of Life (Rhythms of Life)

September 2006

With a population mainly of Norse and Celtic origin, Iceland was settled by Vikings in 874 AD. The town of Akureyri

sits on “top of the world,” only 100 kilometres (62 miles) from the Arctic Circle. The most glaciated country in

Europe, Iceland lies on the divide between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates. This volatile region of

the earth’s crust undergoes constant geological activity, giving rise to frequent earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and

The Rhythms of Life site straddles Eyjafjordur (Fjord of Isles), which opens into the far north of the Atlantic Ocean. The

construction was carried out in temperatures ranging from -1 to 10°C, sometimes in snowy conditions. The Eagle

derives from Icelandic mythology and is the emblem of Akureyri and one of the four guardian spirits on the Icelandic

coat of arms, the others being the Bull (west), Dragon (east) and Giant (south). The runic letter Now is positioned on

the slopes of Mt. Vadlaheidi, across the fjord from Akureyri where the two other geoglyphs are located.

Rhythms of Life


The Messenger


The Caveman


One thousand soldiers from the Chinese Army were enlisted to create three large geoglyphs consisting of

approximately 4 kilometres (2.5 miles) of rock walls, weighing thousands of tonnes. The remote site is located in

the Gobi Desert facing the snow-capped Qilian Mountains at an elevation of 2,000 metres (6000 ft.). The location

adjoins a UNESCO World Heritage area and is adjacent to the Western Beacon and terminus of the Great Wall of

China, the largest man-made structure on earth at 6,400 kilometres (3,976 miles) long.

The Caveman derives from a petroglyph dating from 476-221 BC, located in the Heishan Mountains north-west of

Jiayuguan city. The Messenger comes from a drawing found near the geoglyphs in the tomb of an emperor of the Wei-

Jin Dynasty dating from 220-265 AD. The geoglyphs were unveiled to the sound of the 450 drummers of the Chinese

Army band, which includes drums over 2 metres in diameter.

Caveman (satellite image: altitude of 450 kilometres)

Tíminn er eins og vatnið,

og vatnið er kalt og djúpt

eins og vitund mín sjálfs.

Og tíminn er eins og mynd,

sem er máluð af vatninu

og mér til hálfs.

Og tíminn og vatnið

renna veglaust til þurrðar

inn í vitund mín sjálfs.

Steinn SteinarrTíminn og vatnið, 1956

Ástralski skúlptúristinn Andrew Rogers er á góðri leið með að stimpla sig inn

í listasöguna með risastórum grjótgörðum (e. geoglyphs) sem koma til með

sem hann afréð að skapa eru sjö orðin að veruleika, þar af eitt á Akureyri.

Ævintýrið hófst í Arava-eyðimörkinni í Ísrael í mars 1999 þar sem hann

reisti fjögur útilistaverk næstu árin. Drjúgur tími leið þar til verkefnið teygði

anga sína til annarra landa en þá rak hvert stórvirkið annað. Næst í röðinni

var eitt mesta þurrkasvæði jarðar, Atacama-eyðimörkin í Chile (september

2004). Fljótlega á eftir fylgdu Cerro Rico-fjallahéruðin í Bólivíu (mars

2005), Sri Lanka (nóvember 2005), skammt frá borginni Kurunegala þar

sem búa hátt í þrjátíu milljónir manna, You Yangs-þjóðgarðurinn í Ástralíu

(febrúar 2006), Akureyri og nágrenni (september 2006) og nú síðast Góbí-

eyðimörkin í Kína gegnt Qilian-fjallabeltinu við vesturenda Kínamúrsins

(október 2006).

Samheitið á þessu heljarinnar jarðlistarverkefni er Lífstakturinn (Rythms of

Life) og samanstendur hvert myndverk vanalega af þremur steingörðum eða

táknum. Heitið er dregið af höggmynd sem Rogers gerði fyrst árið 1996 og

gengur eins og rauður þráður gegnum allt verkefnið sem nær nú til fjögurra

heimsálfa. Hin tvö táknin tengjast viðkomandi svæði, eru öll ævaforn og

eftir óþekkta höfunda, það elsta byggt á 6000 ára gamalli hellaristu í Chile.

hvert frá öðru. Flest verkin eru reist utan alfaraleiðar á friðhelgum stöðum

og við gerð þeirra hafa verið notuð þúsund tonna af grjóti. Garðarnir eru

gerð táknmyndanna (550 í Chile, 750 í Bólivíu, 850 á Sri Lanka og 1000 í

Kína) í afar mismunandi landslagi sem nær allt frá hafsbotni á 200 metra

Bólivíu). Hitastigið hefur rokkað frá –1°C (Ísland) upp í 45 gráður (Ísrael)

og á hæstu stöðum hefur stundum þurft að takast á við þunnt loft og

Rogers vinnur gjarnan með tveimur ísraelskum arkitektum, Tidhar Becker

og Golan Levi, sem sjá um að teikna verkin upp í hárnákvæmum hlutföllum

með hjálp GPS-tækni og gervihnattamynda. Aragrúi hæla er rekinn í jörðina

og þeir tengdir saman með böndum til að marka fyrir verkunum þannig að

fjarvíddin helst kórrétt séð ofan frá þrátt fyrir að verkin séu oft staðsett í

miklum halla. Hvert verkefni hefur sitt svipmót; grjótgarðarnir geta verið úr

300–600 kg steinum upp í 4–5 tonna björg, hlaðnir frá 50 cm upp í fjögurra

metra hæð, þétt og massíft eða nokkuð gisið. Stærstu hnullungarnir vega

tólf tonn í verkinu Bunjil ( ) sem Rogers gerði í til-

efni Samveldisleikanna í Melbourne 2006.

Allt á sinn upphafspunkt og Lífstakturinn er þar engin undantekning; hvar

draga skal línuna er hins vegar önnur saga. Árið 1980 ákvað Rogers, þá

metnaðarfullur og farsæll fjármálasérfræðingur, að söðla um og beina

kröftum sínum að þrívíðri listsköpun, ekki ólíkt og verðbréfasalinn Paul

Gauguin gerði rúmum 130 árum á undan honum í rómantískri þrá sinni

eftir hinu ósnortna og upprunalega. Og líkt og Gauguin hefur það leitt hann

fjölskyldu sína, þökk sé tæknivæddum stálfuglum nútímans. Áður hafði Rogers

af verkum Rodins einbeitti hann sér að því að ná valdi á þrívíðri formmótun

mannslíkamans. Árið 1995 skipti hann um gír í listsköpun sinni og fígúratíf

afstraksjón tók við af fígúratífu raunsæi. Bronsskúlptúrar Rogers hverfast þó

enn sem fyrr um lífskjarnann, anda mannsins, sköpunina, vöxtinn, hjartslátt

tilverunnar og hringrás lífsins. Lífræn form og hrynjandi eru áberandi þáttur

iðulega gróður jarðar eða ávöl líkamsform konunnar.

Rogers byrjar á því að teikna hugmyndir sínar niður á blað og gerir síðan

60 cm frummynd af verkinu. Margar frummyndanna eru síðan stækkaðar

upp í allt að 4–5 metra verk og gerð í allt að tólf eintökum hvert. Eitt af

þekktari bronsverkum Rogers nefnist Flora Exemplar (1996) og má segja að

í því nái hann að tjá grunnkjarna sýnar sinnar á tilveruna í myndmáli sem

allir skilja og þarfnast engra útskýringa. Lífrænt form sem hefur tilvísun í

jurt vex upp móti himni og sól um leið og það hneigir sig í vindingi til jarðar.

Þótt dauðinn og þjáningin leiki sitt hlutverk í skúlptúrum Rogers þá er það

Flora Exemplar er

nú til í níu eintökum víðs vegar um heiminn ásamt fjölda annarra skúlptúra

eftir Rogers sem allir eru tileinkaðir þemanu Lífstaktinum.

Andrew Rogers hreifst af Arava-eyðimörkinni í Ísrael á landamærum

Jórdaníu, sem hann kynntist þegar hann samdi um að gera stóra afsteypu

af Flora Exemplar fyrir Sapir, umsjónarmiðstöð þjóðgarðsins, árið 1996 og

hóf hann þá þegar undirbúning að fyrsta stóra jarðlistaverkinu. Árið 1999

reisti hann verkið Chai sem er myndað með samsetningu tveggja hebreskra

árs arkitektanema, tveggja ísraelskra verkfræðinga og tuttugu arabískra

fagmanna í steinhleðslu sem unnu tólf tíma á dag.

Þegar verkinu var lokið tengdi Rogers táknmyndina við daglegt líf og tímgun

mannsins með því að ljósmynda 42 barnshafandi konur sem stilltu sér

upp í sameiningu á verkinu. Strax við gerð þessa fyrsta jarðlistaverks vissi

bronsskúlptúr hans af Lífstaktinum var settur upp í Melbourne, tók hann

að útfæra útlínur þessa skúlptúrs sem upphleypta teikningu í sandauðninni.

Þriðja verkið í Arava og það stærsta fylgdi í kjölfarið, Slice (80 x 38 m), og

sýnir það stílfærða sneiðmynd af kuðungi. Þetta verk vísar til þess að Arava-

eyðimörkin er forn sjávarbotn þar sem úir og grúir af steingervingum.

Andrew Rogers hafði haft augastað á Íslandi fyrir verkefni sitt þegar hann

hitti myndhöggvarann Steinunni Þórarinsdóttur á hinni árlegu útilistahátíð

Sculpture by the Sea í Sydney 2004 og bað hana um að koma sér í samband

við áhugasama aðila. Steinunn skaut tölvupósti á undirritaðan sem lék strax

verið jákvætt fyrir Akureyrarbæ. Ekki óraði þó nokkurn mann fyrir hversu

viðamikið verkefni væri hér á ferðinni fyrr en til kastanna kom, eða hversu

hinum stöðunum var gengið út frá því að reistar yrðu þrjár táknmyndir í

nánd við hver aðra í náttúru utan byggða. Rogers vildi að heimamenn, helst

þau tvö tákn sem ættu að standa með Lífstaktinum og vísa til lands og þjóðar.

Önnur táknmyndin, Akureyrarörninn

í skjaldarmerki bæjarins, ættaður úr Heimskringlu og meðal verndarvætta

landsins.

Seinna táknið var aðeins lengur að fæðast og þurfti næstum að taka með

keisaraskurði. Rogers sóttist eftir tákni sem risti djúpt í sögu þjóðarinnar

og hefði óræða goðfræðilega skírskotun. Þrátt fyrir 1132 ára byggð í landinu

er fátt um fína drætti þegar kemur að gömlu myndefni sem hægt er að kalla

séríslenskt. Fólksfæð, gróðurleysi og harðindi gerðu það að verkum að fyrri

kynslóðir skildu lítið annað eftir sig en gulnuð handrit — reyndar merkustu

fornbókmenntir Evrópu, Íslendingasögurnar — og því má með sanni segja

það meðal annarra þjóða.

Leitað var ráða hjá Þóru Kristjánsdóttur á Þjóðminjasafni Íslands og dr.

Þórgunni Snædal við Stofnun þjóðminjavarðar í Stokkhólmi, okkar helsta

sérfræðings í rúnaletri. Eftir talsverðar bollaleggingar var álitið þjóðlegast að

halda sig við gamla rún, táknletur sótt í ævafornan samgermanskan arf. En hvað

rúnin ætti að segja var enn óleyst ráðgáta þar til hugmyndinni laust skyndilega

niður hausinn á mér eins og eldingu: Nú. Hvað gæti verið meira viðeigandi

en að greypa hugtakið um líðandi stund, núið, með grjóthnullungum í tíu

milljóna ára gamalt fjall til að tjá eitt eilífðar andartak á eldgömlu rúnamáli.

Rogers samþykkti uppástunguna á stundinni. Meðan hugmyndavinnan stóð

tveimur mánuðum áður en framkvæmdir hófust, í nógu að snúast. Rogers

tók ekki í mál að fresta verkefninu fram til ársins 2007; hann vildi að það

gerðist sem fyrst, eftir aðeins nokkra mánuði, núna!

Til verksins þurfti vinnuvélar, landmælingamenn með nákvæm tæki,

verkamenn og steinhleðslumenn. Rogers hafði valið tvær staðsetningar:

í Fálkafelli, neðan við skátaheimilið og í Hlíðarfjalli, undir Mannshrygg og

nauðsynlegt var að fá samþykki bæjarstjórnar fyrir því að setja verkin þar

niður. Slík beiðni hafði aldrei borist fyrr og ekki til neinar vinnureglur eða

starfsferlar til að fara eftir. Vegna þriðju staðsetningarinnar, í Vaðlaheiði,

í Halllandi og við tók svipað ferli í hreppsnefndinni og hjá Akureyrarbæ.

Fundað var með Náttúrufræðistofnun að beiðni Norðurorku sem vildi fá

umsögn með tilliti til þess að staðsetningin í Hlíðarfjalli er á verndarsvæði

sem hefur að geyma helsta vatnsból bæjarins. Umsögnin var neikvæð þar

verkefninu og Akureyrarbær gaf því grænt ljós á framkvæmdina að uppfylltum

ákveðnum skilyrðum.

Auglýsa þurfti verkefnið með grenndarkynningu og gefa íbúum svæðisins

tilhlýðilegan frest til að koma með athugasemdir áður en hægt var að ákveða

reyndust fullbókaðir langt fram í tímann. Tveir eigendur vinnuvéla féllust á að

bæta verkefninu við sig og urðu þeir að verða sér úti um sérstakar grjótklær

á beltagröfurnar, en slíkar klær fyrirfundust ekki á landinu og þurfti að sækja til

Hlíðarfjalli og Fálkafelli, en samþykktin var þó ekki einróma.

Þegar Andrew Rogers kom til landsins og ætlaði að taka til hendinni varð

ljóst að landmælingamenn á vegum Akureyrarbæjar höfðu skammtað of

naumt svæði, ísraelsku arkitektarnir á vegum Rogers fengu vægt áfall þegar

þeir sáu hvað lítið var af steinum á staðnum og ekki bætti kuldabolinn og

slagviðrið sem heilsaði þeim við komuna frá Tel Aviv úr skák. Ákveðið var

að fækka verkamönnum enn frekar, bæta við vélum og setja niður steina

með reglulegu millibili í stað þess að hlaða veggi, ekki ósvipað útfærslu

Rogers á verkunum í Ástralíu. Útkoman minnir dálítið á málverk Chucks

Close þannig að úr góðri fjarlægð má auðveldlega greina táknin sem

heildstæða mynd en þegar komið er upp að þeim renna þau mismikið

saman við landslagið. Áhorfendur sem koma af fjöllum og vita ekkert um

tilurð verkanna gætu haldið að einkennilega geometrísk staðsetning vissra

steina væri jafnvel náttúruleg tilviljun.

staðsetningu verksins hafði aðeins verið hnikað vegna áhyggna sveitar-

stjórnarmanna af mörkum vatnsverndarsvæðisins. Endanleg staðsetning

verkanna varð sú að Örninn er í Hlíðarfjalli, steinsnar frá skíðaskálanum,

rúnin Nú efst á Vaðlaheiði og Lífstakturinn í Fálkafelli. Tveir ástralskir

kvikmyndatökumenn fylgdu Rogers eftir hvert fótmál næstu þrjár vikurnar,

en gerðar hafa verið heimildarmyndir um hvert og eitt þessara verkefna

jarðlistaverkunum var lokið leigði Rogers þyrlu eins og venja hans er

og lét skrásetja garðana með aðstoð Páls Stefánssonar ljósmyndara.

Fimmtán barnshafandi íslenskar konur sem auglýst var eftir leyfðu þeim að

ljósmynda sig í bak og fyrir ofan á Lífstaktinum og létu þær ekki hitastigið,

listaverki. (Það er alltént endingarbetra en postulínsstyttur Jeffs Koons og

sennilegt að þessir íslensku fulltrúar úr steinaríkinu eigi eftir að standa

óhaggaðir í marga mannsaldra.)

Allt umstangið í kringum verkefnið á Íslandi, ásamt pappírsmúrum hins

Rogers hefur orðið að takast á við annars staðar enda er íslenski hlutinn

langminnstur í sniðum. Framtakið minnir um sumt á útiverkin sem

hjónin Christo og Jeanne-Claude hafa gert víða um heim síðan snemma

á áttunda áratugnum, að minnsta kosti hvað umfang varðar, en þar endar

líka samanburðurinn að mestu leyti. Þau vinna með ýmiss konar manngerð

efni og fjarlægja öll vegsummerki eftir tiltekinn tíma meðan Rogers nýtir

sér hráefni náttúrunnar, ótilhöggvið grjót, og kemur því fyrir til frambúðar.

sögu, og því má segja að visst lífrænt ferli eigi sér stað, en Christo og Jeanne-

Claude virðast stóla meira á eigin hugmyndir við útfærslu verkanna sem

leyna hvorki uppruna sínum né nýstárleika; hver veit nema sagnfræðingar 23.

aldar gætu dregið þá ályktun að verk Rogers væru mörg þúsund ára gömul

ef heimurinn færist í hrikalegum náttúruhamförum og fátt annað stæði eftir.

Listamennirnir bera hins vegar allir mikla virðingu fyrir náttúrunni og því

nema sjálft verkið. Annars væri ólíklegt að hann hefði fengið að vaða uppi

með áform sín í Góbí-eyðimörkinni í Kína, á þeim slóðum þar sem Marco

Polo (f. 1254) rétt missti svo að segja af Genghis Khan (d. 1227), enda svæðið

á heimsminjaskrá UNESCO. Komist síðari kynslóðir að annarri niðurstöðu

um verkin er örugglega hægt að afbyggja þau og koma svæðunum í sitt

fyrra, náttúrulega horf.

Hið mikla jarðlistarverkefni Andrews Rogers er eitt hið stærsta, ef ekki

það alstærsta, sem ráðist hefur verið í og eru þá Stonehenge á Bretlandi

eða Nazca-línurnar í Perú ekki undanskilin. Verkefnið hefur meðvitað á

sér fornan blæ og vísar svo langt aftur í eldgráa fortíð og fjarlæga framtíð

að öll tímamörk missa í rauninni merkingu sína. Fáir ef nokkrir listamenn

hafa seilst lengra aftur í póstmódernískri endurnýtingu á sögunni þannig

að hugtakið „listnám“ (e. appropriation) á vart lengur við og ekki er heldur

með góðu móti hægt að tala um „listlíki“ (þ. Kitsch) sem gjarnan er notað

til að lýsa plebbalegu dúlludóti neyslusamfélagsins, inntaksleysi þess og

gjörspilltum fáránleika smekkleysunnar.

Jarðverk Rogers eru vægast sagt tröllvaxin, þrungin merkingu, staðföst,

getað verið gerð fyrr en á okkar tímum. Þau bera því einnig glöggt vitni að

jörð þegar hann raðar kasólettum konum upp á verk sín þvert ofan í allan

pólitískan rétttrúnað. Satt best að segja er verkefnið fullkomlega úr takti við

tímann því svona gera ekki þeir kúnstnerar sem fara samviskusamlega eftir

hans ef þeir vilja láta taka sig alvarlega. Andrew Rogers er öðruvísi. Og það

er eimitt þetta sem gerir verk hans áhugaverð, þau skapa skýra viðmiðun

við óreiðuna, hið duttlungafulla, hverfula og tilgangslausa sem svo mikið

hefur verið látið með á undanförnum árum.

Þó kastar fyrst tólfunum þegar kemur að þeim trúarlega eða andlega

undirtón sem býr í verkum Rogers en hann telst forboðinn og hafa leiðtogar

skynseminnar á borð við Richard Dawkins og Daniel C. Dennett keppst við

að berja það inn í hausinn á öllu upplýstu fólki að ekki megi koma nálægt

honum. Ekki svo að skilja að Rogers sé neitt sérstaklega guðhræddur en í

heimi grasserandi veraldarhyggju mætti halda að hann væri einhvers konar

öfgafullur bókstafstrúarmaður. Verk hans hvíla á trúarlegum grunni lægsta

fremur en rökhugsunar og vélgengis minnir á hugmyndir Rousseaus áður en

jarðmóðurdýrkun) urðu allsráðandi. Lífheimspekin (þ. Lebensphilosophie)

sem lýtur lögmálum eilífrar hringrásar. Andrökhyggja lífheimspekinnar greinir

lífheimspekinnar virðist kallast á við lýsingar Rogers á eigin lífssýn þá eru

verkin talandi dæmi um rökvísi, tækni og stöðugleika. Þau eru augljóslega

gerð til að endast von úr viti þrátt fyrir þá vitneskju að allt er niðurbroti

og eyðingu háð í heiminum. Fallvaltleiki lífsins, sem verkin snúast um, er í

hrópandi ósamræmi við óbrotgjarnt efni þeirra. Aðall listarinnar er hins

vegar að reyna að klófesta tímann og hvaðeina mannlegt sem hægt er að

tengja við hann og því mætti segja að þversögnin hjá Rogers sé svo gríðarleg

Rogers leggur auðsjáanlega hugmyndina um sköpun listamannsins og

tímgun mannkynsins fram sem hliðstæður. Þetta er mjög kunnuglegt

minni úr sögunni. Snillingar fortíðarinnar voru þeir andans menn sem

höfðu vald á rökhugsun, náðu meistaratökum á efni og gátu af sér mikla

list. Efnið sjálft lagði ekki neitt til sköpunarinnar á sama hátt og konan

lagði í skilningi Aristótelesar ekkert til barnsins nema sjálfa sig sem efni

meðan karlmaðurinn lagði til sæðið sem bar í sér sköpunina. Á rómantíska

tímanum breyttust þessar hugmyndir um sköpun þegar eiginleikar órökvísi

voru loksins teknir með í reikninginn og þeim gert hátt undir höfði. Miklir

listamenn eru þá myndhverfðir sem konur, þeir verða þungaðir af andanum

listaverksins sem ekki fær séð dagsins ljós nema með harmkvælum, blóði

og tárum.

Nietzsche sagði að það væru til tvær gerðir listamanna, þeir sem vilji geta

af sér og hinir sem vilji frjóvgast og fæða af sér. Í Fæðingu harmleiks (1872)

sjáum við allar þessar hugmyndir í sátt og samlyndi; hann vinnur verkin,

hugmyndir og útfærslu, bæði einn og með mörgum. Hann upphefur bæði

anda og efni en andinn frjóvgar ekki efnið frekar en að efnið getur af sér

andann. Órökvísin er sett fram af rökvísi, höfundurinn er óvéfengjanlegur

en samt ósýnilegur, ástríður eru reiknaðar út og mældar með aðstoð

gervitungla.

Áhugi rómantíkurinnar á hinu kvenlega og fæðingu sem táknmynd hins

skapandi listamanns hafði ekkert að gera með áhuga á raunverulegum konum

og raunverulegum fæðingum enda er hugmyndafræði þessa tímabils talin ein

sú kvenfjandsamlegasta í mannkynssögunni. Rogers myndar barnshafandi

konur á Lífstaktinum sem undirstrikar að hann er að fjalla um fyrirbærin

tímgun og sköpun sem eitt og sama lífshugtakið en ekki táknmyndir fyrir

hvort annað. Á sama hátt og náttúruverndarsinnar geta orðið órólegir

gagnvart verki sem er óður til náttúrunnar gætu kvenréttindasinnar verið

tortryggnir gagnvart því að kvenlíkaminn sé notaður, jafnvel þótt það sé

gert í göfugum tilgangi. Upphafning ákveðinna eðliseiginleika kvenna (einnig

kynþátta og stétta) hefur ósjaldan í sögunni verið notuð sem kúgunartæki.

Að konur fæði börn verður jafngildi þess að karlmenn geri listaverk;

karlar gera konum börn og búa til listaverk úr náttúrunni, sæði karlsins

eru innbyggð inn í hina eilífu hringrás náttúrunnar. Þetta eru gömul og ný

sannindi.

Lífshugtak Andrews Rogers á auðvitað rætur sínar í menningarsögunni

og hin rökrétta órökvísi hans á sér kannski einhverja samsvörun í

rökhyggja um leið og lykilatriðin í heimspeki hans eru Guð, maðurinn

og leit mannsins að hamingju. Spinosa gerði grein fyrir fjórum leiðum

til þess að öðlast þekkingu en í hans huga voru æðstu gæði tengd

henni. Hann hafnaði fyrstu þremur leiðunum sem voru: upplýsingar

fengnar frá öðrum, beinn lærdómur af persónulegri reynslu og að

hægt sé að leiða sannar fullyrðingar af öðrum fullyrðingum sem

taldar eru sannar. Engri þessara leiða var treystandi að mati Spinosa,

en um þá fjórðu gegndi öðru máli; um hana var ekki hægt að efast

þar sem hún felur í sér beint innsæi sem leiðir hið raunverulega eðli

hlutanna í ljós. Uppbygging frumspeki og siðfræði Spinosa grundvallast

og Guð sé ódeilanlegur og óendanlegur frumhlutur sem á sér engin

takmörk í tíma og rúmi né á nokkurn annan hátt.

Að skilja það hvernig er að vera maður jafngildir því að skilja hvernig

maðurinn er hluti alverunnar. Í hugmynd Spinosa er því veröldin og Guð

hið sama, engin stigsmunur er á efni og anda. Frá þessu sjónarhorni eru

hin innbyggðu sjónarhorn í verkum Rogers áhugaverð. Táknin verða

ekki séð og skilin nema frá sjónarhorni fuglsaugans, gervihnatta eða

hins alsjáandi Guðs. Sjónarhorn manna innan verkanna skapar upplifun

um leið og það tákngerir undrunarefni mismunandi viðmiða.

Þetta leiðir hugann að gullinsniðinu og stærðfræðilögmáli Fibonaccis

sem byggir á órökvísri talnaspeki. Andrew Rogers hefur eins og

vestrænnar menningar heillast af þessum leyndardómi sem margir telja

undirstöðu allra lífsmagna í náttúrunni og fela í sér hina fullkomnu fegurð.

Árið 2004 bætti hann við enn einu verki, Ratio, í Arava-eyðimörkinni

og staðsetti milli hinna jarðlistaverkanna. Stærðfræðireglan er táknuð

með gríska stafnum eftir gríska myndhöggvaranum Feidías sem

talinn er hafa notað regluna í listsköpun sinni. Eins hefur lögmálið verið

túlkað með stafnum T sem vísar í fyrsta staf gríska orðsins sem

þýðir skurður eða sneið. Sé gengið út frá hinum hringlaga tíma, sem

Rogers leggur til grundvallar verkum sínum og lífsskilningi, þá skynjum

er akkúrat í núinu.

Í því ljósi verður rúnastafurinn Nú á Vaðlaheiði ekki bara áhugaverður

vegna þess sem hann merkir heldur einnig vegna þess hvernig hann

lítur út. Hin bogadregna lína sem myndar rúnina sem táknar tímann er

skorin á einum stað með þverstriki. Ef rúnin er lesin sem myndletur þá

miðlar hún á milli hugmyndanna um tímann sem annaðhvort línulaga

eða hringlaga fyrirbæris. Tíminn er boginn og upphaf hans og endir liggja

í sama plani en ekki í sama punkti og til viðbótar stendur stafurinn á

ímyndaðri línu sem lokar hringnum.

Tíminn er eitt dularfyllsta hugtak sem maðurinn hefur þurft að

glíma við og aldrei hefur tekist að útskýra til hlítar. Hið þekkta

Spírallinn (Spiral Jetty, 1970), sem

fæstir hafa þó barið augum öðruvísi en á ljósmynd, fjallar eins og önnur

verk hans og skrif öðrum þræði um tímann og núið sem huglægt rými.

Í grein sinni „Setlög hugans“ („Sedimentation of the Mind“) frá 1968

segir hann:

sundrast í aðskiljanleg svið listarinnar. […] Listamaður

er einungis undirokaður af tímanum ef eitthvað eða

einhver annar en hann sjálfur stjórnar tímanum. Því

dýpra sem listamaður sekkur í straum tímans, þeim

mun líkara óminni verður það; vegna þessa verður hann

kjósa að gleyma tímanum fyrir fullt og allt, því hann

leynir „lögmáli dauðans“ (eins og allir sannir listamenn

vita). Í þessari tímabundnu á eru leifarnar af listasögunni

Evrópu lið, né heldur ævafornum eða frumstæðum

menningarheimum; hún verður þess í stað að kanna

hinn for- og eftir-sögulega huga; hún verður að fara á þá

staði þar sem fjarlægar framtíðir og fjarlægar fortíðir

mætast. (Art in Theory 1900–2000, bls. 881.)

Smithson vill ekki að við afneitum okkar eigin tíma í hugmyndinni um

afstæði tímans því ekki sé til neitt sem heiti tímalaus listaverk, það

væru svik við listamanninn. Smithson sameinaði á kaldhæðinn hátt í

verkum sínum hugmynd um úrvalshyggju

hans voru eins konar innrás inn á það einskismannsland sem liggur á

milli þessarar einstrengingslegu fagurfræði og hins ruddalega iðnaðar-

heims nútímans.

Verk Andrews Rogers eru einnig barn síns tíma — þ.e. okkar tíma

fara inn í það rými þar sem „fjarlægar framtíðir og fjarlægar fortíðir

mætast“. Ólíkt verkum Smithsons eru verk Rogers algerlega laus við

þjáningu, sofandahætti og ótímabærum dauða. Enda þótt Rogers sé

óvenjulegur listamaður er það reyndar ekki rétt að verk hans séu

alveg á ská og skjön við hinar póstmódernísku áherslur samtímans.

Eftir niðurbrot, afbyggingu og sundrun hefðbundinna táknkerfa

Vesturlanda sem hafa gengið sér til húðar, púslar hann bútunum saman

aftur, táknum frá ólíkum löndum og ólíkum tíma og bræðir við eigin

persónulega táknsýn. Hann blandar saman fornum miðlum og nýtísku

tækni, er upptekinn af þátttöku þeirra sem njóta verkanna, reynir að

sætta ólíka menningarheima og mynda gagnvirk tengsl.

Rogers leggur áherslu á eins konar fjölmenningarlega þjóðernishyggju

í anda Johanns Gottfrieds Herder (1744–1803) þar sem styrking

menningarlegrar sjálfsmyndar mismunandi þjóða sameinar þær í

umfang verkefnisins og ekki síst hrikaleg framkvæmdagleðin sem er

vandamál; náttúruleg, trúarleg, verkfræðileg, pólitísk og félagsleg.

Það væri forvitnilegt að vita hvað Steini Steinarri, sem vitnað er í hérna í

byrjun, hefði þótt um uppátæki Andrews Rogers, hvort hann hefði mært

það, sent honum eina af sínum baneitruðu háðsvísum eða bara hvílt í

þagnarbrag eins og hann gerir núna. Honum hefði alltént þótt mikið

koma til efniviðar listamannsins, hinna méluðu beina jötunsins Ýmis,

eins og skáldanafn hans ber með sér. Ef til vill má draga inntak þessarar

greinar í eina setningu og segja að „allt sem hefur gerst og mun gerast

á sér stað nákvæmlega núna“ og kalla þetta „Byssubrandskenninguna“,

ekki vegna neins ofsa heldur þeirrar guðdómlegu snerpu sem á þarf að

halda til að grípa hana á lofti í einum hvelli frá öllum hliðum samtímis.

áttað sig á inntaki hennar og með Lífstaktinum hitt beint í mark, en það

getur náttúrlega aðeins tíminn leitt í ljós.

Hannes Sigurðsson

forstöðumaður Listasafnsins á Akureyri

má skúlptúra eftir hann í fjölmörgum einkasöfnum, sem og í mikilvægum opinberum söfnum í Ástralíu, Suðaustur-Asíu, Mið-Austurlöndum, Evrópu og Bandaríkjunum. Verk

og Simon Wiesenthal. Hin stóru útiverk Rogers úr bronsi prýða margar vel þekktar byggingar og hafa hvarvetna hlotið góðar viðtökur. Lífstakturinn, sem hann byrjaði á í

Arava-eyðimörkinni í Ísrael árið 1999, er langmetnaðarfyllsta verkefni hans og nær nú þegar til sjö landa í fjórum heimsálfum og hefur vakið athygli um heim allan.

Verkefnið Lífstakturinn er stærsta landlistarverkefni sem ráðist hefur verið í á okkar tímum og myndar keðju steinskúlptúra, eða steingarða, um alla jarðarkringluna.

sem bera sameiginlega heitið Lífstakturinn,

fela í sér breiða alþjóðlega sýn sem tengir saman minningar og margvísleg tákn sem eiga uppruna sinn í fornum steinristum, málverkum og goðsögnum á hverjum stað; þeir

marka tímann og framlengja söguna inn í hina óræðu framtíð um leið og þeir kanna djúpsævi menningararfs okkar í leit að hinu andlega. Sýningin í Listasafninu á Akureyri

Mitt helsta viðfangsefni verður eftir sem áður Lífstakturinn — myndlíkingar um hina eilífu hringrás lífsins, vöxt og allar þær kenndir sem lita mannlega tilveru. Þeim er ætlað

að vera jákvæð tákn lífs og endurfæðingar, að tjá og minna á mannlega baráttu og sjálfskoðun. Skúlptúrar mínir endurspegla samfélag okkar, drauma okkar og væntingar. Að

mismun, gera hlutina ljósari, taka ákvarðanir og sjá að lokum hvað það er sem máli skiptir þegar maður gefur einhverju lögun. Með hvaða hætti öðrum getur maður betur

[…] Lífstakturinn

röð punkta sem tengjast saman. Ef til vill er kjarni lífsins fólginn í þessu.

Til lífsins (Chai), mars 1999Steingarður, 38 x 33 metrar

Lífstakturinn (Rhythms of Life), apríl 2001Steingarður, 29 x 34 metrar

Sneið (Slice), mars 2003Steingarður, 80 x 38 metrar

Hlutfall (Ratio), október 2004Steinhleðsla, 8 x 32 metrar

Í Ísrael teygir Lífstakturinn við hinar fornu Nabatean-rústir og kryddleið frá fornöld. Verkið samanstendur af þremur steingörðum sem bera heitin Til lífsins, Lífstakturinn og Sneið. Að auki er steinhleðsla, Hlutfall, sem lokið var við árið 2004, og byggir hún á hlutföllum gullinsniðsins. Hún er á fjallstoppi skammt frá Sapir.

Fornþjóðirnar (The Ancients)Steingarður, 90 metra langur

Lífstakturinn (Rhythms of Life)Steingarður, 30 metra langur

Fornaldartungumál (Ancient Language)Steingarður, 80 metra langur

Í Chile nær Lífstakturinnmetra hæð. Fyrsti hluti verksins er á mjög framandlegum stað, Sléttu þolinmæðinnar (Llano de la Paciencia) í Atacama-eyðimörkinni, þurrustu eyðimörk jarðarinnar, og svo teygir það sig til austurs, klífur Saltfjöllin (Cordillera de la Sal) sem gnæfa

heitin Fornaldartungumál, Fornþjóðirnar og Lífstakturinn.

Steingarðurinn Fornaldarþjóðirnar á sér 6000 ára gamla fyrirmynd, bergrún sem kallast El Señor de los Báculos og fannst á Rio Loa-svæðinu skammt frá Calama.

13 kílómetra frá bænum San Pedro, og steinveggirnir eru 1.200 metrar að lengd. Þeir eru gerðir úr hrauni og leir.

Lífstakturinnog Mánadalinn, þar sem landslagið er líkast því sem er á tunglinu, í um það bil 14 kílómetra fjarlægð frá San Pedro.

Fornaldartungumál sækir innblástur sinn í 4.800 ára gamla bergrún sem rist er í stein á svæðinu í kring, Yerbas Buenos, í 20 kílómetra fjarlægð frá Rio Grande. Þessi steingarður er 80 metra langur og 2,8 metra hár.

Lífstakturinn (Rhythms of Life)Steingarður, 100 x 100 metrar

Nærvera (Presence)Steingarður, 100 x 100 metrar

Hringir (Circles)Steingarður, 100 metrar í þvermál

Í Bólivíu eru þessir þrír steingarðar í allt að 4.360 metra hæð. Þeir eru í sex kílómetra fjarlægð hver frá öðrum og frá hverjum þeirra sjást hinir tveir þar eð loftið er tært í þessari hæð. Þessir steingarðar voru reistir með hjálp 800 verkamanna, sem margir hverjir voru konur sem báru barn á bakinu. Nærvera á rætur að rekja til bergrúna í grenndinni af seiðmanni í Cerro Ispina, San Antonio, en Hringir eru hins vegar innblásnir af steinlistaverkum á Betanzos-svæðinu. Þegar verkinu var lokið var dýri fórnað til að helga byggingarsvæði og sköpun steingarðanna.


Stolt (Ljón) (Pride (Lion))Steingarður, 60 x 60 metrar

Uppstigning (Ascend)Steinskúlptúr, 6,5 x 6,5 metrar

Á Sri Lanka eru tveir steingarðar og einn steinskúlptúr með 3,5 kílómetra millibili í kringum vatn. Þeir standa á heilögum björgum sem rísa í 350 metra


BunjilSteingarður, 100 x 100 metrar

Í Geelong í Ástralíu voru verkin Lífstakturinn og Bunjil () reist fyrir You Yangs-þjóðgarðinn í tilefni af Samveldisleikunum árið 2006.

Lífstakturinn Bunjil-steingarðinum er stærsti steinninn um það bil 12 tonn að þyngd og á honum er rista af Bunjil, hinum mikla anda forfeðranna sem skapaði Kulin-landið. Hann bjó til dýrin og plönturnar og kenndi fólkinu hvernig það ætti að haga sér á jörðinni. Hann kenndi því líka hvernig ætti að standa fyrir þeim athöfnum sem tryggja myndu viðgang lífsins. Steinninn veit í átt að You Yangs-fjöllunum þar sem Lífstakturinn er staðsettur.


Örninn (The Eagle)Steingarður, 100 x 100 metrar

Núna (rúnastafur) (Now (rune))Steingarður, 100 x 100 metrar

Ísland var numið af víkingum árið 874, og er þjóðin að mestu komin af norskum og keltneskum stofni. Akureyri er „á toppi“ jarðarkringlunnar, aðeins 100 kílómetra

hvikula svæði er jarðskorpan sífellt virk, og því eru jarðskjálftar og eldgos ekki óalgeng og talsvert er af heitum goshverum. Mosagróin hraunin og gríðarlegur fjöldi óvenjulegra bergmyndana eru aðalsmerki hins íslenska landslags og hafa skapast af hinum stöðugu átökum íss og elds.

Lífstakturinn

Örninn er ættaður úr íslenskri goðafræði og er tákn Akureyrar og ein af landvættunum fjórum í skjaldarmerki Íslands, en hinar eru uxinn (vestur), drekinn (austur) og bergrisinn (suður). Rúnastafurinn Nú er efst í hlíðum Vaðlaheiðar, austan fjarðarins, gegnt Akureyri en hinir tveir steingarðarnir eru í fjöllunum ofan við bæinn.


Hellisbúinn (The Caveman)Steingarður, 150 x 150 metrar

Sendiboðinn (The Messenger)Steingarður, 200 x 200 metrar

Þúsund hermenn í kínverska hernum voru fengnir til að reisa þrjá stóra steingarða sem samanstanda af um það bil 4 kílómetrum af hlöðnum veggjum sem vega þúsundir tonna. Þeir eru á afskekktu svæði í Gobi-eyðimörkinni andspænis snævi

svæðis sem er á heimsminjaskrá Menningarmálastofnunar Sameinuðu þjóðanna (UNESCO) og skammt frá vesturenda Kínamúrsins, sem er stærsta mannvirkið á jörðinni, 6400 kílómetra langur.

Hellisbúinn á sér fyrirmynd í bergrún frá 476–221 f.Kr. sem er í Heishan-fjöllunum norðvestur af borginni Jiayuguan. Sendiboðinn er sprottinn upp úr teikningu sem fannst skammt frá steingörðunum í gröf keisara frá valdatímum Wei-Jin-keisaraættarinnar og er frá 220–265 e.Kr. Steingarðarnir voru afhjúpaðir við undirleik 450 trommuleikara úr hljómsveit kínverska hersins, þar sem meðal annars er leikið á trommur sem eru meira en tveir metrar í þvermál.

has been actively involved in the art world for 27 years. He

was appointed the director of the Akureyri Art Museum in 1999, and is the founder

and director of the Icelandic Cultural Enterprise art.is. Sigurdsson received an M.A. in

Art History from UC Berkeley, having previously studied at University College London

and graduated from the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts, Department of Painting,

decade as an art correspondent and began his career as an independent curator there.

Since then, he has edited and published dozens of books and catalogues and curated

over 350 exhibitions and large-scale projects, including shows on Matthew Barney,

Louise Bourgeois, Jenny Holzer, Per Kirkeby, Carolee Schneemann, Sally Mann, Spencer

Tunick, Joel-Peter Witkin, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Rembrandt and Goya, to name but

a few. Sigurdsson has collaborated with museums, institutions, educational authorities,

corporations and galleries around the world in countries as diverse as Norway, Faroe

Islands, Greenland, Latvia, Russia, Germany, England, France, Spain, Jordan, India, Japan

and the United States. He is the founder of the Icelandic Visual Arts Awards that were

launched in 2006.

is an independent curator and critic based in New York. She has written for

many publications in the United States and abroad, as a contributing editor at ARTnews

News, Art Papers, Sculpture Magazine, Tema Celeste, Flash Art, Art Press, Art and Auction and

Glass Quarterly, among others. She has been the essayist for many exhibition catalogues and

brochures on contemporary art, including publications for the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, the

Neuberger Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She has served on numerous advisory

panels and review committees, including the Pew Fellowship awards, and is a member of several

boards, including the International Association of Art Critics (AICA/USA), Art in General, and Art

Omi, an international artist residency programme. Wei has been a guest lecturer, panellist and

visiting critic at art institutions in the United States and abroad, and has curated numerous

shows. She has an M.A. in art history from Columbia University, New York.

Weightless, Canberra, Australia, 2006

150 x 340 cm (4.9 x 5.5 ft)

Weightless, Chicago Pier Walk, 2003

150 x 340 cm (4.9 x 5.5 ft)

Folded, 2006

140 x 70 cm (4.6 x 2.9 ft)

Unfurling, 2006

170 cm (5.6 ft)

Folded 3, National Gallery of Victoria, Australia, 2003

100 cm (3.4 ft)

Folded 1, 2006

140 x 80 cm (4.6 x 2.6 ft)

Weightless 5, Melbourne, Australia, 2003

120 cm (3.9 ft)

Rise, 2003

4,5 m x 4 m (14.7 x 13.1 ft)

Weightless 7, 2006

80 cm (2.6 ft)

2007 Akureyri Art Museum, Iceland: Rhythms of Life 1-VII2007 William Mora Gallery, Melbourne, Australia2007 James Gray Gallery, Los Angeles, USA2005 Victorian Arts Centre, Melbourne, Australia2004 Grounds for Sculpture, New Jersey, U.S.A.2004 Gomboc Sculpture Park, W.A. Australia2003 Deakin University, Victoria, Australia: Survey Exhibition2002 Auronzo di Cadore, Italy2002 Le Venezie, Treviso, Italy2002 Mudima Foundation, Milan, Italy1999 Boritzer Gray Hamano, Santa Monica, USA: Rhythms of Life1998 Embassy of Australia, Washington, USA: Rhythms of Life1997 Lauraine Diggins Fine Art, Victoria, Australia: Rhythms of Life1994 Meridian Gallery, Victoria, Australia: Of Freedom & Will1993 Meridian Gallery, Victoria, Australia: Mankind in the Gesture of an Individual

2006 Soho Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia2005 Soho Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia2004 Soho Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia2004 Geelong Art Gallery, Victoria, Australia 2003 Soho Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia2002 Art Singapore, Contemporary Asian Art, Singapore2002 Soho Galleries, Sydney, NSW, Australia2001 Sofa, Chicago, USA1998 Grounds for Sculpture, New Jersey, USA1998 Latrobe University, Victoria, Australia1997 Sculpture at Heidelberg Medical Centre,Victoria, Australia1994 4th Australian Contemporary Art Fair

2006 Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi, NSW, Australia2005 McClelland Contemporary Sculpture Survey & Award, Australia2004 Chicago Navy Pier Walk, USA2004 Helen Lempriere National Sculpture Award2003 McClelland Survey and Sculpture Park, Victoria, Australia2002 Sculpture by the Sea, Sydney, NSW, Australia Ripening, Dallas Texas, USA. 4 x 3 metres, 1999

Warner Village Cinemas, Berkshire, UKFilm Director, H 3.5m (11ft. 6”)

Hokoku Construction, Kobe, JapanFlora Exemplar, H 2.2m (7ft. 3”)Balexert Cinemas, SwitzerlandFilm Director, H 3.5m (11ft. 6”)

City of Vienna, Nussdorferstrasse, Vienna, AustriaFlora Exemplar, H 3.1m (10ft. 2”)

Presented in Vienna to Simon Wiesenthal by the Ambassador of the United States to Vienna, Austria for the State of the World ForumResistance, 1999

Machu Picchu Municipality, PeruRhythms of the Andes, H 3.5m (11ft. 6”)

Golden Village, Marine Square South Multiplex, SingaporeCameraMan, H 2m (ft. 6”)

Maroussi Multiplex, Athens, GreeceCameraMan 2, H 2m (ft. t”)

International Conference Center, Jerusalem, IsraelRhythms of Life, H 2.6m (8ft. 6”)

Curitiba, BrazilHolocaust Memorial, 2002

Grounds for Sculpture, New Jersey, USAFlora Exemplar, H 2.2m (7ft. 3”)Leading 1, H 2.0m (6ft. 7”)Flora Exemplar, H 4.6m (15ft ) 2006

Stonebriar Park, Dallas, Texas, USARhythms of the Metropolis, H 6m (19ft. 8”)Flora Exemplar, H 2.2m (7ft. 3”)Growing, H 4m (13ft. 2”)Leading 2, H 2.2m (7ft. 3”)Evolving, H 2.4m (8ft.)Macrocosm, H 3m (9ft. 10”)Observe, H 3m (9ft. 6”)Living, H 4m (13ft. 2”)Balanced, H 4m (13ft. 2”)Ripening, H 4m (13ft. 2”)Propagating, H 4m (13ft. 2”)Coil 1, H 3m (9ft. 6”) Rhythms of Life, H 2.6m (8ft. 5”)

Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, IsraelTorch of LearningRhythms of the Metropolis, H 6m (19ft. 8”)

Technion – Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel(Artist in Residence, The Technion, Haifa, Israel)Transform, H 3.8m (12ft. 10”)Flora Exemplar

Australian Consul General’s Residence, Kobe, JapanRhythms of the MetropolisSound

Sapir, Arava, IsraelFlora Exemplar, H 2.2m (7ft. 3”)To Life, H 38.5M X 33M (126ft. x 108ft)Rhythms of Life, 29m x 20m (95ft. x 65ft.)Slice, 60m x 38m (197ft. x 125ft.)Ratio, 8m x 32m (26ft. x 105ft.)

Harwood Center, Dallas, Texas, USARunning Man, H 1.5m (4ft. 11”)Transitory

Hall Vineyard Inc., California, USAReaching Away, H 4.6m (15ft. 8”)I Dreamed, H 2.6m (8ft. 6”)Flora Exemplar, H 2.2m (7ft. 3”)Growing, H 2.6m (8ft. 6”)Spirit, H 3m (9ft. 6”)Evolution, H 4m. (13ft. 2”)Balance, H 2.4m (8ft.)Organic, H 4m (13ft. 2”)Growth, H 4m (13ft. 2”)Coil 1, H 3m (9ft. 6”)

Warner Brothers Complex, Taipei, TaiwanFilm Director, H 3.5m (11ft. 6”)

National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, ACTRhythms of Life

Art Gallery of New South WalesFlora Exemplar, H 2.6m (8ft. 6”)

National Gallery of VictoriaFolded, H 78cm (31”)

Victorian Arts Centre, MelbourneRhythms of Life, H 2.6m (8ft. 6”)

City of Melbourne, King Street, Melbourne, VictoriaCity Living, H 5m (16ft. 5”)

City of Melbourne, Jolimont Terrace, Melbourne, VictoriaI Dreamed, H 3.6m (16ft. 5”)

The Victorian State Government - City of MelbourneReaching Away, H 4.6m. (15ft.)

Sale Regional Art Gallery, VictoriaRunning Man

Mornington Peninsula Art Gallery, VictoriaPerception & Reality 2

Castlemaine Art Gallery, VictoriaReaching Away

Mildura Art Centre, VictoriaRunning Man

Bendigo Regional Art Gallery, VictoriaGrowing

High Court Building, Queen & Little Bourke Streets, Melbourne, VictoriaRhythms of the Metropolis, H 4.7m (15ft. 6”)

Ascend

Citibank Building, 350 Collins Street, Melbourne, VictoriaI Dropped My Bow, H 3.5m (11ft. 6”)

Jam Factory, Prahran, VictoriaCamera Man, H 2m (6ft. 6”)

The Experience

University of new South Wales, SydneyScreen

Crown Casino Complex, Melbourne, VictoriaFilm Director, H 3m (9ft. 10”)

University of Melbourne, VictoriaRunning Man

Copelen, South Yarra, VictoriaFlora Exemplar, H 3.6m (11ft. 10”)

Wesley College, Prahran, VictoriaTogether

Novotel International Hotel, Springvale, VictoriaIndustrial City, 7.5m x 4.5m (24ft. 6” x 14ft. 8”)

Bristol Myers Squib, VictoriaLeading 2

The Becton Corporation, Port Melbourne, VictoriaObserve, H 2.6m (14ft. 7”)

Shoreham, VictoriaGrowing, H 4m (13 ft.)

Melbourne Holocaust Museum, ElsternwickPillars of Witness, H 6m (19ft.10”)

Mount Scopus College, MelbourneGrowth, H 4m (13ft. 2”)

Port Melbourne, VictoriaLeading 1, H 2m (6ft. 6”)

Jewish Museum of VictoriaResistance

Springvale Cemetery, VictoriaBuchenwald Memorial, H 4m (13ft. 2”)Tomb Memorial, H 3.5m (11ft. 6”)

McClelland Gallery, Langwarrin, VictoriaObserve, H 2.6m (14ft. 8”)

World Square - Sydney NSWRhythms of Life, H 2.6m (8ft. 6”)Leading, H 2.2m (7ft. 3”)

Elgee Park, Red Hill, VictoriaLeading 1, H 2m (6ft. 6”)

Macquarie University, NSWCoil, H 3m, (9ft.6”).

McClelland Gallery & Sculpture Park, Langwarrin, VictoriaOrganic, H 4.2m, (14ft.)

Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VictoriaCatching Wind, H 1.5m (5ft.)

Arava Desert, Israel Sculpture Ratio, 8 x 32 m, 2004

Atacama Desert, Chile 2004Geoglyph Rhythms of Life, 40 x 30m, 2004Geoglyph The Ancients, 90 x 88 m, 2004Geoglyph, Ancient Language, 80 x 2.8 m, 2004

Arava Desert, Israel Geoglyph Slice, 80 x 38.15 m, 2003Geoglyph Rhythms of Life, 29 x 24 m, 2001Geoglyph To Life, 38 x 33 m, 1999

Stonebriar Park Dallas, Texas, USARhythms of the Metropolis, 6 m, 2001

Hebrew University, Jerusalem, IsraelRhythms of the Metropolis, 6 m, 2002

Presented in Vienna to Simon Wiesenthal by the Ambassador of the United States to Vienna, Austria for the State of the World ForumResistance, 1999

Gobi Desert, China 2006Geoglyph Rhythms of Life, 200 x 200 m, 2006Geoglyph Messenger, 150 x 150 m, 2006Geoglyph Caveman, 150 x 150 m, 2006

Akureyri, Iceland 2006Geoglyph Rhythms of Life, 100 x 100 m, 2006Geoglyph Rune, 100 x 100 m, 2006Geoglyph Eagle, 100 x 100 m, 2006

Bank One Tower, Fort Worth, Texas, USAUnfurling, 3.5 m, 2006

Kurunegala, Sri Lanka 2005Geoglyph Rhythms of Life, 60 x 60 m, 2005Geoglyph Pride, 60 x 60 m, 2005Sculpture Ratiio, 6.5 x 6.5 m, 2005

Young Presidents’ Organization, New ZealandRhythms of Life, 1999

Arava Regional Council, Sapir Town, IsraelGeoglyph, To Life , 38 x 33 m, 1999

State of the World Forum, San Francisco, USARipple, 1999

City of Vienna, Nussdorferstrasse, AustriaPresented to the City of Vienna on behalf of State of the World Forum by the United States Ambassador to AustriaFlora Exemplar, 1999

Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, IsraelArtist in Residence 1998Transform, H 3.8 m, 1998

Curabati, BrazilHolocaust Memorial, 2002

State of the World Forum,San Francisco, USACritical Power, 1998

Grounds for Sculpture, New Jersey, USAFlora Exemplar, 4.6 m, 2006

City of Jerusalem, IsraelRatio, 4.5 x 5 m, 2005

BoliviaGeoglyph Rhythms of Life, 100 x 100 m, 2005Geoglyph Presence, 100 x 100 m, 2005Geoglyph Circles, 100 x 100 m, 2005

Springvale, VictoriaBabi-Yar Memorial, 2006

Rise, 4.6m

Commonwealth Games 2006, Melbourne, VictoriaBunjil, 100m x 100m (328ft x 328ft)Rhythms of Life, 100m x 90m (328ft x 295ft)

Holocaust Memorial, Melbourne, VictoriaTomb, 2005

Presented to the President of IsraelMother Earth, 2005

Australia/Israel Chamber of CommerceAwards — 1997, 1998 and 2004Commerce

World Square - George Street, Sydney, NSWRhythms of Life, Leading, 2003

Presented to Prime Minister John Howard

Treasury Place, Melbourne, VictoriaAscend, 2000

Marquette Village Roadshow Theatres Pty. Ltd,Presentation 1998, 1999, 2002 - Melbourne Cup, AustraliaFilm Director

Hebrew University of Jerusalem FriendsTorch of Learning, 2001

Springvale Cemetery, VictoriaBuchenwald Memorial, 2000

Jewish Holocaust Museum, Elsternwick, VictoriaPillars of Witness, 1999

Flora Exemplar

Three Geoglyphs created on the Altiplano in Bolivia in 2005 at an altitude of 4200 metres. These works comprise the largest contemporary art site created,forming part of a chain of such creations around the world. Photographed by satellite. CNN Television: “Inside the Middle East: Geoglyphs in the Arava Desert, Israel.” November 2005Celebration of Life photographs of 42 pregnant women in the Arava Desert, Israel 2003

State of the World Forum, San Francisco, USA1997: The Young Presidents’ Organization. Auckland, New Zealand 1998: Artist in Residence, Institute of Technology at Technion University, Haifa, Israel2004: Symposium at Sculptures by the Sea, Boondi, NSW. Australia

Ken Scarlett, a book entitled Rhythms of Life: The Art of Andrew Rogers. Melbourne Macmillan Art Publishing, 2003. Comments by Edmund Capon, Director of the Australian Gallery, NSW, Australia, Edmund Pilsbury, former Director of Kimball Art Museum and Idit Porit, formerly of Tel Aviv Museum of Art. ISBN: 187683261-4Dr. Chris McAuliffe, a book entitled Forms, Essay. ISBN: 0-9577671-3-7Ken Scarlett, a book entitled Elgee Park: Sculpture in Landscape. Melbourne, Macmillan Art Publishing, 2004. ISBN: 1-875-832-32-0Sculpture Magazine of China Sculptors Association, 2006Parliament of Victoria, Victoria’s Hansard, March 18, 2006The Age Newspaper, January 28, 2006Jetstar Magazine, December/January 2006Lino, Issue No. 10 2005The Sydney Morning Herald, December 28, 2005CNN Television: Inside the Middle East, Geoglyphs in the Arava Desert, Israel. November, 2005The Australian Newspaper, November 16, 17, 18, 2005The Herald Sun Newspaper, November 7, 2005The Australian Art Collector, Issue 34, October-December 2005World Sculpture News, Volume 11 Number 2, Spring 2005 Melbourne Weekly Magazine, September 28-October 4, 2005Melbourne Magazine, Issue 032, August 2005 ABC Television, Foreign Correspondent, June 21, 2005ABC Radio, June 19, 2005State of the Arts, Australia, 2005 Art in America, June/July 2005Australian Art Monthly, May 2005The Age Newspaper, May 16, 2005 Art Monthly Australia, May 2005 Number 179Monument Architecture & Design, April 2005World Sculpture News, Volume 10 Number 4, Autumn 2004 Australian Financial Review, August 28-29, 2004The Age Newspaper, March 3, 2004Craft Arts International, #60 2004Sculpture, Magazine of the International Sculpture Center, USA, April 2004Good Reading, October 2003World Sculpture News, Volume 9, Number 4, Autumn 2003Victorian Arts Centre, Melbourne, Australia Website, 2002University of Melbourne: Australian Sculpture Server, 2002Sculpture, Magazine of the International Sculpture Center, USA: On Record, Jan/Feb 2003Kult, Italy, March 2002Victorian Arts Centre Home Page, February 2002Jerusalem Post, Friday February 1 and February 8, 2002Victorian Arts Centre News: Preview, December 2001Melbourne City Art Walks, City of Melbourne, December 2001World Sculpture News, Volume 7 Number 3, Summer 2001The Jerusalem Post, Friday August 25, 2000The Herald Sun, Arts & Entertainment, July 31, 2000

Coil, Montalto Vineyard, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia. 3.3 x 2.4 metres, 1999

World Sculpture News, Volume 6 Number 2, Spring 2000Monument Architecture & Design, April/May 2000The Australian Magazine, April 1-2, 2000World Sculpture News, Volume 5 No. 2, Spring 1999ORF Austrian Broadcasting Corporation, Wien Heute –Television, June 12, 1999Kurier Newspaper, Wien Austria, December 8, 1999World Sculpture News, Volume 5 Number 4, Autumn 1999The Age Newspaper, Melbourne, Australia, December, 6 1999The Age Newspaper, Melbourne, Australia, October 25, 1999Sculpture, Magazine of The International Sculpture Center, USA, September 1999, Vol. 18 No. 719th & 20th Century Australian Painting Sculpture and Decorative Arts, 1999. Lauraine Diggins Fine ArtSalzburger Nachrichten, March 20, 1999Wiener Zeitung, March 22, 1999Austria Today Newspaper, March 25, 1999Die Presse Newspaper, Vienna Austria, March 20, 1999World Sculpture News, Autumn1998, Volume 4 Number 419th & 20th Century Australian Painting Sculpture and Decorative Arts, 1998 Catalogue 90. Lauraine Diggins Fine ArtCity of Melbourne Open Air Sculpture Museum, 1997Generation, June 1995, January 1996, October 1996, October 1997, May 2000Venice Magazine, Los Angeles Arts March 1998Must See Melbourne: City of Melbourne, Greeting Service, December 1997Becton Living, 1997City of Melbourne: Events Magazine, January, March, April 1998Miscellanea19th & 20th Century Australian Painting Sculpture and Decorative Arts 1997, Lauraine Diggins Fine ArtsHerald Sun Newspaper, 1997Australian Council for Educational Research, 1997, Administration ManualFourth Australian Contemporary Art Fair, October 1994YPO Worldwide, December 1995, A Renaissance LegacyThe Herald Sun: Home Magazine, September 2, 1995.The Qantas Club: Artistic Sensibilities, September 1995Sunraysia Newspaper, May 18, 1996Architectural Review, Australia, Autumn 1996, Presenting the FutureHerald Sun Newspaper, June 20, 1993

Macrocosm, Dallas Texas, USA. h. 3 metres, 1996

2007 Akureyri Art Museum, Iceland: Rhythms of Life I-VII. ISBN: 978-9979-9632-7-1 2002 Mudima Foundation, Italy: Rhythms of Life II. ISBN: 0957767102000 Lauraine Diggins Fine Art, Melbourne, Australia: Rhythms of Life II 1999 Holocaust Museum, Melbourne Australia: Pillars of Witness. ISBN 064638229 21997 Lauraine Diggins Fine Art, Melbourne, Australia: Rhythms of Life1995 Meridian Gallery, Melbourne, Australia: Of Freedom and Will1993 Meridian Gallery, Melbourne, Australia: Mankind in the Gesture of an Individual

Italy Galleria La Subbia, PietrasantaUSA James Gray Gallery, Santa Monica, CaliforniaAustralia Soho Galleries, Sydney, NSW

Celebration of Life, Israel 2003

Celebration of Life, Israel 2003

Back cover: work in progress, China, 2006

Andrew rogers is one of Australia’s most prominent

contemporary sculptors with an international reputation.

He exhibits internationally and his sculptures can be found

in numerous private and significant public collections in

Australia, South-East Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the

United States. His works have been presented to leading

world figures such as John Howard, Vincent Fox, Efraim

Katzir, Richard Butler and Simon Wiesenthal. Rogers’ large

outdoor bronzes grace many well-known buildings and

have received critical acclaim. Rhythms of Life, which he

began in Israel’s Arava Desert in 1999, is by far his most

ambitious project, already extending to seven countries on

four continents and commanding worldwide attention.

136 Andrew rogers

andrew rogers rhythms of life

Documents

rhythms of life metaphors

rhythms of life sculptures

celebration of life

eternal cycle of life

akureyri art museum

suggestive of human

optimistic metaphors

united states