robert smithson - a tour of the monuments of passaic
DESCRIPTION
We would like to return to the famous travelogue that the American artist Robert Smithson wrote in 1967 about his tour of the city of Passaic, New Jersey. This article will re-situate his reflection in the historical context of the debate of the 1950s and 60s sparked by the intensification of American urbanization. We will demonstrate how Smithson challenged the undifferentiated and disorienting nature of the typical American suburban landscape by designating–or inviting the visitor to designate–some city elements as "monuments." In choosing these monuments, no matter how trivial, transitory, or subjective, the artist created landmarks that helped to structure an understanding of the urban fabric.