Andy Goldsworthy’s sculptures and installations engage with both the natural contours and social history of the sites in which they are installed. Dried clay works are a hallmark of Goldsworthy’s practice, each a meditation on transience, renewal and regeneration, and our connection with the earth. In the installation Geophagia, created especially for Lands End, salvaged and repurposed restaurant tables have been covered with white clay, resulting in cracked and fissured surfaces that will continue to change as the work ages and dries. The artist typically works with local materials—here, Ione kaolin clay from a mine in California’s Gold Country, near Sacramento. Geophagia makes oblique reference to white restaurant tablecloths and dishware, and evokes the historic drought now ravaging California. Installed in the former Cliff House’s once-bustling dining room, barren tables and dried earth serve as a poignant reminder of land degradation and increasing water and food scarcity.
Geophagia, 2021; Ione kaolin clay and wooden tables; courtesy of the artist
Andy Goldsworthy creates ephemeral sculptures and permanent installations using natural materials such as stones, clay, and leaves to draw out the inherent character of a site. His works have been exhibited and collected by important international institutions, including Storm King Art Center, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, and the Tate.