Cross Section of an Observatory for seeing the Pole Star by Night or Day

Robert Morris

In 1971 Robert Morris designed a large scale, earthen sculpture meant to function as a modern-day Stonehenge, a kind of modern-primitive observatory built into the landscape of Velsen, Holland (later relocated to Lelystad). This design was one of several commissioned by the Stedelijk Museum for a major exhibition of site-specific earthworks created by American and Netherlands artists of the Land Art Movement in the 1970s.

According to the website LandArtofLevoland.nl, the work “consists of two concentric earthen ramparts. Three V-shaped incisions made in the circles offer a view on the polder landscape. At the beginning of spring and autumn, when day and night are equally long, the middle steel visor is perfectly aligned with the rising sun. The stone wedges on both sides are in turn aligned with the rising sun on June 21st and December 21st: the summer and winter solstices.”

This lithograph is a precursor to the actual work and displays the artist’s Minimalist approach to large-scale physical concepts. He draws out the basic map of his idea on the sheet like a topographical sketch, complete with notes, and uses the title to spark the imagination of the viewer. The observatory is currently open to the public.