Andy Goldsworthy and Music - Artistic resonance around time and nature
Text: mmr｜Theme: Andy Goldsworthy’s works and the sonic resonance of ambient, field recording, and minimal music
Andy Goldsworthy (1956-) is a British artist known for his installations and land art using natural materials.His work focuses on elements such as the passage of time, changes in materials, and the cycles of nature.His approach has much in common with music, especially ambient, field recording, and minimal music.
Commonalities between Goldsworthy’s work and music
| Themes | Goldsworthy’s works | Similarities with music |
|---|---|---|
| Time | Works based on the premise of changes such as ice, leaves, branches, etc. melting or withering | Musical sense of time using phase shifts and loops (e.g. Steve Reich) |
| Location | Works are inseparable from the natural environment where they are created | Music that captures the “sounds of the place” through field recordings |
| Transience | Works that collapse due to wind, rain, and sunlight | Disappearing reverberations and fade-outs of sustained sounds |
| Cycle | Emphasizes the cycles of seasons and natural phenomena | Cyclical sense of time through drones and repetitive structures |
| Silence | The importance of space and interval | The presence of “silence” in John Cage and ambient works |
Goldsworthy’s representative works/projects
- Snowball Series: A huge snowball is set up in a city and displayed as it melts over time.
- Icicle Star: A piece of ice that is assembled into a star shape and melts at sunrise.
- Stone River (1997): A meandering stone wall installed at Stanford University in the United States.
- Rowan Leaves and Hole: A piece of work in which red leaves are arranged in a circle and float on the water surface.
- Storm King Wall (1997–98): A long serpentine stone wall at the Storm King Art Center in New York.
Written by Goldsworthy
- “A Collaboration with Nature” (1990)
- “Hand to Earth” (1990)
- “Stone” (1994)
- “Time” (2000)
- “Wood” (1996)
- “Wall” (2000)
- “Arch” (1999)
- “Andy Goldsworthy: Projects” (2004)
Music playlist (by genre) that matches Goldsworthy works
Ambient
- Brian Eno ― Ambient 1: Music for Airports
- Harold Budd - The Pearl
- Stars of the Lid ― And Their Refinement of the Decline
Field recording
- Chris Watson ― Weather Report
- Jana Winderen ― Energy Field
- Hildegard Westerkamp - Into the Labyrinth
Minimal
- Steve Reich ― Music for 18 Musicians
- Terry Riley ― In C
- Philip Glass - Glassworks
Playlist organized according to the “flow of time”
morning
- Brian Eno ― Ambient 1: Music for Airports
- Chris Watson ― Morning at the River
- Steve Reich ― Music for 18 Musicians
noon
- Terry Riley ― In C
- Jana Winderen ― Energy Field
- Philip Glass - Glassworks
evening
- Harold Budd & Brian Eno - The Pearl
- Hildegard Westerkamp ― Kits Beach Soundwalk
- Stars of the Lid - Requiem for Dying Mothers
night
- William Basinski - The Disintegration Loops
- Eliane Radigue - Trilogie de la Mort
- Biosphere ― Substrata
Seasonal flow
- Spring: Ryuichi Sakamoto - Async
- Summer: Chris Watson ― Weather Report
- Autumn: Johann Johannsson - Orphée
- Winter: Alva Noto & Ryuichi Sakamoto - Vrion
Conclusion
Andy Goldsworthy’s works have a once-in-time'' quality that changes and disappears with time and nature.His aesthetic resonates strongly with theambience,’’ repetition,'' andsilence’’ of ambient, field recording, and minimal music.By experiencing the two in combination, a ``dialogue with nature’’ that crosses the visual and auditory senses is born.
Related columns
[[Column] What is ambient music? A philosophy of “sounds that exist” rather than sounds that are heard] (https://monumental-movement.jp/Column-Ambient)
[Column] Ambient: From “listening music” to “feeling music” II
Explore more like this
Plastikman – Musik
An album released by Richie Hawtin under the alias Plastikman on the NovaMute label in 1994.This is Richie Hawtin’s third studio album and second under his Plastikman name.
Plastikman – Musik
Richie Hawtin (リッチー・ホゥティン)の別名義Plastikman(プラスティックマン)として1994年にレーベルNovaMuteからリリースしたアルバム。Richie Hawtinとしては3枚目、Plastikman名義では2枚目のスタジオアルバムとなる。
【コラム】 フィールドレコーディング：音の現場を採集する技術・歴史・おすすめ盤ガイド
Why field recording?
【コラム】 フィールドレコーディング：音の現場を採集する技術・歴史・おすすめ盤ガイド
なぜフィールドレコーディングか
【コラム】 Andy Goldsworthyと音楽 ― 時間と自然をめぐる芸術的共振
Andy Goldsworthyと音楽 ― 時間と自然をめぐる芸術的共振
【コラム】 David Toopとジャンルレスな音楽思考 ― 年代別にたどる音の探究
David Toop and genre-less musical thinking - Exploration of sounds by era
【コラム】 David Toopとジャンルレスな音楽思考 ― 年代別にたどる音の探究
David Toopとジャンルレスな音楽思考 ― 年代別にたどる音の探究
David Donohoe – Nature Morte!
David Donohoe is a creative director, graphic designer, electronic musician and experimental musician based in Dublin, Ireland.
David Donohoe – Nature Morte!
David Donohoeは、アイルランドのダブリンを拠点とするクリエイティブ ディレクター、グラフィック デザイナー、エレクトロニックミュージシャン＆実験音楽家。
Various – Elektronische Musik -Interkontinental 5
“Various – Elektronische Musik -Interkontinental 5” is This is a 3-disc compilation album released in 2006 by the German label “Traum Schallplatten”.
Various – Elektronische Musik -Interkontinental 5
「Various – Elektronische Musik -Interkontinental 5」は、 2006年にドイツのレーベル「Traum Schallplatten」からリリースされた３枚組のコンピレーション・アルバムです。
