Video | Andy Goldsworthy Builds Crumbling Clay Dome in Brazil

We’ve profiled the work of Andy Goldsworthy before. We’re back this week with a project he completed in 2012, Domo de Argila (Clay Dome) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In this ten-minute video, we can see Goldsworthy sculpting the clay work inside an old brick building as he describes his concept.

Goldsworthy’s focus on nature is apparent here. He talks about flying into the city and seeing an urban area that was surrounded by nature. He was surprised when he went into the city and found that, not only is nature surrounding the city, nature is taking ground within the city. We get the sense that he is drawn to this idea of transition, other forms of life encroaching on the sterilized urbanity of human dwellings. More transition is apparent inside the brick building Goldsworthy chose to showcase his work. The brick is crumbling and across the facade Goldsworthy found evidence of long-forgotten doors and bricked-over windows. It’s the perfect place to house a clay work that is intended to crumble over time.

The construction of the space is detailed in the video. Goldsworthy took notes from wooden structures built by indigenous people. The clay has a strange alchemy in its composition. Goldsworthy mixed in materials such as human hair.

His ultimate goal is to create a space that lets go of control. Over time the clay will crack and enter a state of “suspended collapse” without reaching the ground.

Bill Rodgers is the Managing Editor of cfile.daily.

What do you think of Goldsworthy’s contemporary ceramic art sculpture? Let us know in the comments.