Modern sculpture doesn't get much more monumental than Michael Heizer's titular installation—unveiled in 2012 on the grounds of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)—a two-story high, 340-ton granite boulder perched atop a concrete-and-metal walkway that visitors pass beneath. Doug Pray's documentary offers an artistic mini-biography of the reclusive Heizer, a pioneer in “land sculpture” (which focuses on what's been called the “negative space” around an object), while also serving up an account of how LACMA officials worked to raise the $10 million required to realize his vision. But most of the film follows the building of the walkway—an engineering feat in itself—as well as the transportation of the huge rock from a quarry in Riverside, a logistical nightmare that required not only the fashioning of a mammoth reinforced football-field-length tractor-trailer, but also negotiations with officials in the 20-plus cities through which the convoy would pass. The boulder's 100-mile journey drew crowds of spectators—some enthusiastic, others dismissive—while episodes such as the temporary halt of the truck in front of a chapel called the Rock of Salvation even led some to read religious significance into the event. Pray weaves these various elements into an engaging whole that celebrates Heizer's work while also leaving it up to the viewer to judge whether the project was worth all of the time, money, and effort. Recommended. (F. Swietek)
Levitated Mass
First Run, 89 min., not rated, DVD: $27.95, Dec. 16 Volume 30, Issue 2
Levitated Mass
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