'Levitated Mass,' Michael Heizer's Giant Rock, Makes Its Way To LACMA

We've been waiting a long time for "Levitated Mass", the giant boulder which currently resides in Riverside county, to embark on its exodus to sunny Los Angeles. The boulder will be part of an upcoming, legendary installation by Michael Heizer at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art that aspires to evoke the accomplishments of previous rock and monolith movers such as the Egyptians and Olmecs in Mexico.

After about six months of delays due to permit issues and transportation logistics, the rock will begin its journey on Tuesday night. The two story high, 680,000 lb. beast of a rock is in for a rough voyage, however, seeing as it can't travel faster than a whopping five miles per hour.

So how exactly is this going to happen, exactly? Emmert International, a company that often transports missiles, is building a "transporter" to go around the border that is three freeway lanes wide. A police escort will accompany the rock on its journey, which will end on Saturday March 10 (a bit longer than the usual hour and a half drive).

"Levitated Mass" was conceptualized by Heizer in 1968, but it took him decades to find the perfect boulder. Once the mass reaches its new home at the LACMA, a ramp will run 15 feet underground below the boulder, giving those who pass under it the illusion that it is levitating.

Bon voyage, glorious rock! We will be keeping track of the rock's route here, and you should do the same if you have a lot of time on your hands or are just weird like us.

What do you think, readers? Is this a ridiculous endeavor or do you admire Heizer's chutzpah?

Comments

[FreeLeeBee]

02:40 PM on 02/28/2012

I think it's a bit irresponsible, or maybe just lazy, on the part of the Huffington Post to focus only on the sensational aspect of this work of art, i.e., its transport, rather than attempting, in any capacity, to contextualize it or elaborate on Heizer's career. He is considered to be one of the most significant land artists working today, but those unfamiliar, which appears to be everyone that has commented thus far, would never know this given the frivolity of the article.

[GoDogGo]

02:00 PM on 02/28/2012

Waste.

Waste of carbon, waste of creativity, waste of money, waste of time....

[Rooftop Voter]

08:11 AM on 02/28/2012

Must be one heck of a bathroom scale that weighed this.

[psandysdad]

07:26 AM on 02/28/2012

It's almost as big as the last kidney stone I passed.

[JulieDole]

01:46 AM on 02/28/2012

That's a terrible idea. I hate it when people pull crap like this to be famous.

[Carmen Madonna Campos]

10:45 PM on 02/27/2012

L.A. gets stoned!

[eric14]

08:53 PM on 02/27/2012

Been more impressive if he'd moved it with people.

http://morris108.wordpress.com/2008/05/14/baalbeck-lebanon-largest-hewn-stone-in-world/