Levitated Mass

Who could possibly think that a documentary about a 340 ton granite boulder could be so fascinating and interesting? Yet that's exactly what I thought this film was.

An alert manager at a rock quarry near Riverside, California notified one of his long-standing customers, the acclaimed artist and sculptor Michael Heizer, that a boulder of the size and possible shape he had been looking for some forty years had come loose and was available. After Heizer flew in the next day and confirmed this was indeed the one, the wheels were set in motion to plan for the boulder to eventually be sent to the Los Angeles County Museum, to be exhibited there as "Levitated Mass" The Director of the museum, Michael Govan, on his end began to contact private donors and supporters of Heizer to help fund the costs of this mammoth undertaking. Thereafter, the logistical and bureaucratic nightmare began of safely transporting this massively heavy rock (heavier than a 747), which stood some 2 stories high, through 22 different cities from Riverside to Los Angeles.

Aside from all of that, perhaps the heart of the documentary was to witness how people along the transport route reacted to the passing of the boulder. Spurred by social media, as well as local and even national news coverage, people waited hours along the route to view it sometimes even in pajamas. This became an "event" with "rockapaloozas" springing up, as well as "rock" concerts, and people lining up to pose for pictures with mock-ups of the boulder.

Conspiracy theories were in full bloom, as well, with some espousing that the rock was from outer space, while others stated it must have been sent by God, and still others claiming it must be a military weapon. Some mocked it as art, while others envisioned how it certainly could be a great exhibit.

All in all, this documentary, directed by Doug Pray, was surprisingly interesting and absorbing, as well as smartly paced and well presented.

Knowing nothing about Michael Heizer (I am Australian) or his sculptures/public art installations, I did not know what to expect from this 90 minute documentary about the installation at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, but it was a great "ride" along the road (literally, in much of the film) to see how the idea was made, when it was started, other works he had done, including some great "holes", mostly in USA. The cinematography was really good, and varied between landscape scale and personal interviews. The directing and the narrating were first class, and we almost felt that we were part of the journey even though we are a long way away. Particularly enjoyable were the encounters with lots and lots of friendly or bemused locals along the way. If you like feature length documentaries, I think this one is a big screen documentary, that's for sure.

"Levitated Mass" (2013 release; 89 min.) is a documentary about sculpture artist Michael Heizer. As the documentary opens, we hear news announcements along the lines of "New York has the Statue of Liberty, Washington has the Monument, and now LA has its own signature landmark", and that introduction certainly intrigued me (although it begs the question, isn't the Hollywood sign LA's signature landmark?). Soon we are introduced to Michael Heizer, a sculpture artist who evolves away from galleries to making "land art". His lifelong ambition is to make a massive monolithic sculpture that is bigger than anything ever seen. To tell you more might spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is the latest movie from well-known and respected documentary maker Doug Pray (he's previously brought us other documentaries like Big Rig and Art & Copy, just to name those). Pray composes the documentary into four distinct parts: (i) the introduction to Heizer and his works (fascinating for those of us know knew little about the man before seeing this documentary), (ii) the prep work for transporting the 340 ton boulder to the LA County Museum of Art, (iii) the actual trek across 105 mi. and 22 cities (which takes up about half of the documentary), and (iv) the epilogue in which the rock is installed and opened to the public (in 2012). I have to say that I was quite surprised how the 105 mi. journey over 10 days and nights became such a "people's event". One of the roadside spectators comments "it's our rock now, it doesn't matter what he (Heizer) thinks", ha! Last but not least, the documentary features a very nice soundtrack of mostly instrumental pieces, composed and performed by Brooklyn indie band Akron/Family.

I am by no means an "expert" in this field. I am simply someone who is interested in "art", and love a good story, while hopefully learning something along the way. On that account, "Levitating Mass" delivered in all respects, and this documentary flew by in no time. Not to mention that upon my next visit to LA, going to see this art work in person will be at the top of my "to do" list. "Levitated Mass" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!