Geoglyph

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A geoglyph is a drawing on the ground, or a large motif, (generally greater than 4 metres) or design produced on the ground, either by arranging clasts (stones, stone fragments, gravel or earth) to create a positive geoglyph (stone arrangement/alignment, petroform, earth mound) or by removing patinated clasts to expose unpatinated ground (negative geoglyph).

Some of the most famous negative geoglyphs are the Nazca Lines in Peru. Other areas with geoglyphs include Western Australia and parts of the Great Basin Desert in SW United States. Hill figures, turf mazes and the stone-lined labyrinths of Scandinavia, Iceland, Lappland and the former Soviet Union are types of geoglyph. The largest geoglyph is the Marree Man in South Australia [1] [2].

[edit] Modern examples

Not all geoglyphs are ancient. The Land Art movement created many new geoglyphs as well as other structures: perhaps the most famous example is Spiral Jetty by Robert Smithson.

Turf mazes and labyrinths are still being made by gardeners and landscape architects.

Contemporary Australian sculptor Andrew Rogers has created geoglyphs around the world called 'The Rhythms of Life'.

The “Rhythms of Life” project is the largest contemporary land art project in the world – 10 sites – in disparate exotic locations (located below sea level and up to altitudes of 4300 metres). Up to three Geoglyphs (each up to 660 feet x 660 feet) are located in each site.

By completion the project will have involved up to 5000 people (550 people worked in Bolivia, 852 people in Sri Lanka, and 1000 in China.

“Rhythms of Life” sites containing large scale Geoglyphs (land sculptures) are complete in Bolivia, Israel, Chile, Sri Lanka, Australia, Iceland and China, which are part of a chain of 10 sites created around the world. Outside the City of Melbourne, in Geelong, a “Rhythms of Life” site was commissioned in association with the Commonwealth Games 2006. In China the “Rhythms of Life” walls stretch 2.1 kilometers.

Individually and together the Geoglyphs form a unique art work stretching around the world, titled “The Rhythms of Life”.

They are optimistic symbols about life and regeneration – connecting people with history and heritage.

The title, the “Rhythms of Life” is derived from Rogers’ early bronze sculptures [3].

Three good examples of 'The Rhythms of Life' are:

1 "The Ancients" This geoglyph is derived from a 6000 year old "pictureglyph" known as "El Señor de los Báculos" located in the Rio Loa area near Calama, Chile. The geoglyph is located at an altitude of 2469 m (8100 ft) above sea level, on the Llano de la Paciencia (Plain of Patience), 13 km from the town of San Pedro de Atacama.

The stone walls forming this geoglyph, constructed from volcanic rock and clay, are 1200 m (3936 ft) in length.

This image forms part of the pastoral cosmology. The sun cuts across this "pictureglyph" at the solstice.

2 "The Rhythms of Life" This geoglyph is located at 2603 m (8500 ft) on the Cordillera de la Sal (Salt Mountains), which rise from the Llano de la Paciencia, and form the head of the Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon), a geological formation of lunar appearance, approximately 14 km from the town of San Pedro de Atacama.

3 "Ancient Language" This geoglyph is about 80 m long by 2.8 m high, and is inspired by a 4800 year old petroglyph iconography, carved into stone in the surrounding area, Yerbas Buenas, 20 km from the Rio Grande.