Dear Sophie -
WALTER DE MARIA & MICHAEL HEIZER are artists who produce environmental earthworks.
De Maria is famous for Lightning Field out in the mid west, where he planted 400 stainless steel posts in a geometric formation to induce lightening. He also produced a room filled with earth which was in Soho for many years.
(My friend was a guard at the Earth Room for some time, choosing it as the least distracting job possible so that he could think about his own work!)
Michael Heizer produces large scale earthworks in the desert of Nevada and California. His father was a famed anthropologist who had a large impact on his practice. With his friend Walter de Maria, Heizer left the confines of the white walls of galleries and museums to do vast works in the landscape. He collaborated on many of these early works including Smithson's SPIRAL JETTY.
Mom