Levitated Mass The Story of Michael Heizer's Monolithic Sculpture a film by Doug Pray | World Premiere and Gala at LACMA.
Los Angeles, CA - Levitated Mass The Story of Michael Heizer's Monolithic Sculpture, a film by Doug Pray, is an exemplary documentary
detailing the story behind the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's (LACMA) exhibit of Michael Heizer's (artistic piece)
"Levitated Mass".
For those who have not yet seen the exhibit, it is important to note that to the naked eye "Levitated Mass" could be
horribly mistaken for being nothing more than a hole with a rock on it. And what Doug Pray has done, in telling the
story of Michael Heizer and his "Levitated Mass," is afforded the art curious and afficianado a glimpse into this
artistic monolith of negative space.
Contemporary artist Michael Heizer is a pioneer of Land Art, or Earth Art. For decades now, Heizer has created his
artwork outside of the traditional studio and into the land. Sometimes termed a Landscaper, he engages the land as
a sculptural medium.
Heizer first envisioned "Levitated Mass" back in 1968 but it would take more than 40 years to bring it to fruition.
LACMA CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director Michael Govan was pivotal in providing a final home for Heizer's magnus opus. Govan
arrived at LACMA in 2006, and has since established himself as a director that is determined, dedicated and open to new
concepts of art and brings that broader view to the museum by way of what the museum puts on display. That fervor made it
inevitable for Govan to be one of Heizer's greatest allies.
All that remained was someone with the knowledge and skill to maneuver the 340-ton vision across a vast collection of cityscapes.
Enter, Emmert International.
Emmert International, owned by Terry W. Emmert, has long been at the forefront of the engineering transportation and specialty
rigging industries. With the motto of "Moving the World One Job at a Time," Emmert and his team performed their own artistic
feat when they created the complete system by which Heizer's boulder could be moved.
Over the course of 11 nights at 5mph, Emmert International performed the practically impossible. They delivered the boulder to its
final destination, Heizer's 456-foot-long negative space formed by a concrete slot on LACMA's museum grounds.
In "Levitated Mass | The Story of Michael Heizer's Monolithic Sculpture," Doug Pray, in conjunction with the independent production
company Electric City Entertainment, has successfully documented the essence of both "art in progress" and "art in motion."
With a keene eye and his own artistic touch, Pray, who is well-known for such feature documentaries as the Emmy Award-winning "Art & Copy,"
"Surfwise," and "Infamy" to name a few, ably chronicled the entire series of events that actualized Heizer's glorious "Levitated Mass."
As Doug Pray weaves footage with interviews from the principals, he engages us in the question, "What is art?" He then pulls
back the layers of each man, as creator in his element, and reveals that art is not solely the end product. Instead, art is
also the vision and process, fervor and execution of thought actualized.
Doug Pray, Lynette Howell and Jamie Patricoff have given art and architectural afficionados and the curious alike an excellent
capture of Contemporary Art in the making. Michael Heizer's "Levitated Mass" is a must see work of art. "Levitated Mass | The
Story of Michael Heizer's Monolithic Sculpture" is its equally matched story.
Film: Levitated Mass: The Story of Michael Heizer's Monolithic Sculpture Directed by: Doug Pray
Executive Producers: Ann Tenenbaum, Dan Stern, Jay Sugarman Producers: Jamie Patricof, Lynette Howell, Katie McNeill, Stephanie Meurer
"Levitated Mass | The Story of Michael Heizer's Monolithic Sculpture had its World Premiere on the grounds of LACMA
When in Los Angeles, be sure to take time to see Michael Heizer's Levitated Mass!
Gus Summers is the Host and Broadcast Producer for The "IN Show, an entertaining broadcast that covers all things exciting and enlightening.
When Gus isn't busy covering current events and interesting people, you'll see him out and about enjoying all that the City of Angels has to offer.
For any questions, comments, or program ideas, he can be reached at gus@theinshow.com.
