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How to Move A 340-Ton, Two-Story Rock From Riverside to LACMA Without A Scratch
For his latest exhibit at LACMA, artist Michael Heizer is practically moving mountains.
Preparations have been underway for years to help Heizer move a massive 340-ton, two-story rock from a quarry outside Riverside to LACMA where it will be suspended above the heads of visitors, as if floating. The piece is called "Levitated Mass" and LACMA says that it's one of the biggest pieces of earth moved since ancient times.
Michael Govan, the director at LACMA, compares Heizer's work to that of the ancient Egyptians, but the process that will be used to get the rock there is more modern. LACMA has hired a crew called Emmert that is used to more industrial projects, like working for nuclear companies.
Here's the route that the crew will take to transport the massive rock from Riverside to LACMA on October 25:
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In this video, Rick Albrecht, a member of the Emmert crew hired to move the rock, talks about what it's like to move a museum piece for the first time:
John Bowsher, the project manager for Levitated Mass, talks about how the Levitated Mass exhibit will look when it is brought to the LACMA campus. The video shows construction being done to prepare for the rock's arrival:
Here is Michael Govan, the director at LACMA, standing in front of the rock and explaining this project's relationship to ancient monoliths:
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