Stone Enclosure: Rock Rings 1978

Curator: Immediately, I’m struck by the feeling of groundedness. There's a prehistoric weight to this structure that contrasts starkly with the delicate foliage in the background. Editor: You're picking up on exactly what Holt was trying to convey. What we are viewing is "Stone Enclosure: Rock Rings" created in 1978. A sculpture very much in conversation with the land art movement and the history and social contexts in the 70's. Curator: The title makes so much sense; "Enclosure," yet there are openings! What is being enclosed? Or who? This sculpture reminds me a bit of early feminist theories concerning nature and women as linked to it, something cyclical, almost. Editor: Indeed! I want to get into the materiality of it though; look at the dry-stone construction. This deliberate lack of mortar foregrounds the labour. Each stone tells a story. There is almost an echo of ancient building methods. It raises important questions of sustainability, challenging high art's traditionally privileged position through what could be interpreted as a return to basics. Curator: Absolutely! Holt’s use of these basic, naturally sourced materials acts almost like a resistance. By creating these "holes" in an "enclosure" could speak to confinement or visibility as a form of empowerment? The relationship between confinement and escape runs throughout feminism. Editor: It is impossible to view this without a feminist reading in mind, especially because of her choice of material that ties us to notions of labor, gender, and ultimately our environmental impact, blurring the boundaries between art and life. Holt does this so deliberately by constructing it in the middle of this outdoor space. Curator: Seeing this has reframed what environmental art truly encompasses. It is a poignant intersection of political and historical narratives. Editor: It shows the social narratives embedded in the materials and techniques used to construct these beautiful forms.