Washington Diary 2003

This sheet of paper with a photograph and some handwritten notes is by Andy Goldsworthy. I imagine him outside, in a park somewhere near Washington, DC, on October 18, 2003, where he's focused on these leaves and branches, maybe a little caught in the rain. I imagine him on the ground with his camera taking a photo of a small arrangement he’s made in the woods. And then I see him back indoors, thinking about the experience, writing about it as a way to work it all through. The writing is interesting. It's more than just a record; it’s kind of an investigation. He's playing around with words to see where they might lead, a bit like how he plays with leaves and twigs in the forest, constructing and reconstructing. I like how he is using language to map the space, place and time of this work. It makes me think about other artists who blur boundaries—writers who paint, painters who write. It's all about the exchange, the ongoing conversation. It's about keeping the possibilities open.