Seen/Unseen Known/Unknown 

Walter De Maria created these granite spheres, Seen/Unseen Known/Unknown, using stone, a material with a deep history. Consider the sheer labor involved in quarrying, transporting, and carving these massive forms. Granite, prized for its durability, resists shaping, demanding specialized tools and expertise. Skilled stonecutters likely used diamond-tipped saws and abrasive techniques to achieve the perfect spherical shape. The weight of these objects speaks to the physics of material handling, requiring industrial machinery for movement and installation. Granite’s inherent qualities – its density, its speckled texture, its cool, grey tone – all contribute to the artwork’s aura of permanence and monumentality. The highly polished surface reflects the world around it, creating a play of light and shadow that activates the surrounding space. Seen/Unseen Known/Unknown invites us to contemplate not only the aesthetic qualities of the finished work but also the unseen processes and human effort embedded within. This connection between material, making, and context allows us to reconsider our relationship with art and the world around us.