Earth Projects: Burning Petroleum

When Robert Morris created his 1969 Earth Projects portfolio, he set out to design massive environmental installations that were “of such a scale that the whole work could not be seen,” inviting viewers to experience aspects of pieces that could only truly be apprehended from an aerial view. In this unrealized plan forBurning Petroleum/?i>, Morris designs a system to flood an existing river with petroleum and ignite it. In the 1960s and 1970s, first-generation Land Artists like Morris shared a commitment to monumentality that often overlooked the ecological impact of the work.