"Rockway" (Micro v. Macro) - Artist Statement + Photos [2016]

land art Feb 20, 2024

(Micro) "Boulder Creek" // stacked rocks [157' x 2' x 1']

(Macro) "St. Louis" // photo collage on foam board [16" x 20"]

This project was first presented in 2016, as a diptych installation at the group exhibition, "There to Here: Investigative Topographies from Land and Environmental Art" in Boulder, Colorado. Images remain property of Connor Hesen, but prints can be purchased via DM.

Artist Statement

Rockway: A Reflection on Roads and Nature

“Rockway” examines the concept of Micro v. Macro through the central theme of line; acting as a reflection on ideas of movement and connectivity in today's world. A line, simply defined as the connection between two points, takes on a profound new meaning in our urban landscape. The roads we have constructed, like arteries of the land, connect us to vast possibility. What happens when human progress and creation intersect with the natural world, and what role does that play in our lives?

Boulder Creek (pictured above) explores this intersection at the micro-level, focusing heavily on the delicate balance between humans and their environment. Stumbling upon the nearly 160-foot earthwork presents the viewer with an unnatural line, composed of stones, meandering through the pristine natural landscape. It evokes the winding roads through the mountains nearby one takes to get here- a stark contrast against the wilderness where it sits.

The earthwork employs a singular free-flowing, curvilinear line, representing a departure from the rigid angles of the surrounding landscape. This choice symbolizes more than just movement. It delves into the relationship between the towering skyscrapers, flowing highways, and gridded cities we inhabit. As the eye follows the work from start to finish, it encounters straight lines—those of trees and rocks—interrupting the flow, much like the complex highway systems and cities we build to connect ourselves around the globe.

St. Louis (pictured above) explores the concept of line at the macro-level. In this piece, movement remains a central theme, but the intent shifts. The collage aims to create an unrealistic, yet harmonious, urban highway system. Lines intersect, diverge, and rejoin in nearly impossible ways; calling into question what exactly our future might look like. Each line signifies the movement of humans—from place to place, from birth to departure.

The city of St. Louis holds personal significance. It’s my birthplace, my starting point. The curved form of the line embodies movement and fluidity, echoing my own journey. Highways connect us to places, people, and experiences. They weave our stories, even as they reshape the landscape.

Step back, and the piece appears a unified whole. But lean in and scrutinize the details, and you’ll discover individual clippings and rigid overlaps from the satellite photos it is composed of. Each stone and curve. Each road and line — force us to consider the tale of movement, connection, and balance. "Rockway" invites us step back and dig deeper into the connections we [ourselves] hold with the land; and what responsibility we [as a whole] have in encouraging continued prosperity, while maintaining the delicate balance holding it all together.