Walter De Maria’s “The New York Earth Room” is one of NY’s best kept secrets and one of its most magical art experiences. Created in 1977 as part of the visionary programs of the DIA Art Foundation – which supervises a constellation of 11 art venues and museums, including legendary works such as Robert Smithson’s “The Spiral Jetty”, Nancy Holt’s “Sun Tunnels”, De Maria’s “The Broken Kilometer”, and the sprawling temple to Minimalism at Dia Beacon – “The NY Earth Room” consists of a large second floor apartment filled with 197 cubic meters of soil weighing over 127.000 kilos – a martian landscape mysteriously landed in the heart of Soho. The sense of stillness and the smell of earth will stay with you forever.
Image: Walter De Maria, The New York Earth Room, 1977. © Estate of Walter De Maria. Photo: John Cliett