Andy Goldsworthy - Tapa dura

The many-pointed star formed from large icicles balances on a rock in a quiet Dumfriesshire valley, a delicate bamboo screen stands on a Japanese beach, a great serpentine ridge of earth extends along a disused railway cutting on Tyneside, four massive snow rings mark the position of the North Pole. The creator of these extraordinary pieces of art is Andy Goldsworthy, who for the last fourteen years has worked almost exclusively with the materials he finds in the outdoor environment. Snow, ice, maple leaves, dandelion heads, twigs, pebbles - wherever he is, Andy Goldsworthy uses whatever happens to be around him. Most of his work is ephemeral and he records his creations in fine colour photographs, many of which have accompanying texts that form an integral part of the work. The artists intention is not to "make his mark" on the landscape, but to work with it instinctively, so that his creations manifest, however fleetingly, a sympathetic contact with the natural world.