Andy Goldsworthy is a land artist, sculptor, and photographer, who gained an interest in nature and working outdoors as a youth while working on farms in northern England. Goldsworthy is best known for his temporary, site-specific works created outdoors from natural materials found on-site, which he then photographs before they succumb to the elements.
Goldsworthy views his process as a collaboration with nature, which often requires patience, flexibility, and spontaneity. For his ongoing Rain Shadow series (1984– ), he lies on the ground just before a rainfall and remains there until the rain stops, creating a “shadow,” which he then photographs. He has said of this work that it “is an intuitive response to the day, the light, the season…and without that, I will shrivel up as an artist. The permanent works, the projects, come from that. In a way, this work is breathing in, and the permanent works are breathing out.”
In addition to the work made at his Scottish home and studio, he has created ephemeral and permanent works around the world, including Three Cairns (2001–2003), in Iowa, New York, and California. The National Gallery of Art commissioned Roof (2004–2005), nine stacked slate, low-profile hollow domes, each with centered oculi. The earthbound domes are a counterpoint to the many rooftop domes of Washington, reminding the viewer that we are surrounded by materials from nature, even in a city.
Goldsworthy has been the subject of two documentary films by director Thomas Riedelsheimer: Rivers and Tides: Andy Goldsworthy Working with Time (2001) and Leaning Into the Wind: Andy Goldsworthy (2017). From 2000 to 2008, he served as the A.D. White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University, and in 2000, he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.