Earth Forces: Contemporary Land Arts, Technology and New Materialist Aesthetics

Abstract

This article addresses recent art projects that are discussed under the notion of new materialist aesthetics. This term is used to elaborate connections between these projects and their methods and recent discussions of the nonhuman and posthuman philosophy.  The article also elaborates some positions in technological or 'media art' practices that work on hardware and infrastructure but also on the geophysical underpinnings of media. It expands on more geocentric perspectives in art and aesthetics through connecting a range of such projects by a contemporary artists including Martin Howse, Jonathan Kemp, Ryan Jordan, Terike Haapoja, Jamie Allen and David Gauthier to the body of land art (as represented by Robert Smithson) and current new materialist discussions.