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stable nor stabilizable. Nor is it the expression of a successful Aufhebung, in the sense of crowning and containing all the faux mountains built in the past; rather, it imposes itself within a route that does not end with it. Indeed, the artist opens and dislocates the history that precedes him, redefining and over-complicating it. By favoring the artificial mountain, he connects with older practices, while his own proposals are never exhibited as the culmination of a series.

The emergence of Smithson’s work comes at a historic moment of profound transformation in the domain of artistic practices—particularly in the field of sculpture. In a landmark article, Rosalind Krauss analyzed the transition from sculpture synonymous with monumentality and rootedness to a situation characterized by “the absolute loss of place.”3 In this new constellation, sculpture—malleable and strange—became self-referential or “pure negativity.” The new terms “site construction” or “marked sites” reflect this paradigm shift that sets the stage for Smithson’s major innovations.

Two important precursors paved the way for Smithson and his colleagues’ interventions in the context of what would later be defined as Land Art (even if the more correct term would be Earthworks or Earth Art). The first is Isamu Noguchi, who used childrens’ playgrounds as an experimental field of choice. Decided to simplify and improve the use of the playground, while improving its aesthetic qualities, Noguchi elaborated several remarkable models. Play