Seven Magic Mountains makes me think of Stonehenge on acid, or psychedelic rocks as interpreted by Pop Artist Peter Max. Alas, it’s internationally renowned Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone.
This two year installation which opened in May of this year, can easily be seen from your car while whizzing by on Interstate 15, about 10 miles south of Las Vegas. Initially you might think you’re seeing neon colored balloons, however, as you near the parking lot and exit your car, something exciting starts to happen. The striking colors juxtaposed against the beige of the desert begin to feel cool, as in cold, despite the 100 plus degree temperature. Maybe it’s because they remind us of tubs of ice cream seen behind class at the local CVS or Baskin Robbins… there’s certainly something pavlovian happening here.
In total there are seven towers made up of 33 limestone boulders. The public art installation cost 3.5 million dollars to bring to life, including fees for permits, fabrication costs, road improvements, staff and studio travel over the 5 year timeline it took to bring this project to life, as well as for land restoration once the exhibit closes in May of 2018.
I’ve never been to burning man, however, for the short time I spent moving around this installation, I felt as if I might be getting a sense of what burning man is like: hip, cool, alternative, unexpected. Experiencing temporary art thrust into a dry desert environment is quite exciting and invigorating. I actually visited this site twice in one day, as I wanted to see it while the sun was setting. Both times there were tons of people milling about, and the kids seemed the most excited by the bold colors. That said, it is the desert, so watch where you walk if you choose to visit this site. Rattlesnakes are a real possibility since this is their native habitat. They won’t care if you you’re busy taking your best art selfie to date. (yes, that’s a thing now) My sis yelled at me to stay on ‘the path’, but I had to get that long shot of all seven stones lined up side by side. I’d love to revisit this installation in a year to see what the scorching desert sun has done to these saturated colors, or how they might look against a backdrop of white winter snow. If you’re on instagram, search #7magicmountains to see the latest and greatest of the seasonal shots taken around the spectacularly fun exhibit.
You can learn more about artist Ugo Rondinone HERE
The video below will show you how they stacked these 40,000 pound boulders… the first earth work installation created in over 40 years.