Land art on the border between topology and atopology

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to discuss the Land Art movement from a topological and atopological perspective. In order to establish an extensive understanding of the matters of topology and atopology, Arkady Plotnitsky’s formalization of quasimathematical thinking, which is derived from Jacques Derrida’s philosophy, is treated in detail. The artistic stance, Robert Smithson, as a major figure of Land Art movement is analyzed both from the artistic and the theoretical perspectives. Thereafter, an algebraic reading of the Smithsonian conceptualization is executed in order to illuminate the liaison between the Land Art movement and the matters of topology and atopology. Finally, the thesis project, Nonlocalizable Displaced Mirrors depicts the whole attitude, which is taken throughout the study, towards the issue of Land Art on the Border between Topology and Atopology.