Under the cover of darkness early Saturday morning, a giant rig carrying an equally giant rock finally made its way to LACMA — only seven months behind schedule; not bad by Los Angeles standards. And in a few (alleged) short months, “Levitated Mass” will be open for the public to walk around and under.
The centerpiece of artist Michael Heizer’s self-proclaimed masterpiece was originally supposed to be in place last August, but there were all sorts of problems which delayed the journey from Riverside until this month. It took 11 overnights traveling at blinding speeds of up to five miles an hour for the 340-ton boulder to reach its destination.
On Saturday the rock still sat on its truck Saturday afternoon, as everyone involved took the weekend off to sleep.
It certainly is an impressive specimen up close (or, as close as LACMA is allowing us to get right now).
This has the potential to be a fascinating piece of art, a landmark for our city, when it opens this summer. Or it could just be a stupid giant rock suspended over a concrete walkway.