There’s No Attraction In The World Like This One In Nevada

There’s a massive piece of artwork in the Nevada desert that’s only accessible by four-wheel drive vehicle or motorcycle. Located near Overton in the Moapa Valley’s Mormon Mesa, the unique attraction is free and always open. We’re pretty sure you’ll agree, there’s nothing in the world quite like it.

Double Negative by contemporary artist Michael Heizer is essentially an anti-sculpture. Instead of building something in the desert, Heizer took something away. A lot of something actually: 244,000 tons of rocks.

Flickr / Retis

Completed in 1970, Double Negative in Nevada is part of the "land art" or "earthwork" movement. It's artwork that uses the earth as its canvas. Some say the removal of rocks was in itself a creative act, while others say the art is in the negative space.

The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MoCA) acquired the unique attraction in 1985. The museum says earthworks "challenge the location, material, size, and temporal existence of a work of art."

Flickr / Thure Johnson

The piece consists of two trenches cut out of the Mormon Mesa. Together they are 1,500 feet long, 50 feet deep and 30 feet wide.

The rocks which Heizer displaced to create Double Negative were mostly rhyolite and sandstone.

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Heizer began creating large-scale land art in the late 1960s. In 1968, he created earthworks in the Jean Dry Lake, the playa at Black Rock Desert and Massacre Dry Lake near Vya, all in Nevada.

Those Nevada "negative sculptures" have all since deteriorated, but it doesn't seem to bother Heizer. He has said it’s his wish for Double Negative to be reclaimed by nature.

Heizer has been working on another land art project called City since 1972. The five-phase work-in-progress is located in a remote desert area in Lincoln County.

City is not yet open to the public for "safety and artistic reasons," according to the artist. Heizer resides near the City site and works on it daily.

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Flickr / Robert Wilk

Double Negative is publicly accessible but somewhat hard to find. If you decide to explore this unique attraction, you may want to bring this map. Don’t forget, you will need an all-terrain vehicle to get there. Also be sure to wear sunscreen and a good pair of shoes.