CHARLES SIMONDS

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I asked Simonds if the distinguishing attributes of the different tribesof Little People are visible in their dwellings. There are three kinds of dwellings.Simonds wrote, "The Little People have experienced an evolution of theirdwellings' architecture that has 'mapped' their origin beliefs onto their evolvingarchitectural forms (being born from the earth, considering the earth as a body,seeing architectural structures as bodies):'The "mythologies" of the Little People are "expressed and recorded" inthree films, which Simonds made in the early Seventies: "Birth;' "Landscape(-)BodyHDwelling;' and "Body(-1Earth:' What were originally sacred "body"informed parts of the landscape have been abstracted and evolved intoarchitectural structures: "breast" landforms became domes, etc. So far, I havenot found an extended discussion of this by Simonds, though commentatorson his art of this period have enlarged on his ideas. Together, this trilogy of filmsforms a cornerstone of Simonds' work-the fundamental representation of themythology of his belief structure. In "Birth;' the first thing we see is a barrenlandscape, with a kind of cleft. Suddenly an androgynous figure emerges fromthe cleft, a newborn human, but hardly an infant. ln"Landscape(-,Body(-JDwelling;'the figure lies on its back, piling sand on its body. In the final take, the figure isplacing the bricks we know from the dwellings, which the artist is now erectingon his own body. The earth is body, since it has brought forth a human. And thebody becomes a dwelling. Earth, body, dwelling are stages.Apart from the surrealist films of Maya Deren, I know nothing to comparewith Simonds' films. The film "Birth" was shown in the Biennale de Paris of 1973,where it gave Simonds a Continental identity. It was the hit of the show. ButSimonds did not at first accept the invitations that came his way. In hisunpublished memoir, he describes a phone call that was made to the telephoneof Lucy Lippard, whom he was seeing at the time. The speaker, in brokenEnglish, said that he had seen his film at the Biennale in Paris and would like to 9
Birth, 1970, twenty-two color photographs, 16 x 102 inches
Page 2: CHARLES SIMONDSMENTAL EARTHGROWTHS
Page 7 and 8: This essay concerns the thought and
Page 13 and 14: visit him and discuss an exhibition
Page 15 and 16: elongs with philosophy and religion
Page 17: Mental Earth, 2002, metal, polyuret
Page 20 and 21: material (material reality, meant p
Page 22 and 23: was a part of Mental Earth. I asked
Page 24 and 25: -.&~~~
Page 27: 26 Two Streams. 2011. metal. polyur
Page 31: 30 Grown Walls, 2011, wood, plaster
Page 35: 34Tumbleweed, 1993, porcelain. 9 x
Page 38 and 39: Structures: Linear, circular and sp
Page 41 and 42: 40Gallery, Art Department, Los Ange
Page 43 and 44: 42Kunstverein, Stuttgart, Germany.
Page 45 and 46: 44Set and Situations, The Museum of
Page 47 and 48: 46__ . "Charles Simonds: Le batisse
Page 49 and 50: SELECTED PUBLIC COLLECTIONSLes Abat
Page 51 and 52: September 10, 2011Dear Charles,You
Page 53 and 54: ARTIST'S STATEMENTSFor the man in t
Page 55 and 56: AFTERWORD AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS54Knoe
Page 57: 1....\. )OBDLER &- ESTA8·L tSHED 8

CHARLES SIMONDS

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