An
ephemeral, mesmerizing play of optics occurs as flowing particles of haze are drawn
out of the shadows, illuminated by the light beam headed towards the screen, thus creating a 3 - dimensional
sculpture.
However, whereas Smithson's
sculpture was made
out of basalt rock and salt crystals on a monumental scale and was intended to become a permanent feature of the Great Salt Lake landscape in which it was made, Long's spiral made
out of seaweed was more modest in scale and
ephemeral in nature.