Even with its minimal notes and measurements, this preliminary sketch foretells the audacious undertaking of Broken Circle/Spiral Hill. Located in a sand quarry in remote northeastern Netherlands, Broken Circle/Spiral Hill required considerable excavation and a reconstruction of the existing shoreline. Smithson revered the remote, often selecting mundane, forgotten places as the canvas for lofty visions. In the drawing, the necessary implementation of heavy machinery contrasts the surreal stillness of Smithson’s design.