Nancy Holt, Avignon Locators (2012)

Locators: 60 x 12 x 2 in. (152 x 31 x 5 cm) each; diameter 45 ft. (13.72 m)

© Holt/Smithson Foundation / Licensed by Artists Rights Society, New York

a Locator sculpture on a historic university campus

Nancy Holt, Avignon Locators (2012)

Locators: 60 x 12 x 2 in. (152 x 31 x 5 cm) each; diameter 45 ft. (13.72 m)

© Holt/Smithson Foundation / Licensed by Artists Rights Society, New York

Nancy Holt, Avignon Locators (2012)

Locators: 60 x 12 x 2 in. (152 x 31 x 5 cm) each; diameter 45 ft. (13.72 m)

© Holt/Smithson Foundation / Licensed by Artists Rights Society, New York

a Locator sculpture on a historic university campus

Nancy Holt, Avignon Locators (2012)

Locators: 60 x 12 x 2 in. (152 x 31 x 5 cm) each; diameter 45 ft. (13.72 m)

© Holt/Smithson Foundation / Licensed by Artists Rights Society, New York

Nancy Holt, Avignon Locators (2012)

Locators: 60 x 12 x 2 in. (152 x 31 x 5 cm) each; diameter 45 ft. (13.72 m)

© Holt/Smithson Foundation / Licensed by Artists Rights Society, New York

a Locator sculpture on a historic university campus

Nancy Holt, Avignon Locators (2012)

Locators: 60 x 12 x 2 in. (152 x 31 x 5 cm) each; diameter 45 ft. (13.72 m)

© Holt/Smithson Foundation / Licensed by Artists Rights Society, New York

Nancy Holt, Avignon Locators (2012)

Locators: 60 x 12 x 2 in. (152 x 31 x 5 cm) each; diameter 45 ft. (13.72 m)

© Holt/Smithson Foundation / Licensed by Artists Rights Society, New York

a Locator sculpture on a historic university campus

Nancy Holt, Avignon Locators (2012)

Locators: 60 x 12 x 2 in. (152 x 31 x 5 cm) each; diameter 45 ft. (13.72 m)

© Holt/Smithson Foundation / Licensed by Artists Rights Society, New York

1984—2014

Avignon Locators

Nancy Holt
2012
Avignon, France
Eight stainless steel pipes, concrete foundations
Eight galvanized steel pipes, concrete foundations Circle of Locators: diam. 40 ft. (12.2 m); Locators: height 60 in. (152 cm); length 12 in. (31 cm); diameter 2 in. (5 cm) each
© Holt/Smithson Foundation / Licensed by Artists Rights Society, New York

Located on the campus of the University of Avignon in France, Nancy Holt’s Avignon Locators was dedicated on June 14, 2012. It comprises eight T-shaped stainless steel viewfinders, each 5 feet tall, which she called Locators, arranged in a 45-foot-diameter circle. Working with Laurence Belingard and Serge Paul for four years, Holt developed the sculpture from mi/node/711 (1972), which had been dismantled in 2003.. The Locators are set to true north and can be looked through from both directions—toward each other and toward the surrounding landscape. The horizon is hidden by trees and buildings, and through the west Locator the sun can be seen setting within the circle on days around the equinoxes.

Related Info

1970—1972
film still showing an outdoor Locator work
Missoula Ranch Locators [film]
Nancy Holt
1972
1970—1972

Upon completing Missoula Ranch Locators—Vision Encompassed, Nancy Holt created the 16 mm film Missoula Ranch Locators, which she exhibited in a solo exhibition at the University of Montana Art Gallery. The film shows the outdoor work in use, highlighting its scale and its capacity to frame perception. Moving image was an important medium for Holt, and her films and videos invite viewers to look alongside the artist. 

1970—1972
a circular view of the Montana landscape
Missoula Ranch Locators - Vision Encompassed
Nancy Holt
1972
1970—1972

Missoula Ranch Locators - Vision Encompassed (1972) by Nancy Holt is a site-responsive sculpture created on ranchland near Missoula,  Montana. Eight Locators, T-shaped structures made from galvanized steel, were arranged in a circular formation and aligned with the compass directions outdoors, developing from experiments Holt conducted in her studio the previous year.

See Also