"The term site-specific refers to a work of art designed specifically for a particular location and that has an interrelationship with the location."
"As a site-specific work of art is designed for a specific location, if removed from that location it loses all or a substantial part of its meaning. The term site-specific is often used in relation to installation art, as in site-specific installation; and land art is site-specific almost by definition."
There're two definition about what site specificity exactly is. For my understanding that site specificity means- artists created something only for a certain location but only for this location, if we transfer the art work to somewhere else, it will lose its purpose.
Then my question is, even the location have not change, how about time? By the time going, the world changing, do the site specificity art works still have the same meaning or purpose?
Two instances to have a short talk about the question.
No. 1 Statue of Liberty
I don't to say much about this sculpture, everybody knows her. She holds the Declaration of Independence in her left hand, her right hand holds the torch symbolizing light, light of hope and light of freedom. Actually, it's a gift from French to celebrate that US built the country for 100 years.
Thus, it isn't hard to find out the meaning of the Statue of Liberty. It means people stand up fight for their freedom, it means a country stand up and independent and also means the friendship between two countries.
However, if one statue represents one country, then when this country changes its behaviours, does the statue still has the same meaning?
What the US did? Create wars, support wars, gun issues, drug issues. It becomes a country that too far away from Statue of Liberty means to represent. Should we knock it down?
No. 2 The Great Wall of China
"The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications that were built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and Imperial China as protection against various nomadic groups from the Eurasian Steppe. Several walls were built from as early as the 7th century BC, with selective stretches later joined by Qin Shi Huang (220–206 BC), the first emperor of China. Little of the Qin wall remains. Later on, many successive dynasties built and maintained multiple stretches of border walls. The best-known sections of the wall were built by the Ming dynasty (1368–1644)."
Quote from Wikipedia
As the explanation online, the great wall actually was a wall which built for defence and protect the inside of the country from the outsider's attack. Apart of the functional purpose, I would like to see the great wall as a great piece of land art as well, especially the winter time. I like to see the wall in the snow, it lay meandering in the ups and downs of the mountains, solemn and solitary.
As new China built, the great wall's original purpose has gone. Peace inside China and we don't need a wall to protect us anymore. So the great wall become to a location which for tourists to visit and climbing to challenge their physical agility.
"He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man." from Chairman Mao 1935
I have been the great wall couple of times when was in China, there is a certain height that has this sign from Chairman Mao, when you reach that height you could see it and everyone takes picture with it.
Whatever Statue of Liberty could not represent her country anymore, or the Chinese Great Wall becomes to be a tourist's location, as a part of land art, they are irreplaceable!
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