WALTER DE MARIA

THE EARTH ROOM

The Earth Room is a 22-inch-deep layer of dirt spread across a 3,600-square-foot gallery space in the middle of SoHo. Created in 1977 by American artist Walter De Maria, best known for his involvement in the earthworks/land art movement of the the 60s and 70s. His most well known work is the installation of 400 metal rods in the desert in New Mexico entitled Lightning Field.


Earth room has been a peaceful, quiet sanctuary from the bustle of the street below for three decades, where the mix of smells from the streets of New York are reduced to only one: the rich smell of soil. While there were originally two additional Earth Rooms, both in Germany, this is the last one remaining.


To keep the Earth Room in good shape, curators must regularly water the dirt. Occasional mushrooms have been found sprouting in the 280,000 pounds of dirt. Though it would be a difficult piece to transport and reinstall elsewhere, it is estimated to be worth at least a million dollars. The space itself, in Manhattan's trendy SoHo neighborhood, is probably worth much more.