According to tate.org, “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”. Site-specific work integrates itself into its surroundings becoming a part of the location. It is created with this location as a part of the work to be exhibited rather than other works that can be displayed almost everywhere. It includes the environment into the work. Usually, site-specific work is related to environmental work, artists tend to utilize the environment into their work. An example of this would be Spiral Jetty by Robert Smithson, which is Built on the northeastern shore of the Great Salt Lake in Utah made up of mud, salt crystals, and basalt rocks. The work forms a 1,500-foot-long, 15-foot-wide counterclockwise coil jutting from the shore of the lake.
The work created for a site-specific location cannot be moved or altered, as it loses its original meaning. Another example of a site-specific work would be Christo and Jeanne Claude’s The Gates. The artists installed 7,503 vinyl “gates” along 23 miles of pathways in Central Park in New York City. These bright orange arches with fabric hung throughout New York City’s central park for about a month and were taken down shortly after. Christo and Jeanne Claude were responsible for a lot of site-specific artworks including the Wrapped Reichstag and the surrounded islands. Site-specific works don’t necessarily have to be outdoors, but they need to be a signific part of its environment.
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