Drawing Artwork in the Train made by the Land

Created especially for Station to Station, Olafur Eliasson’s drawing machine Connecting cross country with a line, sketched a series of drawings as the train made its way, cross-country, through the United States of America. The drawing machine, reminiscent of a large wooden trunk with a circular tray suspended on top by springs, required no power to operate. The drawings were made by an ink-coated obsidian ball, which rolled around the tray as the railcar sped through the landscape.

The markings created did not result from chance; they followed the progression of the journey and portray the rails, wheels, and land beneath the train. Each bump, hiccup, and lurch of the railcar expressed itself upon the paper; the train and the natural terrain made the drawing in concert. In a sense, the work was site specific to a site that was constantly changing. It is an artwork made by the land. Watch video below.