Land art introduction > Sun Tunnels Nancy Holt American, 1938–2014 Sun Tunnels 1973–76 Site: Great Basin Desert, Utah Materials: Concrete, steel, and earth Dimensions: overall dimensions: 9 ft. 3 in. x 68 ft. 6 in. x 53 ft.; diagonal length: 86 ft.; each tunnel: 18 ft. 1 in. x 9 ft. 3 in. diameter Nancy Holt's Sun Tunnels (1973–76) is a large-scale installation in northwestern Utah that consists of four large concrete cylinders, arranged on the desert floor in a cruciform pattern that aligns with the sunrise and sunset during the summer and winter solstices. In addition to this perfect solar framing, each of the cylinders is pierced with smaller holes representing the stars of four constellations: Draco, Perseus, Columba, and Capricorn. Holt's design allows for an ever-changing play of celestial light and shadow upon the resolutely material surfaces of her work. Part timepiece and part compass, Sun Tunnels is also a "camera" of sorts, dependent on natural light, with the concrete tubes acting as viewfinders that frame precise images which, in Holt's words, "bring the vast space of the desert back to human scale."

LEFT | October 20, 2012, Sun Tunnels viewing with Nancy Holt, organized by the Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA) as part of Nancy Holt: Sightlines, a traveling exhibition organized by the Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery, Columbia University, on view October 19, 2012–January 20, 2013 at the UMFA. UMFA photo. artlandish event Sun Tunnels Community Meet-up Saturday, September 30, 2017 1–4 pm | FREE Join the UMFA for a fun day of art and science at Nancy Holt's Sun Tunnels, an iconic work of Land art located in Utah's west desert. All ages and abilities are invited to explore the landscape, create art, and learn about the environment of the desert.     sun tunnels Sun Tunnels Self Guide Directions and Travel Tips nancy holt at the umfa Artwork in the Permanent Collection Nancy Holt: Sightlines exhibition land art Introduction Spiral Jetty ARTLandish: Land Art, Landscape, and the Environment