- Land Art & Design -

At LASD Studio, we design site-specific land art and cultural landscapes that merge ecological processes with artistic expression. Each project becomes a living artwork — evolving through time, place, and the rhythms of nature.

Landscape as a Living Canvas

We see the landscape as a living canvas — one that deepens with time, shaped by invisible ecological and cultural processes.
For us, beauty is not static but evolving: an ongoing dialogue between nature, matter, and meaning.

At LASD Studio, we approach every landscape with gentle precision, revealing its hidden beauty through design strategies that respect both nature and culture.

Interpreting Art, Epochs, and Heritage

Our team combines professional expertise and academic depth with artistic freedom — interpreting epochs of art and architecture to blend styles, perception, and storytelling.
In doing so, we give new life to heritage, creating cultural landscapes that are both expressive artworks and living systems.

The Origins and Meaning of Land Art

The creative use of nature as a medium has existed since the dawn of civilization. Yet in the 20th century, Land Art became a distinct contemporary movement — expanding the boundaries of art, architecture, and environment.

Land Art may involve sculpting the earth, arranging stone and wood, or using less tangible elements such as light, reflection, and horizon. It invites us to experience scale, time, and ecology as parts of an artwork — a concept that deeply influences LASD Studio’s design philosophy.

Key Movements and Influences in Land Art

Earthworks and Monumental Expressions

Artists like Robert Smithson and Michael Heizer redefined the landscape through monumental earthworks such as Spiral Jetty and Double Negative, revealing the immensity of nature and the humility of human scale.

At LASD Studio, we translate this sense of scale and permanence into designs that shape topography, water, and light as sculptural elements — always responsive to the site’s ecological rhythm.

Living and Ephemeral Works

Contemporary visionaries such as Maya Lin, Andy Goldsworthy, and Marinus Boezem show how fragility can be profound. Their works grow, decay, and renew — mirroring the life cycles of nature itself.
We adopt this principle in our adaptive design approach, allowing our landscapes to transform over time, embracing impermanence as part of beauty.

Minimal and Conceptual Pathways

Minimal interventions by artists like Richard Long express the dialogue between body, earth, and passage of time. Similarly, our design philosophy — Designing Landscapes as Evolutionary Systems — recognizes landscape as a process rather than a fixed form.

Monumental Land Art

Implying a more imposing construction, is the type of Land art we will call Monumental. Similarly, to the Earthworks, they are also long-lasting and durable.

Among the most astonishing creations is Star Axis by Charles Ross (1971). Situated in New Mexico, this sculpture is made to be an observatory aligned astrologically. This type of construction is based on knowledge of the solar system and diffusion of light. It leaves the viewer with the feeling of contemplating a mix between an ancient temple and a futuristic building.

Another artwork, that may be less gigantic but surely as emblematic, is Sun Tunnels by Nancy Holt. Between 1973-1976, she placed cylinders made out of concrete positioned based on summer and winter solstices. Thus making the sun a piece of the artwork. She also pierces holes in the cylinders to recreate four constellations: the Dragon, Perseus, Colomba and the Capricorn.

Natural vegetation landscape art

Instead of adding new indestructible material into the landscape, some land artists decided to use the natural material at hand even if it would disappear with time.

A mesmerizing succession of waves made of grass is how the artwork Storm King Wavefield could be best described. Created by Maya Lin and located in Upstate New York, these waves could nearly seem like an unusual natural phenomenon.

Another impressive creation made thanks to the natural resources of the landscape is The Green Cathedral by Marinus Boezem. It replicates the shape of the Reim’s Cathedral de Notre-Dame with 178 poplar trees. Since the artwork was created in 1987, vegetation has grown and is ever-evolving with nature.

Ephemeral Land Art

By using natural elements that grow and change, some land artists deliberately conceive their creations to be ephemeral. This is the case of some pieces by Andy Goldsworthy. He usually relies on materials such as dead leaves, branches, stone or even ice. The short life cycle of his creations is the essence of their beauty.

Reminding of nature’s fragility is his work Out early morning calm (1988). The thin branches meticulously placed in the ground form a vortex thanks to the reflection in the lake. Thus, creating an artwork that has a unique moment of contemplation in time.

While the destiny of this type of art is often to disintegrate, other ways of communication such as photography and video have helped to keep a trace of ephemeral land art and enable us to understand its history. With this type of creation, what is more important is the sensorial experience of nature.

Minimal and Conceptual Land art

Pushing the idea of Land art even further, are the more minimal and conceptual land art creations. British artist Richard Long is a key figure of this practice by making minimal and temporary interventions in the landscape. In 1967, he created A Line Made by Walking (Somerset, England) by walking back and forth to leave a mark on earth.

In 1988, he traced a line in the Sahara Desert for his Dusty Boots Line. Richard Long’s creation may seem dull to some, but each one could take a lot of time and effort. This can be seen as a way to represent the insignificance of the traces which humans leave on earth and maybe, an invitation to more humility.

To some others, the overly conceptual Land art and a certain megalomaniac tendency was the source of ridicule. In the 1970s, the Polish art collective Druga Grupa put together detailed charts and plans to cut into Giewont, a peak in the Tatra mountains in Poland. The very well-documented earthwork was in reality fake.

This made up land artwork is an intelligent caricature of the limits and contradictions of some artists' beliefs and principles. Nonetheless, Land art remains a source of inspiration for many artists and enables us to experience art and space on a whole other scale.

Contemporary Land artist

Today, a variety of artists continue to work with the ideas initiated by Land art and use nature as a source of inspiration.

Richard Serra is an American artist known for his monumental sculptures and also for his creations in harmony with nature. In the desert of Qatar, he erected four panels 15 meters high, creating an interesting game of contrasts with the horizon. This undoubtedly references the creations of the pioneers of monumental land art.

In October 2021, the famous French monument Arc de Triomphe was wrapped in a silvery aluminum-like fabric by artist couple Christo et Jeanne-Claude. Having both passed away, Jeanne-Claude in 2009 and more recently Christo in June 2020, they didn’t have a chance to see the final project. Being one of the dreams of Christo, the making of the art piece was a touching tribute to this emblematic couple.

The covering recalls the early works in other locations such as Surrounded Islands in the 1980s. The pink enhanced islands have become one of the world’s most emblematic images and goes to show how Land art can shed the light on the beauty of our planet and the necessity to take care of it.

LASD Studio’s Principles of Land Art Design

1. Link to the past

Land Art is a story.
It is a story of continuation of existing landscape into infinity of non existing yet future.
This principle emphasizes the importance of the relationship between past and future. A link between the past and the future is important since it tells us about the history of the place. This principle considers reality as a result of the past.

2. Holism

A landscape system consists of many components and defines a whole system. For instance, a holistic approach is a sustainable approach in many different ways – nature, human, urban life, and so on. These components and processes form the landscape together in one interrelated coherent system.

3. Creativity

‘Relating to or involving the use of the imagination or original ideas to create something’ (Oxford Dictionary, 2011). This principle suggests that landscapes are unique, that there are simply no common creative tactics to design the landscape project. It is the creativity of our mind that looks for a way out of a problematic situation. This principle suggests that the landscapes as evolving systems does not limit, but encourages creativity.

4. Adaptability

The future is unpredictable. An evolutionary landscape system deals with the integration of time and future uncertainty in the design. Therefore, the landscape becomes more adaptable to an unknown future.

5. Formlessness

A landscape system includes a set of processes that are constantly changing and evolving. Therefore the materiality is also changing. Moreover, the character of the changes is uncertain. The processes that will take place in the future are also not defined. Therefore the form that we see does not carry any meaning. ‘formlessness’ = open for future changes.

For Cultural and Art Institutions

LASD Studio collaborates with museums, art foundations, and cultural organizations to design outdoor spaces that expand artistic narratives beyond gallery walls.

We create landscapes that:

• Unite art, ecology, and education;

• Serve as living exhibitions and spaces for public dialogue;

• Enhance institutional identity and legacy;

• Offer visitors an immersive experience of place and meaning.

“Each landscape becomes a cultural statement — a synthesis of art, science, and time.”