Official Lightning Field photog speaks

Regarding my earlier post about Lightning Field, an art installation in New Mexico that prohibits photos of the terrain on which it sits, Greg sez:

The "Official" Lightning Field photos are a tricky conceptual issue, to be sure. For everyone except the few thousand people who have ever visited the dirtsite itself, the artwork only "exists" as photos. It's a construct and a thorny IP question that the artist has apparently been aware of since day one.

A couple of years ago, I linked to a 2001 interview in Cabinet Magazine with John Cliett, the photog-for-hire who documented the Lightning Field for deMaria and Dia. It's pretty fascinating stuff, especially for art fans.

It doesn't refute any of the annoying copyright abuses you point out--Control and Money are front and center--but it does add some cranky, suspicious artist perspective to the discussion.

Link (Thanks, Greg!)