“The pressure of that wall of mountains combined with the great distances between places: it was something to overcome. I think there’s a psychological dimension to the way landscape imprints people from that area. I guess formally I’m sort of interested in that”
—Matthew Barney on growing up in Boise, Idaho

CREMASTER 2: Genealogy, 1990. 1 of 3 C-prints, 55.2 x 55.2 cm each, edition of 3, 2 A.P.

The narrative for the Cremaster cycle flows directly from its geographic and architectural settings. In fact, the five locations were the first elements of the Cremaster cycle that Barney defined. The choice of setting for the episodes follows an eastward trajectory, beginning in the American Northwest and ending in Eastern Europe. The lists below indicate the various locations:

• How does displaying this landscape vertically change your perception of it? What do you notice that you might miss if it was exhibited horizontally?
• Have you ever been to a similar place? Have you seen similar landscapes in the movies, on television, in advertising? What are your associations with this landscape?
• What might be the reason(s) for turning this landscape on its edge?
• Tilt your head (or turn the slide) so that the image is shown horizontally. How does your perception of the images change? Which orientation do you prefer and why?

Think about a place that has influenced you. It might be a place that is particularly memorable, or one where an important event occurred that shaped your identity either positively or negatively. Write a description of how that place looks and smells, how it feels, what sounds you associate with it. Why is this place important to you, and what about this place will you carry with you forever?

Take a series of photographs of a place that is important to you. Try to capture different aspects of that place by taking the photographs from different angles and stances, at different times of the day or year, with and without people in the photograph. Select one photograph that best represents your feeling about the place and tell why you have chosen it.

Plot the locations of Barney’s films on a world map. Using maps and the internet, locate as many of the sites as you can with descriptions and images if possible. Have you ever visited any of these places or similar places (a football stadium, a horseracing track)? What personal associations do these places hold for you?