As a land artist Strijdom van der Merwe uses the materials provided by the chosen site. His sculptural forms take shape in relation to the landscape. What remains is a photographic image, a fragment of the imagination. It is a process of working with the natural world using sand, water, wood and rocks, he shapes these elements into geometrical forms that participate with their environment, continually changing until their final probable destruction. He observes the fragility of beauty while not lamenting its passing. While a visual record is materially all that is left, he also leaves us a reminder of the capacity, however feeble, of an individual to alter the universe by embracing the ceaseless changing of nature, actively contributing to it and in so doing, modulating and beautifying the outcome.REVIEWS "One of the newest evolutions of human creativity is the deliberate sculpting of land, utilizing natural elements of earth, stone, and flora, to create works of art that can be as enduring or ephemeral as the elements that comprise them. Foremost among the new generation of land artists is Strijdom van der Merwe. "Sculpting the Earth: Artistic Interventions with the Landscape" is a beautifully illustrated, 200-page compendium of full color photography showcasing his creations drawn from the last fifteen years of his work. Each photograph is accompanied by a succinct commentary and the year in which the art was done, making "Sculpting the Earth" a unique and highly prized addition to personal, professional, academic, and community library 20th Contemporary Art collections."Midwest Book Review, 2012/06