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Informed by the purity of American Minimalist art and the steel frameworks of modern architecture, Spirit Structures are open rectilinear constructions made entirely of interlocking spirit levels. The vials embedded in each spirit level aid the modular assemblage of the artwork, highlighting the principals of physics that govern all architectural endeavor and demonstrating the structure's state of equilibrium.

Constructed from highly visible yellow spirit levels, the use of identically mass-produced components reflect the role that commerce and branding now play in the contemporary art practice. Long's approach can be understood as embracing a legacy of Pop Art, which, although diametric to Minimalism, developed in parallel during the early to mid-1960's.

Conceived as a counter-point to the complex and labour intensive Scaffolding Sculptures project, each configuration can be constructed quickly from a simple set of instructions. By implementing a tectonic system that regulates expression to pure geometric abstraction, Spirit Structures fuses high modernists ideals with the democratic principles of DIY construction.