A sculpture defined by negative space, Heizer dislodges conventional notions of presence by creating an art object characterised by its material mass and lack thereof.

Monumental in scale, as with much of Heizer's works, North, East, South, West uses basic geometric forms to evoke a sense of awe, beauty, and terror, recalling the spiritual power of ancient monoliths. The entire length of North, East, South, West spans almost 40 metres, with each depression plummeting to a depth of 6 metres.

"It is interesting to build a sculpture that attempts to create an atmosphere of awe. Small works are said to do this but it is not my experience. Immense, architecturally sized sculpture creates both the object and the atmosphere. Awe is a state of mind equivalent to religious experience, I think if people feel commitment, they feel something has been transcended.”
— Michael Heizer