See the Sky as Never Before, Courtesy of Artist James Turrell
Experience light, space and perception in a whole new way at three museums across the United States — and maybe at your house, too
The summer of 2013 will see three major exhibitions of the work of artist James Turrell. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art's James Turrell: A Retrospective will explore 50 years of the artist's career in a nearly one-year-long exhibition. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, is making many of the artist's installations from its collection accessible for the first time, particularly "The Light Inside." And the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City is transforming the rotunda of its Frank Lloyd Wright–designed building for "Aten Reign," a new "Skyspace" by Turrell.
Below you can learn more about James Turrell and about what we can take away from his decades of working with light, space and perception — particularly his signature Skyspaces — and how his ideas can be integrated into house designs.
Below you can learn more about James Turrell and about what we can take away from his decades of working with light, space and perception — particularly his signature Skyspaces — and how his ideas can be integrated into house designs.
The term "Skyspace" is very telling; Skyspaces are spaces for looking at the sky, but more important, they bring the sky down to us and then make us look at the sky differently (at least for a little while) after leaving the room.
The Effects of Time and Looking
It's difficult to visually convey the effects of Turrell's Skyspaces, since they rely on time (the apparent changes in color) and a prolonged looking at the sky. Especially in terms of the latter, his Skyspaces also have religious connotations, for in prolonged and contemplative looking we "go inside to see the light," as Turrell describes it, using an idea from his Quaker upbringing. Not surprisingly, Turrell has created Skyspaces for Quaker meeting houses.
The Effects of Time and Looking
It's difficult to visually convey the effects of Turrell's Skyspaces, since they rely on time (the apparent changes in color) and a prolonged looking at the sky. Especially in terms of the latter, his Skyspaces also have religious connotations, for in prolonged and contemplative looking we "go inside to see the light," as Turrell describes it, using an idea from his Quaker upbringing. Not surprisingly, Turrell has created Skyspaces for Quaker meeting houses.
I've experienced a few of Turrell's Skyspaces — in Chicago; in Long Island City, Queens; and in Dallas — and definitely the most rewarding was the one at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas. Having visited on a day when the museum stayed open late, I was able to experience the sky around sunset, when the most dramatic change occurred. Accompanying the darkening of the sky was a rise in the ambient levels of artificial light within the space. These two types of light worked together to heighten the viewers' senses.
The Skyspace at the Nasher highlights one of the particularities of the installation: It must look at only the sky. Nearby trees or buildings should not be within the knife-edge frame that so carefully flattens the sky onto the opening's surface. When an adjacent high-rise rose within the opening, the Nasher closed the Skyspace, and Turrell declared it destroyed. While birds and planes may enter the frame from time to time, anything else just distracts from the contemplative aspect of the Skyspace.
The Skyspace at the Nasher highlights one of the particularities of the installation: It must look at only the sky. Nearby trees or buildings should not be within the knife-edge frame that so carefully flattens the sky onto the opening's surface. When an adjacent high-rise rose within the opening, the Nasher closed the Skyspace, and Turrell declared it destroyed. While birds and planes may enter the frame from time to time, anything else just distracts from the contemplative aspect of the Skyspace.
This photo from my trip to the Nasher gives a good overview of a typical Skyspace. From top to bottom is the opening, then the simple walls aglow with the concealed uplights behind the angled seat backs, followed by the seat itself and a floor that can handle the snow and rain that will enter.
In what follows I don't propose that people construct Skyspaces in their backyard or attic, but rather that they think of openings in roofs (outside or inside) in terms of what the openings frame, and also think of light (natural or artificial) in terms of its effects.
In what follows I don't propose that people construct Skyspaces in their backyard or attic, but rather that they think of openings in roofs (outside or inside) in terms of what the openings frame, and also think of light (natural or artificial) in terms of its effects.
Sky Views at Home
While Turrell's Skyspaces are meant to be experienced for long periods (even some of his enclosed gallery installations require more than one hour of immersion for the eyes to get used to low light levels), they can still be appreciated in short durations. The same can be said about apertures that are cut into overhead planes, such as the one over this house's exterior entry.
While Turrell's Skyspaces are meant to be experienced for long periods (even some of his enclosed gallery installations require more than one hour of immersion for the eyes to get used to low light levels), they can still be appreciated in short durations. The same can be said about apertures that are cut into overhead planes, such as the one over this house's exterior entry.
From the other side of the door, we can grasp another aspect of the round opening: It traces the path of the sun both spatially (across the ground and the three walls) and in the shape of the light that passes through.
Even though the opening is positioned at the entrance — naturally a place of only short rest as one moves from one realm to another — it frames the trees and sky in a way that increases their appreciation. This is the same tree whose trunk we saw a couple photos earlier right next to the house; even though we're aware of the tree, this opening forces us to look at and appreciate its canopy.
Round openings are also effective on the inside for tracing the sun's movement across the sky and framing the surroundings. These two are particularly nice for the way they illuminate a hallway and stair.
The pair also puts the sky on display, allowing the residents to feel the movement of time through the changing color of the sky. It's no wonder that Turrell's Skyspaces are horizontal (facing up) rather than windows, since the sky is spatial: It is most full of color straight overhead and gradually recedes to white at the horizon. Therefore skylights provide the greatest potential for focusing our attention on the various hues of the sky.
These first couple of examples also highlight an important distinction between Turrell's constructions and what can be seen as more standard construction. Turrell works with architects and contractors to create knife-edge openings that do not exhibit the thickness of the roof overhead. A flat bottom and angled top are required to achieve this, as are careful patching and painting so as to make the transitions between assemblies and materials invisible. Such would be a lot to ask for residential skylights.
These first couple of examples also highlight an important distinction between Turrell's constructions and what can be seen as more standard construction. Turrell works with architects and contractors to create knife-edge openings that do not exhibit the thickness of the roof overhead. A flat bottom and angled top are required to achieve this, as are careful patching and painting so as to make the transitions between assemblies and materials invisible. Such would be a lot to ask for residential skylights.
A good place for a Skyspace-like opening is a social one, such as above this outdoor dining table. Sure, the opening does not allow for eating in the rain, but it brings plenty of light to what would be a dark space if totally covered, and it frames the sky above the table in a way that borders on the spiritual.
Here is a patio that separates views in one corner to low and high (as we can see by the orientation of the seats, there is also a view in the other direction). The low portion by the guardrail frames the trunks and the low branches, while the opening above gives glimpses of the sky and the trees' canopies. The contrast with the orange is an overt effort to let the green leaves stand out.
Somewhere between an overhead opening and a window is this large aperture cut into an attic story. The low sill height allows the adjacent buildings to be glimpsed, but the angle of the roof forces the gaze upward to the sky and clouds. The subject's position indicates that something spiritual might be going on here as well.
One of the more interesting projects on Houzz that alludes to James Turrell's Skyspaces is the Waterfront Residence, where a circular stone stair tower acts as an elbow upon which the wings of the house pivot. Even in this view across the tower at bridge level, there is the sense that light is entering from above.
Looking into the tower from the balcony that is visible in the previous photo, we get a glimpse of the angled skylight that caps the stair tower.
While the framing of the skylight doesn't really allow the cylindrical space to act like a Skyspace, the light entering and casting along the stone walls has a primordial sensation that parallels the deep ideas Turrell aims for.
Asked about using natural versus artificial light, Turrell has said, "There isn't any unnatural light." This statement opens up the artist to all types of lighting (remember how his Skyspaces use both the light from the sun and ambient light from fixtures), but it also gets at the various qualities of light that are emitted and reflected by different sources (sun, stars, moon, fluorescent bulbs, incandescent bulbs etc.). To think of light as a thing that has a tangible presence, even as its source is invisible, is to start to consider it in creative ways.
This garage in Chicago is pretty interesting during the day, but the lighting in the scales makes it even better at night. The lighting and architecture are integral; the wall, rather than a freestanding lamp, illuminates the space.
This garage in Chicago is pretty interesting during the day, but the lighting in the scales makes it even better at night. The lighting and architecture are integral; the wall, rather than a freestanding lamp, illuminates the space.
Even as the Skyspaces — particularly the ongoing efforts to transform the Roden Crater in Arizona — attract the most attention, much of Turrell's output is confined to gallery spaces where he must rely solely on artificial lighting for effect. These spaces will be highlighted in the three exhibitions taking place this summer, but other institutions have permanent installations that people should certainly visit.
One influence of his installations on home design is the use of cove lighting as the primary means of illuminating a room and shaping a space. This bedroom's L-shaped wall and ceiling detached from the larger room carefully frames the bed, but they also allow for lighting that gives the sensation of floating within an even larger space.
One influence of his installations on home design is the use of cove lighting as the primary means of illuminating a room and shaping a space. This bedroom's L-shaped wall and ceiling detached from the larger room carefully frames the bed, but they also allow for lighting that gives the sensation of floating within an even larger space.
A detail of the corner shows that beyond the lights above and behind the L-shaped piece, there is a cove cut along where the ceiling meets the side wall. This detail dematerializes the wall plane, making it appear as if it slides past the ceiling. Like Turrell's artwork, light reshapes the space and makes us reconsider how we see.
More about the 2013 exhibitions and installations:
More about the 2013 exhibitions and installations:
- Los Angeles: James Turrell: A Retrospective, Los Angeles County Museum of Art
- Houston: "The Light Inside," The Museum of Fine Arts
- New York: "Aten Reign," Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Light as Material
At the root of his artwork is the idea that "the material is light, but the medium is perception," as he puts it. By crafting light and space, he aims to emphasize light's "thingness" and affect our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
This occurs most overtly in the Skyspaces he has created for museums, universities, cities and even individuals around the world. A square, circular or elliptical aperture caps a room and frames the sky; seating enabling visitors to watch the light transform the sky over potentially long periods of time.
A large-scale version is part of the Guggenheim exhibition and promises to recast the Guggenheim rotunda "as an enormous volume filled with shifting artificial and natural light," according to the Guggenheim's website. The rendering shown here offers an idea of what to expect.