James Turrell and The Magnificent Use of Color and Light - Part 1: The Installations

/TWP
May 15, 2021
2 min read

"My work is more about your seeing than it is about my seeing, although it is a product of my seeing. I’m also interested in the sense of presence of space; that is space where you feel a presence, almost an entity — that physical feeling and power that space can give.”

Born in Los Angeles in 1943, Turrell’s work focuses on expression through projection of light and space. Many of his works includes installations with fields of colored lights, sensory deprivation, holograms, geometric light projections, prints and drawings. He aims to offer his viewers with the wonder of perception to inspire a spiritual journey through the body and mind. Turrell's work can be found in 30 countries around the world. His most ambitious work, Roden Crater, has been in process since 1977 outside Flagstaff, Arizona.

According to his website, "Turrell often cites the Parable of Plato’s Cave to introduce the notion that we are living in a reality of our own creation, subject to our human sensory limitations as well as contextual and cultural norms. This is evident in Turrell’s over eighty Skyspaces, chambers with an aperture in the ceiling open to the sky. The simple act of witnessing the sky from within a Turrell Skyspace, notably at dawn and dusk, reveals how we internally create the colors we see and thus, our perceived reality."

Here's some of my favorite installations:

GANZFELDS

[a German word to describe the phenomenon of the total loss of depth perception as in the experience of a white-out.]

SKYSPACES

[a specifically proportioned chamber with an aperture in the ceiling open to the sky. Skyspaces can be autonomous structures or integrated into existing architecture. The aperture can be round, ovular or square.]

There were so many more installations I wanted to pick but these are some I often reflect about. Everything about them is deeply inspiring and so celestial. The use of sky as part of his art and canvas just elevates his art to such a level and how the colors transport you to a different world fascinates me. His color palette is refreshing and so well thought. It creates and hide worlds around us. It also provide us insights about working with negative space when it comes to graphic design, and how valuable can it be if mastering it.

His presence in modern music is also something interesting, for example on Drake's Hotline Bling music video: