James Turrell was suggested to me as a reference by a friend because of his scale as well as use of colour and space, which are interests of mine and feature heavily in my work. The use of elemental materials (light, space, water, land) as art materials in intriguing and impressive, particularly the seamlessness of each creation. There are no exposed plates wires bars or screws, everything has that
Turrell is similar to artists like Alice Aycock, Paul Klee and many others who bring element of design, symmetry and balance. There is also an uncanny sense of wonder or awe that comes from his use of precision to highlight celestial alignments and events (in Roden Crater). This experience is otherworldly and familiar, similar to Rothko’s colour field paintings in that it connects you to something.
In my case when having certain sensory experiences (light, sound, colour, immense scale) I become very aware of my body and my significance in the universe. This feeling makes me contemplate the immense world beyond our planet, and creates perspective by highlighting our temporal nature while finding beauty in our finality. Though admittedly this kind of experience may just be a personal one and is probably irrelevant to the work.
Turrell uses light as a way to manipulate our perception of the space, we see walls and barriers where there are none, turning flat walls into deep corridors, making holes in the wall seem flat. I still find it difficult to figure out how he has done any of this in terms of construction, I am still not sure if this is a corridor or a series of projections, either way there is a very primal connection with the use of primal elements like light colour and space.
The sense of connection is present irrespective of personal interpretations, and is achieved through the use of light and space as materials; these are primal elements of human experience as opposed to technologies like painting or photo/video. Most animals are influenced by light and space, as well as colour Turrell’s other core material, so it is safe to assume humans are the same and there is evidence to support this.
‘I am using light as a medium to affect perception’ – James Turrell
In this video he talks about how his work has no image, object or real focus, which begs the question what is there left? For Turrell it is about understanding how we perceive rather than a specific form of that action his work is about the action itself, the constant rendering of reality we do. In this way he is similar to Olafur Eliasson and other artists exploring light space and perception.
He also discusses how the spaces are intended to be meditative and contemplative, which links to my experience of the work mentioned earlier. This links to his upbringing as a Quaker, where collective contemplation and prayer in silence is a common practice, in this space no one speaks until they feel moved to. This is a really interesting idea and connects with my desire to provoke thought and contemplation within my own work.
I will meditate on Turrell’s spatial and colour filled experiences and try to see how I could respond or build on the ideas he has sparked in me. I look forward to making more work with light in the future and beyond my degree perhaps developing a series that involves light, space and maybe even celestial events.