James Turrell is an artist of light and space. His latest upcoming project is for Wadi AlFann, and will be a massive open air “cosmic observatory. The work will pull from his past scale pieces discussed in the video above.
Via Designboom
Visitors will navigate hundreds of meters of tunnels carved into the mountain, culminating in a series of celestial experiences that forge optical and physical connections with astronomical time. One such feature is the obelisk surrounded by a constellation map which ‘lays out the stars and celestial bodies above us, showing their exact positions in orbit using LEDs that highlight their paths,’ the curatorial team tells designboom as we explore the exhibition. The journey leads to a central plaza and Skyspaces that use only natural light to reveal phenomena rarely visible to the naked eye. During the winter solstice, for instance, the path of sunlight is projected in the sunroom chamber. ‘Across the white marble, you’ll be able to see the spots and flares of the real sun above us that we can’t usually see, as well as the craters and dark spots of the moon. The artist is trying to connect us to these celestial bodies, bringing them into our lived-in space,’ they continue. The experience also features two underground chambers offering contrasting experiences of boundlessness. The Ganzfeld chamber immerses visitors in pure, colored light that dissolves walls and creates a dimensionless void. In contrast, the Wedgework chamber uses precise planes of light to create luminous forms that layer over one another, producing a dreamlike interplay between solidity and dissolution, evoking what Turrell describes as ‘a light that looks like the light you see in your dream.’
Simulate the infinite on your desk with the Ruiz Brother’s NeoPixel Infinity Mirror Coaster
