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“I’m interested
in seeing ourselves seeing...” – James Turrell
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary
Art, Nancy and Art Schwalm Sculpture Garden, 7383 E. 2nd St.
In February 2001, the Scottsdale
Public Art Program installed a skyspace by internationally acclaimed artist
James Turrell at the Scottsdale
Museum of Contemporary Art. Turrell has created 12 permanently
installed skyspaces since 1975. Knight Rise is one of only three
skyspaces open to the public in the United States.
Skyspaces frame the sky as pure color and show us "the changing light
of the sky, altering what we see with our own eyes." Skyspaces allow us
to see the sunset (and sunrise) as never before!
At those times it seems the sky has come closer, as if we can can reach
out and touch it. Turrell says his work provides the opportunity to "look
at our own looking." By doing so Turrell grounds us in the present moment
and reconnects us to the world we inhabit. As Turrell puts it, "we are
dwellers at the bottom of the ocean of air. We create the color and shape
of the sky. It does not exist outside the self."
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A skyspace, coined by Arizona artist James Turrell, is a simple elegant
viewing chamber with
benches along its walls and an opening in the ceiling. Scottsdale’s
Knight Rise has an elliptical
shaped oculus.
Knight Rise creates an illusion that makes visitors feels as if they are
seated in an ocean of air.
The illusion and phenomenon of the skyspace is created through its exacting
architecture
coupled with a complex lighting system.
Viewers seated within the space are led to perceive that the sky, with
its ever-changing effects
of color, light and mood, is brought down to the plane of the open ceiling
oculus. At sunrise and
sunset, changes in the natural light make viewers feel as though the sky
is descending upon
them. 
The effects achieved within Knight Rise are quite difficult, if not impossible,
to describe.
Because James Turrell’s art plays on our perception of light and
color, on our emotions and on
our imagination, each visitor will achieve an individual experience.
Some report that spending several minutes in the space becomes a meditative
activity. Others
sense great emotional tranquility. At sunrise and sunset the illusion
is most dramatic: the sky
appears to descend upon the viewer almost as if it were a tangible substance.
In a simple, physical act of viewing the sky purely as light, hue, and
texture, the artwork
completes itself. More specifically, an engaged visitor completes the
experience that is Turrell’s
artwork.
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Turrell acknowledges the influence of Impressionist painters such as Claude
Monet, who
painted the landscape around him focusing mainly on the elements of light
and color. Monet
observed the light and colors that were created when they interacted with
physical objects, then
he dissected the color, light, and material objects and merged them with
the oil media onto the
canvas. Turrell continues with this method, yet in his own style and medium.
He combines the
dynamics of light, color, and physical matter in order to sculpt light
causing it to become almost
tangible.
Color field painter Mark Rothko composed luminous paintings of complex
color systems
radiating off of the canvas. Turrell similarly employs color as focal
point. In contrast to Rothko,
Turrell’s representations of light give the impression of a three-dimensional
home for the
spectrum. Millions of color-infused particles seem to float directly in
front of the eye, both
teasing and quieting viewers.
Open to the public during regular
museum hours (which vary during the year).
For sunset viewing : open Thursday evenings until 8pm, and by
special reservation
For sunrise viewing : by special reservation only
Call 480-874-4645 to check availability, confirm viewing hours, make reservations,
or to reserve Knight Rise for a special event.
For
sunrise/sunset times click here
The effect created when the
sky is viewed without a visible horizon
line. Using specifically determined viewpoints, our usual perception of
the sky – that it is
“out there,” far above us – is manipulated to make it
seem that the sky is “coming down”
to enclose us. James Turrell’s Knight Rise is designed to achieve
this effect.
First used in the 1970s, the
term usually refers to artwork which is set
up for public view and requires special arrangements (such as Turrell’s
light
installations) – as opposed to a painting which is simply hung on
a wall – and is often
specifically designed for a site.
The study of the senses and
how their input is perceived and
interpreted by the mind; also, how those perceptions affect the mind,
body and behavior
of an individual.
Artwork commissioned with the
benefit of the community in mind, accessible
to the public, and with the goal of contributing a valuable sense of identity,
pride, and
cultural enhancement to a place.
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James Turrell is recognized as one of the most significant and influential
artists working in the world today, known internationally as a “sculptor
of light.” Turrell holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology
from Pomona College, with emphasis in perceptual psychology. He studied
art at the University of California, Irvine, and holds a Master of Arts
degree from the Claremont Graduate School in California. He has been living
and working in Flagstaff, Arizona on the Roden Crater Project for nearly
30 years.
James Turrell is considered a master of light, and while many artists
use paint to replicate light, Turrell uses light itself (sometimes manmade,
sometimes natural) to create visual effects. His Skyspace concept is part
science and part art in its ability to filter and shape light in a manner
that gives it a solid appearance. Some Turrell works are indoor installation
art pieces, some are Skyspaces, and his largest project yet, Roden Crater,
is an environmental work located near Flagstaff, Arizona.
It has been a long-term goal of the Scottsdale Public Art Program to create
a signature artwork for Scottsdale which would serve as a destination
attraction for area residents and visitors. In 1998, the Scottsdale Cultural
Council’s Public Art and Collections Committee selected James Turrell
for a commission to provide such a signature work.
Turrell’s Knight Rise, is to be housed within a chamber custom-designed
by architect Will Bruder and permanently sited in the Nancy and Art Schwalm
Sculpture Garden at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art.
A Skyspace is a large, elegant viewing chamber with benches along its
interior walls. The Skyspace creates an illusion which makes viewers feel
as if they are seated in an ocean of air. The visual phenomenon of the
Skyspace is created through its exacting architecture coupled with a complex
lighting system. At sunrise and sunset, changes in the natural light give
viewers the sensation of the sky descending upon them. The unusual visual
effect (called celestial vaulting) achieved within the Skyspace is quite
difficult, if not impossible, to describe.
Located in Northern Arizona near Flagstaff, Roden Crater is a cinder cone
(an extinct volcano) with a dish-shaped depression at the top. Turrell
is turning this natural geographic formation into a monumental environmental
artwork. He has designed a series of chambers and observation platforms
in the crater, in line with the sun, moon, stars, and planets, inspired
by ancient sites like Stonehenge and Egyptian temples. The crater is currently
under construction. To learn more about Turrell and his Roden Crater project,
click here for .
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