Tag: james-turrell | ArchDaily

James Turrell's Skyspace and the Opening of the Obama Presidential Center: This Week’s Review

Antonia Piñeiro — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 05:30:00 +0000

From projects and institutions that reinforce the relationship between art and architecture to initiatives seeking new approaches to persistent urban and ecological challenges, this week's developments reflect a broader effort to reconsider established frameworks and expand the role of design in contemporary society. Whether through adaptive reuse, policy innovation, artistic experimentation, or critical research, architects and cultural organizations are exploring how existing systems can be transformed to address emerging realities. These questions resonate across new architectural projects that translate environmental conditions and civic aspirations into built form. In Chicago, the completion of the Obama Presidential Center positions architecture as a vehicle for public memory, while in Albania, OODA's Lighthouse reinterprets local landscapes and traditions through a tower overlooking the Adriatic coast. Meanwhile, Heatherwick Studio's proposed AlUla Manara visitor centre responds to the conditions of Saudi Arabia's desert landscape, combining scientific research and tourism within a destination dedicated to observing the night sky.

Schmidt Hammer Lassen Completes ARoS Expansion with James Turrell's As Seen Below – The Dome

Reyyan Dogan — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 06:30:00 +0000

Denmark's ARoS Aarhus Art Museum has unveiled As Seen Below – The Dome, a new Skyspace by American artist James Turrell that completes The Next Level, the museum's approximately 4,000-square-metre underground expansion designed by Schmidt Hammer Lassen. Opened to the public on 19 June 2026, the project marks the culmination of more than two decades of collaboration between the City of Aarhus, ARoS, and the Danish architecture practice, following the completion of the museum building in 2004 and the addition of Olafur Eliasson's Your Rainbow Panorama in 2011. Located beneath the redesigned Musikhusparken in central Aarhus, the installation forms the centerpiece of the museum's latest expansion and adds a new large-scale work by Turrell to its collection.

Beyond Form: How Light and Shadow Define Architectural Atmosphere

Diogo Borges Ferreira — Fri, 21 Mar 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Architecture is often defined by its physical form, materials, and structural elements, but light and shadow truly shape the experience of space. These elements influence perception, guide movement, and evoke emotional responses, transforming static structures into dynamic environments. Throughout history, architects have harnessed the interplay of light and shadow, using it as a fundamental design tool to create atmosphere and meaning.

James Turrell Unveils Monumental Commission for Wadi AlFann in AlUla

Maria-Cristina Florian — Wed, 29 Jan 2025 06:30:00 +0000

The AlUla Arts Festival, running from January 16th to February 22nd, 2025, features a significant exhibition of works by renowned Light and Space artist James Turrell. Presented by Wadi AlFann, the exhibition, curated by Michael Govan of LACMA, offers a unique preview of Turrell's upcoming monumental commission for Wadi AlFann, a sprawling contemporary art destination in the AlUla region of north-west Saudi Arabia. The exhibition, located in AlJadidah Arts District within AlUla's historic old town, provides context for Turrell's ambitious project, which will involve the creation of a series of chambers within the canyon floor, designed to create a sensory experience of light, color, and perception.

Light as Matter: 10 Artists Transform Space with Lighting

Victor Delaqua — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 05:00:00 +0000

Light has been present in art for centuries. To think of the Baroque or Gothic without this element would be impossible. However, in the 20th century, artists began to explore light qualities and transformed them into a means of materializing art. Sculptures, immersive installations, and ways of shaping the environment through light, its colors and intensities brought new spatial perceptions by establishing a unique relationship with architecture.

7 Lighting Trends and How They Are Illuminating Today’s Interior Spaces

Dima Stouhi — Fri, 24 Mar 2023 07:30:00 +0000

Luis Barragán’s legacy lies in the way he uses light and color. Tadao Ando's sensitive approach to natural light established his own architectural language. James Turrell's dramatic interior transformations explore a unique perception of visual experiences where "light is not a tool to enable vision but rather something to look at itself". Olafur Eliasson's immersive installations play with the psychology of viewers using just light, water, and air. These architects and designers, among others, have reimagined how light is perceived, inspiring generations of architects to follow suit with the way they understand and employ light.

Valley of the Arts in AlUla, in KSA, Announces 5 Permanent Large-Scale Installations, to be Completed by 2024

Paula Cano — Wed, 14 Dec 2022 06:30:00 +0000

The new cultural destination Wadi AlFann, Valley of the Arts in AlUla desert, Saudi Arabia, unveiled its first permanent large-scale installations by some of the world's most compelling contemporary artists. Agnes Denes, Ahmed Mater, James Turrell, Manal AlDowayan, and Michael Heizer will be the first five to be completed and unveiled by 2024, starting a program of commissions with more renowned artists to be announced.

James Turrell’s Roden Crater Set to Open After 45 Years

Eric Baldwin — Thu, 24 Jan 2019 05:00:00 +0000

American light and space artist James Turrell's best-known work, Roden Crater, is now set to open to the public within the next few years thanks to a series of partnerships and new funding. Part of the additional funds includes a $10 million donation from Kanye West that would allow the project to expand and open within the next five years. Only a small group of people have experienced the crater, and the new funding will jump-start the updated master plan, which includes a restaurant, visitor’s center, cabins, and a "light-spa."

Fly Through the SHL and James Turrell-Designed Addition to ARoS Art Museum in Aarhus

Patrick Lynch — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 14:00:00 +0000

New details have been revealed of the €40 million extension of ARoS Art Museum in Aarhus, Denmark. Designed by Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects in collaboration with artist James Turrell, the expansion project includes a new 1,400-square-meter (15,070-square-foot) underground gallery and two site-specific installations by Turrell that represent his largest museum project to date.

ARoS Art Museum Expansion Project: SHL Architects and James Turrell will Raise an Impressive Semi-Subterranean Dome in Aarhus

José Tomás Franco — Wed, 16 Nov 2016 16:00:00 +0000

With the aim of creating a new civic experience at a central point in the city of Aarhus, Denmark, the 'Next Level' project by Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects expands the interior capacity of the ARoS Art Museum through a 1,200 square meter subterranean gallery and a huge semi-subterranean dome. The €40 million expansion plan was born from a collaboration with renowned American artist James Turrell, generating a unique experience of color and light.

schmidt hammer lassen to Expand ARoS Aarhus Art Museum

Karissa Rosenfield — Tue, 10 Nov 2015 16:00:00 +0000

schmidt hammer lassen architects has been commissioned to expand their ARoS Aarhus Art Museum in Denmark. The architects are expected to collaborate with American artist James Turrell, who will be designing two installations for the expansion's 1200-square-meter subterranean gallery: "The Sphere" and "The Dome." The €30 million expansion is being referred to as "The Next Level," symbolizing the museum's intent to "bring the museum into the world elite of modern art museums." The museum recently embarked on a similar collaboration that involved artist Olafur Eliasson, who designed "Your Rainbow Panorama."

Guggenheim Conversations: Michael Govan Discusses Light and Space with James Turrell

Karissa Rosenfield — Sat, 13 Jul 2013 00:00:00 +0000

On the occasion of James Turrell's new site-specific installation at the Guggenheim, the American artist joined Michael Govan, Director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and co-curator of James Turrell: A Retrospective, in conversation about the different aspects of the artist's singular oeuvre on view in three concurrent exhibitions in Houston, Los Angeles, and New York.

James Turrell Transforms the Guggenheim

Karissa Rosenfield — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0000

With one of his largest installations to date, American artist James Turrell has transformed the rotunda of Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic Guggenheim Museum into a mesmerizing Skyspace. Shifting between natural and artificial light, Aten Reign - James Turrell’s main attraction - illuminates the central void with a brightly colored, banded pattern that imitates the museum’s famous ramps. This presents a dynamic perceptual experience in which the materiality of light is exposed.

Light Matters: Seeing the Light with James Turrell

Thomas Schielke — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Light matters, a monthly column on light and space, is written by Thomas Schielke. Based in Germany, he is fascinated by architectural lighting, has published numerous articles and co-authored the book „Light Perspectives“.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim Rotunda to be Temporarily Transformed into a Turrell Skyspace

Karissa Rosenfield — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

With his first exhibition in a New York museum since 1980, James Turrell will dramatically transform the sinuous curves of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim Museum into one of the largest Skyspaces he has ever mounted. Opening on summer solstice, June 21, 2013, Aten Reign will give form museum’s central void by creating what Turrell has described as “an architecture of space created with light.”

James Turrell's "Twilight Epiphany" Skyspace opens today at Rice University

Karissa Rosenfield — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 15:00:38 +0000

The highly anticipated “Twilight Epiphany” Skyspace, designed by American artist James Turrell, will open to the public today with a sunset light show. The abstract pyramidal structure complements the natural light present at sunrise and sunset, creating a mesmerizing light show that connects the beauty of the natural world with the surrounding campus. This experience is enhanced by an LED light performance that projects onto the 72-by-72-foot thin white roof, which offers views to the sky through a 14-by-14-foot opening. Additionally, the Turrell Skyspace is acoustically engineered for musical performances and serves as a laboratory for music school students, as it stands adjacent to the Shepher School of Music on the Rice University campus in Houston, Texas.

Phenomenal: California Light, Space, Surface at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego

Irina Vinnitskaya — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:00:08 +0000

If you are in the San Diego area and looking for something to do this weekend, check out the Phenomenal: California Light, Space, Surface exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. It is your last chance to experience the exhibit at the museum’s La Jolla location, as it will be closing this Sunday, January 22. However, the exhibit will remain open to the public at its downtown location in San Diego into spring and summer.