VISIBLE IMPACTS ON EARTH
in order to keep events like this front of mind, the UN declared today, june 30, global asteroid day.
there are 292 known visible impact craters with a diameter larger than 5 meters, as distinct from other craters that have thier roots in tectonic activity.
we are very inspired by the unique spatial qualities and possibilities of a crater, especially in the hands of hero james turrell, as well as our very own bit of moon rock inspired table sculpture, the SALT shaker.
HERO JAMES TURRELL
image of james turrell © tali kimelman
the first image that the name turrell conjures is something magical with light, and not far behind, something profound with land. the 79 year old artist is one of the pioneers of light and land art.
he grew up in los angeles with a mother with quaker beliefs; 'each person can experience an inner light'. his father was an aeronautical engineer, who took him for flights.
his series of 'skyspaces' intensify the experience of sight and perception. for example, he uses light to flood entire rooms and envelops them in coloured mists. the effect is overwhelming, sometimes to the point of litigation.
canadian pop star drake famously appropriated turrell's work in his hotline bling video. this is where turrell ascended to hero status. his response was thoughtful and generous, saying his work had been 'honored' by drake and commentin on how happy he was that is somewhat academic art had made the leap to the much more relevant realm of popular culture. he wordplay in his official statement on the topic is legendary: "while i am truly flattered to learn that drake fucks with me, i nevertheless wish to make clear that neither i nor any of my woes was involved in any way in the making of the hotline bling video."
nowadays turrell lives and works with his third wife kyung lee in maryland, as well as in arizona, where he is finishing one of his lifetime achievements ‘roden crater’.
1st image of the artwork 'within without' © james turrell, 2010
2nd image © james turrell
RODEN CRATER
roden is a 400 000-year-old extinct volcano near arizona that has been undergoing a 40 year makeover at the hands of james turrell.
spotted in 1974 by turrell by plane, he won backers for a purchase and has been installing a huge perceptual art object since then. it runs beneath the crater. a network of corridors and rooms into the volcano's belly. through astronomically calculated openings to the sky, the light penetrates into the interior of the crater, where it is intercepted and reflected by objects, creating shapes made only of light in space.
this artwork has also caught the eye of a celebrity, in this case it's for the film 'jesus is king' by kanye west.
it is now called the biggest artwork in the world and ‘a gateway to observe light, time and space’. apparently you can visit for a price of around $6500 per person; you will find us trying to sneak in backwards through the gift shop.
if you don't happen to be in arizona with seven grand burning a hole in your pockent, you can combine a visit to a turrell masterpiece with a trip to our FUNDAMENTAL showroom in berlin's ackerstrasse, we are basically neighbours.tours are available for a more affordable €10, one a day, just before sunset. you can book here.
all images of the artwork 'roden crater' © james turrell
PLAYLIST
let's get lost in time and space.